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Rock art is key for understanding European Palaeolithic societies. Long thought to have been restricted to South-west Europe, recent discoveries on the Balkan Peninsula have expanded significantly the geographic distribution of Upper Palaeolithic figurative rock art, calling into question the idea of its limited distribution. This article presents the first example of figurative cave art discovered in the Balkan region, at Romualdova Pecina ('Romuald's Cave') in Croatia, discussing its chronology and relevance in the context of recent research in Pleistocene art. Keywords: Balkan Peninsula, Upper Palaeolithic, Pleistocene, cave art, symbolism, Introduction The emergence of Palaeolithic art and symbolism has long been considered as among the earliest expressions of cognitive behaviour and a major milestone in human evolution (Mellars 1989; Mithen [...]

The findings of a systematic excavation of a small Mousterian cave site in Mujina Pecina, along the Adriatic coast in Croatia, are described. The excavations offered insight into the lifestyles and adaptations of the region's prehistoric hunters, presumed to be Neandertals.

The Palaeolithic sites of Croatia are internationally important for their association of lithic industries and fossil human remains. The most significant sites include Krapina and Vindija in the Hrvatsko Zagorje [...]

The 1998/1999 direct dating of two Neandertal specimens from level G1 of Vindija Cave in Croatia to ≈28,000 and ≈29,000 radiocarbon (14C) years ago has led to interpretations concerning the late survival of Neandertals in south-central Europe, patterns of interaction between Neandertals and in-dispersing early modern humans in Europe, and complex biocultural scenarios for the earlier phases of the Upper Paleolithic. Given improvements, particularly in sample pretreatment techniques for bone radiocarbon samples, especially ultrafiltration of collagen samples, these Vindija G1 Neandertal fossils are redated to ≈32,000-33,000 14C years ago and possibly earlier. These results and the recent redating of a number of purportedly old modern human skeletal remains in Europe to younger time periods highlight the importance of fine chronological control when studying this biocultural time period and the tenuous nature of monolithic scenarios for the establishment of modern humans and earlier phases of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]