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Since the late 1980s, northern Iberia has yielded some of the earliest radiocarbon dated Aurignacian assemblages in Western Europe, probably produced by anatomically modern humans (AMHs). This is at odds with its location furthest from the likely eastern entry point of AMHs, and has also suggested to some that the Châtelperronian resulted from cultural transfer from AMHs to Neanderthals. However, the accuracy of the early chronology has been extensively disputed, primarily because of the poor association between the dated samples and human activity. Here, we test the chronology of three sites in northern Iberia, L'Arbreda, Labeko Koba and La Viña, by radiocarbon dating ultrafiltered collagen from anthropogenically modified bones. The published dates from Labeko Koba are shown to be significant underestimates due to the insufficient removal of young contaminants. The early (c.44 ka cal BP [thousands of calibrated years before present]) Aurignacian chronology at L'Arbreda cannot be reproduced, but the reason for this is difficult to ascertain. The existing chronology of La Viña is found to be approximately correct. Together, the evidence suggests that major changes in technocomplexes occurred contemporaneously between the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions of northern Iberia, with the Aurignacian appearing around 42 ka cal BP, a date broadly consistent with the appearance of this industry elsewhere in Western Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The rockshelter of Mochi, on the Ligurian coast of Italy, is often used as a reference point in the formation of hypotheses concerning the arrival of the Aurigancian in Mediterranean Europe. Yet, the site is poorly known. Here, we describe the stratigraphic sequence based on new field observations and present 15 radiocarbon determinations from the Middle Palaeolithic (late Mousterian) and Early Upper Palaeolithic (Aurignacian and Gravettian) levels. The majority of dates were produced on humanly modified material, specifically marine shell beads, which comprise some of the oldest directly-dated personal ornaments in Europe. The radiocarbon results are incorporated into a Bayesian statistical model to build a new chronological framework for this key Palaeolithic site. A tentative correlation of the stratigraphy to palaeoclimatic records is also attempted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a new series of AMS dates on ultrafiltered bone gelatin extracted from identified cutmarked or humanly-modified bones and teeth from the site of Abri Pataud, in the French Dordogne. The sequence of 32 new determinations provides a coherent and reliable chronology from the site’s early Upper Palaeolithic levels 5–14, excavated by Hallam Movius. The results show that there were some problems with the previous series of dates, with many underestimating the real age. The new results, when calibrated and modelled using a Bayesian statistical method, allow detailed understanding of the pace of cultural changes within the Aurignacian I and II levels of the site, something not achievable before. In the future, the sequence of dates will allow wider comparison to similarly dated contexts elsewhere in Europe. High precision dating is only possible by using large suites of AMS dates from humanly-modified material within well understood archaeological sequences modelled using a Bayesian statistical method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The “Red Lady” partial human skeleton found at Goat''s Hole, Paviland, in south Wales by William Buckland in 1823 is one of the iconic relics of the British Paleolithic. Originally thought to be Roman, a Paleolithic age has been suspected from the middle of the 19th century. Several attempts have been made at directly radiocarbon dating the “Red Lady,” and here we report new determinations that suggest that it is, by a significant margin, the oldest of a group of ‘rich,’ Mid-Upper Paleolithic burials. We list similar Gravettian-aged burials from Europe, which have been dated recently for comparison. In this paper, we also reconsider the chronology of human use of the cave, apart from as a burial location. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Paleoanthropological materials from Předmostí, recovered by J. Wankel in 1884, K.J. Maška in 1894, M. Kříž in 1895, and K. Absolon in 1928 (and probably 1930), represent one of the largest collections of early modern human remains. Unfortunately, most of these fossils were destroyed in 1945. The aim of this paper is to create a list of finds in accordance with the discovery dates, to place them into the spatial and chronological context of the site, and to compare them with the evidence from recent excavation in 2006. Two competing hypotheses are raised in the literature suggesting that the Předmostí individuals represent either a contemporary burial as a consequence of one catastrophic event, or a gradual accumulation of human bodies at one place. Whereas the first hypothesis is supported by the demographic structure of the buried group, including adults and children, the second interpretation is based on stratigraphic and taphonomic analysis of the burial area itself. Using the original documentation of Maška and other early researchers, and my own experience from recent excavation in the remaining part of the site, I attempt to reconstruct the plan of the site, with a focus on spatial distribution of the human fossils, especially in the main burial area. I suggest that the burial place was not the settlement center, but rather a peripheral and task-specific area. The determining factor for location of the burial area was likely the remarkable Skalka rock, a cliff that rose directly above the site. A long-term tendency to place the dead “below the rock” may have given rise to the accumulation of human remains at a single place, with a scatter of dispersed fragments in the vicinity. At this location, the human bodies were partly protected by soil coverage, limestone debris, and mammoth scapulae, but were also affected by postdepositional processes such as redeposition of sediments, predator activities, and later human activities, including the burial of additional corpses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]