News

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- 01.11.2015 to 08.11.2015 Study season of faunal collection from Korman 9 in the Museum of 91探花视频, Kiev

Project zooarchaeologist听P铆a Spry-Marqu茅s spent one week studying the faunal remains of Korman 9 in the Museum听of 91探花视频, Institute of 91探花视频 (National Ukrainian Academy of Sciences), in Kiev.

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The NEMO-ADAP team excavated the site of Korman 9 in 2012 and 2013. The fieldwork resulted in a large faunal collection with a high degree of fragmentation. The dominating animals are horse and reindeer.听

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- 18.10.2015 New soil听micromorphology slides听(produced in the听Charles McBurney Laboratory for Geoarchaeology)听are ready 听and on their way to geoarchaeologist听听(University La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands).

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- 14.09.2015 to 27.09.2015 Fieldwork Korolevo II, Transcarpathia, Ukraine

A small NEMO-ADAP team excavated in two trenches at the site Korolevo II in the Tisza valley, transcarpathian region of Ukraine. Earlier this year (July) we removed backdoor and located old excavation boundaries in preparation of this fieldwork.听

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Korolevo II: One of our two excavation trenches with Upper Palaeolithic

artefacts during a rainy morning break.

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Korolevo II: Artefact cluster during excavation.

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- 24.08.2015 to 26.08.2015听Project members Paul Haesaerts and Larissa Kulakovska presented听preliminary project results in two podium presentations听at the international听soil sciences meeting in Ternopil, Ukraine.

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- 25.07.2015 to 16.08.2015 Fieldwork Neporotovo 7, Ukraine

The NEMO-ADAP team conducted excavations and survey in the Middle Dniestr valley between 25 July and 16 August 2015. Our fieldwork included extended excavations at Neporotovo 7, section cleaning and sampling at Molodova V (reservoir lake shore) and a brief survey of loess exposures between the sites of Korman 9 and Molodova I.听

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Neporotovo 7 directly on the Dniestr River reservoir lake. Excavation trenches and sections are visible.

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Excavations at Neporotovo 7, which has been discovered by NEMO-ADAP personnel in 2012 and excavated since, focused on MIS 4 and MIS 3 deposits as well as on the Middle Pleistocene part of the sequence. We continued to excavate our trench 1/2, which now comprises of an excavated surface of more than 50m2 and includes three archaeological horizons including Upper and Middle Palaeolithic ones. Additionally, we explored the Middle Pleistocene part of the sequence.听

One focus of the work of the NEMO-ADAP team was to collect environmental data to provide an environmental/climatic context for the archaeology at the site. This involved a detailed description and analysis of the exposed sections by project geologists Paul Haesaerts and Stephane Pirson. Sampling included samples for soil micromorphology to describe site formation processes and environmental conditions, magnetic susceptibility and pollen analyses.

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Neporotovo 7: excavation of an archaeological horizon close to the waterline of the reservoir lake. In this area the water activity is eroding an archaeological horizon.听

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Neporotovo 7: Geologist Stephane Pirson is documenting a section in the Middle Pleistocene deposits of the site.

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Large bone from the Middle Pleistocene deposits of Neporotovo 7 during preparation/restoration.

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- 04.07.2015 to 15.07.2015 Fieldwork Korolevo II, Transcarpathia, Ukraine

A small NEMO-ADAP team removed backdoor of recent industrial quarrying activity and started excavating test pits at the site of Korolevo II in the Tisza valley, transcarpathian region of Ukraine. The goal was to locate old excavation areas and to prepare for further fieldwork in September 2015.

Korolevo II:听Removal听of industrial quarrying debris with the help of a caterpillar.

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Korolevo II: excavation of test pits to relocate old excavation听

trenches and archaeological horizons.

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- 24.03.2015 to 29.03.2015 Study season of lithic artefacts, Museum of 91探花视频, Kiev

A small team including Giuseppina Mutri (91探花视频), Elinor Croxall (Leiden University, NL), Vitaly Usik and Larissa Koulakovska (both Museum of 91探花视频, National Academy of Sciences, Kiev) and Philip R Nigst (91探花视频) studied the lithic collections from the Middle Palaeolithic site Neporotovo 7 and the Upper Palaeolithic site Korman 9.听

The Museum of 91探花视频 is located in the basement of the Natural History听Museum in central Kiev.

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- 23.03.2015听NEMO-ADAP听Project Workshop I, Museum of 91探花视频, Kiev

'New research on the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic of the Middle Dniestr, Ukraine'

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The听NEMO-ADAP听Project Workshop I听'New research on the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic of the Middle Dniestr, Ukraine', organised by Larissa听Kulakovska and Philip R Nigst, was held on Monday, 23 March 2015, in听the Museum of 91探花视频, Kiev, Ukraine. About 25 scientists from various institutions in Ukraine, including the National Academy of Sciences, the University of Kiev and the University of Chernivtsi, and from the Universities of Cambridge (UK) and Leiden (NL) attended the workshop.听

Please see听here听for more information and a programme.

