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The fossil record of the cave lion, Panthera spelaea, suggests a gradual decrease in body size, the process peaking just before the extinction of the species at the end of the Late Pleistocene. Such an evolutionary trend appears rather unusual for a large felid species and requires further investigation. This study reviews the cave lions of Ukraine, whose fossils are known from 46 localities dated from 800 kyr to 18–17 kyr ago, with a special emphasis on size changes through time. We describe several important finds including those of Panthera spelaea fossilis from Sambir, Panthera spelaea ssp. from Bilykh Stin Cave and Panthera spelaea spelaea from Kryshtaleva Cave. We make subspecific identifications of specimens from the region and focus on their size characteristics. Our analysis of Ukrainian cave lions agrees with the temporal trend of decreasing size, particularly accelerating during MIS 2, as exemplified by the extremely small female skull from Kryshtaleva Cave. We provide a direct AMS date for this specimen (22.0–21.5 cal kyr BP), which suggests that the Kryshtaleva lioness must have belonged to a Panthera spelaea spelaea population forced south by the spreading ice sheet. We discuss some palaeoecological aspects of the evolutionary history and eventual extinction of the cave lion. Finally, we review the subfossil records of the extant lion Panthera leo known from several Ukrainian sites archaeologically dated to 6.4–2.0 kyr BP. These finds most probably represent the Persian lion Panthera leo persica.

During the Late Pleistocene (MIS 5e-2), the brown bear Ursus arctos was widespread in the Czech Republic. From this time interval, the species was recorded in 51 Czech localities, including 10 open-air and 41 cave sites. A total of 18 radiocarbon dates obtained from the material showed the presence of the species in this territory 46–12.6 kyr ago during the Late Pleistocene, but most of the dates are concentrated between 45.7 and 29.3 kyr. Later, its occurrence continued into the Holocene. Three dates confirmed the presence of U. arctos just before and during the LGM. However, during the coolest part of the GS-2.1b interval (about 20.9–19.0 kyr), the species was not recorded in the territory of the Czech Republic. A large, broad-toothed, highly carnivorous priscus ecomorph adapted to live in open grasslands occurred during the Late Pleistocene, while the arctos ecomorph was rarely recorded from that period. The post-LGM time (17.5–14.7 kyr) was characterised by increasing numbers of brown bear dates on the territory of the Czech Republic. It was also a period of progressive afforestation and the disappearance of the priscus ecomorph. The latest occurrence of the priscus ecomorph in the territory of the Czech Republic was represented by a robust mandible from the Býčí skála Cave, dated at 15.4–14.9 kyr.

Panthera gombaszoegensis was recorded over from 100 African and Eurasian localities, ranged between 2.5 and 0.3 Myr. Among them, seven cave sites, Żabia, Tunel Wielki, Kozi Grzbiet, Draby 3, Poludniowa, Biśnik, and Komarowa caves, dated in the range of 1.7–0.3 Myr, were those in Poland. They were located in Sudety Mts, Krakow-Czestochowa Upland, Wielun Upland and Holy Cross Mts. The material from Polish sites is not very numerous, being represented mostly by isolated teeth, metapodials and phalanges, however it is well informative diagnostically. From each site, except the Biśnik Cave, remains of a single large-sized individual, mostly of males, were found. The oldest record from Żabia Cave, dated on 1.7–1.5 Myr, because of lack of suifficient diagnostic features, was classified as P. gombaszoegensis. Bones from the other sites were assigned to Panthera gombaszoegensis gombaszoegensis, late Early and Middle Pleistocene chronoform widespread in Eurasia. Analysis of a large series of teeth size in the course of time does not showed any particular changes, and the size of the Eurasian jaguar was more or less comparatively large through its entire timespan occurrence. Panthera gombaszoegensis was ecologically flexible species able to hunt in a wide prey spectrum; its size, comparable with that of a small lion Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) or island tiger Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758), guaranteed this jaguar one of the leading position among large carnivores. This was a member of stabile by 1 Myr carnivore paleoguild, single, conical-toothed cat, and it was well adapted to changed environmental conditions initiated by glacial-interglacial cycles. It seems that climate changes do not affected so much on P. gombaszoegensis as previously thought. The main factor responsible for the jaguar decline was the arrival of the Pleistocene lion, which affected negatively and caused strong competition. Because to its flexibility, jaguar was able to survive relatively longer than other ancient carnivores. Gradually as the density and abundance of the lion increased, a compact and wide geographic range started to shrink up to the form of isolated areas. Areas with the last, relict jaguar survivors were located far away one from another and overwhelmed by populations of P. s. fossilis. The final extinction of the species was between 350 and 300 kyr, and among them Polish find from the layer 19ad of Biśnik Cave should be highlighted as one of the latest Eurasian record of Panthera gombaszoegensis.

