Grotta del Cavallo

Grotta del Cavallo is a limestone cave near Nardo in Apulia, southern Italy, situated 15m above sea level with a 7m-deep stratigraphic succession. Rediscovered in 1960 and excavated in 1963-1966 and 1986-2008, it yielded critical evidence of the Uluzzian culture. Two deciduous molars found in 1964, initially attributed to Neanderthals, were reanalyzed in 2011 by Stefano Benazzi's team and published in Nature as early Homo sapiens teeth dating to 45,000-43,000 years BP -- making them the earliest known modern human remains in Europe. The cave also preserves Mousterian Neanderthal layers with four additional teeth, documenting the transition between Neanderthals and modern humans.