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2016 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

11. The Lower Paleolithic of Romania Revisited: New Evidence from the Site of Dealul Guran

Authors : Adrian Doboş, Radu Iovita

Published in: Paleoanthropology of the Balkans and Anatolia

Publisher: Springer Netherlands

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Abstract

Southeastern Europe represents a key area in investigating hominin dispersals during the Pleistocene. However, the understanding of these phenomena is hampered by the scarcity of data, especially for the Lower and Middle Pleistocene. The discoveries from Romania assigned to these periods (either credited as in situ or from disturbed contexts) are rather doubtful. After reviewing the state of the art, our paper presents the site of Dealul Guran, discovered in 2010 during a systematic survey carried out in the province of Dobrogea, southeastern Romania. The site is a collapsed rockshelter located on a limestone hill, very rich in flint nodules. Three archaeological layers were identified, and absolute ages indicate that the two oldest archaeological units correspond to an OIS 11 occupation of the site. The assemblages consist mostly of cortical flakes and there are many tested blocks from these units, likely reflecting flint quarrying activities.

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The Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary was at 1.8 ma when these discoveries were made.

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Title: The Lower Paleolithic of Romania Revisited: New Evidence from the Site of Dealul Guran
Authors: Adrian Doboş
Radu Iovita
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Book: Paleoanthropology of the Balkans and Anatolia
Print ISBN: 978-94-024-0873-7

Electronic ISBN: 978-94-024-0874-4

Copyright Year: 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0874-4_11