Although the European fossil and archaeological records are comparatively well-documented, the dating, routes of dispersal and identity of the earliest archaic European populations have not been resolved. The timing of the first colonization of Europe is still a matter of debate. Until recently, Northern Europe was thought not to have been inhabited before 500 ka, although the European Mediterranean was colonized much earlier. Human remains from Atapuerca, Spain, and Ceprano, Italy, have been dated to approximately 800 ka, indicating a very early occupation of Southern Europe. Lithic artifacts dated to ~ 700 ka from Pakefield, England recently also documented an early human presence also in Northern Europe. The discovery of much earlier human remains dated to 1.6 million years ago in Dmanisi, Georgia, also puts forth the issue of possible earlier ventures into the continent that have not yet been identified.