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Archaeological excavations in the Mala and Kozja caves, near the village of Blizna in the Majdanpek municipality, have collected evidence of life 40,000 years ago when modern man began to inhabit Europe, and evidence has been found that Neanderthals also lived here.
However, until recently the Little and Goat Caves were unknown. The two caves near Majdanpek were unknown to all except recreational mountaineers.
– Speleologist Radenko Lazarević wrote about them and they are not unheard of in professional literature. The new discoveries are incredibly important because they bear witness to possible contact between Neanderthals and modern humans, said archaeologist and professor at the Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy, Dusan Mihajlovic, who worked intensively on the Little and Goat Caves research.
According to him, modern people inhabited Europe 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, from the direction of the Danube region.
– The interior of Djerdap, that is, the Djerdap gorge represents the first obstacle of modern people when they arrived here. They could no longer “get through” with Neanderthals there, and that contact probably happened, explains Professor Mihajlović.
Precisely because of the gathering of evidence about this encounter, archaeologists began to explore the territory of the interior of Djerdap.
– No confirmation yet, but we are looking for it. It was recently discovered in Bulgaria that modern people inhabited the Lower Danube 47,000 years ago, but there is still no evidence of close interactions, says Mihajlović.
Evidence from the Little Caves and Goats
Archaeologists have found the remains of Neanderthals and their culture at these sites. Artifacts, produced by modern people and dating, most likely, to the period 39,500 to 40,500 years ago were also discovered in the Little Cave.
– This is one of the oldest and earliest proofs of the presence of modern man in Southeast Europe – says Mihajlović, adding that the caves are 90 meters apart.
The chunk of jaw (jaw) that was found is a remnant of concrete that is not found often.
– From these remains, we will be able to determine the degree of closeness between Neanderthals and modern humans, and by analyzing ancient DNA and proteins, we will be able to see the connections between those two populations even better – says Mihajlović.
Since the age of Neanderthals varies between 40,000 and 300,000 years ago, it is necessary to determine from what period the remains were found in the caves near Majdanpek. These tests will probably take between six months and a year.
– We will wait for the DNA analysis, but we can examine the material culture in detail, and furthermore, we are looking for testimonies about the cave painting in that area – Mihajlović announced.
During work at the Small and Goat Caves site, the Serbian team cooperated with Professor Mirjana Roksandić from the University of Winnipeg in Canada, and for two weeks the research results will be presented at a meeting of the Paleoanthropological Society of Canada.
The Serbian Ministry of Culture and Information funded this research. In addition to national experts and archeology students, numerous scientists from leading institutions around the world also participate in research.
It’s still half a million years
A 102,000-year-old Neanderthal was found at the Pešturina site near Niš, and the half-million-year-old Homo Heidelbergensis remains were found at Mala Belanica near Sićevo.
Furthermore, in recent years, domestic archaeologists have found anthropological remains between 200,000 and 300,000 years old.
– Our research provides information not only on cultural evolution but also on biological evolution, which is extraordinary – said Professor Mihajlović.
(Kurir.rs/RTS/Foto:RTS print screen)
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