Pre-human ancestors were present in Germany over 11 million years ago.<ref>[https://https://www.sciencealert.com/discovery-of-a-new-11-million-year-old-ancestor-reveals-how-humans-began-to-walk</ref>
Pre-human ancestors were present in Germany over 11 million years ago.<ref>[https://https://www.sciencealert.com/discovery-of-a-new-11-million-year-old-ancestor-reveals-how-humans-began-to-walk</ref>Ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wagner |first1=G. A |last2=Krbetschek |first2=M |last3=Degering |first3=D |last4=Bahain |first4=J.-J |last5=Shao |first5=Q |last6=Falgueres |first6=C |last7=Voinchet |first7=P |last8=Dolo |first8=J.-M |last9=Garcia |first9=T |last10=Rightmire |first10=G. P |date=27 August 2010 |title=Radiometric dating of the type-site for Homo heidelbergensis at Mauer, Germany |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|PNAS]] |volume=107 |issue=46 |pages=19726–19730 |bibcode=2010PNAS..10719726W |doi=10.1073/pnas.1012722107 |pmc=2993404 |pmid=21041630 }}</ref> The first non-modern human fossil (the [[Neanderthal]]) was discovered in the [[Neandertal (valley)|Neander Valley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/who-were-the-neanderthals.html|publisher=Natural History Museum|title=Who were the Neanderthals?|last=Hendry|first=Lisa|date=5 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330003649/https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/who-were-the-neanderthals.html|archive-date=30 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly dated evidence of modern humans has been found in the [[Swabian Jura]], including 42,000-year-old flutes which are the oldest musical instruments ever found,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18196349 |title=Earliest music instruments found |date=25 May 2012 |work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903041534/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18196349 |archive-date=3 September 2017 }}</ref> the 40,000-year-old [[Lion-man|Lion Man]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Ice-Age-iLion-Mani-is-worlds-earliest-figurative-sculpture/28595 |title=Ice Age Lion Man is world's earliest figurative sculpture |date=31 January 2013 |website=[[The Art Newspaper]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215162121/http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Ice-Age-iLion-Mani-is-worlds-earliest-figurative-sculpture/28595 |archive-date=15 February 2015 }}</ref> and the 35,000-year-old [[Venus of Hohle Fels]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nature07995|journal=Nature|volume=459|title=A female figurine from the basal Aurignacian of Hohle Fels Cave in southwestern Germany|last=Conard|first=Nicholas|year=2009|issue=7244|pages=248–252|doi=10.1038/nature07995|pmid=19444215|bibcode=2009Natur.459..248C|s2cid=205216692|access-date=12 March 2020|archive-date=12 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212045830/https://www.nature.com/articles/nature07995|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Nebra sky disk]], created during the [[European Bronze Age]], is attributed to a German site.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/flagship-project-activities/memory-of-the-world/register/full-list-of-registered-heritage/registered-heritage-page-6/nebra-sky-disc/ |title=Nebra Sky Disc |date=2013 |publisher=UNESCO |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011061740/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/flagship-project-activities/memory-of-the-world/register/full-list-of-registered-heritage/registered-heritage-page-6/nebra-sky-disc/ |archive-date=11 October 2014 }}</ref>
