 The Petralona skull, exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. | |
| Common name | Petralona skull |
|---|---|
| Species | Homo, species uncertain |
| Place discovered | Chalkidiki, Greece |
| Date discovered | 1960 |
| Discovered by | Christos Sariannidis |
The Petralona skull is the skull of a hominid found in Petralona Cave, about 35 km (22 mi) south-east of Thessaloniki city on the Chalkidiki peninsula, Greece. According to Aris Poulianos, head of the excavation team since 1965, it was found by a villager, Christos Sariannidis, in 1960. It was sticking to the cave wall in a small cavern of the cave, called "Layer 10" by Poulianos, about 30 cm (12 in) above ground, held by sinter.[citation needed] Its lower jaw is missing and it was "encrusted by brown calcite soon after the death of the individual".
