Homo erectus, dating

In Greece, the cave of Petralona has yielded a skull of a variety of Homo erectus. A number of workers including the present writer have attempted to determine the age of this site [25-27]. Although the samples of travertine cannot be very accurately located with respect to the former location of the skull, the various analysts concur that these travertine layers must be greater than 350 ky in age. Liritzis has attempted to estimate the age on the basis of 234U/238U ratios 500 50 ky the assumptions in such a date are however very shaky. 

The Siwalik Group has long been famous for its abundant vertebrate fossils, among which are some early hominid ancestors. Its primates include Ramapithecus and Sivapithecus from the older beds, and younger specimens, cf. Homo erectus, from the Upper Siwalik Group, including the Pinjore Formation (72). Dates would therefore help establish the arrival time of hominins in the Indian subcontinent. 

---