Late Pleistocene Human Fossils from East Central and South-eastern Europe

Abstract

Abstract This chapter discusses the available human fossil record from the Late Pleistocene of East Central and South-eastern Europe in the context of new research and theoretical perspectives on later human evolution. This region is of particular importance, as many scholars note that the initial anatomically modern migration into Europe most likely would have begun here. This is supported by finds from Romania, Bulgaria and other countries. Further, during the Late Pleistocene two morphologically distinct groups (Neanderthals and anatomically modern Homo sapiens) inhabited Europe, and their relationship to each other (both physical and cultural) has been a subject of debate for a long time. Recent developments in the fields of palaeogenomics add to the previously available biological and cultural datasets and warrant an update of the available hypotheses.