Dušan Mihailović

New radiometric ages for the bh-1 hominin from Balanica (Serbia): implications for understanding the role of the Balkans in Middle Pleistocene human evolution

Newly obtained ages, based on electron spin resonance combined with uranium series isotopic analysis, and infrared/post-infrared luminescence dating, provide a minimum age that lies between 397 and 525 ka for the hominin mandible BH-1 from Mala Balanica cave, Serbia. This confirms it as the easternmost hominin specimen in Europe dated to the Middle Pleistocene. Inferences drawn from the morphology of the mandible BH-1 place it outside currently observed variation of European Homo heidelbergensis. The lack of derived Neandertal traits in BH-1 and its contemporary specimens in Southeast Europe, such as Kocabaş, Vasogliano and Ceprano, coupled with Middle Pleistocene synapomorphies, suggests different evolutionary forces acting in the east of the continent where isolation did not play such an important role during glaciations.

LATE PLEISTOCENE RODENTS (MAMMALIA: RODENTIA) FROM THE BARANICA CAVE NEAR KNJAZEVAC (EASTERN SERBIA): SYSTEMATICS AND PALAEOECOLOGY

Baranica is a cave in the Balkan mountain range in the eastern part of Serbia. It contains four layers of sediments of Quaternary age. The Upper Pleistocene deposits (layers 2-4) have yielded a rich and diverse assemblage of vertebrate fauna, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small and large mammals. In this work, preliminary results of a study of the rodent fauna from the Upper Pleistocene deposits of the Baranica Cave (Knjazevac, eastern Serbia) are presented. The fossil material comes from the 1995 archaeological excavation. The remains of 10 rodent species are described herein: Spermophilus cf. citelloides, Castor fiber , Sicista subtilis , Cricetulus migratorius , Cricetus cricetus , Mesocricetus newtoni , Apodemus ex gr. sylvaticus-flavicollis, Spalax leucodon, Dryomys nitedula, and Muscardinus avellanarius. Along with eight vole species, this makes altogether 18 species of rodents found in this locality. Both layers 2 and 4 (layer 3 is very poor in fossils) have yielded a rodent fauna typical for the cold periods of the Late Pleistocene on the Balkan Peninsula, with a prevalence of open and steppe inhabitants, but some forest dwellers were also present. The assemblages from these layers are similar, but there are some differences in the composition of the fauna, which may indicate a slight shift towards drier conditions. They have also been compared to rodent associations from some Serbian and Bulgarian localities of the same age and their similarities and differences are discussed. SHORT NOTE-NOTA BREVE

A LATE PLEISTOCENE RODENT FAUNA (MAMMALIA: RODENTIA) FROM HADŽI PRODANOVA CAVE NEAR IVANJICA (WESTERN SERBIA)

Hadži Prodanova Cave in western Serbia is a multilayered site which, in addition to Palaeolithic tools, has yielded a relatively rich fauna of small and large vertebrates. In this paper the rodent fauna from this site is described. In total, 13 species of rodents have been found: Spermophilus cf. citelloides, Sicista subtilis, Mesocricetus newtoni, Arvicola cf. terrestris, Chionomys nivalis, Microtus arvalis/agrestis, Microtus subterraneus, Clethrionomys glareolus, Apodemus sylvaticus, Apodemus cf. uralensis, Spalax sp ., Muscardinus avellanarius . This fauna has a mixed character and includes species of both open and forest habitats, the former being more numerous. According to its overall composition, it is tentatively ascribed to a relatively mild and wet period of the Last Glacial, probably MIS 3.

Technological Changes and Population Movements in the Late Lower and Early Middle Paleolithic of the Central Balkans

Recent archaeological investigations have enabled preliminary insight into the Lower to Middle Paleolithic transition in the Central Balkans. Industries containing tools made from pebbles and flakes, within which Levallois artifacts were present to a lesser (Kosovska Kosa) or greater (Samaila) extent, have been encountered at the sites in the Zapadna Morava valley. The Charentian, likely dating to the Middle Pleistocene (possibly MIS 7) on the basis of microfaunal remains, has been reported in Velika and Mala Balanica in Sicevo. With regard to later (MIS 5–4) industries, assemblages of Typical Mousterian (Crvena Stijena, Hadži Prodanova cave), Charentian (Pesturina) and assemblages where Taubachian–Charentian component, Charentian elements, and backed bifaces are combined (Petrovaradin fortress) are encountered in the Central Balkans. After examining all available data, we propose the hypothesis that in addition to climatic, ecological, and behavioral factors, demographic factors also probably had considerable impact on the variability of lithic assemblages. Migrations and cultural transmission could have resulted in the appearance of Near Eastern elements in the Central Balkans as well as Balkan elements in the Near East. The homogeneity and/or variability of industries could be considerably influenced by the degree of isolation of human groups living in this region.

Late Pleistocene voles (Arvicolinae, Rodentia) from the Baranica Cave (Serbia)

Late Pleistocene voles (Arvicolinae, Rodentia) from the Baranica Cave (Serbia) Baranica is a cave system situated in the south-eastern part of Serbia, four kilometers south to Knjaževac, on the right bank of the Trgoviški Timok. The investigations in Baranica were conducted from 1994 to 1997 by the Faculty of Philosophy from Belgrade and the National Museum of Knjaževac. Four geological layers of Quaternary age were recovered. The abundance of remains of both large and small mammals was noticed in the early phase of the research. In this paper, the remains of eight vole species are described: Arvicola terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758), Chionomys nivalis (Martins, 1842), Microtus (Microtus) arvalis (Pallas, 1778) and Microtus (Microtus) agrestis (Linnaeus, 1761), Microtus (Stenocranius) gregalis (Pallas, 1779), Microtus (Terricola) subterraneus (de Sélys-Longchamps, 1836), Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber, 1780) and Lagurus lagurus (Pallas, 1773). Among them, steppe and open area inhabitants prevail. Based on the evolutionary level and dimensions of the Arvicola terrestris molars, as well as the overall characteristics of the fauna, it was concluded that the deposits were formed in the last glacial period of the Late Pleistocene. These conclusions are rather consistent with the absolute dating of large mammal bones (23.520 ± 110 B.P. for Layer 2 and 35.780 ± 320 B.P. for Layer 4).