Researchers identify oldest human remains in Europe
July 10, 2019
More than 200,000 years old, skull fragments found in Greece show Homo sapiens reached Europe from Africa much earlier than previously known. The findings may upend theories about migration from the cradle of humankind.
Image: Katerina Harvati, University of Tübingen
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Researchers at the University of Tübingen and the University of Athens on Wednesday said they identified the earliest modern human remains found outside Africa.
Apidima 1 — a Homo sapiens skull fragments found in a Greek cave in the 1970s — was estimated to be 210,000 years old. The research team used state-of-the-art computer modeling and uranium dating to identify the fragments' age.
Skulls fragments from a Neanderthal — a distant cousin of Homo sapiens — were also found in the cave and named Apidima 2. However, it was found to be 40,000 years younger than the Homo sapiens fragment.
The Apidima 2 reconstruction, left, and skull fragment, right, show typical Neanderthal characteristicsImage: Katerina Harvati, University of Tübingen
"It shows that the early dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa not only occurred earlier, before 200,000 years ago but also reached further geographically, all the way to Europe," said Katerina Harvati, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Tübingen.
"This is something that we did not suspect before, and which has implications for the population movement of these ancient groups," she added.
"Rather than a single exit of hominins from Africa to populate Eurasia, there must have been several dispersals, some of which did not result in permanent occupations," said Eric Delson, an anthropologist at City University of New York.
The German Archaeological Institute celebrates 190 years
From Cairo to Beijing, the DAI's branches presented their latest research in Berlin in May 2019 to celebrate nearly two centuries of work. Here are some favorites, from drone data-gathering to ancient Roman elevators.
Image: DAI/Eva Götting
A meeting of minds
For its 190th anniversary, the DAI hosted an event in Berlin where its branches around the world gathered to present their most innovative projects. Many had unique visual aids, including 3D renderings of projects and even virtual reality installations, while others showed films of their discoveries, such as this spectacular wooden tomb complex from 1800 B.C. unearthed by the DAI in Luxor in 2004.
Image: DAI Cairo
A long-term project in Egypt
For 50 years, the Cairo office of the German Archaeological institute (DAI) and Swiss partners have been carrying out excavations on the Egyptian island of Elephantine (above). With finds of clay, pottery, bone, stone and organic materials, the collaboration shows how much knowledge a long-term project can unearth. The team also helped restore the damaged beard on the mask of King Tutankhamun.
Image: DAI Cairo
Open-source history
The Palmyra GIS project explores what can happen when years of data about Palmyra, Syria, are presented digitally and made publicly available online. The DAI has digitized maps and other information to show how the city has changed over time. It also works with students in Lebanon to transfer information to the region. Pictured is data from the program projected on a 3D model of the actual site.
Image: DAI/Eva Götting
Bring up the lions
Among other things, the Rome branch of the institute has researched one of the Colosseum's wilder technical aspects: the contraptions used to lift animals to the arena to meet their gladiator foes. The group recently did a project that recreated the "elevators" from a series of lifts and pulleys, which brought the beasts up from their holding areas under the famous fighting ring.
Image: DAI Rome
Ancient Chinese fashion
These pants discovered by the DAI's Beijing branch wouldn't look entirely out of place in today's fashion world. They belong to a collection of items worn between 3,000 and 1,000 years ago that were unearthed in west China, where the dry climate helped preservation. The pair of pants shown is a reproduction of the original and demonstrates the intricate weaving techniques used back then.
Image: Jan Evers
An ancient melody
The Seikilos stone (standing left) is inscribed with one of the world’s oldest melodies. Written by a man named Seikilos and discovered in present-day Turkey, it bears a poem and composition notated in ancient Greek. It was part of the "Archaeomusica" project, in which DAI archaeologists, musicians and others presented reproductions of Europe's oldest musical instruments.
Image: Fritz Fabert
Assistance from above
The DAI is working on a project in southern Hungary that makes use of the latest drone developments. It focuses on "tell" sites, mounds that form when years of settlements are built on top of one another, in this case from the Bronze and Neolithic Ages. Photos and videos taken by the drones help archaeologists make 3D models so as to better understand the landscape around these sites.
Image: DAI/Pál Raczky
Let the games begin
Many of the DAI projects focus on the world's most famous historical sites, such as Olympia on the Greek Peloponnese peninsula, the site of the first Olympic games way back in 776 B.C. This digital drawing shows the finished interior of the Leonidaion, the complex's largest guest house, as it will once reconstruction is completed.
