In the depths of an open coal mine located in southern Greece, researchers have made an extraordinary discovery: the country’s oldest archaeological site, dating back 700,000 years.

This significant finding is associated with the hominin ancestors of modern humans and adds a quarter of a million years to the timeline of Greek archaeology, the Associated Press reported.

However, even older hominin sites have been unearthed in other parts of Europe, with the oldest one in Spain dating back over a million years.

The Greek site was one of five locations investigated during a five-year project in the Megalopolis area, involving an international team of experts, as stated by the Culture Ministry.

The excavation uncovered rough stone tools from the Lower Paleolithic period, spanning approximately 3.3 million to 300,000 years ago.

Additionally, the site yielded the remains of various extinct species, including giant deer, elephants, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, and a macaque monkey.

Written by staff