A¹⁴C 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; Martisius, Naomi L.; Paskulin, Lindsay; Rezek, Zeljko; Sinet-Mathiot, Virginie; Sirakova, Svoboda; Smith, Geoffrey M.; Spasov, Rosen; Welker, Frido; Sirakov, Nikolay; Tsanova, Tsenka; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

doi:10.1038/s41559-020-1136-3

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A¹⁴C chronology for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria

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Fewlass, Helen
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;
The Leipzig School of Human Origins (IMPRS), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

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Talamo, Sahra
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons247417

Kromer, Bernd
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

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McPherron, Shannon P.
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons127570

Aldeias, Vera
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons203585

Maria, Raquel
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons203346

Rezek, Zeljko
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

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Sinet-Mathiot, Virginie
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;
The Leipzig School of Human Origins (IMPRS), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

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Smith, Geoffrey M.
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons138108

Welker, Frido
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons73016

Tsanova, Tsenka
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

/persons/resource/persons72760

Hublin, Jean-Jacques
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society;

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Citation

Fewlass, H., Talamo, S., Wacker, L., Kromer, B., Tuna, T., Fagault, Y., et al. (2020). A¹⁴C chronology for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 4, 794-801. doi:10.1038/s41559-020-1136-3.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0006-5CE8-E

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.