Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy

The European Commission contracted the Regional Cooperation Council Secretariat to implement the project by the RCC Task Force on Culture and Society (RCC TFCS). The project Sustaining the Rehabilitation of Cultural Heritage in the Western Balkans intended to contribute with small grants for specific activities and direct actions to the successful
implementation of the Ljubljana Process: Rehabilitating our Common Heritage and the rehabilitation of monuments and sites. It assists beneficiaries at specific points of project development with small
incentives to bridge gaps in the implementation phase.

A fragmented human calotte was discovered during the early 1950s near Bački Petrovac (Serbia), in association with Palaeolithic stone tools. After its initial publication, the fossil specimen remained largely unknown outside of the Serbian academe and no detailed comparative study has ever been carried out. Since the whereabouts of the fossil itself are currently unknown, and given its potential significance for the Pleistocene human evolution, we re-examine the data published by Živanović (1966, 1975). Using the original measurements, mostly taken on the frontal bone, and a wide comparative sample of 68 fossil specimens, the fossil was compared and analyzed by statistical multivariate methods. We also conducted a visual examination of the morphology based on the available photographic material. Our analysis reveals phenetic similarity with Middle Pleistocene archaic Homo from Africa and anatomically modern Homo sapiens. However, the absence of primitive cranial traits in Bački Petrovac indicates a clear modern Homo sapiens designation. Although lost at the moment, there is a chance for the re-discovery of the fossil in the years to come. This would give us an opportunity to acquire absolute dates and to study the specimen in a more detailed manner.

The  paper  presents  the  first  detailed  description  and  the  first  analysis  of  the  fossil  colobine  monkey  Mesopithecus  housed  in  the  collections  of  the  Natural  History Museum in Belgrade, Serbia. The material is described using the standard methodology  and  analyzed  in  a  comparative  context  of  specimens  from  the  published literature (n=45), by using bivariate and multivariate statistical methods (principal  component  analysis).  We  determined  several  species:  M.  pentelicus, M. delsoni, M. cf.  pentelicus, M. cf.  delsoni.  The  associated  fauna  suggests  MN11  to  MN12 (Turolian) age, and a relatively open landscape – bushy or sparsely wooded savannah. However, further research into the associated collection will allow us to discuss biostratigraphic and paleoecological characteristics in more detail.

tA fragmented human calotte was discovered during the early 1950snear Baˇcki Petrovac (Serbia), in association with Palaeolithic stonetools. After its initial publication, the fossil specimen remainedlargely unknown outside of the Serbian academe and no detailedcomparative study has ever been carried out. Since the whereaboutsof the fossil itself are currently unknown, and given its potentialsignificance for the Pleistocene human evolution, we re-examinethe data published byˇZivanovi´c (1966, 1975). Using the originalmeasurements, mostly taken on the frontal bone, and a wide com-parative sample of 68 fossil specimens, the fossil was compared andanalyzed by statistical multivariate methods. We also conducted avisual examination of the morphology based on the available pho-tographic material. Our analysis reveals phenetic similarity withMiddle Pleistocene archaic Homo from Africa and anatomicallymodern Homo sapiens. However, the absence of primitive cranialtraits in Baˇcki Petrovac indicates a clear modern Homo sapiens des-ignation. Although lost at the moment, there is a chance for there-discovery of the fossil in the years to come. This would give usan opportunity to acquire absolute dates and to study the specimenin a more detailed manner.