Greeks Were Around More Than 200,000 Years Ago
These findings match current Greek populations.
The research yielded Neanderthal and Homo sapiens fossils from the Palaeolithic era in Greece, supporting the current dating.
Apidima 1, the oldest evidence of Homo sapiens outside Africa is more than 150,000 years older than previous H. sapiens discovered in Europe.
It shows a mixture of modern human and primitive features, and is confirmed to be more than 210,000 years old (which made it even older than the Neanderthal skull "Apidima 2" found at the cave). The second oldest is the maxilla from Misliya cave, Mount Carmel, Israel, which was dated 190,000 years.
Over 20,000 bones, bone fragments, and teeth from various fauna had been collected by Theodore Pitsios and his team since 1978, making this DNA confirmation possible.
In addition to the genetic samples discovered, there were also primitive stone tools found, including hand axes.
Photo: Location of Apidima Cave on the western shore of Mani Peninsula in Southern Greece. Σπήλαιο Απήδημα (Spilaio Apidima) is a complex of five caves, and four smaller caves.