Neanderthals were once widespread across Europe and western Asia. They also penetrated into the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia, but the geographical origin of these populations and the timing of ...their dispersal have remained elusive. Here we describe an archaeological assemblage from Chagyrskaya Cave, situated in the Altai foothills, where around 90,000 Middle Paleolithic artifacts and 74 Neanderthal remains have been recovered from deposits dating to between 59 and 49 thousand years ago (age range at 95.4% probability). Environmental reconstructions suggest that the Chagyrskaya hominins were adapted to the dry steppe and hunted bison. Their distinctive toolkit closely resembles Micoquian assemblages from central and eastern Europe, including the northern Caucasus, more than 3,000 kilometers to the west of Chagyrskaya Cave. At other Altai sites, evidence of earlier Neanderthal populations lacking associated Micoquian-like artifacts implies two or more Neanderthal incursions into this region. We identify eastern Europe as the most probable ancestral source region for the Chagyrskaya toolmakers, supported by DNA results linking the Neanderthal remains with populations in northern Croatia and the northern Caucasus, and providing a rare example of a long-distance, intercontinental population movement associated with a distinctive Paleolithic toolkit.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
At Kabazi V, level III/4-2, the entire debris from the manufacture of a bifacial preform was found deposited in a small anthropogenic pit. The bifacial preform itself was missing. The fact that it ...was possible to refit all larger blanks, as well as several chips, from the pit, whereas refits with artifacts discarded on the surface of the corresponding archeological level were not found, underlines the character of the pit’s contents as a closed find sensu stricto. The only explanation for the presence of chips of very small size from the same nodule, alongside the larger ones, in the pit fill is the use of an apron to collect all detached items during the process of flaking. Among the numerous anthropogenic pits from the Crimean Middle Paleolithic, the one found at Kabazi V, level III/4-2, and two other examples from Zaskalanya V and Zaskalnaya VI stand out for the intentional deposition of carefully selected artifacts in them. The sizes of the pits match the volumes of the artifacts deposited, which emphasizes the close relationship between the construction of the pits and the artifacts’ deposition. This article explores the significance of the three cases of artifact deposition referred to above to our understanding of segmented production processes and of why these depositions occurred. The most evident interpretation is that they were caches of equipment stored as insurance for unforeseen circumstances, which is indicative of substantial planning depth and a recurrent use of logistical territories.
Full text
Available for:
EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The Crimean Peninsula has a rich archaeological record characterised by numerous multi-layered sites from the Middle Palaeolithic and by a number of important sites representing the transition from ...the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic. Absolute dates place the region as one of the last Neanderthal refuges in Europe. Combining dental meso- and microwear analyses of worn molars found at faunal assemblages from different sites across Crimea, we can characterise the feeding habits of ungulates at different scales in their lifetime. The proxy data resulting from these analyses provide evidence not only on diet but also on (1) the habitat where fauna were hunted and (2) the duration of the events of human occupation in each archaeological level. For this palaeoecological reconstruction, we analysed three sites: Kabazi II and Chokurcha I from the Middle Palaeolithic and Siuren I from the Early Upper Palaeolithic. We focused particularly on the repeated Neanderthal subsistence pattern observed at Kabazi II throughout the sequence (around 80 to 48 ky). Analyses revealed that
Equus hydruntinus
(wild ass) was feeding on abrasive grasses, suggesting it was occupying open habitats, while
Saiga tatarica
(saiga antelope) was mixed feeding and probably consuming significant amounts of browse and lichens in relatively open habitats. Furthermore, variability in microwear signalled short seasonal occupations for all assemblages. During the Middle Palaeolithic and the early Upper Palaeolithic, these sites were occupied during the warm season.
Full text
Available for:
EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Several Paleolithic sites in the Crimea are characterized by long stratigraphic sequences with numerous thin in-situ archaeological horizons. In this case study, we compare two neighboring sites at ...Kabazi Mountain, parts of whose sequences are contemporaneous, for similarities and differences in their site formation processes during OIS 3. At Kabazi II, 15 m of mainly colluvial sediments accumulated behind a huge limestone block. Differences in the dynamics of the colluvial sedimentation led to archaeological horizons preserved in situ and assemblages moving downslope into the excavation area. Periods of stability due to vegetation cover upslope made soil formation processes possible. Kabazi V is a buried rock shelter with a different sedimentological setting. Here, sediments were built up by the dissolution of soft nummulitic limestone and influenced by running water, and are in part sandwiched between massive rock fall. Despite the differences in site type, the deposits of both sites are characterized by autochthonous (“inside”) and allochthonous (“outside”) deposits. In both cases, the preservation of deposits is due to their protection by large rock fall. Mean annual sedimentation rates show that the archaeological resolution of the sequences is more a consequence of recurrent human use over long periods than of high absolute sedimentation rates. The average time elapsing in each case between the archaeological layers indicates that the base camp of Kabazi V was more frequently used by Neanderthals than the kill-and butchering site of Kabazi II. This suggests long-term persistence of the site catchment criteria applied at Kabazi Mountain, and an important role for base camps in the Crimean Middle Paleolithic perception of landscape.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Radiocarbon dating of bone and charcoal from sites dating to the Middle and Upper Paleolithic is challenging due to low residual levels of radiocarbon. This means that small amounts of contaminating ...carbon can wield a great influence over accuracy unless they are fully removed. The site of Kabazi II in the Crimea is important because radiocarbon dates previously obtained from bones in archaeological horizons that date to the Western Crimean Mousterian (WCM) are surprisingly young. We redated the same samples using a single compound dating method that focuses on extracting and dating the amino acid hydroxyproline. We show that single amino acid dates produce significantly older determinations than those that use bulk collagen pretreatment procedures. Our results suggest that instead of dating to 35,000–40,000 cal BP, the bones actually date to >50,000 cal BP. This implies that the WCM at this site is much older than previously thought. In light of these current findings, we considered the dates of other key Crimean sites and concluded that in the absence of reliable pretreatment methods, it would be wise to consider many of them minimum ages. We conclude that there is little robust evidence to suggest Neanderthals were present in the Crimea after 40,000 cal BP.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Despite its richness, the Romanian Paleolithic record has remained for decades relatively poorly known to the broader scientific community. The situation swiftly changed after the find at Oase Cave, ...which brought the Romanian paleoanthropological and archeological record into intensive focus, spurring several international research projects devoted to the regional Early Upper Paleolithic. The present paper provides the first summary of recent research undertaken in the neighboring area of Oase, the Romanian Banat, particularly focused on the Aurignacian open air occupation at Coşava.
