Skip to main content

The Importance of Croatian Pleistocene Hominin Finds in the Study of Human Evolution

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology ((VERT))

Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss Croatian sites that have yielded human skeletal remains from the Pleistocene. These include the well-known Neandertal localities Hušnjakovo (at Krapina) and Vindija cave, as well as the Late Upper Paleolithic hominin fossil site Šandalja II cave in Istria. The Krapina site played an important role in the historical development of paleoanthropology and is still the Neandertal site with the largest known minimum number of skeletal individuals to date. Finds from Vindija cave belong to one of the latest Neandertal groups in Europe and provide data for the study of both their behavioral, as well as biological characteristics (including genomics studies). The Šandalja II cave in Istria is the only site in Croatia with direct association of human skeletal finds and the late Paleolithic, an Epigravettian industry, providing us with data on the anatomy and behavior of the Late Paleolithic inhabitants of this region.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abi-Rached, L., Jobin, M. J., Kulkarni, S., McWhinnie, A., Dalva, K., Gragert, L., et al. (2011). The shaping of modern human immune systems by multiregional admixture with archaic humans. Science, 334(6052), 89–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahern, J. C. M. (1998). Late Pleistocene frontals of the Hrvatsko Zagorje: An analysis of intrapopulational variation in South Central European Neandertals. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahern, J. C. M., Janković, I., Voisin, J.-L., & Smith, F. H. (2013). Modern human origins in Central Europe. In F. H. Smith & J. C. M. Ahern (Eds.), The origins of modern humans: Biology reconsidered (pp. 151–221). Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ahern, J. C. M., Karavanić, I., Paunović, I., Janković, I., & Smith, F. H. (2004). New discoveries and interpretations of hominid fossils and artifacts from Vindija Cave, Croatia. Journal of Human Evolution, 46, 25–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahern, J. C. M., Lee, S.-H., & Hawks, J. (2002). The late Neandertal supraorbital fossils from Vindija Cave, Croatia: A biased sample? Journal of Human Evolution, 43, 419–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahern, J. C. M., & Smith, F. H. (1993). The transitional nature of the late Neanderthal mandibles from Vindija Cave, Croatia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 16, 47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, S. A. (2006). Beyond shovel-shaped incisors: Neandertal dental morphology in a comparative context. Periodicum Biologorum, 108, 253–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barić, L. (1978). Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger i otkriće krapinskog pračovjeka. In M. Malez (Ed.), Krapinski pračovjek i evolucija hominida (pp. 23–51). Zagreb: Jugoslavenska Akademija Znanosti i Umjetnosti.

    Google Scholar 

  • Batović, Š. (1965). Prvi paleolitski nalazi u srednjoj Dalmaciji. Diadora, 3, 205–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Batović, Š. (1988). Paleolitički i mezolitički ostaci s Dugog otoka. Poročilo o raziskovanju paleolita, neolita in eneolita v Sloveniji, 16, 7–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benazzi, S., Douka, K., Fornai, C., Bauer, C., Kullmer, O., Svoboda, J., et al. (2011). The early dispersal of modern humans in Europe and implications for Neanderthal behaviour. Nature, 479, 525–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blaser, F., Kurtanjek, D., & Paunović, M. (2002). L’industrie du site néandertalien de la grotte de Vindija (Croatie): une révision des matières premières lithiques. L’Anthropologie, 106, 387–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowler, P. (1986). Theories of human evolution: A century of debate 1844–1944. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brajković, D. (1998). Šandalja. Histria Archaeologica, 29, 5–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bräuer, G. (1989). The evolution of modern humans: A comparison of the African and non-African evidence. In C. B. Stringer & P. Mellars (Eds.), The human revolution (pp. 121–154). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruner, K. M. (2009). Testing stratigraphic integrity of Upper and Middle Paleolithic deposits in Vindija Cave (Croatia): A chipped stone refitting analysis. Unpublished Master Theses, University of Kansas, Lawrence.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cartmill, M., & Smith, F. H. (2009). The human lineage. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, J., Shiel, R., & Batović, Š. (1996). The changing face of Dalmatia: Archaeological and ecological studies in a Mediterranean landscape. London: Leicester University press, The Socety of Antiquaries of London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiarelli, B. (2004). Spongiform encelopathy, cannibalism and Neanderthal extinction. Human Evolution, 19, 81–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dinçer, B. (2016). The Lower Paleolithic in Turkey: Anatolia and hominin dispersals out of Africa. In K. Harvati & M. Roksandic (Eds.), Paleoanthropology of the Balkans and Anatolia: Human evolution and its context (pp. 213–228). