Graecopithecus freybergi

Graecopithecus freybergi is a hominid originally identified by a single mandible found in 1944. Since then analysis of tooth specimens has led to suggestions that Graecopithecus may be the oldest known direct ancestor of modern man , though the claim is contested.

The original Graecopithecus specimen mandible found in 1944, "reportedly unearthed as the occupying German forces were building a wartime bunker". The mandible with a third molar that is very worn, the root of a second molar, and a fragment of a premolar is from a site called Pyrgos Vassilissis northwest of Athens and is dated from the late Miocene. Excavation of the site is not possible (as of 1986) due to the owner having built a swimming pool on the location.

G. freybergi is considered possibly the same as Ouranopithecus macedoniensis. The hominid is the least well known of those found within Europe.

An examination of the detailed morphology of molar teeth from two fossils of G. freybergi published in 2017 suggests that it may be a hominin, that is sharing ancestry with Homo but not with the Chimpanzees (Pan). This would call into question the prevailing belief that pre-human hominids originated in Africa, though others are sceptical of the claims.