40 Years of Excavations at Mitoc-Malu Galben (Romania): Exploring the archaeology of high-resolution loess-palaeosol sequence

Mitoc–Malu Galben, with abundant Upper Palaeolithic archaeological layers
embedded in a ~12 meters long loess-palaeosol sequence, is one of the key
sites for the Upper Palaeolithic in Europe. The excavations in 1978–1990
yielded rich remains of Aurignacian and Gravettian workshops. From 1992 to
1995, their stratigraphical position, age and typological characteristics were
better defined. Since 2013, our team has conducting new fieldwork focusing on:
(i) the precise position and orientation of the archaeological remains through 3D
recording with total stations, (ii) systematic wet-sieving of all excavated
sediment, (iii) an interdisciplinary study of site formation processes, and (iv) a
detailed technological study of the lithic artefacts. Our new field and lab
research also aimed at integrating data from 40 years of work. Based on
fieldnotes and drawings of the old two excavation periods and data from our
new fieldwork, we constructed a GIS and database to assess artefact
occurrences with reference to stratigraphic units, as well as their spatial
distribution. We, thus, present an overview of the current knowledge about the
site, with references to questions that remain open.