Late Pleistocene Deposits Research Articles

Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia.

Homo floresiensis, a primitive hominin species discovered in Late Pleistocene sediments at Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia), has generated wide interest and scientific debate. A major reason this taxon is controversial is because the H. floresiensis-bearing deposits, which include associated stone artefacts and remains of other extinct endemic fauna, were dated to between about 95 and 12 thousand calendar years (kyr) ago. These ages suggested that H. floresiensis survived until long after modern humans reached Australia by ~50 kyr ago. Here we report new stratigraphic and chronological evidence from Liang Bua that does not support the ages inferred previously for the H. floresiensis holotype (LB1), ~18 thousand calibrated radiocarbon years before present (kyr cal. BP), or the time of last appearance of this species (about 17 or 13-11 kyr cal. BP). Instead, the skeletal remains of H. floresiensis and the deposits containing them are dated to between about 100 and 60 kyr ago, whereas stone artefacts attributable to this species range from about 190 to 50 kyr in age. Whether H. floresiensis survived after 50 kyr ago--potentially encountering modern humans on Flores or other hominins dispersing through southeast Asia, such as Denisovans--is an open question.

Unexpected Convergent Evolution of Nasal Domes between Pleistocene Bovids and Cretaceous Hadrosaur Dinosaurs

The fossil record provides tangible, historical evidence for the mode and operation of evolution across deep time. Striking patterns of convergence are some of the strongest examples of these operations, whereby, over time, similar environmental and/or behavioral pressures precipitate similarity in form and function between disparately related taxa. Here we present fossil evidence for an unexpected convergence between gregarious plant-eating mammals and dinosaurs. Recent excavations of Late Pleistocene deposits on Rusinga Island, Kenya, have uncovered a catastrophic assemblage of the wildebeest-like bovid Rusingoryx atopocranion. Previously known from fragmentary material, these new specimens reveal large, hollow, osseous nasal crests: a craniofacial novelty for mammals that is remarkably comparable to the nasal crests of lambeosaurine hadrosaur dinosaurs. Using adult and juvenile material from this assemblage, as well as computed tomographic imaging, we investigate this convergence from morphological, developmental, functional, and paleoenvironmental perspectives. Our detailed analyses reveal broad parallels between R.atopocranion and basal Lambeosaurinae, suggesting that osseous nasal crests may require a highly specific combination of ontogeny, evolution, and environmental pressures in order to develop.

Equus (Sussemionus) ovodovi Eisenmann et Vasiliev, 2011 from the Late Pleistocene of Western Siberia

Small equid remains are frequent in the Late Pleistocene deposits in the southern part of Western Siberia. Re-examination of fossil material previously attributed to E. hydruntinus or E. hemionus revealed its attribution to E. ovodovi. Morphologically it is characterized by slender third metapodials, short protocone on the upper teeth, V-shaped lingual valley, and occurrence of isolated stylids on the lower teeth. In Late Pleistocene E. ovodovi was widespread in the southern part of Western Siberia. Its remains are reported from Priobskoye Plateau, Altai, and Kuznetsk Alatau. To the east the range reached at least the Yenisei River. Radiocarbon dates suggest E. ovodovi inhabited the area until the end of the Kargin interstadial (MIS 3).

A Hominin Femur with Archaic Affinities from the Late Pleistocene of Southwest China.

The number of Late Pleistocene hominin species and the timing of their extinction are issues receiving renewed attention following genomic evidence for interbreeding between the ancestors of some living humans and archaic taxa. Yet, major gaps in the fossil record and uncertainties surrounding the age of key fossils have meant that these questions remain poorly understood. Here we describe and compare a highly unusual femur from Late Pleistocene sediments at Maludong (Yunnan), Southwest China, recovered along with cranial remains that exhibit a mixture of anatomically modern human and archaic traits. Our studies show that the Maludong femur has affinities to archaic hominins, especially Lower Pleistocene femora. However, the scarcity of later Middle and Late Pleistocene archaic remains in East Asia makes an assessment of systematically relevant character states difficult, warranting caution in assigning the specimen to a species at this time. The Maludong fossil probably samples an archaic population that survived until around 14,000 years ago in the biogeographically complex region of Southwest China.

