Beyond Caves: Exploring the Diversity and Adaptation of Early Human Settlement Patterns in East-Central Europe

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Variability within the Aurignacian: New Research Outlooks" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

While caves have traditionally been seen as prime habitats for early hominins, the prevalence of open-air Aurignacian sites in East-Central Europe has long invited a broader investigation into the spatial preferences and adaptive strategies of early humans in the region. One such early adaptation that has been suggested are open-air shelters. Despite their potential significance, the archaeological record of early Upper Paleolithic open-air structures, remains fragmentary and poorly understood, prompting a necessary shift in research methodologies.

The HOME project aims to uncover and assess the diversity of human shelters in East-Central Europe during the early Upper Paleolithic through systematic surveys and excavations. This research employs a cross-disciplinary approach including digital ethnographic datasets, geophysical prospection, and stratigraphically controlled excavations. The aim is to address different aspects of Paleolithic shelter archaeology, focusing on typological diversity, refining predictive models for field surveys, and comparing human habitation in local caves.

Beyond documentation, the project seeks to reconstruct the socio-economic dynamics of early Upper Paleolithic settlements, and the adaptive strategies employed by early humans. An expected outcome is to illuminate technological innovations and social practices that shaped human existence, revealing the multifunctional roles of these structures beyond serving as barriers against harsh environmental conditions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Variability within the Aurignacian: New Research Outlooks

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51116