Investigating physical and chemical properties of last Glacial loess in the central Balkan region

Abstract

The central Balkan region and the Carpathian/Pannonian Basin presents an important area for the dispersal of the anatomically modern human (Homo Sapiens Sapiens sp.) corridor from Africa to Central Europe. Last glacial loess and loess like deposits cover large parts of this region. In spite of widespread distribution of loess and loess-like deposits in the central Balkan and Carpathian Basin, information about the anatomically modern human occupation of these landscapes are rare. However, information about the Paleolithic sites from nearby caves, as at Peştera cu Oase (dated to 34.000 - 36.000 14C years B.P.), confirms the presence of modern humans in this region. In the frame of the of the CRC 806 ”Our Way to Europe” project, we are presenting our data from the first part of the project where we studied the transition zone of the eastern part of the Pannonian Basin. In the second phase of the CRC we will continue to investigate last glacial deposits with high sediment accumulation in the lowlands of northern Hungary (near Tokaj), eastern Romania and in northern Serbia (Orlovat, Crvenka), as well as upland sections in this region. We would like to test the hypothesis if the settlements of the first modern hunters and gatherers are concentrated on the foothills of the mountains such as the Banat hills or Bükk Mountains. A multi-proxy approach (e.g. grain size measurements, multi element analysis, rock magnetics, CNS, AMS- and OSL-Dating) will be applied, and combined with geomorphological investigations, to investigate differences between geomorphological and sedimentological processes, and paleoclimatical effects on sediment.

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Bibliography

Obreht, I., Lehmkuhl, F., Zeeden, C., Bösken, J., Marković, S., Hambach, U., Sümegi, P., Sándor, G., Eckmeier, E., Schulte, P., Kels, H. (2014): Investigating physical and chemical properties of last Glacial loess in the central Balkan region. Gemeinsame Jahrestagung des AK Geoarchäologie und der AG Paläopedologie in Aachen 2014, 29.-31.5. 2014, Aachen, Germany.