Milia Museum of Natural History

 The museum houses the largest prehistoric tusks ever found in the world. They are from the giant elephant species Elephas (Paleoloxodon) antiquus, found only in hot climates, with a shoulder height of 4 meters, middle-aged (about 40 years old) with characteristic straight tusks, unlike the hairy mammoth Mammuthus primigenius of glacial periods which had curved tusks.

The mastodons along with other animals paints a picture of the past and shows the area was very different from today: the Palaeo included vast expanses of savannah with rich and dense forests. Ruled by large carnivorous cats with huge jagged fangs (machairodontes), bears, lynxes. Herbivores, including rhinos, ponies (small horses with three toes on their feet as opposed to hooves), tapir (relatives of rhinoceros with a shortened trunk), cattle, deer and wild boars that roamed the area before 3 million years.

In 1997, a geological excavation discovered the first pair of tusks of impressive size (length 4.39 m), which were the largest of the species found in Greece, Europe and probably the world, according to data from the record books Guinness. Continued research and excavation has brought to light the mandible of the animal, one of the most complete of its kind in Europe, and other parts of the skeleton.

In 2007, the remains of yet another fossilized animal put Milia in the international spotlight. The tusks of the animal, with a length of five meters, are without doubt the largest that have been found in the world, while the identification of the mandible and a large part of the skeleton of the animal makes this finding extremely important to research. It is calculated that the animal was male and between 25 and 30 years old.

The results of our excavations provide important information on the geological past of the area, for the species which lived in the region and the environment in which they lived. The study findings enrich our knowledge of the paleo period of Greece and all of south east Europe.

Detailed information about the museum, its exhibits, the method and the operating hours are online at http://www.mfi-miliasgrevenon.gr/site/