The proposed article aims to present data on Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) Early Late Upper Paleolithic assemblages from 9 sites in Eastern and Central Europe that compose the same specifi c Epi-Aurignacian industry with Sagaidak-Muralovka-type microliths (EASMM), and which are dated to ca. 25,500–23,000 cal BP. Initially identifi ed in the south of Eastern Europe, where the fi rst 7 such sites were found, later on it was also recognized in Central Europe, more precisely at the Mohelno-Plevovce (Czech Republic) and Rosenburg (Austria) sites. We will present data on those 9 sites, discussing their topographic positions, fi eld research data, analyses of recovered artifacts, including some use-wear information, absolute dates, pollen and/or fauna data. Then we will summarize all this information to get insights into the human subsistence strategies, including technological adaptations, practiced by the groups that inhabited the cold steppe environment of these parts of Europe during the harsh climatic conditions of the LGM. Finally, we will deal with the origins of the EASMM from a Pan-European perspective, discussing its origins and possible scenarios of migration, cultural contact, etc., taking into account the different chronological, archaeological, climatic and paleoenvironmental data.
The site of Mohelno-Plevovce is located on a small plateau near the bottom of a deeply incised Jihlava River canyon. While this concealed position is protected by rocky slopes from the east, north and west, it is exposed to insolation from the south. The site is affected by erosional forces of fluctuating water levels caused by Dalešice pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant since the 1970‘s. The site was intermittently occupied by humans from the Late Upper Paleolithic to recent times as documented by repeated salvage excavations since 2013. Lengyel Culture occupation has already been identified in surface surveys, but corresponding cultural features were not excavated until the last two years. The excavation yielded characteristic material including pottery and stone industry, as well as charcoal which allowed dating and a detailed anthracological analysis. Relative chronology suggests the MMK-Ib phase, while radiocarbon dating places the occupation at the end of MMK-I / beginning of MMK-II phase. Anthracology analyses suggest an open canopy woodland forest as the dominant biome.