Pešturina

Pešturina (Serbian: Пештурина) is a cave in the municipality of Niška Banja in southeast Serbia. It is located southwest of Jelašnica and 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Niš. Artifacts from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods were discovered since the archaeological excavations began in 2006. The remains, identified as the Mousterian culture, were dated from 111,000 BP+ 5,000 to 39,000 BP + 3,000, which makes Pešturina one of the latest surviving Neanderthal habitats. The cave has been nicknamed the "Serbian Atapuerca". In April 2019 it was announced that the remains of the Neanderthal men have been discovered. It is the first discovery of Neanderthal remains in Serbia. With remains of the modern hominids discovered soon after, Pešturina became the only site in the Central Balkans which preserved both modern human and Neanderthal remains, with associated lithic industries, highlighting the importance of Pešturina in the current discourse on hominin dispersals and migrations.