Papers by Mirjana Roksandic
FIGURE 1 Asimplified model for the evolution of the genus Homo over the last 2 million years, wit... more FIGURE 1 Asimplified model for the evolution of the genus Homo over the last 2 million years, with Homo bodoensis sp. nov. positioned as the ancestral (mostly African) form of Homo sapiens
Journal of Human Evolution, 2022
Neanderthals are Eurasian fossil hominins whose distinctive morphology developed in the southwest... more Neanderthals are Eurasian fossil hominins whose distinctive morphology developed in the southwestern corner of Europe and later spread throughout the continent, reaching Southwest Asia before the Late Pleistocene and spreading into Central Asia by 59-49 ka. The timing, tempo, and route of the Neanderthal movements eastward are poorly documented. The earliest probable evidence of Neanderthals in Asia comes from Karain E Cave (Anatolia, Turkey), dated to 250-200 ka. We present four Chibanian (Middle Pleistocene) hominin specimens, representing at least two individuals, from Velika Balanica Cave (Serbia): a permanent upper third molar (BH-2), a deciduous upper fourth premolar (BH-3) refitted to a poorly preserved maxillary fragment with the permanent first molar in the alveolus (BH-4), and a permanent upper central incisor (BH-5). We provide descriptions of the teeth, as well as a comparative analysis of the well-preserved M1 (BH-4), including assessments of cusp angles, relative occlusal polygon area, relative cusp base areas, two- and three-dimensional enamel thickness, and taurodontism. Morphology of both the occlusal surface and the enamel dentine junction of the M1 indicates that the maxillary fragment and associated dP4 belonged to an early Neanderthal child. The heavily worn I1 and M3 are consistent with the Neanderthal morphology, although they are less distinct taxonomically. These Chibanian remains with provenance from layer 3a are constrained by two thermoluminescence dates: 285 ± 34 ka and 295 ± 74 ka. They represent the earliest current evidence of Neanderthal spread into the Eastern Mediterranean Area. We discuss these findings in light of recent direct evidence for cultural connections between Southwestern Asia and Southeast Europe in the Chibanian.
Journal of Human Evolution, 2022
Major changes in the technological, economic, and social behavior of Middle Pleistocene hominins ... more Major changes in the technological, economic, and social behavior of Middle Pleistocene hominins occurred at the onset of the Middle Paleolithic, 400-200 ka. However, until recently it was not possible to establish when, where, and how certain forms of Middle Paleolithic behavior appeared and spread into Southeastern Europe, mainly owing to gaps in the Paleolithic record. Here we report new results of dating, material culture, and the archaeological context of finds from the Balanica Cave Complex in Sićevo (Serbia). Two methods-thermoluminescence and electron spin resonance-were used to date the sequence. The geoarchaeological context was examined through sedimentology, micromorphology, and spatial analysis. Microfaunal remains were used to constrain the dates within an ecological zone, whereas macrofauna was analyzed for taxonomy and taphonomy to examine the source of accumulation and hominin behavior. Technological and typological features of the lithic assemblage were used to characterize lithic production at the site. Materials recovered from Layer 3 in Velika Balanica and from Layer 2 in Mala Balanica, both dated to MIS 9-7, include a distinctive set of archaeological assemblages which resemble contemporaneous Yabrudian assemblages from the Levant in important ways, and which are unlike contemporary material from the surrounding regions. In Velika Balanica, the lithic assemblages are associated with a large fireplace containing evidence of human activities similar to those from Qesem Cave (Israel). Dental remains uncovered in the same layer are consistent with Neanderthals. These findings suggest that the end of the Middle Pleistocene (before 300-240 ka) saw population movement and/or cultural transmission between Southwest Asia and the Balkans, which led eventually to a transfer of technology between Middle Eastern and European hominin populations and contributed to the shaping of Neanderthal behaviors throughout the eastern and northern Mediterranean.
Quaternary International, 2021
Abstract Recent research in the southern Central Balkans has resulted in the discovery of the fir... more Abstract Recent research in the southern Central Balkans has resulted in the discovery of the first Middle Paleolithic sites in this region. Systematic excavations of Velika and Mala Balanica, and Pesturina (southern Serbia) revealed assemblages of Middle Paleolithic artifacts associated with hominin fossils and animal bones. This paper focuses on Pesturina Layer 4, radiometrically and biostratigraphically dated to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, which yielded traces of temporary hunting camps. The remains of large ungulate prey are associated with predominantly Quina-type artifacts made of quartz. Artifacts from Pesturina Cave have no parallels at Mousterian sites in the Balkans but are rather similar to the Central European Charentian, which demonstrates that this cultural unit was widespread during MIS 5, not only in the southern Pannonian Basin but also in the Central Balkans. The position of the site – on the outskirts of the known spread of the Quina model of techno-economic behavior during MIS 5 – raises several questions related to population movements, residential mobility, and technological variability in the early Middle Paleolithic of Central and Southeast Europe.
Journal of Human Evolution, 2019
The cercopithecid fossil record of the Balkan Peninsula extends from the Late Miocene to the Earl... more The cercopithecid fossil record of the Balkan Peninsula extends from the Late Miocene to the Early Pleistocene, but to date no fossils of non-human primates have been identified in Serbia. Here we report the identification of two primate teeth from Ridjake, a rich paleontological site in western Serbia. NHMBEO 042501 is an upper third molar with heavy occlusal wear and taphonomic weathering. NHMBEO 042502 is a well-preserved lower third molar with only minor damage to the cusps and root apices. We performed an analysis of non-metric traits and made bivariate comparisons of crown linear measurements in order to assess the taxonomic affinity of the molars. Both show typical papionin occlusal patterns and relatively large overall sizes. In combination with the early Villafranchian (MN16) age of the site, we attribute both Ridjake primate fossils to cf. Paradolichopithecus sp. This represents the first identification of a non-human primate in Serbia, and the first identification of any primate in the Neogene period of Serbia. Along with recent hominin discoveries, the Ridjake fossils contribute to the growing primate fossil record in Serbia, and indicate the need for increased research into fossil primates in the country.