Participants of the NEMO-ADAP听Project Workshop I listening to Larissa Kulakovska's presentation on the Middle Palaeolithic site Neporotovo 7.

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- 18.03.2015听NEMO-ADAP听Project Workshop I听upcoming soon: Monday, 23 March 2015

The听NEMO-ADAP听Project Workshop I听'New research on the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic of the Middle Dniestr, Ukraine', organised by Larissa听Kulakovska and Philip R Nigst, will be held on Monday, 23 March 2015, in听the Museum of 91探花视频, Kiev, Ukraine.听

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Museum of 91探花视频 (in听the Natural History Museum), Kiev.

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Please see听here听for more information and a programme.

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- 15.03.2015 to 17.03.2015听Early Upper Palaeolithic Landscapes Workshop 2

More听than听25 researchers - including doctoral students, early career scientists as well as established scholars - discussed for three days new approaches to human uses of landscapes and constraints thereof during the MIS 3. Topics included among others the following themes:

* mobility 听and 听interactions, 听

* 听energetics, 听resource 听economies 听and 听landscapes, 听

* 听population 听dynamics 听across 听space 听and 听time,

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*听 the 听creation 听of 听space 听and 听place.听

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More information can be found听here.

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- 12.03.2015听NEMO-ADAP听Project Workshop I Programme Available to Download

A PDF copy of the programme is available to download听here.

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- 09.03.2015听First Announcement of NEMO-ADAP听Project Workshop I

New research on the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic of the Middle Dniestr, Ukraine

23 March 2015

Museum of 91探花视频, Kiev, Ukraine

Please see听here听for more information.

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- 08.03.2015听Upcoming WORKSHOP in the framework of the NEMO-ADAP Project

Early Upper Palaeolithic Landscapes Workshop 2

15 to 17 March 2015

Cambridge, UK

Please see听here听for more information.

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-听06.11.2014听Oldest modern human genome from Europe published.听

An international team of researchers, including Dr Philip Nigst, Division of 91探花视频 (91探花视频), recovered DNA from a fossil of one of the earliest known Europeans.

Seguin-Orlando et al. 2014, Genomic structure in Europeans dating back at least 36,200 years.听Science,听6听November 2014, 听DOI:听10.1126/science.aaa0114.听

The researchers recovered and sequenced the complete genome of a man who was buried about 37,000 years ago at the site of Kostenki 14 (also known as Markina Gora) in western Russia. The study provides unique insights into the history of the continent. The genome shows that once modern humans had dispersed out of Africa and into Eurasia, they separated at least before 37,000-years ago into at least three populations, whose descendants would develop the unique features that reflect the core of the diversity of non-African modern humans.

Since then, despite major climatic fluctuations, one of these groups - Palaeolithic Europeans - persisted as a population, ebbing and flowing by moments of contraction and expansion, but persisting intertwined until the arrival of farmers from the Middle East in the last 8,000 years, with whom they mixed extensively. The Kostenki and other ancient genomes show that for 30,000-years there was a single meta-population in Europe, consisting of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer groups that split up, mixed, dispersed and changed. Only when farmers from the Near East arrived approximately 8,000 years ago, did the structure of the European population change significantly.听

The study also shows that, as with all living Eurasians, the Kostenki 14 man's genome included a small percentage of Neanderthal genes. While this confirms earlier findings, the current study revealed that the Kostenki 14 individual had a slightly higher percentage of Neanderthal genes than ever observed before. Further, the genetic fragments that this individual inherited from a Neanderthal ancestor are larger, i.e. not yet broken by the thousands of recombination events that have occurred since. This allowed the team of scientists to estimate the time of human-Neanderthal admixture to 54,000 years ago.

Original publication in Science听

DOI:听10.1126/science.aaa0114

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Link to听听section on the webpage of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.

Map of the Kostenki 14 burial (redrawn after R. Klein).

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-听19.09.2014听Project member Philip R Nigst presented a podium presentation听at the annual meeting of the听听in Florence,听Italy, on our survey and excavation work in the Middle Dneistr valley, especially on the Middle Palaeolithic site Neporotovo 7.

Link to the听.

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The ESHE meeting 2014 was held in the听marvellous city of Florence, Italy.

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-听01.09. to 07.09.2014听Project members Philip R Nigst, Paul Haesaerts and Larissa Koulakovska presented five podium presentations听in five sessions of the听听in Burgos, Spain, on our work including the Neanderthal settlement of the Middle Dniestr valley (Ukraine), the Aurignacian occupation in Transcarpathian Ukraine, the chronostratigraphy of Kostenki 14 and the chronostratigraphy and听palaeoenvironmemt of the Gravettian in eastern Europe. Link to听.

