Ancient Mystery Unveiled: Sicily’s First Humans Arrived Thousands of Years Earlier—What Does This Mean for History?
The Earliest Known Human Settlers In Sicily
Archaeological Park of TindariThe entrance to San Teodoro cave, where the earliest inhabitants of Sicily settled some 16,500 years ago.
According to a study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, researchers had long suspected that San Teodoro cave held prehistoric secrets. In 1947, Italian archaeologist Paolo Graziosi postulated that while most attention had been paid to several human burials, the cave likely contained an even deeper section.
Graziosi suspected that this section of the cave, while overlooked, could hold evidence of earlier human occupation that predated the burials. He believed that it could have “implications for the understanding of the timing of the earliest occupation of San Teodoro, and by extension, all of Sicily.” Now, new research at San Teodoro has proven him right.
By using modern dating techniques to study a sediment layer where stone tools, animal bones, and charred wood were found, researchers have determined that the layer was 16,500 years old.
Forgia et al.A collection of the prehistoric tools that researchers found in San Teodoro cave.
“San Teodoro currently yields the earliest human presence in Sicily,” the researchers wrote. “The [16,500-year-old] dating is the oldest recorded so far.”
How Prehistoric People Settled In Sicily
As the researchers explained, these earlier settlers in Sicily likely departed from the Italian peninsula as the last Ice Age was coming to an end. Taking advantage of the low sea levels, they traveled from the mainland to Sicily by boat, and, based on layers of prehistoric ash, found a surprisingly forested environment at a time when much of Europe was covered by ice.
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