16.12.2021

Reevaluation and prospects of the transition Middle to Upper Palaeolithic in the Eastern Balkans

Colloquium by Dr. Tsenka Tsanova

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Time: 16th December, 13:00

Speaker: Dr. Tsenka Tsanova

Title: Reevaluation and prospects of the transition Middle to Upper Palaeolithic in the Eastern Balkans: Initial Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens from Bacho Kiro Cave in the context of the regional record from Kozarnika and Temnata caves

Abstract:
The Middle to Upper Paleolithic (MP-UP) transition is generally associated with the replacement of local Neanderthal populations by Homo sapiens in western Eurasia. The methodological advances in dating the MP-UP transition and the genomic reconstruction of the oldest UP modern humans in Europe from Bacho Kiro Cave provide more understanding of the replacement of local Neanderthal populations. Today, we know that this replacement by Homo sapiens is not a single pan-European event, but rather took place at different times in different regions and through the introduction of different cultures and technologies.
The Balkans peninsula is a crossroad between Asia, Europe and, indirectly, Africa and it reveals the oldest evidence of prehistoric movement of populations and innovations into Europe. Bacho Kiro Cave and the Palaeolithic sites in North Bulgaria are located at the geographical lobby of the migration routes along the Danube corridor.
The human remains found recently within the well preserved context in Bacho Kiro Cave, along with Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) artefact assemblages, have been directly dated (Fewlass et al. 2020). The morphological analysis of a tooth and the mitochondrial DNA analysis of 5 other human remains, captured by proteomic screening, assign all finds to Homo sapiens (Hublin et al. 2020). Paleogenomics studies provide evidence of recent Neanderthal genetic contribution into all four IUP individuals (Hajdinjak et al. 2021).  Moreover, the techno-typological analysis of the lithic assemblages has revealed the link with IUP technological expansion into mid-latitude of Eurasia 45 000 years ago. The Homo sapiens from Bacho Kiro Cave were using blade technology similar to MP Levallois one and their symbolic behaviour resembles the subsequent Aurignacian technocomplex.
The new interdisciplinary data obtained from Bacho Kiro Cave permits roughly chrono-stratigraphical correlation with those from Kozarnika and Temnata Caves. Subsequent to the MP assemblages (normally assigned to Neanderthals), two distinct consecutive technocomplexes, produced likely by Homo sapiens in the Eastern Balkans, have emerged in the record: blade technology from Bacho Kiro and Temnata caves (presented also in Samuilitsa II Cave) and bladelet technology from Kozarnika Cave (called Early Kozarnikian) (Tsanova 2008). Both technocomplexes present overlapping radiocarbon chronologies and they were probably coexisting. New data from previously excavated and new MP-UP sites is needed in order to establish more precise regional chronology and further proves interactions between both human species.

If you are interested in joining the Colloquium, please send a mail to monika.dollspam prevention@ifu.uni-tuebingen.de.

References:
Fewlass, H., Talamo, S., Wacker, L., Kromer, B., Tuna, T., Fagault, Y., Bard, E., McPherron, S.P., Aldeias, V., Maria, R., Martisius, N.L., Paskulin, L., Rezek, Z., Sinet-Mathiot, V., Sirakova, S., Smith, G.M., Spasov, R., Welker, F., Sirakov, N., Tsanova, T., Hublin, J.-J., 2020. A 14C chronology for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria. Nature Ecology & Evolution 4, 794-801.

Hajdinjak, M., Mafessoni, F., Skov, L., Vernot, B., Hubner, A., Fu, Q., Essel, E., Nagel, S., Nickel, B., Richter, J., Moldovan, O.T., Constantin, S., Endarova, E., Zahariev, N., Spasov, R., Welker, F., Smith, G.M., Sinet-Mathiot, V., Paskulin, L., Fewlass, H., Talamo, S., Rezek, Z., Sirakova, S., Sirakov, N., McPherron, S.P., Tsanova, T., Hublin, J.J., Peter, B.M., Meyer, M., Skoglund, P., Kelso, J., Paabo, S., 2021. Initial Upper Palaeolithic humans in Europe had recent Neanderthal ancestry. Nature 592, 253-257.

Hublin, J.-J., Sirakov, N., Aldeias, V., Bailey, S., Bard, E., Delvigne, V., Endarova, E., Fagault, Y., Fewlass, H., Hajdinjak, M., Kromer, B., Krumov, I., Marreiros, J., Martisius, N.L., Paskulin, L., Sinet-Mathiot, V., Meyer, M., Pääbo, S., Popov, V., Rezek, Z., Sirakova, S., Skinner, M.M., Smith, G.M., Spasov, R., Talamo, S., Tuna, T., Wacker, L., Welker, F., Wilcke, A., Zahariev, N., McPherron, S.P., Tsanova, T., 2020. Initial Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens from Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria. Nature. 581, 299–302.

Tsanova, T., 2008. Les débuts du Paléolithique supérieur dans l’Est des Balkans. Réflexion à partir des études taphonomique et techno-économique des ensembles lithiques des grottes Bacho Kiro (couche 11), Temnata (couche VI et 4) et Kozarnika (niveau VII). British Archaeological Reports 1752.