En 1960, el hallazgo de un bifaz de cuarcita en la excavación de Santimamiñe planteó la posibilidad de que hubiera habido ocupaciones achelenses en la cueva. Sin embargo, esta cuestión no ha sido valorada en las intervenciones arqueológicas posteriores ni considerada en las síntesis sobre el primer poblamiento de Bizkaia. La localización de ésta y otras piezas de aspecto arcaico en los almacenes del Arkeologi Museoa, unido a la publicación en línea de los diarios de campo de Barandiarán, nos ha permitido valorar la posibilidad de que hubiera existido una ocupación del Paleolítico Inferior en la cueva de Santimamiñe.

Santimamiñeko indusketan, 1960an, kuartzitazko aurpegibiko bat aurkitu ostean, leizean Acheul aldian okupaziorik egon ote zen aukera planteatu zuten. Dena den, gai hori ez da sekula aztertu gerora egindako esku-hartze arkeologikoetan eta ez da kontuan hartu Bizkaiko lehen populaketari buruz egindako sintesietan ere. Baina Arkeologi Museoko biltegietan pieza hori eta itxura arkaikoko beste batzuk aurkitu izanari eta Barandiaranen laneko egunkariak linean argitaratu izanari esker, Santimamiñeko leizean Behe Paleolitoko okupazioa egon izanaren aukera aztertzea ahalbidetu digu.

In 1960, the discovery of a quartzite biface in the excavation of Santimamiñe raised the possibility that there had been Acheulean occupations preserved in the cave; however, this question has not been assessed in subsequent archaeological interventions or considered in the syntheses on the first human settlement of Bizkaia. We have carefully reviewed the available documentation about the discovery and the context of this biface, in the newspapers and in the field notes recorded by J.M. Barandiarán during the excavation of Santimamiñe. Thanks to these data, we have been able to demonstrate the existence of ancient deposits preserved next to the S wall of the cave vestibule, in which J.M. Barandiarán located the biface and two choppers, nowadays preserved in the Arkeologia Museoa’s storerooms. The technological and morphological characteristics of the biface, similar to those of the Galería site at Atapuerca, suggest an Acheulean attribution. This attribution would fit the chronological range proposed for the formation of speleothem episodes in the passage between the vestibule and the “Salón area (ca 300,000 and 100,000 BP). All this would imply the existence of an episode of occupation during the Acheulean at Santimamiñe, of which there may still be evidence.