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dupont, E. (1866). Etude sur les fouilles scientifiques executees pendant l’hiver de 1865–1866 dans les cavernes des bords de la Lesse. Bulletin de l’Academie Royal de Belgique, 22, 44–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraipont, J., & Lohest, M. (1886). La race humaine de Néandertal ou de Cannstadt, en Belgique. Bulletins de l'Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, 12, 741–784.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frayer, D. W. (2006). The Krapina Neandertals. A comprehensive, centennial, illustrated bibliography. Zagreb: Croatian Natural History Museum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frayer, D. W., Orschiedt, J., Cook, J., Russell, M. D., & Radovčić, J. (2006). Krapina 3: Cut marks and ritual behavior? Periodicum Biologorum, 108, 519–524.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fu, Q., Hajdinjak, M., Moldovan, O. T., Constantin, S., Mallick, S., Skoglund, P., et al. (2015). An early modern human from Romania with a recent Neanderthal ancestor. Nature, 524(7564), 216–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu, Q., Li, H., Moorjani, P., Jay, F., Slepchenko, S., Bondarev, A., et al. (2014). Genetic sequence of a 45,000-year old modern human from western Siberia. Nature, 514, 445–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, J. C., & Smith, F. H. (2006). The paleopathology of the Krapina Neandertals. Periodicum Biologorum, 108, 471–484.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorjanović-Kramberger, D. (1901). Der paläolitische Mensch und seine Zeitgenossen aus der Diluvium von Krapina in Kroatien. Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 31, 164–197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorjanović-Kramberger, D. (1902). Der paläeolitische Mensch und seine Zeitgnossen aus dem Diluvium von Krapina in Kroatien II. Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 32, 189–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorjanović-Kramberger, D. (1906). Der Diluvijale Mensch von Krapina in Kroatien. Ein Bertrag zur Paläoanthropologie. Kreidel: Wiesbaden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorjanović-Kramberger, D. (1913). Život i kultura diluvijalnoga čovjeka iz Krapine u Hrvatskoj. Zagreb: JAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorjanović-Kramberger, D. (1918). Pračovjek iz Krapine. Priroda, 7, 155–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, R. E., Krause, J., Briggs, A. W., Maričić, T., Stenzel, U., Kircher, M., et al. (2010). A draft sequence of the Neandertal genome. Science, 328, 710–722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammer, M. F., Woerner, A. E., Mendez, F. L., Watkins, J. C., & Wall, J. D. (2011). Genetic evidence for archaic admixture in Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(37), 15123–15128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harvati, K. (2016). Paleoanthropology in Greece: Recent findings and interpretations. In K. Harvati & M. Roksandic (Eds.), Paleoanthropology of the Balkans and Anatolia: Human evolution and its context (pp. 3–14). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvati, K., & Roksandic, M. (2016). The human fossil record from Romania: Early Upper Paleolithic Europeans and possible evidence for Neanderthal admixture. In K. Harvati & M. Roksandic (Eds.), Paleoanthropology of the Balkans and Anatolia: Human evolution and its context. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawks, J., & Throckmorton, Z. (2013). The relevance of archaic genomes to modern humans origins. In F. H. Smith & C. M. Ahern (Eds.), The origins of modern humans: Biology reconsidered (pp. 339–354). New York: Wiley.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hedges, R. E. M., Housley, R. A., Bronk-Ramsey, C., & Van Klinken, G. J. (1994). Radiocarbon dates from the Oxford AMS system. Archaeometry, 36, 337–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrera, J. K., Somarelli, J. A., Lowery, R. K., & Herrera, R. J. (2009). To what extent did Neanderthals and modern humans interact? Biological Reviews, 84, 245–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higham, T., Jacobi, R., Julien, M., David, F., Basell, L., Wood, R., et al. (2010). Chronology of the Grotte du Renne (France) and implications for the context of ornaments and human remains within the Châtelperronian. