Overview

• The peer‑reviewed study, led by geochronologist Christophe Falguères and published in the Journal of Human Evolution, dated the first calcite film on the bone and nearby cave deposits using uranium–thorium methods.
• Results establish a reproducible minimum age of 277,000 years for the specimen, with a likely age close to 300,000 years based on the cave sequence.
• Scenario modeling yields ranges of 277,000–539,000 years if the skull was originally attached to the wall or 277,000–410,000 years if it was deposited later.
• Morphological analysis indicates the cranium is distinct from Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, shows similarities to the ~300,000‑year‑old Kabwe specimen, and remains taxonomically unresolved.
• The skull was discovered in 1960 fused to a cave wall near Thessaloniki, the lower jaw is missing, a forehead stalagmite was later removed, and the cranium is now displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.