2024-09-09 21:33:27
Published research from recent excavations at Bacho Kiro Cave, conducted from 2015 to 2021, provides information on the technological and behavioral changes of early Homo sapiens during the early Late Paleolithic. This was reported by the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the BAS (NAIM-BAS).
According to them, the stone assemblages from the site are dated between 45,040 and 43,280 cal BP and include over two thousand artifacts that are associated with the habitation and livelihood of the first Homo sapiens who settled in the area after a brief coexistence with the last Neanderthals.
The flint tools originate mainly from layer I, discovered together with numerous faunal remains, tools made of animal bones, human remains and other cultural remains such as personal ornaments – pendants (pendants), made mainly of cave bear teeth and stone, says NAIM- BA.
The published research provides new data on the origin, production techniques and use of these flint tools, expanding knowledge of the technical innovation and economic adaptation of ancient modern humans. The article tells about the origin of flint raw materials, the technology of plate production, as well as approaches to the processing and reuse of flint tools in situ in the cave.
The analysis of the raw materials shows that the ancient Homo sapiens, who inhabited the Bacho Kiro cave, were supplied with Lower Cretaceous flint from the area of Ludogorieto in North-Eastern Bulgaria and Upper Cretaceous flint from the area of Nikopol, on the Danube River. This emphasizes their considerable mobility, transportation of finished products (plates) and logistics networks covering distances of up to 190 km, explains NAIM-BAN.
The techno-economic and typological analysis of the transported flint plates shows the application of both unidirectional and bidirectional non-Levaloisian plate technology, which differs from that of the preceding Neanderthals. It is also established that the flint tools were systematically fragmented and reworked in situ in the cave using the technique of bipolar breaking on a support. This reflects both the complex process of tool processing and maintenance as a result of increased activities in the cave, and the dynamic and adaptive economy that probably also resulted from the use of the more distant sources of high-quality flint.
The information on the manufacture of stone and bone tools on site in the cave suggests an increase in animal prey and traning activities, making bone tools, personal ornaments – pendants. These finds show advanced cultural practices and an adaptive response to environmental challenges, highlighting the behavioral flexibility of early Homo sapiens in the early Late Paleolithic, noted the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the BAS.
According to them, Bacho Kiro cave is key to understanding the technological and behavioral development of ancient Homo sapiens in Western Eurasia. “Well-dated contexts and assemblages provide a detailed picture of the early Late Paleolithic and dispersal of Homo sapiens, highlighting their considerable behavioral flexibility and adaptability. Future research is designed to examine these dynamics through a detailed spatial analysis and study of the economics of stone raw materials,” the institute adds.
“Bacho Kiro Cave provides a unique opportunity to understand the technologies and livelihoods of early Homo sapiens,” said Tsenka Tsanova, lead author of the paper and research coordinator. “Our findings highlight the advancement and adaptability of these ancient Homo sapiens who settled between Danube and Stara planina,” she points out.
“In stark contrast to the previous behavior of Neanderthals, the analysis of the provenance of the raw materials from the Bacho Quiro cave shows how the first European Homo sapiens planned their material needs well before their arrival in the cave,” notes Vincent Delvin, the petrology specialist in the study of the flint collection From the cave, he says, this observation foreshadows the movements of ancient modern humans over the next 30 millennia, when groups developed mobile systems between camps, sometimes hundreds of kilometers apart.
“The innovations, adaptations and behavioral changes of early Homo sapiens in Europe found in Bacho Quiro Cave are not isolated, temporary or accidental. For example, their systematic supply of high-quality stone raw material – flint and slabs from it, from remote deposits, is one of the harbingers of even greater enterprise and mobility in the further development of this population: willing movement far to the east, with short (probably rare longer-term) displacements through Central, East and North-East Asia, to its significant participation in the colonization of the New World,” summarizes Nikolay Sirakov, head of the latest excavations.