New clues about human ancestors in Europe

The study published on January 31 is expected to help "rewrite the history" of humans in Europe, because so far the oldest traces of Homo Sapiens on this continent are only about 40,000 years old, according to Nature magazine.

One of the human bones from Ilsenhöhle cave

The cave was excavated in the 1930s. At that time, researchers found many bone fragments and stone artifacts, but the dating process was hampered by the fierce fighting of World War II.

Furthermore, the technology at the time could not determine the age of the bones. In 2016, the excavation was resumed and more bones and specimens were discovered.

Bones and stone artifacts from the cave also show that Homo Sapiens hunted large mammals including reindeer, horses, bison and woolly rhinoceros, Reuters reported.

This leads to the conclusion that caves were temporary shelters for small hunter-gatherer groups rather than permanent residences.

"The site at Ranis was occupied by [Homo Sapiens] in a few short stays rather than as a large concentration point," said archaeologist Marcel Weiss at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany), a member of the research team.

The results of the Ranis cave study were “astonishing,” the expert said, adding that scientists should return to other sites in Europe to examine similar evidence of early Homo Sapiens presence.

The new discovery is also expected to help decipher the role of Homo Sapiens in the extinction of Neanderthals around 40,000 years ago.

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