Exploring the Potential of the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Site Korolevo II (Ukraine): New Results on Stratigraphy, Chronology and Archaeological Sequence

The site of Korolevo II in western Ukraine, located in the border area between central and eastern Europe, is mainly known for its Early Upper Palaeolithic assemblage, argued in the past to represent an assemblage at the transition from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic. Hence, the site holds a potential for a better understanding of the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic transition and the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans. Here we report on our new fieldwork between 2015 and 2017, which provided a new view on the stratigraphy, chronology and archaeological sequence of the site. We present a new assessment of the stratigraphy, new Upper Palaeolithic assemblages and first radiocarbon dates for some of them. Our results show the great potential of the site and contribute to a better understanding of a key sequence along the northern fringe of the Pannonian Basin. Of special interest is the assemblage of cultural layer D, adding to our understanding of the first Upper Palaeolithic assemblages and their diversity across western Eurasia.