摘要：Several recent discoveries suggest that the human colonization of Europe took place around 1.8-1.6 Ma. Homo was present in the Caucasus 1.8 Ma. years ago [1] and the Oldowan industries found at L’Herault evidence that hominids inhabited southern France around 1. 6 Ma. [2]. Evidence of ancient human presence have also been found at Barranco León, Fuentenueva 3 [3], Atapuerca TE9 [4], Vallparadís [5] and Pirro Nord [6]. All these sites are located in southern Europe, suggesting that early European Homo was restricted to the Mediterranean zone and that humans were unable to colonize Northern and Central Europe before 1.2-1.1. Ma (Figure 1). Sites with evidences of human presence younger than 1.2 Ma are only found below latitude 44 N. Apparently this was not a topographic but an ecological barrier, since this line runs south of the Alps but north of the Pyrenees.