The present is a palaeobiological and taphonomic analysis of a Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 4–3 (Late Pleistocene) assemblage of animal remains and hominin artefacts from layers 7–5 of Biśnik Cave, Czestochowa Upland, Poland. The analysis indicates that the bone assemblage is the result of a time-averaged palimpsest of both biotic and episodic abiotic events, the former consisting of many successive generations of animals and hominins that frequented the cave, and the latter including hydraulic winnowing. In fact, the taphonomic history of the fossil assemblage from Biśnik Cave's layers 7–5 is partially obscured by the overprint of hydraulic winnowing, which purportedly removed a certain amount of the original specimens. Besides evidence of cave bear deaths from non-violent, hibernation-related mortality and of occupation by generations of denning wolves and hyaenas, there is a wealth of flint artefacts, alongside remains of a few fireplaces and of a structure built in the cave by hominins to partition the cave chambers. The studied layer contains an impressive number of shed antlers, primarily of the red deer Cervus elaphus. Crocuta crocuta spelaea is normally held responsible for such accumulations of shed antlers in various European caves; Biśnik Cave's layers 7–5 will therefore simply add to the list. However, the role of accumulator of shed antlers attributed to the Pleistocene spotted hyena does not match the behaviour of its modern counterpart and seems not accounted for metabolically. The only reasonable alternative is that the antlers were collected by hominins. From this alternative perspective the cave would have functioned as a warehouse, where naturally shed antlers were stored as raw material, potentially to be shaped into tools and/or employed as tools to make other tools. The palaeobiological and taphonomic analysis presented here provides new insights into the succession of pre- and postdepositional events that involved the bone remains accumulated in the cave, as well as into the interactions between the animals and hominins of the time. More importantly, if hominins, and not hyaenas, were responsible for the amassment of the shed antlers in Biśnik Cave, this study raises doubts as to the hyaenid or human origin of other similar cave accumulations of shed antlers throughout Europe.

The remains of 12 canid species that date back ca. 4.9 myr have been found at 116 paleontological localities. Among these localities, eight are dated to the Pliocene age, 12 are dated to the Early Pleistocene age, 12 are from the Middle Pleistocene age, while the most numerous group includes 84 sites from the Late Pleistocene–Holocene age. Some, especially older forms such as Eucyon odessanus and Nyctereutes donnezani, have only been found at single sites, while the remains of species from the genus Lycaon, Canis and Vulpes have been recorded at numerous sites from the last 2 myr. Ancient canids such as Eucyon and Nyctereutes had already vanished from Poland in the Earliest Pleistocene, between 2.5 and 2.2 myr ago. Poland’s extant canid fauna is characterised by the presence of two new species, which spread into the territory due to a human introduction (Nyctereutes procyonoides) or natural expansion (Canis aureus). Research indicates a strong competition between dogs, especially between Lycaon, Canis and Cuon, with a strong lycaon-limiting effect on the wolf between 2.5 and 0.4 myr ago. After the extinction of Lycaon lycaonoides, Canis lupus evolved rapidly, increasing in number and size, and taking over the niche occupied by Lycaon. In order to reduce competition, the body size of Cuon alpinus gradually reduced, and it became an animal adapted to the forest, highland and mountain environments. Generally, the history of canids in Poland is similar to that known of Eurasia with some noteworthy events, such as the early occurrence of Canis cf. etruscus from Węże 2 (2.9–2.6 myr ago), Lycaon falconeri from Rębielice Królewskie 1A or one of the latest occurrences of L. lycaonoides from Draby 3 (430–370 kyr). Predominantly lowland or upland in the southern part and devoid of significant ecological barriers, Poland is also an important migration corridor in the East–West system. This 500–600 km wide corridor was the Asian gateway to Europe, from where species of an eastern origin penetrated the continent’s interior. In colder periods, it was in turn a region through which boreal species or those associated with the mammoth steppe retreated.

Panthera spelaea was recorded in Poland from 18 open-air and 42 cave sites dated in the range 750–28 ka. Most of these records are located in southern Poland (Silesia) and neighbouring areas. Among them, the find of Panthera spelaea in Kozi Grzbiet mentioned here for the first time is one of the oldest European records of the species. Most of the obtained AMS dates are concentrated on the second half of MIS 3 and showed that the Pleistocene lion disappeared more or less synchronously across Poland. The findings of its remains from open-air sites are mostly accidental discoveries during field works, while those in caves are mostly connected with archaeological research and the exploitation of cave sediments for producing fertilizers. Aside of a few juvenile bones and milk teeth, the remains of adult individuals, mostly males, predominate in the studied sample. Their behavior to hunting cave bear during the times, when the other, more typical food sources were scarce, tendention to hunt very big preys and went into the conflicts with other carnivores than females do, resulted in higher injuries and mortalities. Within the species, three chronosubspecies were recognized, with P. s. fossilis recorded from 7 sites, dated between 750 and 240 ka and P. s. intermedia only partially recognized in Wierzchowska Gorna Cave. The most numerous are the remains of P. s. spelaea which were found in 48 localities dated between 150 and 28 ka. With the exception of four caves, the Polish finds of P. spelaea are generally less abundant at sites where they occur. Older P. s. fossilis, dated on MIS 19–12, was a large form with robust stature and broad cheek teeth. Younger P. s. fossilis dated on MIS 11–9 was represented by a large and massive specimens, but with more advanced morphological dental features. Polish individuals of P. s. spelaea were slightly smaller and less massive than P. s. fossilis, with narrower cheek teeth. Since MIS 3, a dwarf and gracile specimens appeared, which is correlated with the genetic turnover ca. 48–45 ka. The Pleistocene lion was one of the earliest disappeared large carnivores predated only by a cave hyena. There are no direct evidences of P. spelaea encounters with humans. The extinction of P. spelaea is broadly correlated with the general collapse of the “mammoth steppe” ecosystem and was resulted of multiple reasons like climatic changes, re-building of herbivore guilds, competition and human pressure. Wolf and, to a lesser extent, bears were the main competitors for the Pleistocene lion in Poland.

