The first fossil of Oreopithecus bambolii, a monkey that lived during the Miocene between 7 and 9 million years ago in our region, is a jawbone found in the lignite mine of Montebamboli, in the municipality of Massa Marittima, by the French paleontologist Paul Gervais. This fossil is preserved in the Museum of Natural History in Florence, where other remains of Oreopithecus are also housed, including the famous nearly complete specimen discovered in the Baccinello mine in 1958. A replica of this specimen is displayed at the G. Camporeale Archaeological Museum in Massa Marittima.
