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A 14C chronology for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria

Fewlass, Helen, Talamo, Sahra, Wacker, Lukas, Kromer, Bernd, Tuna, Thibaut, Fagault, Yoann, Bard, Edouard, McPherron, Shannon P., Aldeias, Vera, Maria, Raquel, and others. (2020) A 14C chronology for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 4 . pp. 794-801. ISSN 2397-334X. (doi:10.1038/s41559-020-1136-3) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:92847)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided. (Contact us about this Publication)
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1136-3

Abstract

The stratigraphy at Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria, spans the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition, including an Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) assemblage argued to represent the earliest arrival of Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens in Europe. We applied the latest techniques in 14C dating to an extensive dataset of newly excavated animal and human bones to produce a robust, high-precision radiocarbon chronology for the site. At the base of the stratigraphy, the Middle Palaeolithic (MP) occupation dates to >51,000 yr BP. A chronological gap of over 3,000 years separates the MP occupation from the occupation of the cave by H. sapiens, which extends to 34,000 cal BP. The extensive IUP assemblage, now associated with directly dated H. sapiens fossils at this site, securely dates to 45,820–43,650 cal BP (95.4% probability), probably beginning from 46,940 cal BP (95.4% probability). The results provide chronological context for the early occupation of Europe by Upper Palaeolithic H. sapiens.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1038/s41559-020-1136-3
Subjects: C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Depositing User: Geoff Smith
Date Deposited: 25 Jan 2022 13:18 UTC
Last Modified: 26 Jan 2022 09:15 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/92847 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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