The humanoid traces found in Crete can revolutionize the theory of evolution

Since the discovery of fossil Australopithecus in South and East Africa in the middle of the 20th century, scientists seem to have agreed that the birthplace of the first ancestors of people is Africa. And later discoveries of fossils in the same region reinforced the idea that the early representatives of the human line not only appeared on the African continent, but remained isolated there for several million years before settling in Europe and Asia. However, the recent discovery of human footprints about 5.7 million years old in Crete forces us to rethink this theory.

This is the foot of the one you need, the foot

First of all, we note that human legs have a very peculiar shape, which differs from all other terrestrial animals. The combination of a long sole, five short clawless toes with a prominent thumb is unique. The legs of our closest relatives, humanoid monkeys, are more like a human hand with a thumb sticking out from the side.

The long-known footprints in Tanzania of 3.7 million years, which are believed to have left Australopithecus, are very similar to the footprints of modern people (only a heel already). In contrast, Ardipithecus ramidus from Ethiopia, 4.4 million years old, has a monkey-like leg. Researchers consider him a direct ancestor of later people, implying that the human leg was not yet developed at that time.

New traces found in western Crete have a recognizable human form. This is especially true for toes. The thumb is similar to ours in shape, size and position. It is also associated with a separate “ball” on the sole, which is never present in monkeys. In general, it is already clear that the traces belong to the early ancestor of man, somewhat more primitive than his Tanzanian counterpart.

Is Africa not the cradle of civilization?

Cretan footprints about 5.7 million years younger than the oldest known fossil hominid Sahelanthropus from Chad and his contemporary Orrorin from Kenya, but more than a million years older than the “Ethiopian” Ardipithecus ramidus with its ape-like legs. This contradicts the hypothesis that the latter is a direct ancestor of later hominids. In addition, previously all fossil hominids older than 1.8 million years were found in Africa.

At that time, when traces were made in Crete, the Sahara desert did not exist, and prehistoric savannas extended from North Africa around the eastern Mediterranean. In addition, Crete has not yet separated from the Greek mainland. Thus, the early hominids could be located in southeastern Europe, as well as in Africa, and left their mark on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, which later became part of Crete.

This discovery challenges the familiar assessment of early human evolution and can cause a lot of controversy. But be that as it may, the ancient people obviously still have something to surprise us with.