Katerina Harvati

Katerina Harvati is a distinguished paleoanthropologist renowned for her groundbreaking research in human evolution. Her work has significantly advanced our understanding of the origins and behaviors of both modern humans and Neanderthals.

One of her notable contributions includes the analysis of fossils from Apidima Cave in Greece, which revealed the presence of Homo sapiens in Europe over 210,000 years ago, predating previous estimates by more than 150,000 years. This discovery suggests a much earlier and more widespread dispersal of modern humans across the continent than previously believed. 

Harvati’s research has also challenged long-standing assumptions about Neanderthal life, demonstrating that their prevalence of cranial trauma was similar to that of Upper Paleolithic modern humans. This finding indicates that Neanderthals may not have led more violent lives than their Homo sapiens counterparts. 

Additionally, she contributed to identifying early modern human fossils in Morocco, dating back approximately 300,000 years. This evidence pushes back the timeline for the emergence of Homo sapiens and supports a pan-African origin of our species. 

Harvati’s innovative application of 3D geometric morphometrics and virtual anthropology methods has been instrumental in these discoveries, offering new insights into our evolutionary history. Her extensive fieldwork across Europe and Africa continues to shed light on the complex journey of human evolution.

We are honored to have Katerina Harvati share her expertise at EEBST2025, where she will delve deeper into these pivotal findings and their implications for our understanding of human ancestry.