Divnogorie pedolithocomplex of the Russian Plain: Latest Pleistocene deposits and environments based on study of the Divnogorie 9 geoarchaeological site (middle reaches of the Don River)

Latest Pleistocene fossil soils and deposits have been described in the geoarchaeological site Divnogorie 9 (the Middle Don drainage basin) under the name of Divnogorie pedolithocomplex. For the first time, a soil-sediment series with 2–3 levels of soil formation has been described in the forest-steppe of the Russian Plain and dated to the Bølling–Allerød interval (BØ–AL). That was the last soil formation of Pre-Holocene time. The soils are weakly developed (immature), of meadow and burozem genesis. They formed for a few hundreds of years in periglacial steppe environments, under forest-steppe vegetation. The lower soil (attributed to Bølling) is dated at 13.5–14 ka cal BP and defined as a weakly developed Petrocalcic Skeletic Colluvic Siltic Chernozem. Under coniferous-broadleaf forests the middle soil is described as Umric Calcaric Colluvic Siltic Leptosol and dated at Dryas-2. The uppermost soil dated at Allerød is weakly developed Skeletic Calcaric Colluvic Siltic Cambisol formed under coniferous-broadleaf forest-steppe. The data obtained made possible reconstructions of the Late Glacial climates and landscapes. The underlying sediments are the deposits of Divnogorie paleo-lake. The deposits include seven bone-bearing horizons with Late Upper Palaeolithic lithic tools. They are dated to the interval 17–14 ka Cal BP.

Creswell Crags fossil material in the Nottingham Natural History Museum, Wollaton Hall, UK

The Creswell Crags gorge on the Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire border contains a series of caves in which Holocene and Late Pleistocene deposits accumulated. Fossils from these deposits were acquired by the Nottingham Natural History Museum, Wollaton Hall (NOTNH), during the late 19th century and early 20th century. This study provides the first published review of the entire NOTNH Creswell Crags collection. Overall, there are 274 fossil specimens from Creswell Crags consisting of 466 individual elements. However, only 11.7% of specimens can be attributed to specific caves and none retain any detailed stratigraphic data. This compromises the scientific value of the collection. The collection contains a total of 160 attached labels (on 146 individual elements) comprising ten different types. An assessment of the faunal abundances was conducted to compare with historical excavations. 61% of the NOTNH elements have been identified to genus level and the collection consists of 17 genera from six orders: Carnivora, Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, Proboscidea, Lagomorpha and Primates. The NOTNH collection contains proportionately more woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta) elements than the 1870s excavations but fewer hyaena (Crocuta), reindeer (Rangifer), and woolly mammoth (Mammuthus). We attribute these discrepancies to a possible 'donation bias'.

Unique Dental Morphology of Homo floresiensis and Its Evolutionary Implications.

Homo floresiensis is an extinct, diminutive hominin species discovered in the Late Pleistocene deposits of Liang Bua cave, Flores, eastern Indonesia. The nature and evolutionary origins of H. floresiensis’ unique physical characters have been intensively debated. Based on extensive comparisons using linear metric analyses, crown contour analyses, and other trait-by-trait morphological comparisons, we report here that the dental remains from multiple individuals indicate that H. floresiensis had primitive canine-premolar and advanced molar morphologies, a combination of dental traits unknown in any other hominin species. The primitive aspects are comparable to H. erectus from the Early Pleistocene, whereas some of the molar morphologies are more progressive even compared to those of modern humans. This evidence contradicts the earlier claim of an entirely modern human-like dental morphology of H. floresiensis, while at the same time does not support the hypothesis that H. floresiensis originated from a much older H. habilis or Australopithecus-like small-brained hominin species currently unknown in the Asian fossil record. These results are however consistent with the alternative hypothesis that H. floresiensis derived from an earlier Asian Homo erectus population and experienced substantial body and brain size dwarfism in an isolated insular setting. The dentition of H. floresiensis is not a simple, scaled-down version of earlier hominins.

