Apidima Cave
Apidima Cave (Greek: Σπήλαιο Απήδημα, Spilaio Apidima) is a complex of five caves four small caves located on the western shore of Mani Peninsula in Southern Greece. A systematic investigation of the cave has yielded Neanderthal and Homo sapiens fossils from the Palaeolithic era.
| Apidima Cave | |
|---|---|
Location of Apidima Cave in Greece Apidima Cave (Peloponnese) | |
| Location | On western Mani Peninsula, west of Areopoli, southern Greece |
| Coordinates | 36°39′41″N 22°21′48″E |
| Geology | Karstic cave in the limestone cliffside |
| Entrances | 5 |
| List of entrances | A, B, C, D, E |
| Access | Only by boat |
| Website | fhw |
One skull fossil, given the name Apidima 1, shows a mixture of modern human and primitive features and has been dated to be more than 210,000 years old, older than a Neanderthal skull ("Apidima 2") found at the cave, which per some interpretations makes Apidima 1 the oldest proof of Homo sapiens living outside Africa, the second oldest being the maxilla from Misliya cave, Mount Carmel, Israel, with a maximum age of about 190,000 years ago. Apidima 1 is more than 150,000 years older than previous H. sapiens finds in Europe.