University Press of Florida, 2017
In Caribbean archaeological context, dental modifications originate from post-contact African pop... more In Caribbean archaeological context, dental modifications originate from post-contact African populations as a practice brought into the region through the colonial slave trade. Six individuals recovered from Canímar Abajo exhibit dental modification of the upper central incisors similar to West African styles of dental filing. The dates from those six individuals predate the African Diaspora. This type of dental modification has not been previously documented among pre-Columbian groups in the Caribbean. Although there could be no connections between the pre-Columbian Canímar Abajo individuals and West African populations, the similarity in form may be due to a convergence in methodology and materials. The fact that this practice is present on individuals from both the Older (1380–800 BC) and Younger Cemetery (AD 360–950) establishes the long duration of the practice. While the dental modification could have been more common and unrecognized due to dental attrition and tooth loss, i...
Cuban Archaeology in the Caribbean, 2017
The Archaic populations of Cuba have been classified as “fisher-gathers” without agriculture or p... more The Archaic populations of Cuba have been classified as “fisher-gathers” without agriculture or pottery. The introduction of domesticates into the island has been associated with the arrival of Agroceramist groups. In this chapter, the analysis of stable isotopes of 13C and 15N on 63 adult individuals from four Archaic sites from western Cuba is used to reconstruct the diet of their respective populations. The results indicate two different food consumption patterns. While Canímar Abajo population had a mixed diet dependent on marine resources and C3/C4 plants; Guayabo Blanco, Cueva del Perico I and Cueva Calero relied mostly on terrestrial protein sources (probably consuming only C3plants). The results show cultural heterogeneity among populations that coexisted in the island, as the authors present a compelling evidence for differences in subsistence practices of temporally and spatially close communities and examine the notion of uniform “phases” of economic development, current ...
Internet Archaeology, 2003
Even though visual recording forms are commonly used among human osteologists, very few of them a... more Even though visual recording forms are commonly used among human osteologists, very few of them are published. Published forms lack either detail or manipulability . Most anthropologists have to adapt these or develop their own forms when they start working on skeletal material, or have to accompany the visual forms with detailed, often time consuming, textual inventories. Three forms are proposed here: for adult, subadult and newborn skeletons. While no two-dimensional form will fit the requirements of every human osteologist, these forms are sufficiently detailed and easy to use. Printed or downloaded, they have the potential to become standard tools in data recording.
Evolutionary Anthropology, Jan 18, 2022
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2022
New excavations of the Mesolithic sites in the Muge valley directed by J.-M. Rolão, M. Roksandic ... more New excavations of the Mesolithic sites in the Muge valley directed by J.-M. Rolão, M. Roksandic and E. Cunha aim to provide finer details of spatial organization, site use and, eventually, social organization. Within that goal, microspatial analysis of individual burials is effected to further our understanding of mortuary and ancestral rituals and their incorporation into the habitation site. Cleaning and reinforcing the profiles at the sites of Cabeço da Amoreira and Cabeço da Arruda, and the first two campaigns of the new excavations resulted in discovery of the four burials presented here. In addition, new 14C dates and isotope data are given.
The research presented here aims at discerning possible interactions between Mesolithic hunter-ga... more The research presented here aims at discerning possible interactions between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers of the iron Gates Gorge (Serbia-Romania) and the surrounding Neolithic farmers during the 7th and the 6th milleniums BC. In order to examine the interaction of communities with different modes of subsistence (foraging and farming respectively), the nonmetric anatomical variants of the skull and postcranial skeletons were examined on the sites with the largest number of individuals buried. Another set of analyses, aimed at discerning environmental (occupation/nutrition) changes that could have affected the population in transition was performed on metric variables of postcranial skeleton. The combination of these two sets of analyses argues for local continuity within the region, with high degree of initial heterogeneity, and temporal ordering as the most likely explanation for the pattern of change.
Antiquity, 2018
The Caribbean coast of Nicaragua has witnessed relatively little archaeological research. In the ... more The Caribbean coast of Nicaragua has witnessed relatively little archaeological research. In the last decade, however, there has been a substantial effort to record regional archaeological sites. First excavated in the early 1970s, the Angi shell-matrix site has been subject to new investigations, which have identified the first burial to be recorded on the Nicaraguan Caribbean coast. Although collagen preservation was insufficient for direct radiocarbon dating, samples obtained from surrounding deposits date the burial to c. 3900 BC. This represents both the earliest archaeological feature recorded to date on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and the oldestknown human remains from the region.
Uploads
Papers by Mirjana Roksandic
archaeological record are predominantly considered to
represent African individuals brought into the region as a
result of the colonial slave trade in post-contact times.
Traditions of dental modifications have not been
previously observed in pre-contact indigenous Caribbean
populations. An individual recovered from the Pre-Columbian
site of Canímar Abajo, Matanzas, Cuba
radiocarbon dated to cal BC 970-790
(Roksandic et al., 2015) exhibits dental modification of the
upper central incisors, similar to West African styles of
dental modification, yet clearly predates the African
Diaspora. A further examination of the dentition of 86
individuals from the Canímar Abajo collected, yielded 6
additional cases of pre-contact dental modification. All 7
individuals were found to be female and exhibited the
same type of dental modification.