Have you heard of the Teopetra cave, in Thessaly (Greece)? It’s the oldest known structure built by humans, at least 23,000 years old (even older than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is about 16,000 years old). Now it has left archaeologists fascinated!
And it’s not just impressive because it’s the oldest in humanity, it’s a testament to human creativity even in extreme conditions. Let’s tell you all the details!
A structure that defies time
Things we know: the stone wall of Theopetra was built during the Upper Paleolithic, when humanity was just beginning to develop more complex tools and survival strategies. Its dating, established using the OSL technique (Optically Stimulated Luminescence), places its construction around 23,000 years ago, 16,000 years before the Pyramids of Egypt! And it’s still standing, incredible.
This wall partially closed off the entrance of the cave and probably served to protect against the harsh glacial climate that dominated the region at that time. Imagine, they didn’t have snow jackets to go outside on cold winter days. Its construction shows that the cave’s inhabitants were not just nomadic gatherers, but also had basic knowledge of architecture, or at least, of adapting to their environment.
A home with more than 130,000 years of history
Archaeologists have discovered that this cave was inhabited for more than 130,000 years, from the Middle Paleolithic to the Neolithic. Inside, they have found stone tools, remnants of hearths, and even children’s footprints left by those who lived in this place thousands of years ago.
The legacy of Theopetra
Archaeology is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating sciences. Thanks to this kind of discovery, we can reconstruct (or at least get an idea) of how the first men and women who inhabited these lands lived, how they organized themselves to survive, what tools they had… In a cruel world where only ingenuity worked.
And it seems incredible that, 23,000 years later, we have become advanced societies where all that feels very far away.
Çatalhöyük and the origins of civilization
After Theopetra, archaeologists place the next great settlement in Çatalhöyük, Turkey, dating back to 7,400 B.C. Here, the inhabitants built complex adobe dwellings, marking another step in the architectural evolution of our species.
The European megaliths
Following this timeline, we come across the mysterious European megaliths, erected between 5,000 and 3,000 B.C. These constructions, like Stonehenge, still make us wonder to this day, don’t they?
Can you visit Theopetra?
Yes, this incredible site can be visited, and there’s also a museum housing the remains found inside the cave. You can get more information here.
But… how is it possible?
Many still doubt that these kinds of structures were built by humans, just as with the pyramids, because they don’t believe humans were capable of lifting or even moving so many tons. That’s where conspiracy theories start to appear, but many forget that human beings are ingenious and creative… Plus, back then there was no television or TikTok, they didn’t have anything to distract them!
Today it seems incredible how someone like Michelangelo could create the Pietà or David in such a short time, but creativity has always been there, it just takes ingenuity and not getting distracted!
23,000 years old and it’s a symbol of the resilience and imagination of our ancestors. Thanks to it, we can keep discovering the deepest roots of our history!