Katerina Harvati
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katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati
@katharv.bsky.social
960 followers 720 following 140 posts

Paleoanthropologist, human evolution, Neanderthals, modern human origins, S-E Europe and Greece.
Dog enthusiast!

Professor, University of Tübingen, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironments & University of Bergen. Opinions my own. .. more

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Katerina Harvati is a Greek paleoanthropologist and expert in human evolution. She specializes in the broad application of 3-D geometric morphometric and virtual anthropology methods to paleoanthropology. Since 2009, she is full professor and director of Paleoanthropology at the University of Tübingen, Germany. From 2020 to 2023 she was Director of the Institute for Archaeological Sciences and since 2023 she is Director of the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen. .. more

History 27%
Mathematics 14%
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katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · May 22
I am extremely honored that our Cluster of Excellence 'HUMAN ORIGINS' was selected for funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft!! This is incredible news and I look forward to exciting times ahead setting up this new Cluster!

Reposted by Graeme Warren

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · 18h
The artwork that illustrated our PNAS paper on the oldest wooden tools was made by Gleiver Prieto, who has also worked with me on illustrations for previous projects, including the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Marathousa 1.
Gleiver's art really brings Pleistocene Megalopolis to life ✨ 🤩

Reposted by Katerina Harvati, Allan D. McDevitt

andrewcurry.com
Andrew Curry @andrewcurry.com · 23h
If there's one thing that defines humans–and our ancestors–it's tool use and innovation. In a new @pnas.org paper, @harvatilab.bsky.social and @annemiekemilks.bsky.social identify the world's oldest known wooden tool, dropped amidst the remains of a butchered elephant 430,000 years ago. @science.org
Oldest wooden tools may have been used to butcher elephants
Branches sharpened 400,000 years ago shine light on humans’ early toolmaking
www.science.org

Reposted by Katerina Harvati, Catherine J. Frieman, Aidan O’Sullivan

annemiekemilks.bsky.social
Annemieke Milks @annemiekemilks.bsky.social · 1d
It was such a privilege to get to work on this amazing material from an incredible site and team - now the earliest handheld wooden tools in the archaeological record, taking evidence back to 430,000 years! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Evidence for the earliest hominin use of wooden handheld tools found at Marathousa 1 (Greece) | PNAS
The Middle Pleistocene (MP; ca. 774 to 129 ka) marks a critical period of human evolution, characterized by increasing behavioral complexity and th...
www.pnas.org

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

unituebingen.bsky.social
Universität Tübingen @unituebingen.bsky.social · 1d
Die bisher frühesten bekannten Holzwerkzeuge, die Menschen nutzten, stammen aus Griechenland. Ein Forschungsteam der Universitäten Tübingen und Reading sowie der Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung hat rund 430.000 Jahre alte Belege entdeckt: 👉 uni-tuebingen.de/universitaet/…#Archäologieie
Eine künstlerische Darstellung eines Menschen in prähistorischer Fellkleidung, der einen Ast bearbeitet. Im Hintergrund sind Landschaftselemente wie ein See, Berge und grasende Tiere zu sehen. Text im Bild: "Frühester Nachweis von Menschenhand genutzter Holzwerkzeuge". Oben ist das Wort "Forschung" zu lesen.

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · 1d
And another by Ioanna Soufleri in To Vima!

www.tovima.gr/2026/01/26/s...
Μεγάλη ανακάλυψη στη Μεγαλόπολη: Εντοπίστηκαν τα αρχαιότερα ξύλινα εργαλεία του κόσμου | ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ
Η Κατερίνα Χαρβάτη, παλαιοανθρωπολόγος του Πανεπιστημίου Τίμπιγκεν και επικεφαλής των ερευνών, εξηγεί τη σημασία των ευρημάτων αποκλειστικά στο ψηφιακό ΒΗΜΑ.
www.tovima.gr

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · 1d
A great write up of our paper in New Scientist by @michael-marshall.bsky.social!

www.newscientist.com/article/2509...
Stick shaped by ancient humans is the oldest known wooden tool
Excavations at an opencast mine in Greece have uncovered two wooden objects more than 400,000 years old that appear to have been fashioned as tools by an unknown species of ancient human
www.newscientist.com

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · 1d
Such a pleasure to share our latest article on the wooden tools from Marathousa 1 (Megalopolis), the oldest known in the world at 430 ka.

Congratulations to the team!