Subfossil remains of the Quaternary megafauna from two Ukrainian natural history collections stored at Kaniv Nature Reserve and the National Museum of Natural History NAS of Ukraine were examined. Most of the bones were collected in 1965–1966, in the building pit and the gateway of the Kaniv hydroelectric power plant. The fauna is represented at least by ten taxa (Gulo gulo, Mammuthus trogonterii chosaricus, Mammuthus intermedius, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Megaloceros giganteus, Alces alces, Bison priscus, Cervus elaphus, Capra cf. ibex, and Equus ferus). Skeletal parts are represented mainly by skulls, long bones, horns, and tusks. Based on the species composition of proboscideans, at least part of the faunal assemblage is dated by the end of the Middle Pleistocene (Dnieper Stage = Saale, Warta, MIS 6), but majority of bones could be older or younger (Late Pleistocene and Holocene age) due to the alluvial origin of accumulation.

Funeral and ritual practices in cave sites during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age have been recog-nised in multiple sites south of the Carpathians. This paper presents the first evidence for the funeral and ritual use of cave sites with such chronology north of the Carpathians. Unburned human remains dated to Ha B and Ha C/D have been identified in two cave sites Zbójecka Cave and Bramka Rockshelter ) located 500 m apart, in the Polish Jura. Additionally, a pottery deposit dated to Ha B2-C has been found in a third cave (Ciasna Cave ) situated near the aforementioned sites. The paper analyses these finds in the context of the local Lusatian culture settlement and the already recognised traces of Lusatian cave site use in the studied karstic region. The results give ground to search for more evidence of ritual cave use in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. V mnoha jeskynních lokalitách jižně od Karpat byly rozpoznány doklady pohřebních a rituálních praktik z pozdní doby bronzové a starší doby železné. Tento článek představuje první důkaz takového jednání severně od Karpat. Nespálené lidské ostatky datované do Ha B a Ha C/D byly identifikovány ve dvou lokalitách Polské Jury (Zbójecka jeskyně a převis Bramka), vzdálených 500 m od sebe. Kromě toho bylo ve třetí jeskyni ( jeskyně Ciasna), která se nachází poblíž jmenovaných, nalezen depot keramiky datované do Ha B2-C. Příspěvek tyto nálezy začleňuje do kontextu místního osídlení lužické kultury a již známých dokladů využití jeskynních lokalit ve zkoumaném krasovém regionu. Výsledky poskytují podklad pro iden tifikaci dalších důkazů rituálního využití jeskyní v pravěku

Sackdilling Cave is a karst fissure filled with a fossiliferous breccia including abundant fossil remains, mostly snails and small mammals. The taxonomic status of mustelid remains from this cave was previously regarded as controversial and, consequently, different authors listed different species from the locality. A detailed revision of the material shows the presence of five mustelid species: Meles sp., Martes vetus, Mustela strandi, Mustela palerminea, and Mustela praenivalis. Among them, especially noteworthy is the presence of the type specimen of Martes vetus. The Sackdilling holotype resembles Martes foina and differs from that of Martes martes in a short and broad viscerocranium; wide and less extended forward incisor row; compressed, short and wide temporal region; large, strongly inflated and convex tympanic bullae; and narrow P3 with weak lingual bulge. Some dental characters are specific for Martes vetus and show some intermediate values between Martes foina than Martes martes. Among them are the P4 protocone length and the M1 trigon length. The revised material from Sackdilling Cave of Mustela palerminea and Mustela praenivalis was compared with that from other Early and early Middle Pleistocene sites of Europe and showed the presence of intermediate characters. Subsequently, based on the entire mustelid assemblage and other faunal elements (mainly rodents), the age of this fauna was estimated as ca. 0.9–0.7 Ma.

Cranial material of Pachycrocuta brevirostris from the late Early Pleistocene site of Nogaisk is the first record of this species in Ukraine. This large hyena was a representative of the Tamanian faunal complex and a single specialised scavenger in these faunas. The revisited European records list of P. brevirostris documented the presence of this species in 101 sites, dated in the range of 3.5–0.4 Ma. This species first disappeared in Africa, survived in Europe until ca. 0.8–0.7 Ma, and its last, relict occurrence was known from south-eastern Asia. The main reason of extinction of P. brevirostris probably was the competition with Crocuta crocuta. The cave hyena was smaller, but its teeth were proportionally larger to the body size, better adapted to crushing bones and slicing meat, and could also hunt united in larger groups.

The rediscovery of old collections and revision of the fossil material from more than 30 Sudeten caves and rock shelters allow reconstructing the faunal changes during the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. We found that the composition of mammalian assemblages of Sudety Mts during MIS 3 differed significantly from the Holocene and modern one, and reflected the colder climate. Mammals belonging to the Mammuthus-Coelodonta faunal complex inhabited open flattened lowlands (Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia) surrounding Sudeten area. Several large carnivores (Canis lupus spelaeus, Ursus arctos priscus, Ursus ingressus, Gulo gulo, Mustela eversmanii, Panthera spelaea spelaea, Crocuta crocuta spelaea) as well as herbivores (Mammuthus primigenius, Coleodonta antiquitatis, Megaloceros giganteus, Rangifer tarandus, large form of Equus ferus, Bison priscus, and Ovibos moschatus) made up the core of this assemblage. Our studies showed that most of these faunal elements were also present in Sudety Mts, despite the previous opinion that these mountains formed an effective natural barrier during the Late Pleistocene. Besides, it seems that during cold phases they could be refugees for forest animals, which were also present in the Mammuthus-Coelodonta faunal complex, but lower quantities. They avoided flat treeless Silesian lowlands and concentrated in mountainous and hilly regions. In this context, during the Late Pleistocene Sudety Mts were a “forested island” confined to elevated areas or river valleys. Range extensions, contractions, and continuations on different scales resulted in mammalian paleoassemblages which differed in particular from the modern ones. The analysis of the mammal faunas from Sudeten sites revealed that there were three heterochronous mammalian faunal complexes replaced each other throughout the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. Differences between these assemblages resulted from changes in morphology, areas and extinction of several species. The existence of different faunal elements was distinguished by the chronological and geographical change in the structure of mammalian assemblages. At the end of MIS 3 most of the cold-adapted species from the Mammuthus-Coelodonta faunal complex like Ursus ingressus, Panthera spelaea spelaea, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Bison priscus, and Megaloceros giganteus disappeared. During the second phase, at the latest Pleistocene and the Holocene boundary, all the species of the Mammuthus-Coelodonta faunal complex still not became extinct. Several species from this assemblage disappeared later in the Holocene. It should be noted that the role of the human in the changes of faunal complexes and species extinctions during the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene in the Sudety Mts cannot be so far demonstrated.

