19 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Romania’s 1.95 Million-Year-Old Hominin Evidence Pushes Back the Timeline of Human Presence in Europe

A recent study revealed evidence of “hominin activity” in Romania that dates back at least 1.95 million years, making it the oldest known indication of human presence in Europe. This finding predates the previously established evidence from Georgia, which was dated to 1.8 million years ago.

This groundbreaking discovery was made at the Valea lui Grăunceanu site in Vâlcea County, which is now recognized as the oldest site in Europe showing evidence of hominin activity, according to HotNews.

Archaeological investigations at Valea lui Grăunceanu, also known as Greuceanu Valley, began 60 years ago. Recently, an international team of researchers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Moldova, Australia, Sweden, and Romania reexamined over 4,500 fossil segments collected from the site. They employed high-precision microscopes and the uranium-lead dating method, as reported by Gandul.

The analysis revealed clear signs of human activity, including anthropic modifications on the bones’ surfaces. Scientists from various countries, including Romania and Moldova, scrutinized nearly 5,000 fossils, with 4,524 examined using high-resolution microscopes to detect any artificial alterations. The results showed that 20 of these fossils displayed incisions, with at least eight of them being definitively identified as artificially made.

According to the authors of the study, the placement of the incisions in anatomical positions indicating defleshing suggests a deliberate operation to remove soft tissues from bones – evidence of a hominin species capable of using tools for this purpose.

These findings surpass previous records from Spain and Türkiye, where the oldest European sites yielded human fossils at Barranco León (1.5 million years), Kocabaş (1.3–1.1 million years), and Sima del Elefante (1.2–1.1 million years), according to Gandul.

Selected images of high-confidence cut-marked specimens from the Olteţ River Valley assemblage. Photo Credit: Nature Communications (Nat Commun) ISSN 2041-1723 (online)
Selected images of high-confidence cut-marked specimens from the Olteţ River Valley assemblage. Photo Credit: Nature Communications (Nat Commun) ISSN 2041-1723 (online)

The faunal elements were dated using the uranium-lead method, recognized as one of the most effective radiometric dating techniques for objects older than one million years. Adrian Doboș, an archaeologist at the Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology and one of the study’s authors published in Nature, expressed, “It is frustrating to find only the traces left by tools, not the tools themselves, but such cases are not unique in prehistoric archaeology. However, it is unequivocal that we have an evolved species capable of creating stone tools around 2 million years ago in Romania and using them to butcher animals.”

“These incisions had not been observed until now, even though the faunal elements were discovered nearly 60 years ago, simply because the specialists of those early days of Romanian prehistoric archaeology either did not pay attention to this aspect or failed to notice them. At the time, the focus was on the presence of possible bone tools, a hypothesis later debunked through detailed analysis of the elements in question,” noted Doboș.

Researchers speculate that these traces may belong to individuals crafting stone tools, supporting the theory of “out of Africa” migrations that likely preceded the exit of Homo erectus from the African continent approximately 1.8 to 1.9 million years ago. While the exact type of hominid responsible for these activities remains uncertain, specialists suggest that the traces could be attributed to Homo erectus.

Additional discoveries in the vicinity of Valea lui Grăunceanu include sites at La Pietriș, Valea Roșcăi, Dealul Mijlociu, and Fântâna lui Mitilan, where similar methods were applied to fossil animal remains.

Beyond Romania, sites in China, Russia, India, and Pakistan also indicate the presence of hominin species within the timeframe of 2 to 2.6 million years ago.

While the timeline and mechanisms of hominin migration into Europe remain unclear, the discovery in Romania suggests that earlier transient presences may have existed. Out of 49 potential sites across Eurasia, 16 are older than the Dmanisi findings, with only the Longgudong site in China providing human remains, consisting of six teeth. These discoveries challenge our understanding of early human migration and highlight the complexity of hominin presence in Europe and beyond.

Nature

Curran, S.C., Drăgușin, V., Pobiner, B. et al. Hominin presence in Eurasia by at least 1.95 million years ago. Nat Commun 16, 836 (2025). Doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56154-9

Cover Photo Credit: Nature Communications (Nat Commun) ISSN 2041-1723 (online)

Related Articles

Archaeologists find a 5,000-year-old piece of wood in Orkney, which they describe as “astonishing”

10 August 2021

10 August 2021

Archaeologists continue to make surprising discoveries in Orkney. Although organic materials are quite difficult to find, archaeologists have found a...

Ancient Chinese porcelain worth 1 million euros was stolen from the German museum, sparking anger

15 September 2023

15 September 2023

Nine pieces of historic Chinese porcelain worth around €1 million were stolen from the Museum for East Asian Art (Cologne)...

Underwater Archaeologists Discover a 7,000-Year-Old Road in Croatia

8 May 2023

8 May 2023

A team of underwater archaeologists from the University of Zadar has discovered the sunken ruins of a 7,000-year-old road that...

Evidence of Rare Romano-Celtic Temple Near Lancaster Castle -may be only the second of its type –

10 March 2023

10 March 2023

A study exercise for students from Lancaster University has uncovered a Romano-Celtic temple, only the second of its type in...

Oldest known alphabet unearthed in ancient Syrian city -500 years older than thought

22 November 2024

22 November 2024

Johns Hopkins University researchers uncovered evidence of the oldest alphabetic writing in human history. The writing was etched onto finger-length...

Archaeologists Discovered Medieval Silver Communion Set and 70 Silver Coins in Hungary

16 June 2024

16 June 2024

A 14th-century silver communion set (chalice and wafer holder) and a treasure trove of 70 silver coins were discovered in...

Iron Age Children’s a Unique Funerary Building Discovered in Oman

3 March 2024

3 March 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a unique Iron Age children’s funerary building at the Manaqi archaeological site in Rustaq, South Al Batinah...

5,200-year-old stone carving silkworm chrysalis discovered in north China

19 July 2022

19 July 2022

According to the provincial archaeological research institute, archaeologists discovered a stone-carved silkworm chrysalis dating back at least 5,200 years in...

A former Spanish disco-pub confirmed as lost medieval Synagogue

11 February 2023

11 February 2023

In the Andalucian city of Utrera, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 14th-century synagogue. The discovery, made public on...

Love and hate in ancient times: Exploring Magical Texts

6 February 2024

6 February 2024

Love and hate are universal emotions that have persisted throughout human history. Ancient civilizations developed their own distinct methods of...

Female pharaoh’s temple reveals teamwork of Egypt’s ‘ancient masters’

18 November 2021

18 November 2021

Despite the widely acknowledged monumentality and durability of ancient Egyptian sculpture, carved reliefs, and paintings the makers of these works...

500-year-old curse tablet found in Germany

15 December 2023

15 December 2023

In the city of Rostock on Germany’s northern coast, archaeologists found a lead curse tablet invoking Satan and two other...

Little Known Powerful Kingdom of History’s “Mitanni Kingdom”

3 February 2021

3 February 2021

Hurrians; They became a state organization with a warrior and ruling class of Indo-Aryan origin who came from North-West Mesopotamia...

Denmark King’s spice cabinet discovered on Gribshunden

13 February 2023

13 February 2023

The Gribshunden, a 15th-century Danish royal warship, was uncovered to have been loaded with botanical materials, including the first archaeological...

Researchers found similar descriptions in the Book of Revelation and ancient curse tablets

10 February 2023

10 February 2023

A research project headed by Dr. Michael Hölscher of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), has uncovered that the book of...