A detailed attribute analysis of both old and recently excavated Aurignacian collections from Coşava, supplemented by a comparative overview of the allegedly similar industry at Româneşti-Dumbrăviţa, is presented. An initial chronological assessment of the Banat Aurignacian by means of several OSL samples from Româneşti is also proposed.
The results of the lithic analysis, much like the new chronological estimations (in excess of 30 ka BP) confirm the early assignment of the Banat assemblages to the Krems-type Aurignacian, but also dismiss the unusually young chronology initially attributed to these settlements. While several features, including the constant presence of Krems/Dufour tools, point strongly to an archaic stage of the Aurignacian technocomplex (Protoaurignacian/Aurignacian 0), other elements (carinated forms, twisted bladelets, and Aurignacian blades) recall more ‘classical’ features conventionally associated to the Aurignacian I. No coherent chrono-stadial trend or functional requirements can explain these ‘mixed’ features in the Banat industries with the data at hand. Their presence nevertheless points to the internal variability of these early Aurignacian occurrences.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Currently, absolute dates for the emergence of the Early Upper Paleolithic and the timing of the earliest dispersal of anatomically modern humans (AMH) into Europe are sparse. This is especially true ...for regions adjoining the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Europe with its dense clusters of sites along the Austrian and German Danube Valley. This article makes a first step toward filling this gap and, for the first time, presents absolute ages for the open-air site of Româneşti-Dumbrăviţa I (Banat, SW Romania) located close to the Oase Cave where some of the oldest AMH fossils were found. A set of heated artefacts recently excavated from the Aurignacian layer GH3 was dated by thermoluminescence (TL) and gives early chronometric dates for this technocomplex in Romania.
The luminescence behavior of artefact samples required the use of different multiple- and single-aliquot measurement protocols to obtain reliable age information. In addition, analyses of glow curves and the performance during regenerative-dose measurements allowed us to distinguish two types of samples. Since one group is characterized by poor dose reproducibility, only samples showing reliable luminescence behavior were considered for final age interpretations. As a result, we could determine that the last heating of artefacts from GH3 happened most likely between ∼39 ka (single-aliquot age estimate) and ∼45 ka (multiple-aliquot age estimate) ago, with a weighted average age of the GH3 finds of 40.6 ± 1.5 ka (including all data). These dates were confirmed by OSL dating of sediments of the find layer. Such an early age fits well to technological and typological features, which place the dated lithic assemblage at the very beginning of the development of the Aurignacian technocomplex usually seen as a proxy for the earliest wide spread presence of AMH in Europe.
•We applied TL dating to heated artefacts of an Aurignacian site in SW Romania.•Average TL age of the Aurignacian find layer of 40.6 ± 1.5 ka.•TL ages agree with stratigraphically consistent OSL fine grain ages.•This confirms the antiquity of Romania's Aurignacian and related presence of AMH.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Le site de Kabazi II est situé sur la deuxième rangée des Monts de Crimée dans la partie ouest de la péninsule. L'étude présentée dans le cadre de cet article concerne le matériel archéologique du ...niveau II/8. Ce niveau a été fouillé durant 2 campagnes, en 1987 et en 1994. Il est daté de l'interstadiaire Hengelo. L'outillage lithique découvert dans ce niveau est attribué au Moustérien Occidental de Crimée (WCM). L'
Equus hydruntinus domine avec plus de 90 % des restes déterminés. L'analyse croisée des résultats fournis par les études des matériels lithique et osseux a permis de clarifier la chronologie, l'environnement ainsi que les comportements techniques et de subsistance des Néandertaliens du niveau II/8 de Kabazi II. Ce sont ces nouvelles interprétations qui sont présentées ici.
The site of Kabazi II is located on the second row of the Crimea Mounts in the west side of peninsula. The study presented in this article is about the archaeological material of the II/8 level. This level was excavated in 1987 and 1994. It is date of the Hengelo Interstadial. The lithic tools discovered in this level are attributed to the Western Crimea Mousterian (WCM). The
E. hydruntinus dominates with more than 90% of the determinated remains. The crossed analysis of the results given by the studies of lithic and bone materials allowed to clarify the chronology, the environment and also the technical and subsistence behaviours of the Neandertals of the II/8 level of Kabazi II. These new interpretations are presented here.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
PDF