Aggradation–incision transition in arid environments at the end of the Pleistocene: An example from the Negev Highlands, southern Israel

One of the most significant environmental processes that occurred at the transition from the last glacial phase into the present inter-glacial phase in arid regions was the shift from aggradation to incision in the drainage systems. This is evident by the sharp transition from a fluvial regime depositing fine-grained sediment within the wadis to intensive incision which formed gullies and narrow channels that dissected the late Pleistocene sediments. In order to investigate this transition, we studied three small-scale basins in the arid region of the Negev Highlands, southern Israel. Although the selected basins drain toward different base levels, their geomorphological parameters, particle size distribution of alluvial units and their OSL ages are similar. Sediments from the penultimate glacial cycle are found in patches in the bigger catchments. Fluvial loess was widely deposited since at least 67ka until after 28ka, covering valleys and slopes. Between ~28 and ~24ka, loess was washed from the slopes into the channels, exposing the underlying colluvium. At ~24ka erosion began with the transport of slope colluvium as gravels into the valleys that eroded the underlying loess sediments. Incision became dominant at ~12ka and is still ongoing and intensifying. Dust and reworked loess continued to be deposited during the main incision stages. It is proposed that the transition from aggradation to incision was controlled by rates of loess supply and removal. Until ~24ka dust choked the drainage system and only after reduction in dust supply was erosion and incision possible. It began first on the slopes and then in the channels. Our results show that an increase in precipitation is not a prerequisite for initiation of incision as is often assumed. Similar processes are described in other arid zones around the world.

Pleistocene geomorphological and sedimentary development of the Akaki River catchment (northeastern Troodos Massif) in relation to tectonic uplift versus climatic change

The uplift of the Troodos ophiolite is reflected in the development of the Akaki River catchment in the northeast Troodos Massif. Four main stages (F1–F4) of geomorphological terrace development and related deposits are recognised using satellite imagery and field observations. The geomorphological terraces have been tectonically uplifted during the Pleistocene so that they dip northwards from the Troodos Mountains until they merge with the Mesaoria Plain. Lithology (e.g. hard diabase versus soft extrusive rock) has exerted an important control on the geomorphology of the Akaki River channel. The F1 terraces and related deposits are well preserved in the lower reaches of the catchment. The F2 terraces are more widely preserved but with few preserved deposits. The F3 erosional surfaces (e.g. strath terraces) and related deposits are widespread up into the higher reaches of the catchment. The F4 to recent geomorphological surfaces and deposits are confined to near the modern river channel. The F1- to F3-aged deposits each include very high-energy mass-flow deposits and somewhat lower-energy traction-flow deposits, with minimal sand preservation. Stages of fluvial aggradation were followed by soil development (e.g. terra rossa). The F1- to F4-aged terraces and related deposits mainly formed in response to a combination of very long-term tectonic uplift and climatic-related change (long term and short term). Tectonic uplift was the dominant driver related to the updoming of the Troodos ophiolite, especially during the earlier time period (F1 and F2), whereas climate-related effects appear to have dominated more recently (F3 and F4). Sedimentary aggradation is likely to have predominated during interglacial periods, while interglacial–glacial transitions (when climate fluctuated) are seen as times of increased incision. Previous correlations of the F1–F4 fluvial deposits with similar deposits elsewhere in Cyprus, including coastal marine carbonate deposits, suggest that the F1 and F2 deposits are likely to be of Middle Pleistocene age and the F3–F4 deposits of Late Pleistocene to Holocene age.

