Multi-proxy archaeological investigations of a Middle Palaeolithic occupation context in Eastern Transylvania, Romania

Cosac, Marian; Murătoreanu, George; Vereș, Daniel; Niță, Loredana; Schmidt, Christoph; Hambach, Ulrich; Radu, Alexandru; Cuculici, Roxana; Buzea, Dan Lucian; Mărgărit, Monica; Dumitraşcu, Valentin; Vasile, Ştefan; Petculescu, Alexandru; Dénes, Istvan

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.014

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Ces conclusions sont cohérentes avec la découverte d'Arvicola terrestris dans les niveaux moustériens préservés au sein des dépôts de grotte de l'« Abri 122 » en Roumanie (Carpates orientales) qui remonteraient au SIM 5, voire un peu avant le SIM 5 (Cosac et al, 2017 ;Veres et al, 2017). L'âge des artefacts issus de la couche E reste par contre imprécis.…”

Section: Les Micromammifères (Arvicola Terrestris) (A Petculescuunclassified

Nouvelles données sur la chronologie des sites paléolithiques en contexte lœssique du Nord-Est et du Sud-Est de la Roumanie (Périphérie orientale des Carpates)

et al. 2018

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Section: Les Micromammifères (Arvicola Terrestris) (A Petculescuunclassified

Nouvelles données sur la chronologie des sites paléolithiques en contexte lœssique du Nord-Est et du Sud-Est de la Roumanie (Périphérie orientale des Carpates)

et al. 2018

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“…Other archaeological and anthropological findings indicate that the early modern humans had a more constant presence in the Romanian caves (Cârciumaru 1988;Trinkaus et al 2003;Olariu et al 2005;Soficaru et al 2007;Clottes et al 2012;Webb et al 2014;Harvati and Roksandic 2016). Until very recently, the cave-based Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in Romania offered almost exclusively archaeological collections with limited reliable chronological control (Cosac et al 2018;Anghelinu and Boroneanț 2019). Abri 122 from Vârghiș karst (East Carpathians; Veres et al 2018) has produced so far the most important Middle Palaeolithic lithic assemblage in the Carpathian region, including evidence of use-wear on fragmented bone tools and cut marks on a bos/bison tibial diaphysis (Cosac et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Until very recently, the cave-based Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in Romania offered almost exclusively archaeological collections with limited reliable chronological control (Cosac et al 2018;Anghelinu and Boroneanț 2019). Abri 122 from Vârghiș karst (East Carpathians; Veres et al 2018) has produced so far the most important Middle Palaeolithic lithic assemblage in the Carpathian region, including evidence of use-wear on fragmented bone tools and cut marks on a bos/bison tibial diaphysis (Cosac et al 2018). Multiple-method luminescence dating indicates that human use of this site commenced sometime between 141 AE 12 ka and 174 AE 37 ka (Veres et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hominin Footprints in Caves from Romanian Carpathians

Onac

Vereș

Stringer

2021

Reading Prehistoric Human Tracks

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The Romanian karst hosts numerous caves and shelters that over time provided remarkable archaeological and anthropological vestiges. Altogether they show that humans must have entered caves in Romania at least as early as 170,000 years ago. However, ancient human footprints are very rare in the fossil record of East-Central Europe, with only two known locations in the Apuseni Mountains of western Romania. Vârtop Cave site originally preserved three fossil footprints made about 67,800 years ago by a Homo neanderthalensis, whereas Ciur Izbuc Cave was probably home of early H. sapiens that left almost 400 footprints (interspersed with spoors of cave bears), which were indirectly dated to be younger than ~36,500 years.

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Evidence for the oldest Middle Palaeolithic cave occupation in the Romanian Carpathians

Schmidt,

Veres,

Murătoreanu

et al. 2024

J Quaternary Science

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The Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites in the Carpathians and Danube lowlands constitute key contexts for tracing the dispersal of Homo sapiens into central‐western Europe and the replacement of Homo neanderthalensis. Surprisingly, the Romanian archaeological inventory lacks transitional technologies and only a few sites have been systematically excavated and numerically dated, explaining the incomplete understanding of the Middle Palaeolithic and hence Neanderthal population dynamics. Here we present new age constraints for the Abri 122/1200 and Peștera Mare caves in the Romanian Carpathians, obtained by radiocarbon dating of charcoal and bone and by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of cave sediments. Methodological issues and the method's upper limit cause grossly underestimated radiocarbon ages for charcoal from Abri 122/1200 and provide only minimum ages (>41–60 14C ka bp) for bones from Peștera Mare cave. However, the OSL ages suggest Middle Palaeolithic cave occupation in the Carpathians since early Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 7 and lasting at least until MIS 5. These ages reinforce the vast potential of Carpathian cave sites in solidifying our understanding of Neanderthal dynamics in the region and their habitats. We discuss the reliability of this new chronology and the archaeological implications for the Middle Palaeolithic of neighbouring areas.

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Multi-proxy archaeological investigations of a Middle Palaeolithic occupation context in Eastern Transylvania, Romania

Cited by 10 publications

References 36 publications

Nouvelles données sur la chronologie des sites paléolithiques en contexte lœssique du Nord-Est et du Sud-Est de la Roumanie (Périphérie orientale des Carpates)

Nouvelles données sur la chronologie des sites paléolithiques en contexte lœssique du Nord-Est et du Sud-Est de la Roumanie (Périphérie orientale des Carpates)

Hominin Footprints in Caves from Romanian Carpathians

Evidence for the oldest Middle Palaeolithic cave occupation in the Romanian Carpathians

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