The study of past environments, their ecology, and detailed changes through time has become an important task of environmental science. Records of paleoenvironment usually vary between regions owing to different influences of local climate, vegetation, relief, and depositional processes. Therefore, studying local sequences thoroughly allows paleoenvironmental and paleoecological reconstructions for particular regions, but it also provides important data that complement the global record. The Żarska Cave is an exceptional site, which owing to its thick and undisturbed Holocene sediments with very rich paleobotanical and paleozoological materials has become the most complete example of the uppermost Upper Pleistocene and Holocene cave deposits in the Polish uplands. The aim of our study was to understand paleoenvironmental changes in southern Poland, from the late Glacial to the late Holocene, which has been targeted by use of a detailed geological analysis accompanied by analysis of a wide range of paleobotanical, paleozoological, and archeological assemblages. All the results obtained have permitted characterization of the paleoenvironmental changes occurring in the area of the Polish Jura during the last >15 ka years. A particularly well-represented sequence covers the Allerød interstadial, which revealed the presence of forests with associated shade-loving mollusks and rodents. The beginning of the Holocene was clearly identified with an increase of shaded forest habitats, which developed in a still relatively cold climate with continental features, and with the first appearance of mesophilous deciduous trees. During the middle Holocene, unusual evidence for maple forests is documented, which developed before the formation of beech forests, typical for the late Holocene. The obtained sequence has great significance not only for the Polish Jura region, but also has wider implications for southern Poland and the vast area of the northern Carpathian foreland.

A recent study from Central Europe has changed our perception of the cat's domestication history. The authors discuss how this has led to the development of an interdisciplinary project combining palaeogenetics, zooarchaeology and radiocarbon dating, with the aim of providing insight into the domestic cat's expansion beyond the Mediterranean. A recent study from Central Europe has changed our perception of the cat's domestication history. The authors discuss how this has led to the development of an interdisciplinary project combining palaeogenetics, zooarchaeology and radiocarbon dating, with the aim of providing insight into the domestic cat's expansion beyond the Mediterranean. ispartof: ANTIQUITY vol:96 issue:390 pages:1628-1633 status: published

The Pleistocene history of the leopard (Panthera pardus) in Europe has been documented by the material obtained from 312 localities, with the last dated ∼1.1 Myr. The relatively small and gracile form of the leopard was very rare during the late Early and Middle Pleistocene. Only after the disappearance of the jaguar (Panthera gombaszoegensis) did P. pardus spread widely in Europe, increasing in size and ecologically substituting P. gombaszoegensis. The number of late Middle Pleistocene localities with leopard remains, younger than 300 kyr, increased considerably. The leopard reached the maximum extension of its geographical range in the Late Pleistocene. The Iberian Peninsula was the last European refuge for this cat. Six sites, the Naciekowa, Obok Wschodniej, Radochowska, and Wschodnia Caves from the Sudety Mountains and the Biśnik and Dziadowa Skała Caves from the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, have documented the presence of the leopard in Poland between MIS 10/9 and MIS 3. These records are from rocky regions with rugged terrain and are located in the territory of Silesia (southern Poland). A newly obtained radiocarbon date (43–42 kyr) from the Radochowska Cave directly confirms the occurrence of P. pardus in the Sudety Mountains in the middle part of MIS 3.

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB Altres ajuts: Open Access Funding provided by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. This work has been funded by the Direction Regionalle des Afaires Culturelles of the French Government (DRAC Occitaine) and the Agencia Estatal de Investigación-European Regional Development Fund of the European Union (CGL2017-82654-P, AEI/FEDERUE). LS is supported by the FI AGAUR fellowship (ref. 2020 FI_B1 00131) funded by the Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca de la Generalitat de Catalunya and the European Social Fund Late Pleistocene cave lions are one of the most iconic species of Northern Hemisphere Quaternary taphocoenoses. Despite their often-scarce record in cave environments, their ubiquitous distribution across Eurasia and North America assemblages attests to their position as top ice-age predators. Nevertheless, the origins of these former large felids, their distribution during the Middle Pleistocene, and their paleoecology during co-existence with the scimitar-toothed cat Homotherium remain debated. Here we describe for the first time an abundant collection of large-sized and stout felid remains from the recently discovered site of Grotte de la Carrière in Eastern Pyrenees, with an estimated age corresponding to MIS 9. Our results highlight the larger size of Middle Pleistocene lions compared to Late Pleistocene ones as well as a trend of decreasing in size, which has been previously stated by other authors. Grotte de la Carrière steppe lions have similar morphological and biometrical parameters to those of other samples from MIS 11-9, being larger and stouter than younger latest Middle Pleistocene-Late Pleistocene forms and slightly smaller than older MIS 15-12 forms.

