Researchers made the discovery while diving in a Balearic cave.
By Mirjam Guesgen
August 30, 2024, 11:19am

View of the submerged stone bridge from Genovesa Cave, Mallorca, Spain. Photo by R. Landreth
A submerged bridge in a cave on Mallorcas coast has revealed a new story of ancient settlement on the islandone that drastically alters our ideas about human history in that part of the world.
A study published today (Friday, August 30) has concluded that humans settled on the Spanish island much earlier than previously thoughtat least 5600 and possibly even 6000 years ago (around 4000BC), making prior estimates at least 1000 years off the mark.
The study, which featured in the Communications Earth & Environment journal, helps resolve a longstanding paradox. It always puzzled researchers that the large Spanish islands close to the mainland appeared to have been colonized much later than the smaller islands further away in the Mediterranean. After all, why would you sail by leaving them untouched?
It was kind of strange for me to think there was such a huge gap between [the colonization of] this group of islands and others, the studys lead author Bogdan Onac, a geology professor at the University of South Florida, told VICE.
The story begins with Onac and his team discovering a hidden limestone bridge in the Genovesa Cave while diving there in 2000. Most of the cave is now underwater because of rising sea levels, but it wasnt always the case.
More:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-hidden-underwater-sea-bridge-just-changed-our-ideas-about-ancient-human-settlement/