Magdalenian and Epimagdalenian chronology and palaeoenvironments at Kůlna Cave, Moravia, Czech Republic

Abstract

Kůlna Cave is the only site in Moravia, Czech Republic, from which large assemblages of both Magdalenian and Epimagdalenian archaeological materials have been excavated from relatively secure stratified deposits. The site therefore offers the unrivalled opportunity to explore the relationship between these two archaeological phases. In this study, we undertake radiocarbon, stable isotope (carbon, nitrogen and sulphur), and ZooMS analysis of the archaeological faunal assemblage to explore the chronological and environmental context of the Magdalenian and Epimagdalenian deposits. Our results show that the Magdalenian and Epimagdalenian deposits can be understood as discrete units from one another, dating to the Late Glacial between c. 15,630 cal. BP and 14,610 cal. BP, and c. 14,140 cal. BP and 12,680 cal. BP, respectively. Stable isotope results (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) indicate that Magdalenian and Epimagdalenian activity at Kůlna Cave occurred in very different environmental settings. Magdalenian occupation took place within a nutrient-poor landscape that was experiencing rapid changes to environmental moisture, potentially linked to permafrost thaw. In contrast, Epimagdalenian occupation occurred in a relatively stable, temperate environment composed of a mosaic of woodland and grassland habitats. The potential chronological gap between the two phases, and their associations with very different environmental conditions, calls into question whether the Epimagdalenian should be seen as a local, gradual development of the Magdalenian. It also raises the question of whether the gap in occupation at Kůlna Cave could represent a change in settlement dynamics and/or behavioural adaptations to changing environmental conditions.

Mammal extinction facilitated biome shift and human population change during the last glacial termination in East-Central Europe

“…It has also been demonstrated that a decrease in human population of the CB took place at the end of the Late Epigravettian 8 . So far only Lovas (14–13 ka cal BP) 72 , and a stray find from Mezőlak (13.7–13.46 ka cal BP) 73 , 74 are known from Transdanubia that are contemporaneous with the Epi-Magdalenian Culture of Czechia 75 and the Arched Backed Point techno complex of Poland 76 .…”

Earliest evidence for hunter-gatherer impacts on raven diet and ecology in the Gravettian of Southern Moravia

“…Geographic origin of raven: as a tracking isotope, sulfur can provide important information on the origin, movement and migratory behavior of animals [143][144][145][146] . Similar to δ 13 C and δ 15 N, δ 34 S abundances in bone collagen change slowly and depend on individual and bone-speci c turnover rates.…”

“…A local Pavlovian δ 34 S baseline was set by using the area between the 25% and 75% quantiles of δ 34 S abundances of all published herbivores from Předmostí I 76 , resulting in a local δ 34 S-reference spanning from +0.3 to +3.6 ‰. This approach to determine the local δ 34 S signal for further comparison is well-established and has successfully been employed in previous archaeological and palaeoecological studies [143][144][145][146] . δ 34 S of Pavlovian ravens were plotted against the local δ 34 S baseline and three groups of ravens were isolated: local, non-local (low δ 34 S), and non-local (high δ 34 S).…”

Nitrogen palaeo-isoscapes: Changing spatial gradients of faunal δ15N in late Pleistocene and early Holocene Europe

“…This variation has been interpreted as representing changes to baseline δ 15 N in response to climatic and environmental drivers. Most notably, a large decrease and then rapid increase in herbivore δ 15 N occurred during the Late Glacial, between approximately 17,000- and 12,000-years before present (BP) [ 15 – 17 , 20 – 23 , 25 , 26 ]. This trend occurs in multiple species, across a wide range of mid and high latitude environments and in recent years has been termed the Late Glacial Nitrogen Excursion (LGNE) [ 25 ].…”