Environmental conditions in the SE Balkans since the Last Glacial Maximum and their influence on the spread of agriculture into Europe

► Continuous ∼37,500-year sedimentary record from the Black Sea region. ► Analysis of palynological, charred particle and magnetic proxies. ► New model for Bulgaria's late Quaternary vegetation history. ► Evidence for solar forcing, regional climate change and human impact. ► Dry early-Holocene climate may have delayed spread of agriculture into Europe.