Evidence of mobiliary art and body augmentation are associated with the cultural innovations introduced by Homo sapiens at the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic. Here, we report the discovery of the oldest known human-modified punctate ornament, a decorated ivory pendant from the Paleolithic layers at Stajnia Cave in Poland. We describe the features of this unique piece, as well as the stratigraphic context and the details of its chronometric dating. The Stajnia Cave plate is a personal 'jewellery' object that was created 41,500 calendar years ago (directly radiocarbon dated). It is the oldest known of its kind in Eurasia and it establishes a new starting date for a tradition directly connected to the spread of modern Homo sapiens in Europe.

The Micoquian is the broadest and longest enduring cultural facies of the Late Middle Palaeolithic that spread across the periglacial and boreal environments of Europe between Eastern France, Poland, and Northern Caucasus. Here, we present new data from the archaeological record of Stajnia Cave (Poland) and the paleogenetic analysis of a Neanderthal molar S5000, found in a Micoquian context. Our results demonstrate that the mtDNA genome of Stajnia S5000 dates to MIS 5a making the tooth the oldest Neanderthal specimen from Central-Eastern Europe. Furthermore, S5000 mtDNA has the fewest number of differences to mtDNA of Mezmaiskaya 1 Neanderthal from Northern Caucasus, and is more distant from almost contemporaneous Neanderthals of Scladina and Hohlenstein-Stadel. This observation and the technological affinity between Poland and the Northern Caucasus could be the result of increased mobility of Neanderthals that changed their subsistence strategy for coping with the new low biomass environments and the increased foraging radius of gregarious animals. The Prut and Dniester rivers were probably used as the main corridors of dispersal. The persistence of the Micoquian techno-complex in South-Eastern Europe infers that this axis of mobility was also used at the beginning of MIS 3 when a Neanderthal population turnover occurred in the Northern Caucasus.

The Middle Pleistocene was a period of dynamic changes in Europe. During MIS 11, a number of modern mammal taxa appeared and environmental conditions remained warm and favourable for a relatively long time. The Medzhybizh 1 locality of Ukraine dated to this very period comprises alluvial deposits with rich animal remains, which allow not only to reconstruct the fauna composition, but also to highlight the environmental conditions that dominated at this locality. A revision of the fauna of Medzhybizh 1 locality based on remains of all vertebrate groups revealed a taxonomically diverse fish community (16 species of 11 genera) dominated by cyprinids common for lacustrine or riverine assemblages. Amphibians are represented by 11 species, while the number of reptile and bird remains are less significant. Mammals are the most represented group at the locality, including small mammals (30 species), carnivorans (2 species), and ungulates (5 taxa), the latter dominated by C. elaphus. The taxonomic composition of terrestrial groups indicates temperate climate with boreal-type forests and meadows similar to cold steppe, as well as low wet areas and riparian habitats inhabited by amphibians, reptiles, insectivores, beavers, and various voles. The fish assemblage indicates a partially overgrown but well-aerated water body (lake or slow-flowing river) with sandy-silty bottom. Lithic artefacts found at the Medzhybizh 1 locality contribute to a better understanding of relationships between ancient hominins and faunas during the Middle Pleistocene of Eastern Europe., Archaeological field works at Medzhybizh were supported by the NASU state research projects 0105U001383 (2005–2009), 0109U008921 (2010–2014) and partly funded by the State Fund of Fundamental Research of Ukraine grant 0118U001457 (F77/50–2018). This research was also supported by the grant 0201/2048/18 ‘Life and death of extinct rhino (Stephanorhinus sp.) from Western Poland: a multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental approach’ financed from the funds of the National Science Centre, Poland. JvdM received support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Inovación y Universidades (current grant numbers PGC2018-093925-B-C31 and PGC2018-095489-B-I00).

The Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus), restricted today largely to South and Southeast Asia, was widespread throughout Eurasia and even reached North America during the Pleistocene. Like many other species, it suffered from a huge range loss towards the end of the Pleistocene and went extinct in most of its former distribution. The fossil record of the dhole is scattered and the identification of fossils can be complicated by an overlap in size and a high morphological similarity between dholes and other canid species. We generated almost complete mitochondrial genomes for six putative dhole fossils from Europe. By using three lines of evidence, i.e., the number of reads mapping to various canid mitochondrial genomes, the evaluation and quantification of the mapping evenness along the reference genomes and phylogenetic analysis, we were able to identify two out of six samples as dhole, whereas four samples represent wolf fossils. This highlights the contribution genetic data can make when trying to identify the species affiliation of fossil specimens. The ancient dhole sequences are highly divergent when compared to modern dhole sequences, but the scarcity of dhole data for comparison impedes a more extensive analysis.

