Petralona Cave

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In 1959 a villager of Petralona found a small cleft on the slopes of Mount Katsika. Two adventurous young men were lowered by rope to a depth of 13 meters. When they surfaced, they described the beautiful formations of stalactites and stalagmites.

The most important finding during the exploration works in 1960 was the cranium of a primitive man, which is now preserved at the University of Thessaloniki. He lived about 200.000 years ago. He belongs to a transitional form between Homo Erectus (the Standing Man) and Homo Sapiens (the Wise Man) and is the oldest testimony to the presence of humans in Greece. Fossilized bones and teeth of cave bears, hyenas, lions, leopards, rhinos, deer and equids were also found.

The length of the corridors is about 2.000 meters and the temperature throughout the year remains stable at 17 ° C (± 1 º C). It is located 800 meters from the settlement of Petralona.