HistoryPrehistoricPortugalhigh confidence

In 1998, archaeologists discovered the buried skeleton of a four-year-old child dating to approximately 25,000 years ago at Lagar Velho, near Leiria, Portugal.

Notes on verification

Confirmed by peer-reviewed original publication (PubMed 1999), Wikipedia, and specialist archaeology site. Date figure (~25,000 BP) matches long-standing original estimate, though a 2025 study revised it slightly older (~28,000 BP).

Sources