Within Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula lie significant archaeological locations from the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition. Among these is the Starosele site, where researchers have unearthed a nearly 5-centimeter Neanderthal bone fragment, estimated to be between 46,000 and 44,000 years old. Genetic analysis of its mitochondrial DNA has revealed a close affiliation with Neanderthals from the Altai region. This finding suggests extensive long-range movements by Neanderthal populations across the Eurasian continent. Such migrations, likely facilitated by favorable climatic periods, may have coincided with the dissemination of the Micoquian lithic industry, pointing to both cultural continuity and considerable interregional mobility during the Late Pleistocene epoch.
A group of Neanderthals in a cave. Image credit: Tyler B. Tretsven.
The Crimean Peninsula boasts a wealth of well-preserved, stratified Paleolithic excavation sites, many of which encapsulate the biocultural and hominin occupation transition period, roughly spanning 47,000 to 42,000 years ago.
Prior radiocarbon dating has led to the designation of the peninsula as a potential sanctuary for Neanderthals in their final stages before extinction.
Starosele, a rock shelter situated in a deep canyon, features four distinct strata of archaeological significance and has been the subject of investigation since 1952.
“The site’s excavated layers yield a profusion of cultural artifacts,” stated Emily Pigott, a doctoral candidate at the University of Vienna, alongside her colleagues.
“Strata 1, 2, and 4 are associated with a lithic industry known as the Crimean Micoquian, which is attributed to Neanderthals.”
Within the scope of this research, the investigators’ objective was to identify potential human skeletal fragments amidst thousands of bone shards recovered from the Starosele locale.
Out of the 150 bone fragments subjected to analysis, 97.3% retained sufficient collagen for accurate taxonomic classification.
Approximately 93% of the identified animal remains were attributed to horses and deer, with smaller quantities of mammoth and wolf. This composition indicates that Paleolithic inhabitants of Crimea likely depended heavily on equids for sustenance and resources.
Notably, one particular bone fragment, measuring a mere 49.8 mm in length and 18.8 mm in width, was conclusively identified as hominin.
Radiocarbon dating placed this specimen within a temporal window of 46,000 to 45,000 years ago, a period proximate to the Neanderthal extinction event and the subsequent expansion of Homo sapiens populations in Western Europe.
“This represented an exceptionally thrilling discovery, particularly given that prior human remains at Starosele were presumed to be Homo sapiens from considerably more recent eras,” commented Pigott.
“Upon reception of the radiocarbon dating results, we became certain of the discovery of a truly Paleolithic human.”
“Across the Eurasian landmass, remarkably few human fossils dating to this critical epoch of Neanderthal decline and Homo sapiens ascendancy are known, and even fewer with resultant genetic data.”
Subsequently, the researchers successfully extracted and sequenced a mitochondrial genome from this bone, confirming the individual’s lineage as Neanderthal.
The resulting mitogenome exhibits clustering patterns with other Neanderthal mitogenomes previously sequenced from the Siberian Altai region.
“Intriguingly, this individual demonstrated the closest genetic affinity to Neanderthals from Siberia’s Altai territory, situated over 3,000 kilometers eastward, as well as to Neanderthal populations that once inhabited areas of Europe, such as Croatia,” the study authors reported.
“These findings corroborate prior research suggesting extensive geographic dispersion of Neanderthals across Eurasia during the Late Pleistocene, extending from central Europe to central Eurasia.”
“This investigation firmly establishes the Crimean Peninsula as a pivotal nexus within this Neanderthal migratory pathway.”
The comprehensive study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Emily M. Pigott et al. 2025. A new Late Neanderthal from Crimea reveals long-distance connections across Eurasia. PNAS 122 (45): e2518974122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2518974122
