Kozarnika, Dimovo Municipality

Kozarnika cave in northwestern Bulgaria contains evidence of human occupation dating back to the Lower Paleolithic, making it one of Europe's oldest known hunter-gatherer sites[1]. Archaeological excavations have uncovered the earliest European Gravette flint assemblages, representing sophisticated tool-making technology from the Upper Paleolithic period[1]. The cave documents an ancient migration route from Africa to Europe via the Balkans, potentially older than the route across Gibraltar[1]. Researchers have also found possible evidence of early human symbolic behaviour at the site, among the earliest such discoveries in Europe[1].