The Aurignacian in northern Bosnia revisited

Abstract

Northern Bosnia is characterized by a large concentration of Paleolithic open-air sites; among them, 13 were dated as Early Upper Paleolithic or Aurignacian. This paper will consider their discovery, excavation, and publication in the second half of the twentieth century, and will reevaluate previous knowledge of Aurignacian in North Bosnia based on a comparative definition of Aurignacian variability. The analysis of the excavation reports and the other publications demonstrates that some assemblages have undoubtedly Aurignacian characteristics. Published material indicates the presence of classical Aurignacian, while elements of Proto-Aurignacian facies are not detected. Since the sites are mostly concentrated on the banks of the Sava River and its tributaries, the geographical position of northern Bosnia undoubtedly shows potential for different scenarios for the spread of Anatomically Modern Humans along the Southern Peripannonian Zone and the Sava corridor. This paper shows the importance of the study area for future research and opens up further opportunities for investigating alternative routes of the spread of Anatomically Modern Humans towards the west, rather than seeking to confirm the hypothetical corridor.

Keywords

• Northern Bosnia
• Pannonian plain
• Sava corridor
• Aurignacian
• Homo sapiens