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 107, 20234–20239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higham, T., Ramsey, C. B., Karavanić, I., Smith, F. H., & Trinkaus, E. (2006). Revised direct radiocarbon dating of the Vindija G1 Upper Paleolithic Neandertals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 103, 553–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horvat, J., & Ravlić, J. (1956). Pisma Ljudevitu Gaju. Građa za povijest književnosti Hrvatske, knjiga 26. Zagreb: JAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howell, F. C. (1957). The evolutionary significance of variation and varieties of “Neanderthal” man. Quarterly Review of Biology, 32, 330–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howell, F. (1984). Introduction. In F. Smith & F. Spencer (Eds.), Origins of modern humans: A world survey of the fossil evidence (pp. xiii–xxii). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hublin, J.-J., Spoor, F., Braun, M., Zonneveld, F., & Condemi, S. (1996). A late Neanderthal associated with Upper Palaeolithic artefacts. Nature, 381, 224–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hublin, J.-J., Talamo, S., Julien, M., David, F., Connet, N., Bodu, N. P., et al. (2012). Radiocarbon dates from the Grotte du Renne and Saint-Césaire support a Neandertal origin for the Châtelperronian. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 109, 18743–18748.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huxley, T. H. (1862). On fossil remains of man. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Great Britain, 3, 420–422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huxley, T. H. (1863). Evidence as to man’s place in nature. London: Williams and Norgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janković, I., Ahern, J. C. M., Karavanić, I., Stockton, T., & Smith, F. H. (2012). Epigravettian human remains and artifacts from Šandalja II, Istria, Croatia. PaleoAnthropology, 2012, 87–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janković, I., Karavanić, I., Ahern, J. C. M., Brajković, D., Mauch Lenardić, J., & Smith, F. H. (2006). Vindija Cave and the modern human peopling of Europe. Collegium Antropologicum, 30, 457–466.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janković, I., Karavanić, I., Ahern, J. C. M., Brajković, D., Mauch Lenardić, J., & Smith, F. H. (2011). Archaeological, paleontological and genomic perspectives on late European Neandertals at Vindija Cave, Croatia. In S. Condemi & G.-C. Weniger (Eds.), Continuity and discontinuity in the peopling of Europe. One hundred fifty years of Neanderthal study (pp. 299–313). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kallay, J. (1970a). Komparativne napomene o čeljustima krapinskih praljudi s obzirom na položaj među hominidima. In M. Malez (Ed.), Krapina 1899–1969 (pp. 153–161). Zagreb: JAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kallay, J. (1970b). Osobitosti zubi krapinskih neandertalaca. In M. Malez (Ed.), Krapina 1899–1969 (pp. 165–174). Zagreb: JAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kallay, J. (1978). Neke značajnosti zubi i njihova upotreba u krapinskog neandertalca. In M. Malez (Ed.), Krapinski pračovjek i evolucija hominida (pp. 145–154). Zagreb: JAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I. (1995). Upper Paleolithic occupation levels and late-occuring Neandertal at Vindija Cave (Croatia) in the context of Central Europe and the Balkans. Journal of Anthropological Research, 51, 9–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I. (1999). Gornji paleolitik Šandalje II u okviru jadranske regije. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Zagreb.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I. (2000). Research on the Middle Paleolithic in Dalmatia, Croatia. Antiquity, 74, 777–778.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I. (2003). L’industrie aurignacienne de la grotte de Šandalja II (Istrie, Croatie) dans le contexte de la région de l’est de l’Adriatique. L’Anthropologie, 107, 577–602.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I., & Čondić, N. (2006). Probno sondiranje Velike pećine u Kličevici kod Benkovca. Obavijesti HAD-a, 38(2), 45–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I., & Janković, I. (2007). Srednji i rani gornji paleolitik u Hrvatskoj/The Middle and Early Upper Paleolithic in Croatia. Opuscula Archaeologica, 30, 21–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I., & Janković, I. (2010). Šandalja II i problem orinjasijenske industrije u istočnom Jadranskom području/Šandalja II and the Problem of Aurignacian Industry in the Eastern Adriatic. In D. Komšo (Ed.), 100 Godina Arheološkog Muzeja Istre u Puli. Nova Istraživanja u Hrvatskoj (pp. 35–59). Zagreb/Pula: Hrvatsko Arheološko Društvo/Arheološki Muzej Istre u Puli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I., Miracle, P. T., Culiberg, M., Kurtanjek, D., Zupanič, J., Golubić, V., et al. (2008). The Middle Paleolithic from Mujina pećina, Dalmatia, Croatia. Journal of Field Archaeology, 33, 259–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I., & Smith, F. H. (1998). The Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface and the relationship of Neanderthals and early modern humans in the Hrvatsko Zagorje, Croatia. Journal of Human Evolution, 34, 223–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I., & Smith, F. H. (2011). Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface at Vindija Cave (Croatia) in the context of central Europe and the Adriatic. In A. P. Derevianko & M. V. Shunkov (Eds.), Characteristic features of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in Eurasia (pp. 124–134). Novosibirsk: Institute of Archaeology and Etnography SB RAS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I., Šošić, R., Ahern, J. C. M., Čondić, N., Janković, I., Zubčić, K., et al. (2016). Recent research on the Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface in Croatia in the context of Central and SE Europe. In K. Harvati & M. Roksandic (Eds.), Paleoanthropology of the Balkans and Anatolia: Human evolution and its context (pp. 153–169). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karavanić, I., Vukosaljević, N., Šošić, R., Kurtanjek, D., & Zupanič, J. (2013). Litička i koštana industrija epigravetijenskih slojeva Šandalje II kod Pule. Vjesnik za arheologiju i povijest dalmatinsku, 106, 7–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kesterke, M. J., & Ahern, J. C. M. (2007). Is the late mandibular sample from Vindija Cave (Croatia) biased? Collegium Antropologicum, 31, 365–373.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, W. (1864). The reputed fossil Man of Neanderthal. Quaterly Journal of Science, 1, 88–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krause, J., Orlando, L., Serre, D., Viola, B., Prüfer, K., Richards, M., et al. (2007). Neandertals in Central Asia and Siberia. Nature, 449, 902–904.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krings, M., Capelli, C., Tschentscher, F., Geisert, H., Meyer, S., von Haeseler, A., et al. (2000). A view of Neandertal genetic diversity. Nature Genetics, 26, 144–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leroi-Gourhan, A. (1958). Etude sur des restes humains provenant des grottes d’Arcy-sur-Cure. Annales de Paleontologie, 44, 87–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lévêque, F., & Vandermeersch, B. (1980). Découverte de restes humains dans un niveau castelperronien à Saint-Cesaire (Charente Maritime). Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences Paris, D291, 187–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lohse, K., & Frantz, A. F. (2014). Neandertal admixture in Eurasia confirmed by Maximum likelyhood analysis of three genomes. Genetics, 96(4), 1241–1245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M. (1963). Istraživanje pleistocenske stratigrafije i faune u 1962. godini. Ljetopis jugoslavenske Akademije Znanosti i Umjetnosti, 690, 305–313.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M. (1965). Nalazišta fosilnih hominida u Hrvatskoj. Geoloski Vjesnik, 18, 309–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M. (1970). Paleolitska kultura Krapine u svjetlu novijih istraživanja. In M. Malez (Ed.), Krapina 1899–1969 (pp. 57–119). Zagreb: JAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M. (1972). Ostaci fosilnog čovjeka iz gornjeg pleistocena Šandalje kod Pule (Istra). Paleontologia Jugoslavica, 12, 5–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M. (1974). Über die bedeutung der entdeckung von geröllgeräten in den villafranchiumschichten der Šandalja I in Istrien (Kroatien, Jugoslawien). Bulletin scientifique Cons. Academie Yougoslavie, 19, 79–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M. (1975). O značenju otkrića ostataka roda Homo u naslagama vilafranka Šandalje I kod Pule. Rad jugoslavenske Akademije Znanosti i Umjetnosti, 371, 181–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M. (1979). Nalazišta paleolitskog i mezolitskog doba u Hrvatskoj. In A. Benac (Ed.), Praistorija Jugoslavenskih Zemalja I (pp. 195–295). Sarajevo: Svjetlost.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M. (1980). Sites of fossil men in Yugoslavia. Collegium Antropologicum, 4, 13–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M. (1983). Razvoj kvartara, fosilnog čovjeka i njegovih materijalnih kultura na tlu Sjeverne Hrvatske. In Posebni otisak iz knjige «Varaždinski Zbornik». Varaždin: JAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M. (1987). Pregled paleolitičkih i mezolitičkih kultura na području Istre. In Arheološka istraživanja u Istri i Hrvatskom primorju. Pula: Izdanja Hrvatskog Arheološkog Društva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M., & Rukavina, D. (1979). Položaj naslaga spilje Vindije u sustavu članjenja kvartara šireg područja Alpa. Rad JAZU, 383, 187–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M., Smith, F. H., Radovčić, J., & Rukavina, D. (1980). Upper Pleistocene hominids from Vindija Cave, Croatia, Yugoslavia. Current Anthropology, 21, 365–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malez, M., & Vogel, J. C. (1969). Rezultati određivanja apsolutne starosti pleistocenskih naslaga Šandalje II kod Pule u Istri. Geoloski Vjesnik, 22, 121–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mann, A., & Trinkaus, E. (1974). Neandertal and Neandertal-like fossils from the Upper Pleistocene. