New discovery moves dawn of Greek archaeology back by a quarter million years

·

The oldest archaeological site of Greece has been discovered in the southern part of the country, in an open coal mine rich with antiquities.

According to ekathimerini.com, the site dates to 700,000 years ago and is related to modern humans’ hominin ancestors.

The finding would drag the dawn of Greek archaeology back by as much as a quarter of a million years.

Older hominin sites have been brought to light elsewhere in Europe, with the oldest one located in Spain and being dated to more than a million years ago.

The Greek site was one of five investigated in the Megalopolis area during a project which has lasted for five years, and involves an international team of experts.

It was found to contain rough stone tools from the Lower Palaeolithic period — about 3.3 million to 300,000 years ago — and the remains of an extinct species of giant deer, elephants, hippopotamus, rhinoceros and a macaque monkey.

The project was directed by Panagiotis Karkanas of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Eleni Panagopoulou from the Greek Culture Ministry and Katerina Harvati, a professor of paleoanthropology at the University of Tübingen in Germany.

“We are very excited to be able to report this finding, which demonstrates the great importance of our region for understanding hominin migrations to Europe and for human evolution in general,” the three co-directors said.

The oldest Middle Palaeolithic remains found in Greece, dating to roughly 280,000 years ago, were found at another site in the Megalopolis area of the southern Peloponnese peninsula.

According to the researchers, the findings suggest Greece may have played a significant role in stone industry developments in Europe.  

Source: ekathimerini.com

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

From crisis to compassion: Timos Roussos and his family’s mercy mission in war-torn Cyprus

When Turkish troops landed on Cyprus on 20 July 1974, six-year-old Timos Roussos was sitting on the floor of his family’s home in Lemesos.

A granddaughter returns: Georgia Georgiou retraces her yiayia’s occupied village in Cyprus

When Georgia Georgiou handed over her Cypriot ID at the border checkpoint to cross into occupied northern Cyprus, she felt an ache.

‘You never get over it’: A childhood shattered by the Turkish invasion of Cyprus

On a warm July morning in 1974, 10-year-old Anastasia Di Loreto (née Karatzia) was jolted awake by the sound of bombs falling on Kyrenia.

Cyprus: The paradox of tolerance and impunity for Turkey

The lack of a unified, systematic and practical strategy on the part of Greece has led the Cyprus crisis into national disarray.

Lost homes and lingering hope: Greek-Cypriots reflect on Turkish invasion and its aftermath

From hidden stories to haunting memories, two Greek-Cypriot men share what it means to carry the burden of Cyprus’ past.

You May Also Like

Fire destroys historic Byzantine monastery in Central Greece

A fire has destroyed a section of the Byzantine Monastery of Panagia Varnakova in Fokida, central Greece, after breaking out after 11pm on Sunday.

Bill Papastergiadis attends launch of the Australian Assyrian Chaldean Advocacy Network

As a Commissioner of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, Bill Papastergiadis attended an event for Australian Assyrian Advocacy Network.

Meet the couple behind Greece’s first YouTube channel breaking the stigma around quadriplegia

Nick and Anthi are the couple behind Greece’s first YouTube channel breaking the stigma around quadriplegia.