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Some of Europe's oldest human footprints have been discovered by researchers in Romania's Ciur-Izbuc Cave.

The 400 footprints were originally unearthed in the Carpathian Mountains in 1965. At the time, they were thought to belong to a man, woman and child and dated to 10,000 to 15,000 years old.

But now radiocarbon measurements of two cave bear fossils unearthed just below the footprints suggests that these early humans left their impressions 36,500 years ago.

Some oldest human footprints in Europe have been discovered by researchers in Romania's Ciur-Izbuc Cave. The 400 footprints were originally discovered in the Carpathian Mountains in 1965. Pictured is one of the footprints, but it is unknown what age or sex the person was who made it

The technique involved measuring carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of the element that, unlike other more stable forms of carbon, decays away at a steady rate.

Today, cave explorers have damaged all but 51 of the original 400 footprints. The remaining hollows, however, suggest that six or seven individuals, including at least one child, entered the cave after a flood.

Writing in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, the researchers claim that published research on footprints in Europe only go back as far as 33,000 years ago.

'Unfortunately, insufficient footprints remain to measure movement variables such as stride length,' the researchers write.

Radiocarbon measurements of two cave bear fossils unearthed just below the footprints suggests that these early humans left the impressions 36,500 years ago. Pictured are bear scratchings on the cave walls

This is the passage that leads to the 'footprint room'.  Today, cave explores have damaged all by 51 of the footprints. These hollows, however, suggest that six or seven individuals, including at least one child, entered the cave after a flood

'However, detailed three-dimensional mapping of the footprints does allow a more precise description of human movements within the cave.'

The Romanian footprints are one of the oldest to be described in a peer-reviewed journal, but a number of researchers believe they have found footprints that are much older.

For instance, in 2011 scientists said human tracks at Tanzania's Engare Sero site were 120,000 years old.

Those findings have not been published yet in a peer-reviewed journal, and David Webb of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania believes this suggests a problem with footprint authenticity.

A separate study by British researchers in February found nearly one-million-year-old footprints of modern human ancestors in estuary mud in Norfolk.

Described as 'the most important discovery on British shores', the 800,000-year-old footprints were found in Happisburgh after being exposed by sea tides.

Scientists believe the footprints are evidence of the earliest known humans in northern Europe, previously only revealed through the discovery of animal bones and stone tools.

The footprints were discovered in the Ciur-Izbuc Cave which is located in Romania's Carpathian Mountains

The Romanian footprints are one of the oldest to be described in a peer-reviewed journal, but a number of researchers believe they have found footprints that are much older

A separate study by British researchers in February found nearly one-million-year-old footprints of modern human ancestors in estuary mud in Norfolk