The Central Balkans represents a significant geographical gap in the human fossil record of Eurasia. Here we present two new human fossils from Pesturina Cave, Serbia: a partial atlas vertebra (C1) and a fragment of radial diaphysis. The atlas (Pes-1) derives from the lower portion of Layer 2 and conforms to modern human morphology. This layer is characterized by Gravettian industry despite uncertainties caused by bioturbation and difficulties in separating Layers 2 and 3. The radial fragment (Pes-2) was recovered from the contact zone between Layers 3 and 4, both of which represent Mousterian industries, and is tentatively assessed as Neanderthal based on morphology. With the recent publication of a Neanderthal molar (Pes-3) from the same site, Pesturina currently stands as the only Neanderthal fossil-bearing site in Serbia. These additional finds make Pesturina Cave the only site in the Central Balkans which preserves both modern human and Neanderthal remains with associated lithic i...ndustries and highlights the importance of Pesturina in the current discourse on hominin dispersals and migrations in the Balkans.
Keywords:
Upper Palaeolithic / Pesturina / Neanderthal / Modern human / Middle Palaeolithic / Central Balkans
Source:
Quaternary International, 2020, 542, 9-14
Publisher:
Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, Oxford
Funding / projects:
Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada CGIAR [DDG-2017-00012, RGPIN-2019-04113, RGPAS-2019-00039]
Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia
TY - JOUR
AU - Lindal, Joshua A.
AU - Radović, Predrag
AU - Mihailović, Dušan
AU - Roksandić, Mirjana
PY - 2020
UR - http://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3165
AB - The Central Balkans represents a significant geographical gap in the human fossil record of Eurasia. Here we present two new human fossils from Pesturina Cave, Serbia: a partial atlas vertebra (C1) and a fragment of radial diaphysis. The atlas (Pes-1) derives from the lower portion of Layer 2 and conforms to modern human morphology. This layer is characterized by Gravettian industry despite uncertainties caused by bioturbation and difficulties in separating Layers 2 and 3. The radial fragment (Pes-2) was recovered from the contact zone between Layers 3 and 4, both of which represent Mousterian industries, and is tentatively assessed as Neanderthal based on morphology. With the recent publication of a Neanderthal molar (Pes-3) from the same site, Pesturina currently stands as the only Neanderthal fossil-bearing site in Serbia. These additional finds make Pesturina Cave the only site in the Central Balkans which preserves both modern human and Neanderthal remains with associated lithic industries and highlights the importance of Pesturina in the current discourse on hominin dispersals and migrations in the Balkans.
PB - Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, Oxford
T2 - Quaternary International
T1 - Postcranial hominin remains from the Late Pleistocene of Pesturina Cave (Serbia)
EP - 14
SP - 9
VL - 542
DO - 10.1016/j.quaint.2020.02.019
ER -
@article{
author = "Lindal, Joshua A. and Radović, Predrag and Mihailović, Dušan and Roksandić, Mirjana",
year = "2020",
abstract = "The Central Balkans represents a significant geographical gap in the human fossil record of Eurasia. Here we present two new human fossils from Pesturina Cave, Serbia: a partial atlas vertebra (C1) and a fragment of radial diaphysis. The atlas (Pes-1) derives from the lower portion of Layer 2 and conforms to modern human morphology. This layer is characterized by Gravettian industry despite uncertainties caused by bioturbation and difficulties in separating Layers 2 and 3. The radial fragment (Pes-2) was recovered from the contact zone between Layers 3 and 4, both of which represent Mousterian industries, and is tentatively assessed as Neanderthal based on morphology. With the recent publication of a Neanderthal molar (Pes-3) from the same site, Pesturina currently stands as the only Neanderthal fossil-bearing site in Serbia. These additional finds make Pesturina Cave the only site in the Central Balkans which preserves both modern human and Neanderthal remains with associated lithic industries and highlights the importance of Pesturina in the current discourse on hominin dispersals and migrations in the Balkans.",
publisher = "Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, Oxford",
journal = "Quaternary International",
title = "Postcranial hominin remains from the Late Pleistocene of Pesturina Cave (Serbia)",
pages = "14-9",
volume = "542",
doi = "10.1016/j.quaint.2020.02.019"
}
Lindal, J. A., Radović, P., Mihailović, D.,& Roksandić, M.. (2020). Postcranial hominin remains from the Late Pleistocene of Pesturina Cave (Serbia). in Quaternary International
Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, Oxford., 542, 9-14.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2020.02.019
Lindal JA, Radović P, Mihailović D, Roksandić M. Postcranial hominin remains from the Late Pleistocene of Pesturina Cave (Serbia). in Quaternary International. 2020;542:9-14.
doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.02.019 .
Lindal, Joshua A., Radović, Predrag, Mihailović, Dušan, Roksandić, Mirjana, "Postcranial hominin remains from the Late Pleistocene of Pesturina Cave (Serbia)" in Quaternary International, 542 (2020):9-14,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2020.02.019 . .
