Discovery of the Petralona Cave
In 1959, a shepherd in Chalkidiki, Petralona, Northern Greece, stumbled upon a cave entrance revealed by melting snow. He enlisted local villagers to help clear the entrance, allowing them to explore inside. They discovered a cave adorned with stalactites and stalagmites and unexpectedly found a human skull embedded in the wall. Subsequent research unearthed numerous fossils, including those of pre-human species, animal hair, fossilized wood, and stone and bone tools. The skull was handed over to the University of Thessaloniki by the President of the Petralona Community, with the understanding that it would be returned to a museum once research was completed. Unfortunately, this never transpired.
Dr. Aris Poulianos and the Petralona Man
Dr. Aris Poulianos, a member of UNESCO’s IUAES and founder of the Anthropological Association of Greece, was invited back to Greece by the Prime Minister after publishing his book, “The Origins of the Greeks.” The book provided substantial evidence that Greeks were indigenous to Greece, not descended from Slavic nations. Upon his return, Dr. Poulianos was informed about the skull discovered at Petralona and began his studies on the cave and its findings. The ‘Petralona man’ or Archanthropus of Petralona, was determined to be 700,000 years old, the oldest human europeoid of that age discovered in Europe. Dr. Poulianos’ research suggested that the Petralona man evolved independently in Europe, not as a descendant of an African species.
Controversy and Verification
In 1964, German researchers Breitinger and Sickenberg challenged Dr. Poulianos’ findings, claiming the skull was only 50,000 years old and had African origins. However, a 1971 study published in the US Archaeology magazine supported Dr. Poulianos’ dating, confirming the skull’s age at 700,000 years based on cave stratigraphy and sediment analysis. Further exploration of the cave revealed isolated teeth and two pre-human skeletons dating back 800,000 years, along with various other fossils.
Modern Academic Consensus
Most academics analyzing the Petralona remains agree that the Archanthropus of Petralona’s cranium belongs to an archaic hominid, distinct from Homo erectus, classic Neanderthals, and modern humans, yet exhibiting characteristics of all these species with strong European traits. A 700,000-year-old skull either being Homo sapien or part Homo sapien contradicts the Out of Africa theory of human evolution. Continued international research in the cave provided further evidence for Dr. Poulianos’ claims, including remarkable findings like fossilized wood, an oak leaf, animal hair, and coprolites. These discoveries enabled accurate dating and revealed a continuous presence of stone and bone tools from 750,000 to 550,000 years ago.
Government Intervention and Legal Battles
Research continued until 1983, when the Greek government abruptly halted all excavations at the site, denying access to everyone, including the original archaeological team, without providing any reason. This sparked speculation that the government aimed to suppress new scientific conclusions hidden within the fossils. After 15 years of legal battles led by the Anthropological Society of Greece, access to the cave was restored. However, the Ministry of Culture has since been attempting to circumvent the court’s decision, leading to ongoing legal disputes.
The saga of the Petralona cave remains a contentious issue, with significant implications for our understanding of human evolution and the origins of the Greek people.