Evidence for the earliest hominin use of wooden handheld tools found at Marathousa 1 (Greece) | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Evidence for the earliest hominin use of wooden handheld tools found at Marathousa 1 (Greece) | PNAS
The Middle Pleistocene (MP; ca. 774 to 129 ka) marks a critical period of human evolution, characterized by increasing behavioral complexity and th...
www.pnas.org

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

sciencex.bsky.social
Science X / Phys.org @sciencex.bsky.social · 1d
Two wooden tools dating back 430,000 years have been uncovered at a lakeshore site in Greece, offering rare insight into early human technology and tool use. doi.org/hbmjbx
Scientists recover the oldest wooden tools from a site in Greece
Two artifacts found at a lake shore in Greece are the oldest wooden tools to be uncovered so far and date back 430,000 years.
phys.org

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

idw-online.de
Informationsdienst Wissenschaft - idw @idw-online.de · 1d
Earliest evidence of wooden tools used by humans
International research team from Germany, the UK and Greece finds evidence of wooden tool use in Greece 430,000 years ago...
weiterlesen
An artist’s reconstruction of a Marathousa 1 paleolithic woman producing a digging stick from a small alder tree trunk with a small stone tool. This kind of wood was used for the Marathousa 1 digging stick. - Copyright K. Harvati

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · 2d
✨Super interesting article on elephant bone tool from Boxgrove! ✨
also referencing the bone tools from our excavation at Marathousa 1, Megalopolis, which are a bit younger, at ca 430 ka, but still among the oldest in Europe 😀
mattpope.bsky.social Dr Matt Pope @mattpope.bsky.social · 6d
More Breaking Palaeo-news!
🐘 Boxgrove preserved oldest Elephant Bone beyond Africa.
🐘 Early Neanderthals using bone to shape beautiful tools.
🐘 New research from Simon Parfitt @uclarchaeology.bsky.social Silvia Bello of the @nhm-london.bsky.social.
🦣🏺🐘https://share.google/20WUjY5TybDAr4QoT
Prehistoric tool made from elephant bone is the oldest discovered in Europe
A remarkable prehistoric hammer made from elephant bone, dating back nearly half a million years ago, has been uncovered in southern England and analyzed by archaeologists from UCL and the Natural His...
share.google

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Katerina Harvati

bpermaculture.bsky.social
Care of Earth and People Ensure A Future World 🌎 @bpermaculture.bsky.social · 3d
They built wind turbines to make power — but under the sea, they “produce” something no one expected
www.ecoportal.net/en/turbines-...
They built wind turbines to make power — but under the sea, they “produce” something no one expected
Offshore turbines with nature‑inclusive Reef Cubes help restore oceans, boosting marine life as Dutch wind farms show clean energy can heal underwater ecosystems.
www.ecoportal.net

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

harvatilab.bsky.social
Harvati Lab @harvatilab.bsky.social · 5d
#teammember Frini Roditi was invited to give a talk today at the Biogeology seminar at the University of Tübingen! ✨ She shared her exciting ongoing work in the Megalopolis Basin, Greece 🦣🌍🦛 Well done! 🙌🏻

Reposted by Katerina Harvati, Catherine J. Frieman

mattpope.bsky.social
Dr Matt Pope @mattpope.bsky.social · 6d
More Breaking Palaeo-news!
🐘 Boxgrove preserved oldest Elephant Bone beyond Africa.
🐘 Early Neanderthals using bone to shape beautiful tools.
🐘 New research from Simon Parfitt @uclarchaeology.bsky.social Silvia Bello of the @nhm-london.bsky.social.
🦣🏺🐘https://share.google/20WUjY5TybDAr4QoT
Prehistoric tool made from elephant bone is the oldest discovered in Europe
A remarkable prehistoric hammer made from elephant bone, dating back nearly half a million years ago, has been uncovered in southern England and analyzed by archaeologists from UCL and the Natural His...
share.google

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

killgrove.bsky.social
Kristina Killgrove @killgrove.bsky.social · 13d
A newly published H. habilis skeleton is just the fourth post-cranial skeleton ever found from the species. 🏺🧪
Most complete Homo habilis skeleton ever found dates to more than 2 million years ago and retains 'Lucy'-like features
Scientists have revealed the most complete skeleton yet of our 2 million-year-old ancestor Homo habilis.
www.livescience.com

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · 29d
As a belated Christmas present, our article on the human remains from the Grotta Del Poggio is now published open access in the AJBA 😀

Congratulations to Erica Piccirilli and the whole team!! ✨🎉
#humanevolution #openaccess #ERCprojectFIRSTSTEPS
The Human Remains From the MIS 6 Site of Grotta Del Poggio (Cilento, Southern Italy): A Taxonomic and Chronological Reassessment
Objectives Grotta del Poggio is a key site for exploring the Middle Paleolithic in southern Italy, as it contains a pivotal anthropogenic deposit, mainly attributed to MIS 6, while in the Metal Ages...
dx.doi.org

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

harvatilab.bsky.social
Harvati Lab @harvatilab.bsky.social · 29d
Happy holidays and happy new year from all of us! 🎄✨
Wishing you a restful break, joyful moments and an inspiring start to 2026. ✨️🦴🌍

Reposted by Gavin A. Schmidt, Delphine K. Farmer, Katerina Harvati , and 5 more

carlzimmer.com
Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · Dec 27
The @nytimes.com Lost Science series continues. Here's my Q&A with a scientist who was studying how wildfire smoke threatens human health when the EPA decided that her research was no longer a funding priority. Gift link: nyti.ms/4jhpw14
Portrait of Marina Vance, a scientist, sitting in a Colorado grassland.

