The upper palaeolithic site of Poiana Ciresului (Piatra Neamt, north-eastern Romania)

The Palaeolithic site of Poiana Cires¸ului (North-Eastern Romania) belongs to a long geological sequence which covers the Upper Pleniglacial and the Late Glacial and displays a remarkable cultural succession. Four Gravettian and Epigravettian layers have been identified in the upper part of the deposit, from which two are outstandingly rich in archaeological information: the Epigravettian multiple occupation (supposedly dated around 17,000uncal. B.P.) and the 26,000uncal. B.P. AMS-dated Gravettian, actually the oldest Gravettian presence in the area so far. Recent drillings proved that at least two other cultural layers lay beneath, which in turn suggests that the Palaeolithic cultural sequence here is most likely the longest in the Bistrit¸a valley.