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Revised Timeline: Homo Sapiens’ Early Migration into Europe
Homo sapiens reached northwestern Europe over 47,000 years ago. The arrival of the first people in the cold north occurred several thousand years before the disappearance of Neanderthals.
In three groundbreaking scientific papers, researchers analyzed fossils from the Ranis-Ilsenhöhle cave in Germany. It turned out that the stone artifacts, previously believed to be made by Neanderthals, were tools used by the first humans — Homo sapiens. This discovery significantly alters our understanding of this period.
Modern humans reached northwestern Europe long before the disappearance of Neanderthals. For at least several thousand years, both species coexisted in this area. From other studies, it is known that they interbred. However, it is not known whether and to what extent Homo sapiens contributed to the extinction of Homo neanderthalensis.
The first humans reached northern Europe over 47,000 years ago
An international research team re-examined the archaeological site in the Ranis cave over the past few years. It included scientists from:
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig,
- Collège de France in Paris,
- Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen and Nuremberg,
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology in Thuringia.
The aim was to locate deeper settlements that were not excavated during the 1930s. Archaeologists were lucky — thousands of bone fragments were found at a depth of about 8 meters.
“Analysis showed that the Ranis cave was periodically used by humans, hyenas, and hibernating bears,” explains Geoff Smith, one of the researchers. “Although people used the cave sporadically, they regularly consumed meat from various animals, including…
