Ivor Karavanić

Upper paleolithic occupation levels and late-occurring Neandertal at Vindija Cave (Croatia) in the context of Central Europe and the Balkans

This paper presents the results obtained by analysis of Upper Paleolithic occupation levels in Vindija Cave, northwestern Croatia. Typological analyses of stone and bone tools have been carried out. Vindija provides direct evidence on the transition from the Middle Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic, as well as on fossil hominids (probably Neanderthals) associated with a 33,000-year-old Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian) industry. The Upper Paleolithic of this site starts with the Aurignacian and continues with the Gravettian industry, which is divided into several phases (Gravettian, Late Gravettian, and final Gravettian/Epigravettian). The topmost levels pertain to the Holocene. These industries at Vindija display both some similarities to, but also some differences from, concurrent industries found in Central European sites. There are notable differences between the Upper Paleolithic at Vindija and Paleolithic sites in the Adriatic-Mediterranean region.

Direct dating of Neanderthal remains from the site of Vindija Cave and implications for the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition

Significance Radiocarbon dating of Neanderthal remains recovered from Vindija Cave (Croatia) initially revealed surprisingly recent results: 28,000–29,000 B.P. This implied the remains could represent a late-surviving, refugial Neanderthal population and suggested they could have been responsible for producing some of the early Upper Paleolithic artefacts more usually produced by anatomically modern humans. This article presents revised radiocarbon dates of the human bones from this site obtained using a more robust purification method targeting the amino acid hydroxyproline. The data show that all the Neanderthal remains are from a much earlier period (>40,000 cal B.P.). These revised dates change our interpretation of this important site and demonstrate that the Vindija Neanderthals probably did not overlap temporally with early modern humans. Previous dating of the Vi-207 and Vi-208 Neanderthal remains from Vindija Cave (Croatia) led to the suggestion that Neanderthals survived there as recently as 28,000–29,000 B.P. Subsequent dating yielded older dates, interpreted as ages of at least ∼32,500 B.P. We have redated these same specimens using an approach based on the extraction of the amino acid hydroxyproline, using preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (Prep-HPLC). This method is more efficient in eliminating modern contamination in the bone collagen. The revised dates are older than 40,000 B.P., suggesting the Vindija Neanderthals did not live more recently than others across Europe, and probably predate the arrival of anatomically modern humans in Eastern Europe. We applied zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS) to find additional hominin remains. We identified one bone that is Neanderthal, based on its mitochondrial DNA, and dated it directly to 46,200 ± 1,500 B.P. We also attempted to date six early Upper Paleolithic bone points from stratigraphic units G1, Fd/d+G1 and Fd/d, Fd. One bone artifact gave a date of 29,500 ± 400 B.P., while the remainder yielded no collagen. We additionally dated animal bone samples from units G1 and G1–G3. These dates suggest a co-occurrence of early Upper Paleolithic osseous artifacts, particularly split-based points, alongside the remains of Neanderthals is a result of postdepositional mixing, rather than an association between the two groups, although more work is required to show this definitively.

The Middle Paleolithic from Mujina Pećina, Dalmatia, Croatia

Abstract Mujina Pećina in Dalmatia, Croatia is the only systematically excavated and well-dated Middle Paleolithic cave site in the eastern Adriatic. Its stratigraphic sequence covers the period between 45 and 39 uncalibrated years ka. Results of sedimentological, lithic, faunal, and paleobotanical analyses of the upper levels (Levels B, C, D1, and D2) show that this was a hunting site only sporadically visited by humans. During these occupation episodes humans processed animal remains (mostly large bovids, cervids, and caprids) and produced tools from locally available raw material. Carnivore use of the cave is also indicated. This work contributes to our understanding of lifestyles and mobility patterns of the Middle Paleolithic inhabitants of this region.

Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface in Vindija Cave (Croatia): New results and interpretations

Vindija Cave in Croatia is a well-known site because of its association with fossil hominids and Middle and Upper Paleolithic stone industries. Several publications have discussed Neanderthal remains found alongside a Mousterian industry in Level G3 and Upper Paleolithic bone points in Level G1. This paper presents recent results of faunal and lithic analysis from the G1 transitional level of the site, as well as a revision of the bone tools. Taphonomy of large mammals and hominid bones was examined. Although no human remains were found within the faunal assemblage, the results of this analysis are an important addition to understanding site formation processes, as well as Neanderthal behavior during the so-called transitional period. Based on the taphonomy of faunal and human remains from Vindija cave Level G1, we can strongly suggest that the Neanderthals were active predators. Human occupations were short and alternating with carnivore occupations.

