Sequence stratigraphy and relative sea level variations in Kaštela Bay, Dalmatian coast, Croatia, and implications for the submerged palaeolandscapes and archaeology of the late Pleistocene, marine isotope stage 3 and marine isotope stage 2

Abstract

Relative sea level, palaeoclimate, and palaeohydrology are critical variables for contextualising past hominin behaviours and the resulting archaeological record. This is especially important in submerged palaeolandscape reconstructions of drowned continental shelves formerly inhabited by past hominin populations. We report significant results of one such palaeolandscape reconstruction along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, Adriatic Sea, near the city of Split, as part of the Life on the Edge (LOTE) project. The LOTE project aims to develop refined palaeolandscape reconstructions of submerged landscapes in multiple study regions, including along this portion of the Dalmatian coastline. Reconstructed seismic surfaces have been combined with refined relative sea level predictions accounting for isostasy and corrected for sedimentation since these were last subaerial, allowing for a more accurate assessment of the palaeolandscape. The results presented here indicate the presence of a preserved, formerly subaerial landscape likely dating to Marine Isotope Stage 3 (57,000 cal BP to 29,000 cal BP). At least two hominin species occupied the region during this part of the late Pleistocene epoch. Our findings indicate that the region of Kaštela Bay comprised multiple habitats that offered diverse, abundant resources that were likely highly attractive to either, or both, of these hominin populations.