The cave of Petralona opens in the western foothills of Mount Katsika, in Chalkidiki. Formed probably more than a million years ago in Upper Jurassic limestones (about 150 million years old), it covers an area of approximately 10,000 sq.m. with large galleries decorated with colourful stalagmite formations.

After crossing a horizontal artificial tunnel, the visitor enters the cave and, following the approximately 300 m-long route, passes through its main galleries and chambers, where one has the opportunity to admire this magnificent natural monument.

The original entrance to the cave is currently blocked by debris. It was a circular opening in the ceiling of a large hall, through which people and animals entered and exited the cave for many tens of millennia. Stones and soil also fell from it, forming over the years a huge cone, which gradually completely blocked the entrance.

The cave was discovered in 1959 by villagers who found numerous fossil animal bones in it. In 1960, a human skull was found. This is the oldest human remain found to date in Greece, referred to the species Homo heidelbergensis, which is particularly important for the study of the evolution of the human genus, as well as its presence in Europe.

Excavations carried out in the cave, initially by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and subsequently by the Anthropological Society of Greece, yielded numerous Palaeolithic findings, which date back to the Middle Pleistocene, approximately 600,000 to 300,000 years ago. This makes it one of the oldest archaeological sites in Europe. The cave then served as a refuge for humans, as well as carnivorous animals. Obviously, humans and carnivores were not simultaneously present in the cave but alternated each other. Preserved traces of the activity of its Palaeolithic occupants, mainly bones from their dietary remains, document their hunting practices and dietary habits, as well as stone tools, evidence of their technology and culture. When people were leaving the cave, it served as a refuge for carnivorous animals, which carried their prey inside it, leaving behind many trophic remains, mainly bones of herbivorous animals. Moreover, the carnivores themselves often happened to die inside the cave. This led to the deposition of large quantities of bones, which constitute valuable sources of information about the fauna and the environment of those periods.

Part of the findings is exhibited in the Petralona Museum, which, following the completion of the project 'Re-exhibition of Petralona Museum Collections', will once again be open to the public from 26 August 2024.

https://petralonacave.gr/



SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grun R. (1996): A re-analysis of electron spin resonance dating results associated with the Petralona hominid. Journal of Human Evolution, 30 (3): 227-241.

Koufos G., Tsoukala E. (2007): Petralona Cave. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Darlas A.I. (2014): In search of the identity of Petralona cave and its importance for the Greek and European Prehistory. Proceedings of the International Conference ?A century of research in prehistoric Macedonia, 1912?2012?, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki: 195-204.

Tsoukala E. (1989). Contribution to the study of the Pleistocene fauna of large mammals (Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla) from Petralona Cave, Chalkidiki (N. Greece). Scientific Annals, Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, University of Thessaloniki, 1 (8): 1-360.