Newly discovered stone tools drag dawn of Greek archaeology back 250,000 years

Stone tools dated about 700,000 years ago (Greek Culture Ministry/AP)

Deep in an open coal mine in southern Greece, researchers have discovered the country’s oldest archaeological site, which dates to 700,000 years ago and is associated with modern humans’ hominin ancestors.

The find announced on Thursday would drag the dawn of Greek archaeology back by as much as a quarter of a million years, although older hominin sites have been discovered elsewhere in Europe.