While studies of ancient DNA have been revolutionary in demonstrating we interbred with Neanderthals, archaeological evidence for their coexistence remains sparse. Recent discoveries show that early groups of Homo sapiens already arrived in Germany, Bulgaria and Czechia more than 47,000 years ago. These findings raise fundamental questions concerning current models on the timing and extent of coexistence between late Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens, suggesting a potential overlap in Central and Southeast Europe for several millennia. The associated faunal assemblages are dominated by small non-diagnostic bone fragments and for 70-90% of these we do not know what type of animal (or human) they belonged to. However, the last decade has seen fundamental advances in archaeological science, including in biomolecular archaeology, which can now be applied broadly to fragmented bone. The aim of this PhD is to fully unlock novel biological, chronological and behavioural data from small pieces of archaeological bone and establish a new regional chronological framework to better understand human presence across the study area.
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