The Importance of Croatian Pleistocene Hominin Finds in the Study of Human Evolution

In this chapter, we discuss Croatian sites that have yielded human skeletal remains from the Pleistocene. These include the well-known Neandertal localities Husnjakovo (at Krapina) and Vindija cave, as well as the Late Upper Paleolithic hominin fossil site Sandalja II cave in Istria. The Krapina site played an important role in the historical development of paleoanthropology and is still the Neandertal site with the largest known minimum number of skeletal individuals to date. Finds from Vindija cave belong to one of the latest Neandertal groups in Europe and provide data for the study of both their behavioral, as well as biological characteristics (including genomics studies). The Sandalja II cave in Istria is the only site in Croatia with direct association of human skeletal finds and the late Paleolithic, an Epigravettian industry, providing us with data on the anatomy and behavior of the Late Paleolithic inhabitants of this region.

Recent Research on the Croatian Middle/Upper Paleolithic Interface in the Context of Central and Southeast Europe

This chapter presents some new data on, and interpretations of the Croatian Middle and Early Upper Paleolithic. Alternative interpretations of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface in Vindija cave (situated in the Zagorje region of northwestern Croatia) are reported, together with preliminary results of research on the early Upper Paleolithic site of Bukovac pecina (situated in the region of Gorski kotar), and the late Dalmatian Middle Paleolithic sites of Mujina pecina, Velika pecina in Klicevica and Kastel Stafilic—Resnik. The archaeological assemblage (Mousterian industry) and the results of chronometric dating make the sequences of these Dalmatian sites contemporary with late Neandertals and with the earliest known anatomically modern human groups in Europe. This recent research greatly contributes to our understanding of the distribution of Neandertals and the complexity of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface.

L'industrie aurignacienne de la grotte de Sandalja II (Istrie, Croatie) dans le contexte de la région de l'Est de l'AdriatiqueAurignacian industry of Sandalja II Cave (Istria, Croatia) in the context of Eastern Adriatic region

This paper presents the results obtained by lithic analysis of Early Upper Palaeolithic levels in Sandalja II Cave, Istria, Croatia. Technological and typological analysis of stone and typological analysis of bone artefacts have been carried out. Production of flakes in Aurignacian levels (G, F, E and E/F) is dominant, but blade and bladelets production is also present. Blades and bladelets were produced by direct soft hammer technique. Aurignacian people of Sandalja II produced their debitage Adresse e-mail : ikaravan@ffzg.hr (I. Karavanic). L’anthropologie 107 (2003) 577–602 www.elsevier.com/locate/anthro

Early Upper Paleolithic Osseous Points from Croatia

This chapter discusses Croatian sites that contain early Upper Paleolithic osseous points and alternative interpretations of this evidence. At Vindija and Velika pecina, sites in the region of Hrvatsko zagorje (northwestern Croatia), split base and massive base (Mladec) osseous points were found in early Upper Paleolithic contexts associated with a very limited number of lithic finds. The unusual association of Neanderthal remains with Upper Palaeolithic osseous points in Vindija level G1 has been explained either as a result of stratigraphic mixing, or as a true cultural assemblage. Further south at Bukovac pecina, in the region of Gorski kotar, another point was found. The base of this point is missing, but it was probably massive in section. A small split-base point, similar to the points found in Franco-Cantabrian Magdalenian contexts, was found at Sandalja II on the Istrian peninsula. Osseous points from all of these sites mark the first appearance of osseous technology in the different regions of Croatia.

Stojan Dimitrijević - istraživanja i nastava paleolitika u Hrvatskoj

Dok je rad Stojana Dimitrijevica na istraživanju neolitika i eneolitika dobro poznat, njegovo zanimanje za paleolitik nije cesto spominjano. Njegovo zanimanje za arheologiju paleolitika nije bilo povrsno, vec obrnuto. Koliko je to razdoblje na Arheoloskom zavodu smatrano važnim pokazuje cinjenica da su ga osim Hoffillera predavali i Seper, Mirosavljevic i Dimitrijevic, a niti jednom od navedenih predavaca paleolitik nije bio uže podrucje interesa. Stojan Dimitrijevic jos je 1965./66. držao kolegij iz paleolitika, a sedamdesetih je godina dvadesetog stoljeca napisao tekst koji sintetizira dotadasnja paleoliticka istraživanja u Hrvatskoj, i koji je u modificiranom obliku objavljen 1998 (Dimitrijevic et al. 1998). Iz teksta (Dimitrijevic et al. 1998) proizlazi dobra upucenost u stanje paleoliticke arheologije u Hrvatskoj (i sire), u vremenu kada je rukopis pisan, te solidno poznavanje osnovne svjetske paleoliticke literature, premda se u znanstvenom pogledu tim razdobljem nije podrobnije bavio. Ta nam spoznaja zacijelo prosiruje sliku o Stojanu Dimitrijevicu kao vrsnom prapovjesnicaru svog vremena.