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

carlzimmer.com
Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · Dec 17
Trump Administration Plans to Break Up Premier Weather and Climate Research Center. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/c...
Trump Administration Plans to Break Up Premier Weather and Climate Research Center
www.nytimes.com

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · Dec 11
Congratulations Dalila!!! 🎉✨👩‍🎓
and thank you to all committee members!
harvatilab.bsky.social Harvati Lab @harvatilab.bsky.social · Dec 11
🎉 Huge congratulations to Dalila de Caro for successfully defending her PhD today! @daliladecaro.bsky.social 🎊

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

harvatilab.bsky.social
Harvati Lab @harvatilab.bsky.social · Dec 11
🎉 Huge congratulations to Dalila de Caro for successfully defending her PhD today! @daliladecaro.bsky.social 🎊

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

drnwillburger.bsky.social
Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · Dec 7
For #AncientSiteSunday this fabulous aerial photo of the Acropolis at #Athens - a site I would love to be right now!

📷 Christos Kapoulas

#Greece

🏺
Aerial view of the Acropolis of Athens, situated on a rocky hill overlooking the city. The Parthenon, with its partially preserved columns and ruins, stands at the center. Other classical structures, including the Erechtheion and the Propylaea, are visible nearby. Below the Acropolis, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a semicircular stone theater, is nestled into the hillside. The surrounding area is a mix of greenery and densely packed modern buildings, showing the contrast between ancient history and contemporary Athens.

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · Nov 26
And today it was the turn of the Megalopolis delegation to present our work at Marathousa 1 (Greece) 🙂
With dalil@daliladecaro.bsky.social

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · Nov 25
what a privilege to be able to visit the Vértesszőlős site yesterday, despite the snow and cold temperatures!

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · Nov 24
A great pleasure to be invited, together with @daliladecaro.bsky.social, to participate in the symposium celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Vertesszolos discovery! Wonderful venue at the Hungarian National Museum 🤩 Many thanks to our hosts, the organizers G. Lengyel & Y. Zaidner

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

harvatilab.bsky.social
Harvati Lab @harvatilab.bsky.social · Nov 17
New paper alert! 🎉 #teammember David Naumann’s study on the La Rochette Upper Paleolithic human remains is now out in PaleoAnthropology journal (early view). @paleoanthjourn.bsky.social 🦴💻📊 #openaccess

Link to the paper 🔗 : share.google/MVCG2U9dMFHN...

Congrats, David! 🙌🏻

#archeology

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · Nov 12
And the abstracts of this year's ESHE meeting!
paleoanthjourn.bsky.social PaleoAnthropology Journal @paleoanthjourn.bsky.social · Nov 11
15th Annual Meeting of the European Society for the study of Human Evolution Abstracts Paris, 25-27 September 2025
🔗 paleoanthropology.org/ojs/index.ph...

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

paleoanthjourn.bsky.social
PaleoAnthropology Journal @paleoanthjourn.bsky.social · Nov 11
15th Annual Meeting of the European Society for the study of Human Evolution Abstracts Paris, 25-27 September 2025
🔗 paleoanthropology.org/ojs/index.ph...

Reposted by Katerina Harvati

Erella Hovers @ehovers.bsky.social · Nov 7
check out this new issue of PaleoAnthropology including a special issue on late Middle and Late Pleistocene hominin systematics
paleoanthropology.org/ojs/index.ph...
PaleoAnthropology
paleoanthropology.org

katharv.bsky.social
Katerina Harvati @katharv.bsky.social · Nov 6
The new issue of PaleoAnthropology is now online! 📢

It includes the Special Issue 'What’s in a Name? Late Middle and Early Late Pleistocene Hominin Systematics'

The cover features the article 'Revisiting the Anatomy of the Florisbad Hominin Cranium' by Balzeau et al.

#humanevolution #openaccess
paleoanthjourn.bsky.social PaleoAnthropology Journal @paleoanthjourn.bsky.social · Nov 6
The latest issue of PaleoAnthropology is out now!
Volume 2025, Issue 2 #openaccess

📖Read Here: paleoanthropology.org/ojs/index.ph...

#paleoanthropology #humanevolution
Front Cover of the 2025, Issue 2 PaleoAnthropology Journal. Featuring images from Balzeau et al.

Reposted by Katerina Harvati, Christopher J. Bae

paleoanthjourn.bsky.social
PaleoAnthropology Journal @paleoanthjourn.bsky.social · Nov 6
The latest issue of PaleoAnthropology is out now!
Volume 2025, Issue 2 #openaccess

📖Read Here: paleoanthropology.org/ojs/index.ph...

#paleoanthropology #humanevolution
Front Cover of the 2025, Issue 2 PaleoAnthropology Journal. Featuring images from Balzeau et al.