Petralona Cave and Museum: In the depths of prehistory

The residents of Petralona certainly could not have imagined the beasts that once lived here when they accidentally discovered the cave in 1959, while searching for a water spring. The following year, a team of amateur explorers found a human skull in excellent condition that was to become the most important anthropological fossil in Greece, dating to between 150,000 to 300,000 years ago. 

Our ancestors, however, were not the only ones who found shelter here. Fossils of extinct species of large carnivores have been discovered in the cave, including bears, spotted hyenas and felines, such as the fearsome smilodon.

Covering an area of 10,000m² and with an impressive stalagmite and stalagmite formations, the cave reopened to the public in February 2024, following maintenance and restoration work. A large number of the finds are on display in the Anthropological Museum of Petralona, which, apart from fossils, features hundreds of stone tools, as well as paintings and sculptures depicting the life and evolution of early humans.