# A 45,000 year old settlement



## Rosemary (Jan 13, 2007)

MOSCOW, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- An ivory carving found in Russia is forcing scientists to reassess the date when modern man occupied Europe after leaving Africa, archeologists say.
  The carving, appearing to depict a human head, could be modern man's first effort at figurative art, The Times of London said. It was found with  ivory tools, ornaments and two human teeth at a site dating back further than other European settlements.
There is also evidence that these people were broadening their diet to include small mammals and freshwater aquatic food.  They might have used traps and snares to catch hares and arctic foxes.   
  The settlement is thought to be about 45,000 years old, scientists said, and is much further north than other sites. Until its discovery at Kostenki in southern Russia, modern man was thought to have come to Europe from Africa between 40,000 to 42,000 years ago.  
  "The big surprise here is the very early presence of modern humans in one of the coldest, driest places in Europe", said team member John Hoffecker of the University  of Colorado. "It is one of the last places we would have expected people from Africa to occupy first."
  Archaeologists said modern man's arrival in the region appeared to have occurred "several thousand years before their spread across Western and Eastern  Europe."

MyUSTINET News: Carving Pushes Back Europe Migration Date


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## j d worthington (Jan 14, 2007)

Hi, Rosemary: Thanks again for posting something like this. I'd also seen a slightly different article on it, posting the link in this thread:

http://www.chronicles-network.com/forum/34254-from-the-hide-the-evidence-files-3.html

But it looks like yours may have a bit more specific information at some points; so I appreciate you putting it out there. These things are always fascinating, and we're constantly learning (which is a good thing)....


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## carrie221 (Jan 19, 2007)

That is neat!


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