A new cercopithecoid dentognathic specimen attributed to Theropithecus from the late Early Pleistocene (c. 1 Ma) deposits of Simbiro, at Melka Kunture, Ethiopian highlands

The archeological and paleontological area of Melka Kunture, in the Ethiopian highlands, has yielded particularly rich mammal fossil assemblages, including a few human and nonhuman primate remains. The cercopithecoid specimens reported so far consist of a fragmentary lower third molar crown and of a maxillary fragment, coming from the Early Pleistocene sites of Garba IV and Garba XII, respectively. In this study we describe an additional dentognathic specimen, labelled SIM III-13-1, collected in 2013 in the c. 1 Ma sedimentary deposits of Simbiro. In addition to classical descriptions and measurements, this specimen was detailed by X-ray tomography (CT) and two-three dimensional (2–3D) quantitative analyses were performed on the virtual reconstruction to assess its taxonomic assignment. Comparison with a number of fossil and extant cercopithecoid specimens/samples suggests that SIM III-13-1 belongs to the genus Theropithecus, more likely to Theropithecus sp. cf. oswaldi.

Human maritime subsistence strategies in the Lesser Sunda Islands during the terminal Pleistocene–early Holocene: New evidence from Alor, Indonesia

The islands of Wallacea are remarkable on a world scale as settlement occurred by at least 43,000 cal BP and must have involved the use of watercraft. The majority of the islands are depauperate in terrestrial fauna and human subsistence must have focused on the marine environment. Although few islands have been archaeologically explored, some such as Timor have yielded abundant remains of pelagic and reef fishes, as well as the earliest evidence of fishhook manufacture, demonstrating that modern humans in this region were well equipped to undertake complex exploitation of the marine environment. However, a holistic understanding of human subsistence strategies on these islands from initial colonisation in the late Pleistocene through to the Recent remains elusive. Here, we present survey and excavation data from the site of Tron Bon Lei on the small island of Alor in Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia. This study focuses on the terminal Pleistocene – early Holocene human fishing behaviour in the region, and specifically the zooarchaeological sequence from Tron Bon Lei dated to this period. The Holocene preference for reef fish relative to pelagic fish, observed in mid-to late Holocene occupation levels in East Timor, occurred earlier in Tron Bon Lei, suggesting a shift from the larger abundance of carnivore taxa observed in the late Pleistocene deposits. Comparisons with other archaeological deposits in Wallacea indicates that fishing was an important subsistence activity in Nusa Tenggara Timur, unlike more northern Wallacean islands where shellfish make up almost all zooarchaeological records. Tron Bon Lei confirms that the faunally limited nature of Alor spans the Holocene, and we find no evidence that terrestrial fauna made up a significant component of the subsistence activities undertaken at this site.

Geoarchaeological finds below Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia): A split-level cave system for Homo floresiensis?

We report on new geoarchaeological finds in a recently discovered cave-chamber (Liang Bawah, “Cave Underneath”) positioned below Liang Bua on the island of Flores, Indonesia, where the type specimen for Homo floresiensis was recovered from Late Pleistocene sediment. At the rear of Liang Bua, a 23-m-long shaft, inclined at 60°, leads to a lower chamber measuring 23m×24m×5m high (about half the size of Liang Bua). Stone artefacts and bones were found shallowly buried in rubble at the base of the shaft, and around a 5-m-high mud mound that fills the northwest sector of Liang Bawah. We recovered 17 stone artefacts made from chert and volcanics, and more than 220 well-preserved bone elements belonging to endemic giant rats, pigs, primates, small murid rodents, bats and introduced species. Multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICPMS) analysis of uranium and thorium in carbonate coatings on four bones yielded ages of ~240–180ka (endemic giant rat femur), ~110–60ka (unidentified phalanx), ~33–23ka (pig skull fragment), and ~7–3ka (giant rat femur), which overlap with the ~95 to 17ka occupation of Liang Bua by H. floresiensis. The ~33–23ka age of the pig skull fragment indicates that Sus sp. may have dispersed into island Southeast Asia earlier than previously recognised. The passageway at the rear of Liang Bawah, and a currently buried front entrance, represent two possible transport paths for cultural and faunal material to the cave-chamber. Analysis of the geomorphic evolution of Liang Bawah shows that it may have been a Late Pleistocene depocentre for material transported from the occupation chamber of Liang Bua, and a repository for human subsistence refuse, or pit-fall trap, via the rear passage. These physical attributes, and the antiquity of the faunal remains found thus far, indicate that Liang Bawah could contain an archive of the Late Pleistocene and, potentially, remains of H. floresiensis.

