Alternative Interpretations of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic Interface at Vindija Cave (Northwestern Croatia) in the Context of Central Europe and the Adriatic

Alternative Interpretations of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic Interface at Vindija Cave (Northwestern Croatia) in the Context of Central Europe and the Adriatic

I. Karavanić and F.H. Smith.

A short research history of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface at Vindija Cave is presented. Alternative interpretations of this evidence are discussed from various perspectives (archaeological, paleoanthropological, and genetic) in the context of other continental and Mediterranean (Adriatic) sites. There are notable differences between the Middle/Upper Paleolithic at Vindija and the sites from the eastern Adriatic region. The lack of data from this transitional period in the eastern Adriatic region is discussed. These alternative interpretations and new data from recent research are relevant for the debate on the patterns of Neandertal/early modern human interactions in Central Europe and the Adriatic.

Keywords: Neandertals, early modern humans, Middle Paleolithic, Upper Paleolithic, Vindija, Croatia.