The cave is located in the village of Almonda, in the civil parish of Zibreira, in the municipality of Torres Novas in the district of Santarém.

Various independent analyses revealed an age of approximately 400,000 years, due to the detection of the oxygen isotope stage MIS 11c.

Identified species include deer and equids predominantly, but also rhinoceros, bear as well as a large bovid (Bos/Bison), a caprid, and a Testudo tortoise.

The block containing the main portion of the cranium and the detached fragments were transported to the Conservation and Restoration Laboratory at the Complutense University of Madrid for further preparation.

Although the taxonomic identity is debated, some authors prefer to group Aroeira 3 with other Middle Pleistocene fossils from Africa and Asia in a separate species, Homo heidelbergensis.