Description : Theopetra Cave is located in Thessaly, Greece, on the north-east side of a limestone rock formation, 3 km (2 mi) south of Kalambaka. The site has become increasingly important as human presence is attributed to all periods of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, the Mesolithic, Neolithic and beyond, bridging the Pleistocene with the Holocene. The Theopetra Rock Description The formation of the limestone rock has been dated to the Upper Cretaceous period, 135–65 million years BP. The excavations began in 1987 under the direction of Ν. Kyparissi-Apostolika, which were meant to give some answers to the mystery of Paleolithic Thessaly. Radiocarbon evidence shows for human presence at least 50,000 years ago. Several features of the cave indicate human occupation. Theopetra Cave contains one of the longest archaeological sequences in Greece, comprising Middle and Upper Palaeolithic as well as Mesolithic and Neolithic cultural remains. The records have shown important palaeoenvironmental data based on sedimentary features and botanical remains. Archaeogenetics In 2016, researchers successfully extracted the DNA from the tibia of two individuals buried in Theopetra Cave. Both individuals were found in a Mesolithic burial context and separately dated to 7288–6771 BCE and 7605–7529 BCE. Both individuals were found to belong to mtDNA Haplogroup K1c.
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