Maxillary first molar from the Late Pleistocene of Pešturina Cave: the first Neanderthal from Serbia

Abstract

Pešturina Cave, located in Jelašnica Gorge, southwest of the city of Niš, has yielded several Pleistocene layers with Middle and Upper Paleolithic artifacts. A permanent maxillary first molar (Pes-3) was recovered from stratigraphic Layer 4b with an estimated age of 102.4 ± 3.2 ka, associated with Mousterian artifacts. The specimen is well preserved with minimal wear. We performed comparative non-metric and metric (2D and 3D) analyses of the crown, roots, and dental tissues in order to assess its taxonomic affiliation. The results strongly support the identification of Pes-3 as Neanderthal, thus confirming the presence of Neanderthals in the territory of Serbia.