The second study campaign of Mousterian artifacts found around the village of Samarina, in the Pindus mountain range (northwestern Greece), has concluded. These artifacts, discovered during several land survey campaigns led by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (PI Prof. N. Efstratiou), in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Prof. P. Biagi) and the University of Pisa (Prof. E. Starnini), represent the Mousterian period (250 – 40 thousand years ago). This period is associated with Neanderthal groups in Europe, a “cousin” species to humans that mysteriously became extinct about 40,000 years ago, coinciding with the arrival of our species in Europe.
The Samarina artifacts are crucial for understanding the settlement dynamics of Neanderthal groups in this part of the Balkans, particularly given their discovery at an altitude of about 1500 meters above sea level. A preliminary study of artifacts from one of the sites (SMR 1) was presented last September at the prestigious ESHE Paleoanthropology conference. Continued analysis of human behavior at SMR 1 will provide additional data for future publications and enhance the understanding of Neanderthal populations in the region.
