The transition from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic in the Balkans: modeling the role of the Adriatic coastal zone refugium and its implications for late Pleistocene hominin dispersals and migrations in Southeastern Europe
Embargo Date
2028-03-30
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
This dissertation uses a meta-analytic approach combining Pleistocene landscape models and Palaeolithic stone tool analyses to advance our understanding of hominin land-use and mobility in Croatia’s Eastern Adriatic coast between the Middle Palaeolithic (MP; 250,000 to 30,000 years ago) and Upper Palaeolithic (UP; 40,000 to 10,000 years ago). This research uses new evidence derived from pedestrian field survey, museum studies, and available literature to explore what landscape features were attractive to hominin populations during the Palaeolithic in coastal Croatia (Dalmatia), information which will be useful for the ongoing study of the origin and timing of hominin arrivals in the region. When examining the transition between Neanderthal and Anatomically Modern Human (AMH) occupations, it becomes evident that both groups recognized the Balkan coast as an environmentally favorable region, exhibiting similar subsistence strategies centered on resource-rich karst valleys and coastal corridors. These observations support my hypothesis that the topographically varied karst landscapes and river valleys of the Croatian coast influenced settlement patterns by providing essential elements for hominins such as water, shelter, and raw material resources.Methodologically, I use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and statistical modeling to analyze patterns in archaeological data, testing sub-hypotheses about Mousterian technological and settlement variability across distinct environmental contexts and cultural phases. Models incorporating data on site locations, migration routes, and raw material sources support a higher coastal site density during colder and arid phases, confirming the role of the region as a refugium—a geographical area that remained habitable during periods of adverse environmental conditions. By focusing on diverse adaptations in the use of transitional Mousterian, Micromousterian, and Aurignacian lithic technologies, I demonstrate that the mosaic nature of favorable conditions and habitats in the Balkan coastal refugium attracted early hominins in all periods. This research furthers our understanding of Palaeolithic mobility and migrations through Croatia and the Balkans more broadly by providing the first systematic predictive model for identifying transitional Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic sites in the Eastern Adriatic coastal region and offers new methodological approaches for analyzing cultural adaptations in refugia environments in response to environmental pressures during the Late Pleistocene.
Description
2026
License
Attribution 4.0 International