Revision of the Silesian bear fauna, based on material from 152 sites, mainly cave and karstic localities, and also archaeological and open-air sites, shows the presence of 13 forms and species. These records encompass the last 16.5 Ma and may be divided into five main morphophyletic groups. The oldest bears, represented by the genera Ballusia and Ursavus , are dated to 16.5–11 Ma, and belonged to the stem forms of the subfamily Ursinae. After a break of 6 My, the earliest members of the genus Ursus appeared, and all known Pliocene bears in Silesia belong to the genus Ursus were identified as Ursus minimus . They represent one or two migration events. Additionally, between 3.6 and 3.2 Ma, a single occurrence of Agriotherium insigne was recorded from the Weze 1 site. A few Early Pleistocene bear records are represented by U. etruscus , which was a probable ancestor of both arctoid and spelaeoid bear lineages. The oldest representative of Ursus ex gr. arctos known so far and assigned to U. a. suessenbornensis is known from one latest Early Pleistocene (1.2–0.9 Ma) locality, while other Polish records of this form require confirmation. The first occurrence of U. deningeri , the oldest taxon within the U . ex gr. deningeri–spelaeus lineage, was recorded from ~700 ka deposits in Silesia. During the pronounced cold period of MIS 12, the Scandinavian ice sheet covered almost the entire modern territory of Poland, with the exception of the Sudetes and the Carpathians. The accompanying drastic faunal turnover led to the formation of the pan-Eurasian Mammoth Fauna at ~460 ka. At that time a characteristic member of this fauna, the steppe brown bear Ursus arctos priscus , a specific ecomorph adapted to live in open grasslands, appeared in this region. It survived until the beginning of MIS 1, when modern Ursus arctos arctos appeared in Silesia and survived to the present day. U. deningeri was the most common bear during the Middle Pleistocene, while the first records of U. spelaeus spelaeus appeared since MIS 7. The latter form was replaced by U. ingressus during the Late Pleistocene (~110–100 ka). Spelaeoid bears totally dominated the cave assemblage, and finally vanished between 27 and 24 ka.

Fossil bear material from the lowermost deposits of the Jasna Strzegowska cave is described and its taxonomic status assessed. Comparison with bear remains from other Early and early Middle Pleistocene localities of Eurasia shows the presence of two bear species: Ursus etruscus and U. deningeri , based on morphological and size characters of the teeth and postcranial bones. The teeth of U. deningeri from the Jasna Strzegowska cave are larger, wider and have much more complicated occlusal surfaces when compared with the teeth of U. etruscus . Both bear species are characterized by relatively short and robust metapodials, although those of U. etruscus are on average less massive. Some differences in muscle attachments and articular surfaces have also been found. Metapodials of primitive arctoid bears, that co-occurred with U. etruscus and U. deningeri , are much longer and slimmer. U. etruscus and U. deningeri probably did not live in the Jasna Strzegowska cave at the same time. Based on its time range in Eurasia and morphological characteristics, the age of U. etruscus is estimated as Early Pleistocene, between 1.8–1.3 Ma. This is its first description from Poland, and the remains described are in size and morphology indistinguishable from material from other European localities. For U. deningeri , an early Middle Pleistocene age is suggested.

Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ) sites are sparse, and Koziarnia Cave in Poland is one of only few such sites situated at the eastern fringe of LRJ. The aim of the recent study was to obtain new chronostratigraphic data for the LRJ industries due to their extreme scarcity in Central Europe. Although the new fieldworks did not bring newfossil directeursuch as bifacial leafpoints, a detail debitage analysis enabled identifying a presence of the ventral thinning chips in layer D, which could be identified as the LRJ assemblage-containing stratum. Besides the LRJ assemblage, strata with traces of Late Middle Palaeolithic and Early Gravettian occupation were found at the site. The radiocarbon dates of Koziarnia samples show that the archaeological settlement represent one of the oldest Gravettian stays north to Carpathians. What is more, these dates demonstrate that the cave had been alternately occupied by humans and cave bears. Additionally the radiocarbon dates indicate rather young chronology of the Jerzmanowician occupation in Koziarnia Cave (c.a. 39-36 ky cal. BP). The results confirm the possibility of long chronology of the LRJ technocomplex, exceeding the Campanian Ignimbrite event.

Archeological and genetic evidence suggest that all domestic cats derived from the Near Eastern wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) and were first domesticated in the Near East around 10,000 years ago. The spread of the domesticated form in Europe occurred much later, primarily mediated by Greek and Phoenician traders and afterward by Romans who introduced cats to Western and Central Europe around 2000 years ago. We investigated mtDNA of Holocene Felis remains and provide evidence of an unexpectedly early presence of cats bearing the Near Eastern wildcat mtDNA haplotypes in Central Europe, being ahead of Roman period by over 2000 years. The appearance of the Near Eastern wildcats in Central Europe coincides with the peak of Neolithic settlement density, moreover most of those cats belonged to the same mtDNA lineages as those domesticated in the Near East. Thus, although we cannot fully exclude that the Near Eastern wildcats appeared in Central Europe as a result of introgression with European wildcat, our findings support the hypothesis that the Near Eastern wildcats spread across Europe together with the first farmers, perhaps as commensal animals. We also found that cats dated to the Neolithic period belonged to different mtDNA lineages than those brought to Central Europe in Roman times, this supports the hypothesis that the gene pool of contemporary European domestic cats might have been established from two different source populations that contributed in different periods.

The information presented here is based on 174 sites; it is a result of a detailed historical collection revision of materials from Silesia and also the first comprehensive paper after the ...

