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SINGLE AMINO ACID RADIOCARBON DATING OF TWO NEANDERTHALS FOUND AT ŠAL’A (SLOVAKIA)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2022

Rachel J A Hopkins Open the ORCID record for Rachel J A Hopkins [Opens in a new window] ,
Mateja Hajdinjak ,
Alena Šefčáková ,
Dan Comeskey ,
Thibaut Devièse  and
Tom F G Higham
Rachel J A Hopkins*
Affiliation:
Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, UK Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, USA
Mateja Hajdinjak
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany Francis Crick Institute in London, UK
Alena Šefčáková
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Slovak National Museum – Natural History Museum, Bratislava, Slovakia
Dan Comeskey
Affiliation:
Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, UK
Thibaut Devièse
Affiliation:
Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, UK
Tom F G Higham
Affiliation:
Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, UK
*
*Corresponding author: contact@rjahopkins.com
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Abstract

Human remains from the (late) Middle Paleolithic remain rare. Improving our understanding of their spatio-temporal distribution is essential for obtaining insights into human evolution and the dynamics between Neanderthals and early Anatomically Modern Humans (AMHs). We present the single-amino-acid radiocarbon dating and ancient DNA results from the only Neanderthal skeletal remains known in Slovakia (Šal’a I and Šal’a II). As they were found without archaeological context and in secondary deposition, recontextualization is important. By employing the hydroxyproline radiocarbon dating method, we were able to successfully counteract contamination issues and circumvent problems caused by highly degraded collagen. By contrast, DNA analysis did not detect any endogenous DNA at the limits of our resolution. We conclude that the radiocarbon ages of >44,800 BP (OxA-X-2731-16) and >45,100 (OxA-X-2731-15) firmly place the two individuals in the Middle Paleolithic, and before the arrival of AMHs to the region. Furthermore, indirect evidence based on morphology and possibly related faunal remains suggest ages younger than 100 ka. This time frame coincides with a period in which Neanderthal populations were highly dispersed in Europe, yet in decline.

Keywords

ancient DNAMiddle PaleolithicNeanderthalsradiocarbon dating
Type
Research Article
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 64 , Issue 1 , February 2022 , pp. 87 - 100
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© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press for the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona

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