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, 17, 169–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendez, F. L., Watkins, J. C., & Hammer, M. F. (2012). A haplotype at STAT2 introgressed from Neanderthals and serves as a candidate of positive selection in Papua New Guinea. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 91, 265–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mendez, L. F., Watkins, J. C., & Hammer, M. F. (2013). Neandertal origin of genetic variation at the cluster of OAS immunity genes. Molecular Biolology and Evolution, 30(4), 798–801.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minugh-Purvis, N., Radovčić, J., & Smith, F. H. (2000). Krapina 1: A juvenile Neandertal from the Early Later Pleistocene of Croatia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 111, 393–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miracle, P. T. (1995). Broad-spectrum adaptations re-examined: Hunter-gatherer responses to late glacial environmental changes in the eastern Adriatic. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Michigan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Montet-White, A. (1996). Le Paléolithique en ancienne Yougoslavie. Grenoble: Jérôme Million.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oakley, K. P., & Hoskins, C. R. (1950). New evidence on the antiquity of Piltdown man. Nature, 165, 379–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oakley, K. P., & Weiner, J. S. (1953). Chemical examination of the Piltdown implements. Nature, 172, 1110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paunović, M., Jambrešić, G., Brajković, D., Malez, V., & Mauch Lenardić, J. (2001). Last glacial settlement of Croatia: Catalogue of fossil sites dated to the OIS 2 and 3. Acta Geologica, 26, 27–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prüfer, K., Racimo, F., Patterson, N., Jay, F., Sankararaman, S., Sawyer, S., et al. (2014). The complete genome sequence of a Neanderthal from the Altai Mountains. Nature, 505, 43–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radovčić, J. (1988). Gorjanović-Kramberger i krapinski pračovjek. Zagreb: Hrvatski prirodoslovni muzej i Školska Knjiga.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reich, D., Green, R., Kircher, M., Krause, J., Patterson, N., Durand, E., et al. (2010). Genetic history of an archaic hominin group from Denisova Cave in Siberia. Nature, 468, 1053–1060.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rink, J. W., Schwarcz, H., Smith, F. H., & Radovčić, J. (1995). ESR ages for Krapina Hominids. Nature, 378, 24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roksandic, M. (2016). The role of the Central Balkans in the peopling of Europe: Paleoanthropological evidence. In K. Harvati & M. Roksandic (Eds.), Paleoanthropology of the Balkans and Anatolia: Human evolution and its context (pp. 15–33). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, M. D. (1987a). Bone breakage in the Krapina hominid collection. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 72, 373–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, M. D. (1987b). Mortuary practices at the Krapina Neandertal site. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 72, 381–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Quinto, F., Botigué, L. R., Civit, S., Arenas, C., Ávila-Arcos, M. C., Bustamante, C. D., et al. (2012). North African populations carry the signature of admixture with Neandertals. PLoS One, 7(10), e47765.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sankararaman, S., Mallick, S., Dannemann, M., Prüfer, K., Kelso, J., Pääbo, S., et al. (2014). The genomic landscape of Neanderthal ancestry in present-day humans. Nature, 507(7492), 354–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sankararaman, S., Patterson, N., Li, H., Pääbo, S., & Reich, D. (2012). The date of interbreeding between Neandertals and Modern Humans. PLoS Genetics, 8(10), e1002947.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaaffhausen, H. (1857). Vortrag vom 2. Juni zu den Men-schenknochen aus dem Neandertal. Verhandl. Naturhistorischer Verein der Rheinlande und Westfalens, 14, 50–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaaffhausen, H. (1858). Zur Kenntniß der altensten Rassenschadel. Mullers Archiv, 5, 453–478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaaffhausen, H. (1880). Funde in der Schipkahohle in Mahren. Verhandlungen des naturhistorisches Vereins der preussiichen Rhenilande und Westfalens, 73, 260–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaaffhausen, H. (1888). Der Neanderthaler Fund. Bonn: Marcus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwalbe, G. (1906). Studien zur Vorgeschichte des Menschen. Stuttgart: Schweizerbart’sche.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Seguin-Orlando, A., Korneliussen, T., Sikora, M., Malaspinas, A.