A palaeontologist accidentally stumbled across an ancient human skull while hiking.

The skull was discovered in the River Po near Cremona in northern Italy, as water levels dwindle because of drought.

The fragments of the "archaic" human skull consist of two parietal bones and the occipital bone. It was discovered by professor of paleontology at the University of Parma, Davide Persico, a university press release reported.

"We were engaged in an excursion to observe the river and the discovery was completely accidental," Persico told newspaper L'Unione Sarda. "I immediately reported the find to the archaeological superintendency and we will carry out in-depth studies.

"The dating is still uncertain because all the necessary studies must be carried out, but it is certainly archaic and I believe it can go back to the Paleolithic."

Archaic homo sapiens lived from around 300,000 years ago. They are distinguished from modern humans—who emerged about 160,000 years ago—by several anatomical differences. These include a much thicker skull, prominent brow ridges and the lack of a prominent chin.

They display overlapping traits between homo erectcus—an extinct species of archaic human from the Pleistocene age—and modern humans.

Persico's discovery was only made possible because water levels in the Po are very low.

The River Po—at 405 miles the longest river in Italy, which flows eastward across northern Italy—has seen exceptionally low flows recently because of drought.

This has been a problem ever since last summer, when Italy experienced record-breaking heat and some areas suffered their worst drought in 70 years.

The archaic skull has not been the only discovery made as a result of the river's falling water levels.

In June 2022 they got so low that a 180-foot barge sunk by American bombing in 1944 was revealed, Forbes reported.

The crumbling walls of a medieval town have also been revealed and in a tributary of the Po in Piedmont falling water levels have uncovered a medieval bridge, complete with defensive bastions.

The fossil skull is now in the Museum of Natural History at the University of Parma. This will "guarantee its conservation," a press release from the university said.

A research project called ACAMAR will continue to investigate the find.

The research will take place in the next few months and will involve scientists from the University of Parma, the University of Milan, the University of Bologna and the Paleoanthropological Museum of the Po in San Daniele Po.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about archaic homo sapeins? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

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