A groundbreaking discovery in Romania has pushed back the arrival of early human ancestors in Europe by nearly 200,000 years.
An international team, led by Dr. Vasile Ersek from Northumbria University, found evidence that hominins—closely related ancestors to modern humans—were present in Europe at least 1.95 million years ago.
The research was published in Nature Communications.
This challenges previous estimates that placed their arrival at around 1.8 million years ago.
The evidence, discovered at Grăunceanu, an archaeological site in southern Romania originally excavated in the 1960s, includes more than 5,000 fossil bones examined by researchers.
While no hominin fossils were found, at least 20 bones showed cut marks made with stone tools, indicating early human butchery.
“The cut marks appear in anatomical positions consistent with deliberate removal of meat from the bones,” said Dr. Ersek.
“Without the presence of human fossils from the site, we cannot determine which species of early human made these marks. It is possible they could have been made by Homo erectus, or even earlier members of our genus,” he added.
The team used uranium-lead dating to analyze the fossils, estimating their age at 1.95 million years, with some as old as 2.01 million years.
This makes Grăunceanu the oldest well-dated site in Europe with evidence of human activity, surpassing the site of Dmanisi in Georgia, previously thought to be the earliest hominin site outside Africa at 1.77-1.85 million years old.
The research was published in Nature Communications.
This challenges previous estimates that placed their arrival at around 1.8 million years ago.
The evidence, discovered at Grăunceanu, an archaeological site in southern Romania originally excavated in the 1960s, includes more than 5,000 fossil bones examined by researchers.
While no hominin fossils were found, at least 20 bones showed cut marks made with stone tools, indicating early human butchery.
“The cut marks appear in anatomical positions consistent with deliberate removal of meat from the bones,” said Dr. Ersek.
“Without the presence of human fossils from the site, we cannot determine which species of early human made these marks. It is possible they could have been made by Homo erectus, or even earlier members of our genus,” he added.
The team used uranium-lead dating to analyze the fossils, estimating their age at 1.95 million years, with some as old as 2.01 million years.
This makes Grăunceanu the oldest well-dated site in Europe with evidence of human activity, surpassing the site of Dmanisi in Georgia, previously thought to be the earliest hominin site outside Africa at 1.77-1.85 million years old.
Europe’s climate reconstructed
Using fossil horse teeth found at the site, Dr. Ersek and colleagues reconstructed the climate during this period.
“The isotope analysis showed that while winters were mild enough to support warm-adapted animals like pangolins and monkeys, the climate was markedly more seasonal than in Africa,” he said.
“This demonstrates that these early humans had adapted to live in a climate with distinct wet winters and dry summers.”
Faunal analysis also indicated that these early humans would have encountered species such as woolly rhinos, saber-tooth cats, pangolins, and mammoths.
“The findings have implications beyond revising historical dates and tell us that early humans were remarkably adaptable and capable of surviving in seasonal European environments much earlier than previously believed,” Dr. Ersek added.
“The combination of clear evidence for butchery activities and detailed climate reconstruction provides some fascinating insight into the lives of these ancient pioneers.”
The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Ohio University, the University of Arkansas, and the Emil Racoviţă Institute of Speleology in Bucharest.
“The isotope analysis showed that while winters were mild enough to support warm-adapted animals like pangolins and monkeys, the climate was markedly more seasonal than in Africa,” he said.
“This demonstrates that these early humans had adapted to live in a climate with distinct wet winters and dry summers.”
Faunal analysis also indicated that these early humans would have encountered species such as woolly rhinos, saber-tooth cats, pangolins, and mammoths.
“The findings have implications beyond revising historical dates and tell us that early humans were remarkably adaptable and capable of surviving in seasonal European environments much earlier than previously believed,” Dr. Ersek added.
“The combination of clear evidence for butchery activities and detailed climate reconstruction provides some fascinating insight into the lives of these ancient pioneers.”
The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Ohio University, the University of Arkansas, and the Emil Racoviţă Institute of Speleology in Bucharest.
More In Nature & Travel MORE...
