A team of international researchers has uncovered the oldest evidence of human presence in Europe, dating back at least 1.95 million years, at the Grăunceanu site in Romania. This groundbreaking study, published in Nature Communications, challenges previous beliefs about the earliest hominin migration out of Africa, which was thought to have occurred at the Dmanisi site in Georgia, dated to 1.85-1.77 million years ago.
The research team, comprising specialists from Romania, the USA, the UK, Australia, Sweden, and Moldova, used uranium-lead dating methods to analyze 4,524 fossil elements from the Grăunceanu site. Their findings revealed that 20 of these fossils exhibit cut marks, with at least eight showing clear evidence of human intervention, suggesting the use of tools to butcher animals.
Adrian Doboș, an archaeologist involved in the study, noted that the presence of these incisions indicates a hominin species capable of using tools for specific tasks, such as the removal of soft tissues from bones. This discovery reinforces the idea that sophisticated hominins inhabited the region around 2 million years ago, likely adapting to a silvo-steppe environment that supported a diverse range of fauna, including ancestors of giraffes and extinct primate species.
While the Grăunceanu site lacks stone tools, the evidence of butchery practices aligns with those observed in other early hominin sites. The study proposes that this finding pushes back the timeline for human dispersal into Eurasia, indicating that such migrations may have occurred earlier than previously thought.
This discovery not only sheds light on the early human presence in Europe but also opens new avenues for understanding the migration patterns of our ancestors. The implications of this research are profound, as it challenges existing narratives about human evolution and migration.