Chrono-grounding of the Micoquian and Aurignacian occupations at Piekary III open-air site (Krakow, Poland)

Abstract Human occupation of Central Europe during the Late Pleistocene was strongly influenced by climatic fluctuations, resulting in discontinuous settlement patterns and repeated phases of regional abandonment and recolonization. Southern Poland represents a key frontier zone within these dynamics, yet the chronological resolution of many sites remains limited, particularly for assemblages excavated during the early twentieth century. Piekary III, traditionally regarded as a reference open-air site for the Central Eastern European Micoquian (CEEM), has never been reassessed using integrated technological and radiocarbon approaches. Here we present a re-evaluation of Piekary III based on a technological analysis of the complete lithic core assemblage and a new radiocarbon dating program on faunal remains recovered from the site. The lithic analysis identifies a dominant CEEM component characterized by hierarchized and simple reduction strategies, together with previously unrecognized Aurignacian and Gravettian blade and bladelet technologies. Fifteen radiocarbon determinations provide a chronological framework that, when integrated with the lithic technological evidence, supports a multi-phase occupational history, revealing recurrent CEEM occupations between ca. 50 and 43 cal kBP, an Early Aurignacian occupation at ca. 42 cal kBP, and a Late Gravettian occupation dated to ca. 26–25 cal kBP. These results demonstrate that Piekary III represents a palimpsest formed by human occupations spanning the late Middle Paleolithic and the Upper Paleolithic. More broadly, this study highlights the value of legacy museum collections for refining regional chronologies and reconstructing Late Pleistocene settlement dynamics when lithic technological analysis is combined with systematic radiocarbon dating.