-S., Manica, A., Moltke, I., et al. (2014). Genomic structure in Europeans dating back at least 36,200 years. Science, 346, 1113–1118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serre, D., Langaney, A., Chech, M., Teschler-Nicola, M., Paunović, M., Hofreiter, M., et al. (2004). No evidence of Neandertal mtDNA contribution to early Modern Humans. PLoS Biology, 2, 313–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simek, J. F. (1991). Stone tool assemblages from Krapina (Croatia, Yugoslavia). In A. Montet-White & S. Holen (Eds.), Raw material economies among prehistoric hunter-gatherers (pp. 59–71). Lawrence: University of Kansas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simek, J. F., & Smith, F. H. (1997). Chronological changes in stone tool assemblages from Krapina (Croatia). Journal of Human Evolution, 32, 561–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Škerlj, B. (1958). Were Neanderthalers the only inhabitants of Krapina? Bulletin Scientifique Yougoslavie, 4, 44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. H. (1976a). A fossil hominid frontal from Velika pećina (Croatia) and a consideration of Upper Pleistocene Hominids from Yugoslavia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 44, 127–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. H. (1976a). The Neandertal remains from Krapina: A descriptive and comparative study (Reports of Investigation No. 15). Knoxville: University of Tennessee.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. H. (1982). Upper Pleistocene hominid evolution in South-Central Europe: A review of the evidence and analysis of trends. Current Anthropology, 23, 667–703.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. H. (1984). Fossil hominids from the Upper Pleistocene of Central Europe and the origin of modern Europeans. In F. H. Smith & F. Spencer (Eds.), The origins of modern humans: A world survey of the fossil evidence (pp. 137–209). New York: A. R. Liss.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. H. & Smith, M. O. (1986), On the significance of anomalous nasal bones in the Neanderthal from Krapina. Anthropos, 23, 217–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. H. (1992). The role of continuity in human evolution. In G. Bräuer & F. H. Smith (Eds.), Continuity or replacement? Controversies in Homo sapiens evolution (pp. 145–156). Rotterdam: Balkema.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. H. (1994). Samples, species and speculations in the study of modern human origins. In M. H. Nitecki & D. V. Nitecki (Eds.), Origins of anatomically modern humans (pp. 227–249). New York: Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. H., Boyd, D. C., & Malez, M. (1985). Additional Upper Pleistocene human remains from Vindija Cave, Croatia, Yugoslavia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 68, 375–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. H., & Ranyard, G. C. (1980). Evolution of the supraorbital region in Upper Pleistocene fossil hominids from South-Central Europe. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 53, 589–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. H., Trinkaus, E., Pettitt, P. B., Karavanić, I., & Paunović, M. (1999). Direct radiocarbon dates for Vindija G1 and Velika pećina Late Pleistocene hominid remains. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 96, 12281–12286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sollas, W. (1907). On the cranial and facial characters of the Neanderthal race. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 199, 321–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Street, M., Terberger, T., & Orschiedt, J. (2006). A critical review of the German Paleolithic hominin record. Journal of Human Evolution, 51(6), 551–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stringer, C., & Bräuer, G. (1994). Methods, misreadings, and bias. American Anthropologist, 96(2), 416–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomić-Karović, K. (1970). Krapinski neandertalac i kanibalizam. In M. Malez (Ed.), Krapina 1899–1969 (pp. 181–186). Zagreb: JAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trinkaus, E. (1985). Cannibalism and burial at Krapina. Journal of Human Evolution, 14, 203–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trinkaus, E., Moldovan, O., Milota, S., Bîlgăr, A., Sarcina, L., Athreya, S., et al. (2003). An early modern human from the Peştera cu Oase, Romania. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100, 11231–11236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trinkaus, E., & Shipman, P. (1993). The Neandertals: Changing the image of mankind. New York: A.A. Knopf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trinkaus, E., & Smith, F. H. (1995). Body size of the Vindija Neandertals. Journal of Human Evolution, 28, 201–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ullrich, H. (1989). Neandertal remains from Krapina and Vindija—Mortuary practices, burials or cannibalism? Humanbiol Budapest, 19, 15–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ullrich, H. (2006). Krapina—A mortuary practice site with cannibalistic rites. Periodicum Biologorum, 108, 503–517.

