Magdalena Krajcarz

Human-mediated dispersal of cats in the Neolithic Central Europe

Archeological and genetic evidence suggest that all domestic cats derived from the Near Eastern wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) and were first domesticated in the Near East around 10,000 years ago. The spread of the domesticated form in Europe occurred much later, primarily mediated by Greek and Phoenician traders and afterward by Romans who introduced cats to Western and Central Europe around 2000 years ago. We investigated mtDNA of Holocene Felis remains and provide evidence of an unexpectedly early presence of cats bearing the Near Eastern wildcat mtDNA haplotypes in Central Europe, being ahead of Roman period by over 2000 years. The appearance of the Near Eastern wildcats in Central Europe coincides with the peak of Neolithic settlement density, moreover most of those cats belonged to the same mtDNA lineages as those domesticated in the Near East. Thus, although we cannot fully exclude that the Near Eastern wildcats appeared in Central Europe as a result of introgression with European wildcat, our findings support the hypothesis that the Near Eastern wildcats spread across Europe together with the first farmers, perhaps as commensal animals. We also found that cats dated to the Neolithic period belonged to different mtDNA lineages than those brought to Central Europe in Roman times, this supports the hypothesis that the gene pool of contemporary European domestic cats might have been established from two different source populations that contributed in different periods.

Ślad osadnictwa z wczesnej epoki brązu w Schronisku w Udorzu II (Udórz, gm. Żarnowiec, woj. śląskie)

The Rockshelter in Udorz II (Udorz, Żarnowiec Commune, Śląskie Voivodeship) lies at the northern end of the Udorka valley (fig. 1) in the Ryczow Upland (central portion of the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland). In 2012 an interdisciplinary programme of trial trenching was carried out at the shelter site (fig. 2) as one of the stages of a project designed to record evidence of prehistoric occupation in the Udorka valley and to examine its palaeoenvironmental context. Sedimentary fill of this site comprise four strata of different lithology (fig. 3). The lowermost layer 4 is a sediment which was created by frost weathering in cold climatic conditions during the Pleistocene. Layer 3 consists of a light brown silty sand with a high content of sharp-edged debris, deposited during the Last Glacial Maximum. Layer 2 can be related to the Late Pleistocene and most of the Holocene. It is composed of grey-brown silty sand with a high content of sharp-edged limestone debris. In contrast, layer 1 is a dark grey-brown silty sand with small amounts of rounded limestone debris, which was formed in the warm climatic conditions of the Late Holocene. Flintwork and potsherds were recorded at the interface of layers 1 and 2, and in the roof of layer 2. Analysis of distribution patterns reveals that these finds were concentrated around a hearth, traces of which were recorded at the south-west part of the trial trench (fig. 4). The small flintwork assemblage is not very distinctive and shows evidence of having been burnt (fig. 6: 1–3). Most of it forms a similar scatter to the pottery. The ceramic sherds represent the remains of at least three vessels, probably including a bowl; decoration in the form of cord impressions was noted on this pottery (fig. 5: 4–12). Based on typological, chronological and comparative studies this assemblage was attributed to the early period of development of the Mierzanowice culture, dated to 2200–2050 BC. The fragmentary remains of a camp recorded at the Rockshelter in Udorz II suggest that as well as larger caves, late Neolithic and early Bronze Age communities also readily adapted smaller ones for use as short-term occupation sites, avoiding those where no daylight penetrated. This model of temporary or seasonal camps is consistent with current archaeological findings. Analysis of early Bronze Age materials from Malopolska (Little Poland) indicates that late Neolithic and early Bronze Age communities did not inhabit the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland on a permanent basis, only making forays into this area in search of flint and probably also rare plants and fruit.