Format: ORAL

Juan Ochando1,2,*, Jos S. Carrin1,3, Donatella Magri2, Ana B. Marn-Arroyo4, Federico Di Rita2, Manuel Munuera5, Fabrizio Michelangeli6, Gabriela Amors1, Stefan Miloevic7, Katarina Bogicevic8, Vesna Dimitrijevic7,9, Draženko Nenadic8, Mirjana Roksandic10,11, Duan Mihailovic7

1 Department of Plant Biology (Botany Area), Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain 2 Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Environmental Biology, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy 3 Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa 4 Grupo I+D+i EvoAdapta (Evolución Humana y Adaptaciones durante la Prehistoria), Departamento Ciencias Históricas, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain 5 Department of Agricultural Engineering, Polytechnic University of Cartagena, 30203 Cartagena, Spain 6 Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 67, 40127 Bologna, Italy 7 Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, 18-20 Cika Ljubina, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia 8 Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Mining and Geology, University of Belgrade, Kamenicka 6, P.O. Box 227, 11 000, Belgrade, Serbia 9 Laboratory for Bioarchaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Cika Ljubina18-20, Belgrade 11000, Serbia 10 Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba, 432 Fletcher Argue Building, 15 Chancellor Circle, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada 11 Department of Anthropology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2E9, Canada

The Central Balkans are a key biogeographical region in Southern Europe, influenced by a central European-Mediterranean climate, which acted as a refugium for flora and fauna, and favoured the dispersion of Neanderthals and migration of modern human populations during Late Glacial Period. This study presents pollen analyses of sediment and hyaena coprolites from Peturina Cave in Serbia to reconstruct the vegetation landscapes faced by Balkan Neanderthals and early Anatomically Modern Humans between MIS 5e-3. Between MIS 5e-5c (archaeological layers 4c and 4b) and MIS 5b-5a (layer 4a), semi-forested environments prevailed, characterized by Pinus, deciduous Quercus, Tilia and other angiosperm woody taxa, accompanied by heliophytes such as Artemisia and Poaceae. During MIS 4-3 (layers 3-2), the vegetation was dominated by Artemisia-Poaceae steppes with Quercus patches, conifers and legumes. Overall across the sequence, pollen assemblages are highly diverse and include a number of deciduous trees and sclerophylls. In addition, the occurrence of several herbaceous taxa reinforces the view that the Balkans were outstanding for endemicity. Neanderthals and early Upper Palaeolithic hominins lived in a highly diverse refugium, offering multiple opportunities for survival during the warm interstadials and, more critically, the cold stadials of the Pleistocene.