Results derived from the analysis of small carnivores from a burial chamber at the Late Neolithic Catalhoyuk (TP Area) shed light on the socioeconomic significance of stone martens (Martes foina), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and common weasels (Mustela nivalis). All of these are fur-bearing animals, though only the stone marten remains to show evidence that this animal was exploited for its pelt. The evidence consists of the observed skeletal bias (only the head parts and foot bones were present) and skinning marks. Two of five sets of articulated feet are most likely linked with an almost completely preserved human infant skeleton, one of two well-preserved skeletons that were interred on the burial chamber floor. In contrast to these, other human skeletons were found mostly incompletely preserved, though with evidence of articulation. It seems that the articulated forepaws were deliberately incorporated into the structure, most likely as a part of burial practice and ritual behavior. These distinctive deposits, along with rich grave goods, emphasize the uniqueness in the entire Anatolian Neolithic of the assemblage from the burial chamber, which is decorated by a panel incised with spiral motifs.

The steppe brown bear U. a. “priscus” is constant but not a common member of the Late Pleistocene paleocommunities. It is not distinct arctoid species, but a large brown bear ecomorph which lived in open environments. Instead to speleoid bears, which disappeared ca. 26-24 ka BP, arctoid bears, thanks to their ecological plasticity, were present in most of the European areas even during the cold phases. The size and diet of these bears were modified under the climate conditions and food availability. U. a. “priscus” cannot be distinguished genetically, but it differs metrically and morphologically. It was a big sized form with enlarged and broad cheek teeth. Late Pleistocene brown bears, especially those lived before the LGM were more carnivorous than the Holocene and recent brown bear. The steppe brown bear survived till the beginning of the Holocene, where the last relict populations lived around the Baltic and the North Sea decreasing in size and merging genetically with widely distributed Eurasian populations of U. a. arctos.

Marine Isotope Stage 3 is considered a period with several climate oscillations that drove the environments to rapid changes. To understand how these stadial-interstadial cycles affected southern Poland, we combined the results of eight proxies analysed in the samples from the old excavations and a new 2017 trench of Koziarnia Cave (Ojcow National Park, Krakow-Czestochowa Upland, Poland) in layers related to Middle Palaeolithic, Jerzmanowician, and Early Gravettian. Among the studied proxies were charcoals, pollen record, remains of malacofauna, and vertebrates (including rodents, birds and large mammals, and ZooMS analysis of fragmented bones). Moreover, sediment samples have been analysed for lipid composition (by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, GC–MS). Despite several taphonomic issues, it was possible to recognise two oscillations. The first one, reflected in pollen record and lipid analysis, took place during Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) 14 to 8 and included Heinrich Stadial (HS) 4. The second one, recorded by rodents and bird proxies, was related to DO 8/7 to DO 6 and included HS 3. Charcoal and large mammal proxies provided the broad context of our study. The Jerzmanowician occupation was connected with a relatively cold episode in a landscape characterized mainly by grassland and periglacial environments, while the Late Middle Palaeolithic and Early Gravettian groups settled the cave during milder climatic conditions, where environments were open with sparse boreal woodlands. Such trends provide additional arguments in a broad discussion on Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Central Europe.

Archaeological and genetic evidence suggest that all domestic cats derive from the Near Eastern wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) and were domesticated twice, first in the Near East around 10 000 years ago and for the second time in Ancient Egypt ca. 3 500 years ago. The spread of the domesticated form in Europe occurred much later, primarily mediated by Greek and Phoenician traders and afterwards by Romans who introduced cats to Western and Central Europe around 2 000 years ago. We investigated mtDNA of Holocene Felis remains and provide evidence of an unexpectedly early presence of cats bearing the Near Eastern wildcat mtDNA haplotypes in Central Europe, being ahead of Roman Period by over 2 000 years. The appearance of the Near Eastern wildcats in Central Europe coincide with the peak of Neolithic settlement density, moreover most of those cats belonged to the same mtDNA lineages as those domesticated in the Near East. Thus, although we cannot fully exclude that the Near Eastern wildcats appeared in Central Europe as a result of introgression with European wildcat, our findings strongly support the hypothesis that the Near Eastern wildcats spread across Europe together with the first farmers, perhaps as commensal animals. We also found that cats dated to the Neolithic period belonged to different mtDNA lineages than those brought to Central Europe in Roman times, this supports the hypothesis that the gene pool of contemporary European domestic cats might have been established from two different source populations that contributed in different periods.

Coulet des Roches is a natural karst trap in Southern France. Its infilling dates back to the end of the Pleniglacial (Last Glacial Maximum, LGM) and the end of the Tardiglacial (Last Glacial, LG). Three mustelid species have been identified in this infilling: the common polecat (Mustela putorius, minimum number of individuals (MNI) = 4), the stoat (Mustela erminea, MNI = 14) and the weasel (Mustela nivalis, MNI = 48). The common polecat remains are metrically and morphologically indistinguishable from recent European specimens. The smallest mustelids are mainly represented by average-sized specimens, which are slightly smaller than extant species. A partial weasel skeleton of an extremely small pygmy weasel, regarded as a typical glacial element, was also discovered. Sexual dimorphism is strongly pronounced. Seventeen horses have been identified, corresponding to the chrono subspecies Equus ferus gallicus. The analysis of the muzzles and metapodials shows overall adaptation to cool and dry weather conditions. The ibexes are typical of Capra ibex (MNI = 15). The p3 morphology is similar to the LGM populations located on the southern side of the Durance River, with an important dilation of the metaconid, except for the oldest LGM specimen. This dilation is older on the southern side of the Durance River, as it occurs at the end of MIS 3. This difference could reflect the barrier role of the Durance River. Micromammals are abundant (mostly related to rodents and shrews; 18 genera/species; MNI = 470). The paleoecological study highlighted important and rapid climatic and environmental fluctuations throughout the sequence. As a result of climatic fluctuations, the plains constituted a corridor for the migration of temperate species to Provence during cold periods (“southern refuge zone”) and their re-immigration to Western Europe during temperate episodes. In a related and complementary way, the highland areas not only played a natural role as a geographical barrier, but also constituted a refuge zone during interglacial episodes for some micromammal species originating from northern and eastern parts of Europe (“cryptic southern refugia”).

