A team from Curtin University in Australia, alongside researchers from the Natural History Museum of the University of Crete and the Greek Ephorate of Speleology and Paleoanthropology, visited the Trachilos area of Kissamos, Crete, from May 12 to 21. These scientists are re-examining ancient footprints believed to belong to early human ancestors using modern techniques, aiming to better determine their age and origin, patris.gr, has reported.
Discovered by chance in 2002 by Polish paleontologist Gerard Gierlinski and later studied in-depth by his student Grzegorz Niedzwiedzki from 2010 onward, the fossilized tracks are dated to around six million years ago. If confirmed, they are the oldest known footprints of a bipedal primate, predating similar finds in Africa and suggesting early human ancestors also roamed parts of Europe.
The footprints were found on a coastal rock slab in Trachilos, near Kasteli in western Crete. They feature a non-opposable big toe, a wide triangular sole, a pointed heel, and a slightly developed arch—traits resembling those of later bipedal hominins, including humans.
Local officials, including Kissamos Mayor Giorgos Mylonakis and Deputy Mayor for Culture Giorgos Makrakis, met with the scientists to discuss the significance of the findings and the need to protect and promote the site.
These footprints, first published in 2017 in Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, challenge the belief that early human ancestors were confined to Africa, indicating a wider prehistoric range that included parts of Europe.
Source: patris.gr
