The dispersal of Homo sapiens across Eurasia during MIS 3 in the Late Pleistocene is marked by technological shifts and other behavioral changes, known in the archaeological record under the term of Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP). Bacho Kiro Cave in north Bulgaria, re-excavated by us from 2015 to 2021, is one of the reference sites for this phenomenon. The newly excavated lithic assemblages dated by radiocarbon between 45,040 and 43,280 cal BP and attributed to Homo sapiens encompass more than two thousand lithic artifacts. The lithics, primarily from Layer N1-I, exist amid diverse fauna remains, human fossils, pierced animal teeth pendants, and sediment with high organic content. This article focuses on the technological aspects of the IUP lithics, covering raw material origin and use-life, blank production, on-site knapping activities, re-flaking of lithic implements, and the state of retouched lithic components. We apply petrography for the identification of silicites and other used stones. We employ chaîne opératoire and reduction sequence approaches to profile the lithics techno-typologically and explore the lithic economy, particularly blade production methods, knapping techniques, and artifact curation. Raw material analysis reveals Lower Cretaceous flints from Ludogorie and Upper Cretaceous flints from the Danube region, up to 190 km and 130 km, respectively, from Bacho Kiro Cave, indicating long-distance mobility and finished products transport. Imported lithic implements, were a result of unidirectional and bidirectional non-Levallois laminar technology, likely of volumetric concept. Systematic on-anvil techniques (bipolar knapping) and tool segmentation indicate re-flaking and reshaping of lithic implements, reflecting on-site curation and multifaceted lithic economy. A limited comparison with other IUP sites reveals certain shared features and also regional variations. Bacho Kiro Cave significantly contributes to understanding the technological and behavioral evolution of early Homo sapiens in western Eurasia.
The excavations conducted by the Bulgarian-Polish-French team in the Temnata Cave, in the karstic microregion near Karlukovo, northern Bulgaria, have revealed a unique geological and archaeological sequence. This sequence records palaeoclimatic and environmental evolution spanning over the period from the Penultimate Glaciation to the Late Glacial. It also bears witness of more than 25 episodes of human occupation of the cave during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. The third volume of the monograph of the Temnata Cave contains analysis of 12 Middle Palaeolithic occupations from trenches TD-I and TD-V, taking into consideration the cave sediments, analysis of remains of fossil fauna, and of lithic assemblages. Two alternatives hypotheses: long and short chronology of the Middle Palaeolithic sequence has been discussed in this volume. Contents - Introduction - Stratigraphie des depots du Paleolithique moyen de la grotte Temnata (C. Ferrier, H. Laville) - Les grands Mammiferes du Paleolithique moyen (J.-L. Guadelli, F. Delpech) - Description of particular Middle Palaeolithic levels (B. Drobniewicz, B. Ginter, J.K. Kozlowski, S., Sirakova, N. Sirakov, S. Ivanova) - Comparison between archaeological levels (B. Drobniewicz, B. Ginter, Janusz K. Kozlowski) Raw materials analysis Technology Morphometric features - Conclusions Geochronology of the Middle Palaeolithic sequence - Hypothesis I (B. Ginter, J.K. Kozlowski) Geochronology of the Middle Palaeolithic sequence - Hypothesis II (C. Ferrier., J.-L. Guadelli, N. Sirakov) - Taxonomy of assemblages from particular layers (B. Ginter) - Comparison with other Middle Palaeolithic sites in south-eastern Europe (J.K. Kozlowski, S. Sirakova)
In this second National exhibition “Bulgarian Archaeology 2008” is showed the results of the excavations 2008 in Kozarnika cave. The exposed material comes from loci I, II and IV; the two first gave us a Lower Palaeolithic industry not acheulean on flakes and without biface and an abundant fauna. The study of this fauna have showed that the chronological range is between 1.1 and 0.7 My. Sector IV, to 72 meters of the entry, delivered a very interesting Middle Palaeolithic industry and many faunal remains. For the moment the arguments to determine the date of the levels of sector IV are still too weak but it seems that it is about one rather recent higher Pleistocene (stage 3?).
Kozarnika Cave (north-western Bulgaria) delivered a long archaeological sequence that covers almost the entire Pleistocene. Lower levels dated by faunal associations between the second half of the Early Pleistocene (between the MNQ 18 and MNQ 19) and the first half of the Middle Pleistocene (MNQ 20-21) yielded some assemblages with non-Acheulean core-and-flake (and not pebble-core) industries. Middle Palaeolithic levels of Balkan Levallois-Mousterian with leaf points date of OIS 6-3 pro parte. The Upper Palaeolithic sequence is dated by 14C AMS between about 52.5 ka calBP and about 13.6 ka calBP. This long monotonous archaeological sequence (about 39 ka), begins in the vestibule of the cave (sectors I and II) with an Initial Upper Palaeolithic lamellar type industry with marginally backed bladelets which has no Aurignacian elements – the Early Kozarnikian – a possible precursor of the local tradition related to a technocomplex of lamellar industries containing backed pieces in overlaying levels. This absence of Aurignacian elements is also confirmed in the bone industry found in sectors I and II. On the other hand, the recent excavations in sector III have provided us all the data to prove that at least one Aurignacian level is intercalated in the Kozarnikian sequence. Because of successive Palaeolithic sequences in Kozarnika Cave and its geographical position, this site is a milestone for the understanding of the different phases of the earliest colonization and migrations to Europe.
