ESR/U-series chronology of the Neanderthal occupation layers at Galería de las Estatuas (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

The Galería de las Estatuas is a Mousterian site located within the Cueva Mayor-Cueva del Silo karstic system at Sierra Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain). This characterised by an important Upper Pleistocene stratigraphic sequence in which large number of lithic artefacts exhibiting clear affinities and rich assemblage faunal remains have been found. Additionally, this has yielded foot phalanx Neanderthal its sediment mitochondrial nuclear DNA. Two test pits, GE-I GE-II, excavated since 2008 divided 5 2 lithostratigraphical units, respectively. A minimum age 45 ka cal BP for was obtained radiocarbon dating GE-II. chronology refined using single-grain Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL: 80–112 70–79 GE-II) thermally transferred OSL (TT-OSL). Although all case TT-OSL ages were systematically older than their counterparts. detrital sealed flowstone whose base dated to 53.7 ± 3.5 U-series dating. In order better constrain site, nine herbivorous teeth collected from whole sedimentary be ESR/U-series method though only seven provided modelled ages. Six them levels pit while last tooth taken level GE-II pit. Our results, ranging between 80 110 ka, are agreement with those single grain suggest that sedimentological containing human began deposited during second part MIS5. These results fill temporal gap sites no contemporary MIS5 date until recently.