In San Teodoro cave, north-eastern Sicily, a team of scientists has found evidence of earliest recorded presence of humans on the island. They are dated to about 16,500 years ago and were left behind by hunter-gatherers who arrived in Sicily after the last glacial period ended.

The cave is near Acquedolci town (Messina), and inside it, scientists have discovered stone tools, animal remains, and traces of charred wood that are proof of habitation inside the site at a time when the climate was beginning to get warmer after the last glaciation.

The research, which appears in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, verifies the 1947 hypothesis of archaeologist Paolo Graziosi that the site was inhabited by hunter-gatherer groups some time prior to its use as a cemetery. The researchers have now been able to accurately date this earlier layer, and it has shown that modern humans reached Sicily much earlier than was believed.

Sicily oldest homo sapiens evidences
(A) Position of the cave of San Teodoro – STeo, Castello rock-shelter – CS, Addaura caves – AD and Uccerie – UC. The reconstructed paleo shoreline is at -100. (B and C) The entrance of the cave (C from the drone). Credit: V. Forgia et al.

According to the study, the residents of the cave originally hunted big game like deer, which yielded greater meat, skin, and bones to use, and cut marks and charring on them indicate that they were skinned and cooked inside the cave. The stone tools used for the task were scrapers, points, and burins, which were fashioned with materials present in the area, such as flint and quartzite.

Analysis of the charcoal ash also allowed the landscape at that time to be reconstructed, confirming that Sicily previously featured maple woods, oak woods, and even beech—a surprise in a period when most of Europe was covered in ice. The scientists write that the area must have been a kind of glacial refuge, where some tree types did persist.

Of note is the presence of Fagus sylvatica, which demonstrates that the species was in northern Sicily during the last glaciation, when glacial conditions in most of continental Europe would have caused it to die out, the researchers say.

Sicily oldest homo sapiens evidences
Remains and artifacts found in the cave. Credit: V. Forgia et al.

The Arrival of Humans in Sicily: A Journey from the East

Homo sapiens arrived in Sicily from the Italian peninsula by sea and arrived on the far western shores of the island in a gradual spread, the research states. They likely did so in small boats, taking advantage of the lower sea levels, and once established on the island, they migrated westward to eventually reach the Egadi Islands, off Trapani.

The chronology of the excavated layer is not only the oldest in the cave but in the region too, the researchers assert, and demonstrates that modern humans inhabited Sicily much earlier than previously believed.

After the last glacial maximum, approximately 20,000 years ago, the climate began to improve, and humans began to venture into new lands. Sicily, with its abundance of diverse resources, was a key position for their survival.

SOURCES

Forgia, V., Speciale, C., Ölz, ME. et al. The human entry in Sicily: new archaeological and paleoenvironmental evidence from San Teodoro cave (Acquedolci, Messina). Archaeol Anthropol Sci 17, 109 (2025). doi.org/10.1007/s12520-025-02223-5

  • Share on:

Discover more from LBV Magazine English Edition

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Follow LBV Magazine on Google News