Multi-proxy archaeological investigations of a Middle Palaeolithic occupation context in Eastern Transylvania, Romania

Establishing a reliable chronological framing for the archaeological sequence at Abri 122 proved rather challenging. While radiocarbon dating was complicated by scarcity of collagen in bone remains and age of samples at or beyond the upper limit of the method, the upper span of the Middle Palaeolithic assemblages at Abri 122 likely reaches into Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. Optically (OSL) and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating of silt-sized grains indicate ages of >100 ka for the lowermost cluster of lithics/bones. These ages must be regarded as maximum ages for the Middle Palaeolithic assemblage at Abri 122.