Chronological assessments of Quina Neanderthals at De Nadale cave (Italy) using combined uranium-series/electron spin resonance dating of fossil teeth

Abstract

De Nadale Cave is a Neanderthal site located in the Berici Hills of Northeast Italy that provides important insights into regional Middle Paleolithic occupational dynamics. This paper presents the results of the first combined uranium-series and electron spin resonance (U-S/ESR) dating study of herbivore teeth recovered from the site. Three bovid and cervid teeth yield U-S/ESR ages of 79 ± 9 ka, 72 ± 11 ka, and 55 ± 11 ka, with a calculated weighted mean age of 70.1 ± 5.9 ka. These age estimates align with, and further clarify, earlier biochronological findings at De Nadale Cave, as well as previous analyses of charcoal fragments and U/Th dating undertaken on a large herbivore tooth from the site. The new U-S/ESR ages are statistically indistinguishable from the previously published U/Th minimum age of 70.2 +1.0/−0.9 ka when considering their 2σ uncertainty ranges. The consistency of these results supports the reliability of the U-S/ESR chronological framework at De Nadale and indicates that Neanderthal occupation of the site potentially occurred close to the transition between late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 and early MIS 4, providing important insights into Neanderthal occupation patterns during the harsh stadial and transitional climate phases of the Late Pleistocene. More broadly, the improved chronological framework for De Nadale indicates that Middle Paleolithic Quina technology is likely associated with this MIS transition, in accordance with emerging chronological findings from similar archaeological sites across Western Europe.