The Stajnia Cave is one of the most important archaeological sites due to the finds of the first remains of Neanderthals in Poland, and several tens of thousands of flint artefacts from the Middle Palaeolithic. Based on geological, geochemical, palaeobotanical, palaeozoological, archaeological and isotope analyses, coupled with absolute age determinations (OSL, U-Th and C 14 ), 15 lithostratigraphic layers were distinguished and palaeoenvironmental conditions during the sedimentation of these beds were determined. The cave loams accumulated through weathering, aeolian and fluvial processes. Their age may be correlated with an interval from the Early Glacial to the Late Pleniglacial of the Visulian (Weichselian) Glaciation. Archaeological relics related to the Neanderthals have been discovered in layer D with an absolute age of about 52,000–45,000 years BP and correlated with MIS 3 – the Middle Plenivistulian (Interplenivistulian). Climate oscillations in the Vistulian are reflected by the type of the sediments and their physical-chemical features, allowing determining warmer interstadial and colder stadial periods. Generally, the climate was cold, characteristic of tundra areas with a typical vegetation and fauna, and with the mean temperature of the warmest month not exceeding 12°C. Based on multi-proxy studies it can be concluded that from layer E1 upwards, the climate conditions became progressively drier. At that time, the climate was cold with continental features enhancing tundra domination. This conclusion is confirmed by palaeontological investigations and the record of stable oxygen isotopes in the teeth of reindeer. The studies have also indicated seasonal migration of reindeer on the tundra that surrounded the cave. Probably, short-term slight climate warmings occurred during the Middle Plenivistulian (Interplenivistulian).

Climate changes that occurred during the Late Pleistocene have profound effects on the distribution of many plant and animal species and influenced the formation of contemporary faunas and floras of Europe. The course and mechanisms of responses of species to the past climate changes are now being intensively studied by the use of direct radiocarbon dating and genetic analyses of fossil remains. Here, we review the advances in understanding these processes by the example of four mammal species: woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), cave bear (Ursus spelaeus s. l.), saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) and collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx ssp.). The cases discussed here as well as others show that the migrations, range shifts and local extinctions were the main responses to climate changes and that the dynamics of these climate driven processes were much more profound than it was previously thought. Each species reacted by its individual manner, which depended on its biology and adaptation abilities to the changing environment and climate conditions. The most severe changes in European ecosystems that affected the largest number of species took place around 33–31 ka BP, during the Last Glacial Maximum 22–19 ka BP and the Late Glacial warming 15–13 ka BP.

The Pleistocene lion Panthera spelaea was not a homogenous taxon; it was represented by three chronoforms. The oldest one, from the Early and Middle Pleistocene, was P. s. fossilis, the youngest was the Late Pleistocene cave lion P. s. spelaea. The intermediate form between them was P. s. intermedia. The scarcity of stratigraphically old lion made it difficult to understand the evolution of this carnivore. Therefore, we revised the fossil material of the Pleistocene lion from Polish excavation sites. The analysis revealed the presence of P. s. fossilis in 7 sites: Tunel Wielki, Poludniowa, Wschodnia, Draby, Biśnik, Deszczowa and Wierzchowska Gorna caves. The remains from these localities significantly differed in their average size and teeth proportions from the nominate younger chronoform, i.e. the cave lion. Using this material and all other available data, we compared the lion remains grouped into four palaeoclimate periods: MIS 17-12, MIS 11-9, MIS 8-6 and MIS 5-2. We found significant time-related trends in many morphometric features of dentition and limb bones. Between the first two periods, the lion became larger but from MIS 8, it gradually decreased in size. The teeth showed a much greater rate of changes than the metapodial bones, which in turn were characterised by more heterogeneous and mosaic evolution. The changes observed in the fossil material can result from in situ evolution of lion populations occupying Europe or immigration and replacement of the native forms by those from other regions, for example Asia.

The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus sensu lato) is a typical representative of Pleistocene megafauna which became extinct at the end of the Last Glacial. Detailed knowledge of cave bear extinction could explain this spectacular ecological transformation. The paper provides a report on the youngest remains of the cave bear dated to 20,930 ± 140 14C years before present (BP). Ancient DNA analyses proved its affiliation to the Ursus ingressus haplotype. Using this record and 205 other dates, we determined, following eight approaches, the extinction time of this mammal at 26,100–24,300 cal. years BP. The time is only slightly earlier, i.e. 27,000–26,100 cal. years BP, when young dates without associated collagen data are excluded. The demise of cave bear falls within the coldest phase of the last glacial period, Greenland Stadial 3. This finding and the significant decrease in the cave bear records with cooling indicate that the drastic climatic changes were responsible for its extinction. Climate deterioration lowered vegetation productivity, on which the cave bear strongly depended as a strict herbivore. The distribution of the last cave bear records in Europe suggests that this animal was vanishing by fragmentation into subpopulations occupying small habitats. One of them was the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland in Poland, where we discovered the latest record of the cave bear and also two other, younger than 25,000 14C years BP. The relatively long survival of this bear in karst regions may result from suitable microclimate and continuous access to water provided by deep aquifers, indicating a refugial role of such regions in the Pleistocene for many species.