82 The Extinction of the European Neanderthals During Isotope Stage 3
Wednesday, 30 July 2003
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
THE DANUBE CORRIDOR MODEL FOR THE COLONIZATION OF EUROPE BY MODERN HUMANS
Paper number: 82-8
Program: SYMPOSIA
Time: 10:10 AM – 10:30 AM
Authors
Abstract
This paper reviews the evidence for the early entry of modern humans into central Europe via the Danube Corridor. The weight of evidence suggests that modern humans arrived in the upper reaches of the Danube and settled in the Swabian Jura by ca. 40.000. This region shows little evidence for the interaction between Neanderthals and modern humans, and it appears that Neanderthals were absent or maintained low population densities in Swabia immediately preceding the arrival of modern humans. This "population vacuum" may well have been a reflection of the rapid climatic fluctuations during oxygen isotope stage 3. This paper presents the newest archaeological, chronological and paleoenvironmental data from the upper Danube region within the context of refining models for the colonization of Europe by modern humans and the replacement of Neanderthals.