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The first human settlement of Mediterranean Europe

Eudald CARBONELL & Xosé-Pedro RODRÍGUEZ-ÁLVAREZ

en Comptes Rendus Palevol 5 (1-2) - Pages 291-298

Published on 28 February 2006

This article is a part of the thematic issue Climates - Culture - Society in prehistoric times. From the appearance of hominids to the Neolithic.

In this paper, we discuss about when the first occupation of Europe took place. According to the present-day data, the South of Europe was occupied before the northern latitudes. The first evidences have an age of around 1.3–1.4 Ma. The lithic technology utilized by these humans is simple, and can be classified as Mode 1. This technology does not have handaxes, cleavers, and neither complex strategies of production. Probably the access to Europe during the Lower Pleistocene was accomplished through the Near East. An access through Gibraltar or Sicily is unlikely.


Keywords:

Lower Pleistocene, Gibraltar, Near East, Southern Europe

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