Burgos,听XVII UISPP conference: View from the Museo de la Evoluci贸n Humana (left) to the city centre of Burgos.

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-听July/August 2014 Fieldwork in听the Middle Dniestr valley, Ukraine

Members of the NEMO-ADAP project team including Philip R Nigst, Larissa Koulakovska and Vitaly Usik conducted three weeks of fieldwork in the Middle Dniestr valley. We excavated three trenches at the Middle Palaeolithic site Neporotovo 7, which our team discovered during survey in 2012 and excavated test trenches in 2013. We excavated three trenches and documented the sections. Samples for OSL and radiocarbon dating, pollen and soil micro morphology analysis were collected.听

View of the site Neporotovo 7 from the Dniestr reservoir lake.听

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Using the project's total station to document the exact position of lithic artefacts at Neporotovo 7 in August 2014.

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The two main trenches of our 2014 excavations at Neporotovo 7.

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-听June to September 2014听Exhibition in the Museum of 91探花视频, Institute of 91探花视频, National Academy of Science, Kiev, on Palaeolithic art in the听Republic of Ukraine with objects excavated during NEMO-ADAP activities displayed.

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Temporary exhibition in Museum of 91探花视频 - Map showing site locations with Palaeolithic art and some of the showcases with art and personal ornaments (beads, etc.).

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Bone points.

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Personal ornaments including an amber bead (1) and a carnivore tooth pendant (5) from Korman 9.

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Bone and antler tools including Nr 7 discovered during NEMO-ADAP survey and directly radiocarbon dated.

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Temporary exhibition in Museum of 91探花视频 - Map showing site locations with Palaeolithic art and some of the showcases with art and personal ornaments (beads, etc.).

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-听September 2013 Fieldwork at Neporotovo 7, Ukraine

The NEMO-ADAP project team worked at Neporotovo 7 in September 2013. The goal of this second 2013 fieldwork campaign in the Middle Dniestr valley was to explore the lower levels of Neporotovo 7 while the water level of the Dniestr reservoir lake is lower than in July and August.

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-听19.09. to 21.09.2013听Project members Philip R Nigst and Paul Haesaerts presented one podium and one poster presentation at the annual meeting of the听听in Vienna, Austria, on the new chronology of the Steletskian at Kostenki 1 and 12 and on our survey and excavation work in the Middle Dneistr valley.

Link to the听.

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-听13.09.2013听Report about NEMO-ADAP project team's work听in the Dneistr valley in Ukrainian online journal听

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袉蟹薪芯胁褍蟹邪褑褨泻邪胁谢褞褦锌邪谢械芯谢褨褌袛薪褨褋褌褉邪 (interested once again in the Palaeolithic of the Dniester),听.听

Available in PDF听here.

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-听late August and early September 2013听Fieldwork in Transcarpathian Ukraine

In late August and early September a small team around Vitaly Usik excavated at the two sites of Beregovo I and Korolevo II. Both excavation projects focus on the Early Upper Palaeolithic of the Upper Tisza valley. Esp Beregovo I is known for its large collection of Aurignacian lithic artefacts.听

Using the the project's total station at Beregovo I.

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Loading the car after work at the site Beregovo I.

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-听July and August 2013听Fieldwork in the Middle Dniestr valley, Ukraine

Our team including Philip R Nigst, Larissa Koulakovska, Vitaly Usik, Paul Haesaerts, St茅phane Pirson, P铆a Spry-Marqu茅s听and Olesia Kononenko conducted a five week fieldwork season in the Middle Dniestr valley. Our fieldwork focused on the sites of Korman 9 and Neporotovo 7. Korman 9 is an Upper Palaeolithic site, dating to the Late Glacial, and Neporotovo 7 a Middle Palaeolithic site.听

At Korman 9 the team excavated three archaeological horizons in two trenches and collected numerous lithic, faunal, charcoal as well as soil micromorphology and pollen samples. Among other things, we documented a combustion structure (see photo below) with a rather complex depositional history. To disentangle to formation processes of this combustion structure our team collected numerous听soil听micro morphology听samples, studied the micro-stratigraphy and conducted fabric analysis of all elongated lithic and faunal听remains.

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-听June to September 2013听Exhibition in the Museum of 91探花视频, Institute of 91探花视频, National Academy of Science, Kiev, on the NEMO-ADAP project activities since 2012.

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Larissa Koulakovska in the temporary exhibition area of the Museum of 91探花视频 before the official opening of the temporary exhibition on NEMO-ADAP project fieldwork.

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