The depositional context of the early upper paleolithic human fossils from the Koneprusy (Zlatý kůn) and Mladec caves, Czech republic.

The caves of Mladec I and II (Moravia) and Koneprusy (Bohemia) are principal hominid Early Upper Paleolithic sites in Central Europe that require a complex reconsideration from several viewpoints. The focus of this paper is on the depositional context of human fossils, which is clearer from the documentation of Koneprusy, excavated during the 1950s, than from the early reports about Mladec. Both caves are multi-floor underground karstic systems penetrated by vertical fissures and chimneys, where the fossils were found in restricted areas, related to debris cones accumulated under the chimneys. These associations are confirmed using Surfer reconstruction of the original fillings. It appears certain for Koneprusy and highly probable for Mladec that the fossils fell in through the chimneys. This does not mean that living animals and humans never entered the interior of the caves (traces of gnawing by hyenas are visible), but it makes it unlikely that the human paleontological accumulations were the result of human activity within the cave chambers. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.