    Google Scholar 

  • Virchow, V. (1872). Unterschung des Neanderthal-schädels. Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, 4, 157–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vuković, S. (1935). Istraživanje prethistorijskog nalazišta u spilji Vindiji kod Voće. Varaždin: Spomenica varaždinskog muzeja.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vuković, S. (1949). Prethistorijsko nalazište spilje Vindije. Historijski Zbornik, 2, 243–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vuković, S. (1950). Paleolitska kamena industrija spilje Vindije. Historijski Zbornik, 3, 241–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vuković, S. (1962/1963). Paleolitska kamena industrija nalazišta Punikve kod Ivanca. Godišnjak Gradskog muzeja Varaždin, 2-3, 23–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wall, J. D., Yang, M. A., Jay, F., Kim, S. K., Durand, E. Y., Stevison, L. S., et al. (2013). Higher levels of Neanderthal ancestry in East Asians than in Europeans. Genetics, 194, 199–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, T. D., & Toth, N. (1991). The question of ritual cannibalism at Grotta Guattar. Current Anthropology, 32, 118–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wild, E. M., Paunović, M., Rabeder, G., Steffan, G., & Steier, P. (2001). Age determination of fossil bones from the Vindija Neanderthal site in Croatia. Radiocarbon, 43, 1021–1028.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolpoff, M. H. (1978). The dental remains from Krapina. In M. Malez (Ed.), Krapinski pračovjek i evolucija hominida (pp. 119–144). Zagreb: JAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolpoff, M. H. (1979). The Krapina dental remains. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 50, 64–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolpoff, M. H. (1999). Paleoanthropology (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolpoff, M. H., Smith, F. H., Malez, M., Radovčić, J., & Rukavina, D. (1981). Upper Pleistocene human remains from Vindija cave, Croatia, Yugoslavia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 54, 499–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yotova, V., Lefebvre, J.-F., Moreau, C., Gbeha, E., Hovhannesyan, K., Bourgeois, S., et al. (2011). An X-linked haplotype of Neandertal origin is present among all non-African populations. Molecular Biolology and Evolution, 28(7), 1957–1962.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zilhão, J. (2009). Szeletian, not Aurignacian: A review of the chronology and cultural associations of the Vindija G1 Neandertals. In M. Camps & P. Chauhan (Eds.), Sourcebook of Paleolithic transitions (pp. 407–426). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Authors would like to thank the organizers of the International symposium “Human evolution in the Southern Balkans” held in Tübingen, Germany, in December of 2012, for inviting us to participate. The organizational skills of Katerina Harvati and Vangelis Tourloukis, along with the many student volunteers in their team made our stay a most pleasant experience. We also thank Katerina Harvati and Mirjana Roksandic for editing this volume. Our results are based on research that was partially supported by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, the U.S. Fulbright Foundation, the University of Wyoming, and Illinois State University. We also thank our colleague David Strait and the anonymous reviewers for their comments. All mistakes are, of course, our responsibility.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ivor Janković .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Janković, I., Ahern, J.C.M., Karavanić, I., Smith, F.H. (2016). The Importance of Croatian Pleistocene Hominin Finds in the Study of Human Evolution. In: Harvati, K., Roksandic, M. (eds) Paleoanthropology of the Balkans and Anatolia. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0874-4_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics