Franchthi Cave and the first seafarers in Greece's history.

The pre-historic cave of Franchthi is located opposite the fishing village Kilada which is located in the Argolic gulf, in the Peloponnese peninsula, Greece. The region around the cave wasn't always like this
. It is said that the sea around the cave was 6-8 km away and that in its place there was a fertile plain, that reached the island Spetses. Excavations have indicated that this cave was inhabited continuously from 20.000 BC to 3.000 BC. It is possible that Homo sapiens or even the Neaterdal were the first inhabitants of the Franchthi cave.

 Franchthi cave is very important to researches, as the oldest complete human skeleton in Europe was found in the depths of it. The cave was 150 metres deep and the width of its entrance in 30 metres. This site was mostly used by hunter-gatherers who would hunt animals like wild donkeys, red deers, wild goats, pigs, hares, etc, using tools and weapons made of obsidian, which is known to be found on the island of Melos and other materials. 

Additionally tuna fish bones, sea shells and the obsidian material indicate that the people living in this cave, had somehow managed not only reach the sea but even cross it. We could say that they were the first seafarers of the sea. The current state of the site is not accessible, just 700 square metres because the rest of the site has caved in. Findings from this cave are displayed at the Archaeological museum of Nafplio which is worth a visit.