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Oldest Evidence of Hominins in Europe Discovered in Romania

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Researchers uncovered evidence of the oldest hominin presence in Europe in modern-day Romania nearly two million years ago.
Scientists uncovered evidence of the oldest hominin presence in Europe in modern-day Romania nearly two million years ago. Credits: Alexandru Panoiu, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Scientists uncovered evidence of the oldest hominin presence in Europe in modern-day Romania nearly two million years ago.

Archaeologists found animal bones with cut marks associated with ancient hominin tools at Romania’s Grăunceanu archaeological site. The site is located in the Tetoiu Formation and dates back to the early Pleistocene period. Animal bone markings distinctly point to hominin presence, making Grăunceanu the site of the earliest such evidence in Europe.
The scientists suggest that the bones were used to deflesh meat.

The oldest evidence of ancient hominin presence in Eurasia

The Oldest Evidence of Hominin Presence in Europe Found in Romania: They Hunted and Used Tools Over 1.95 Million Years Ago https://t.co/s8xNwNXcLD

— LBV Magazine / English Edition (@lbvmag) January 23, 2025

The tools uncovered in Romania pre-date the most reliable evidence of hominin activity in the Eurasia landmass by nearly 500,000 years. The previously oldest evidence is approximately 1.4 million years old. Findings from the country of Georgia date back to around 1.7 to 1.8 million years ago, but the discovery’s reliability is questionable.

The researchers used uranium-lead dating to determine that the bones dated back to around 1.95 million years ago. The precision of uranium-lead dating enhances the robustness of the research team’s assertions regarding hominin presence in Eurasia approximately two million years ago. They published their findings in the journal Nature. 

“Our results, presented along with multiple other lines of evidence, point to a widespread, though perhaps intermittent, presence of hominins across Eurasia by at least 2.0 Ma (million years ago),” said the researchers in the paper.

The ability to pinpoint ancient hominin presence outside of Africa also helps clarify information in the long-standing debate scientists have had about when human ancestors migrated and spread out of the continent.

“This site clearly demonstrates a hominin presence in Southwest Asia/ Eastern Europe by the Early Pleistocene (Gelasian), yet the exact timing of the initial dispersal of hominins out of Africa and the long-term success of these dispersals is debated,” the researchers said in the paper. “This is especially true for Europe, where there is an ongoing discourse regarding the timing of hominin presence in southern and northern Europe”

While this is the most solid and oldest evidence of human ancestral presence in Europe found so far, archaeologists have yet to find actual human remains. They have only found animal remains from mammoths, equids, ruminants, and rhinoceroses that corroborate the uranium-lead dating of the cut animal bones. Indeed, the team wants to explore the immediate vicinity and around the Eurasia landmass more, as it may lead to more answers on Europe’s hominin presence.

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