A University of South Florida geology professor has uncovered a 5,600-year-old stone bridge in a submerged cave on Mallorca, revealing that humans were on the island much earlier than previously thought.

The discovery challenges previous beliefs that humans bypassed Mallorca in favor of more distant islands.

The bridge, found in the Genovesa Cave, includes a 25-foot-long stone path and wall leading to an underwater lake, indicating early settlers’ sophisticated use of the island’s resources, Interesting Engineering has reported.

Dating methods and pottery fragments suggest the bridge predates known artifacts, pushing back the timeline of human settlement in the Western Mediterranean.

Written by B.C. Begley