Abstract Modern humans appeared in Europe by at least 45,000 years ago 1–5 , but the extent of their interactions with Neanderthals, who disappeared by about 40,000 years ago 6 , and their relationship to the broader expansion of modern humans outside Africa are poorly understood. Here we present genome-wide data from three individuals dated to between 45,930 and 42,580 years ago from Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria 1,2 . They are the earliest Late Pleistocene modern humans known to have been recovered in Europe so far, and were found in association with an Initial Upper Palaeolithic artefact assemblage. Unlike two previously studied individuals of similar ages from Romania 7 and Siberia 8 who did not contribute detectably to later populations, these individuals are more closely related to present-day and ancient populations in East Asia and the Americas than to later west Eurasian populations. This indicates that they belonged to a modern human migration into Europe that was not previously known from the genetic record, and provides evidence that there was at least some continuity between the earliest modern humans in Europe and later people in Eurasia. Moreover, we find that all three individuals had Neanderthal ancestors a few generations back in their family history, confirming that the first European modern humans mixed with Neanderthals and suggesting that such mixing could have been common.
Studies were carried out as part of a Bulgarian-French research project of NAIM & PACEA-CNRS with core funding from the MEAE
called “The earliest manifestations of human presence in Bulgaria and the Balkans”.
Levels of Middle/Upper Paleolithic Transition (40-45 ka BP) and the latest phases of the Middle Paleolithic (45/47-57 ka BP) were excavated in Sectors I and III. The flint assemblages dated back to the end of the Middle Paleolithic present some probable techno-typological interlacement with the Upper Paleolithic. This can be a result of both indirect influences and early direct co-existence and contacts of local Middle Paleolithic groups and Upper Paleolithic people coming of the Near East on the Balkans. The recent discoveries suggest the even more interesting option that the earliest modern humans of the Near East, bearers of Middle Paleolithic traditions, could have participated in this transition on the Balkans.
Проучванията се осъществяват по българо-френски изследователски проект Най-ранни изяви на човешко присъствие в България и на на НАИМ-БАН и Института PACEA-UMR5199 на CNRS и Университета Бордо, с основно финансиране от френското Министерство на външните работи и подпомагане от Унив. Бордо 3, Оксфорд, на които екипът ни изразява своята признателност. През 2017 г. продължихме разкопаването на Сектори I и III във входната зала на пещерата и непосредствено след нея, в началото на галерията към вътрешността (обр. 1). В тях проучихме нива на обитаване от прехода среден/късен палеолит (40 000-45000 г. BP), навлизайки и в късните фази на средния палеолит, особено в сектор I (45/47000-57 000 г. BP) (обр. 2). В контактната зона на пл. 6/7 и 9 се разкриха най-долните части на културни нива VIIIa и VIIIb от самото начало на прехода среден/късен палеолит на обекта. В този контекст, обаче, те са слабо изразени, на места почти липсват и разграничаването им бе доста проблематично (обр. 2). В кремъчните ансамбли от края на средния палеолит почти липсва технологичното разнообразие и по-безспорното преплитане на средно-и къснопалеолитни техники, характерни за прехода среден/късен палеолит. Макар и рядко, обаче, в тези ансамбли се разкриват някои вероятни технотипологически предвестници на късния палеолит, сред които левалуазко ядро с опит и за пластинков дебитаж, няколко пробоя, атипични стъргалки (обр. 3.1-5). Костите от едра фауна в същия контекст (късните фази на средния палеолит) очертават преобладаване в ловната плячка на диви говеда, бизон (Bos primigenius, Bison priscus), кон (Equus caballus), диво магаре (Equus hydruntinus), кавказки козирог (Capra caucasica) (обр. 3.6-9). Този състав на ловната плячка е сравним донякъде с характера и организацията на лова не само в последващия преход среден/късен палеолит, но дори в началото на късния палеолит. Първите вероятни предвестници на късния палеолит в Козарника, свързани с тези процеси, са в и над ниво с примес на микротефра (фина вулканска пепел), транспортирана чрез въздушни течения от вулканска дейност в ЮЗ част на Апенините и датирана 57 000 г. пр. н. вр., т.е. те се отнасят към период, започващ значително преди края на средния палеолит. Общо тези данни могат да са резултат както от непреки влияния, така и от ранна директна коекзистенция и контакти, в този район на Балканите, на местни среднопалеолитни групи на неандерталците (Tillier еt al. 2017) с къснопалеолитни пришълци от Близкия изток. Последните разкрития в този район предполагат още по-интересна възможност: в прехода среден/късен палеолит на Балканите биха могли да вземат участие и много по-ранни пришълци от Близкия изток (над 120 000 г. BP), които са едни от първите представители на модерния човек извън Африка, но носители на среднопалеолитни традиции (Hershkovitz et al. 2018).
