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According to a Phys.org report, an international team of researchers from Simon Fraser University, the Greek Ministry of Culture, and the University of Bologna analyzed the chemical composition of collagen samples taken from human remains recovered from Franchthi Cave, a site that now overlooks Greece's Bay of Koilada.The cave was occupied over a period of about 40,000 years beginning in the Upper Paleolithic period. The remains in the study have been dated to the Mesolithic period, between 8700 and 8500 B.C., and the Neolithic period, between 6600 and 5800 B.C.Previous studies of human bones from the cave have indicated that...

Neanderthals and other extinct human lineages might have been ancient mariners, venturing to the Mediterranean islands thousands of years earlier than previously thought. This prehistoric seafaring could shed light on the mental capabilities of these lost relatives of modern humans, researchers say. Scientists had thought the Mediterranean islands were first settled about 9,000 years ago by Neolithic or New Stone Age farmers and shepherds... For instance, obsidian from the Aegean island of Melos was uncovered at the mainland Greek coastal site of Franchthi cave in layers that were about 11,000 years old, while excavations on the southern coast of Cyprus...