Mysterious Greek Cave Skull Dated to 300,000 Years Ago
Mysterious 300,000-year-old skull from Greek cave was neither human nor Neanderthal.
Why it matters
- The skull belongs to an ancient human group that coexisted with Neanderthals.
- Provides insights into human evolution during the Middle Pleistocene.
By the numbers
- Dated to at least 286,000 years ago, with a margin of error of about 9,000 years.
- Possible age range: 277,000 to 539,000 years ago.
The big picture
- Represents a more primitive population than Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.
- Suggests coexistence with early Neanderthal lineages in Europe.
What they're saying
- Study by Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, published in Journal of Human Evolution.
- Skull discovered in 1960, mystery for decades.
- Uranium-series dating used for reliable age estimation in caves.
Caveats
- Exact age uncertain; wide range of possible dates.
- Cannot be firmly assigned to any specific ancestor group.
What’s next
- Further research needed to determine skull's position in human history.
- Additional studies to clarify evolutionary relationship to other hominins.