The late Neopleistocene dhole (Carnivora, Canidae, Cuon alpinus Pallas, 1811) from the Urals.

Morphotypic and morphometric analyses of the M2 tooth found in the Late Pleistocene deposits of the Ignatievskaya Cave (southern Urals) demonstrate that this tooth belongs to the dhole (Cuon alpinus Pallas, 1811). This is the first reliable evidence for the presence of the dhole in the Urals. Radiocarbon dating and associated theriofauna allow the tooth to be dated to the first half of the late Neopleistocene or, more precisely, to marine isotope stages (MISs) 3 and 4.

A skeleton of the pike Esox cf. lucius L. from the Pleistocene of the Ishim-Irtysh interfluve

A complete skeleton of the pike Esox cf. lucius L. from the Late Pleistocene deposits of the IshimIrtysh interfluve (village of Kotochiga, Western Siberia) is described. The specimen is morphologically close to the northern pike, which presently has a circumboreal range. A number of primitive characters in the structure and dentition of the dentary and palatine resemble some Pliocene specimens, although they are rather incomplete, precluding the estimation of the taxonomic value of such characters. The preservation of scales and bones in the pike from Western Siberian suggests immediate burial in the place of its death in a lacustrine basin. The material comes from loam, with traces of a paleocryogenic texture. The underlying sand bed contains abundant shells of freshwater mollusks, suggesting that the climate was comparable to that in the Recent or even softer. The 14C dating giving the age about 25 ka (MIS3) was obtained for the first time in the horizon of buried soil at the base of the sand bed. Previously, the interfluve deposits in question were dated within the range from the Middle Pleistocene (MIS8) to the end of MIS2 of the Late Pleistocene.

A New Species of the GenusMauremys(Testudines: Geoemydidae) from the Upper Pleistocene of Miyakojima Island, Ryukyus Archipelago, Japan

Abstract: A new extinct species of the genus Mauremys (Testudines: Geoemydidae) is described on the basis of three fossils from the late Pleistocene deposit of Tomori Amaga Cave on Miyakojima Island of the Miyako Island Group, Southern Ryukyus, Japan. Of these fossils, two (the anterior half of the plastron and the nuchal) were previously tentatively identified as Mauremys mutica, an extant species whose distribution is currently confined to the Yaeyama Island Group within the Ryukyus. The turtle represented by these two specimens and another, previously unreported material (left third peripheral) actually most resembles M. japonica from mainland Japan and the Northern Ryukyus, and M. yabei from the middle Pleistocene of mainland Japan. The fossil turtle however, differs from the other two in exhibiting a medial length of the entoplastron greater than the interhyoplastron in ventral view, and in having a longitudinal groove medial to the gulo—humeral sulcus on the epiplastron evident in dorsal view. The p...

Comparative 230Th/U and 14C Dating of a Buried Stump Layer (Western Siberia)

Abstract Dating of late Pleistocene sediments remains a challenge in Quaternary chronology, due to the inherent limitations of the 14C and OSL methods. The 230Th/U radioisotope method is theoretically applicable to wood remnants contained within Pleistocene sediments, but few results have been pub-lished to date and in some cases, the age data are ambiguous. This paper tests the use of 230Th/U da-ting of fossil wood remnants dated earlier by radiocarbon method. We analyzed a buried larch trunk from a well-known stump layer in the Lipovka outcrop, located on the Tobol River bank in Western Siberia. The stump layer is preserved in situ. We determined the specific activities of U and Th iso-topes in samples of both modern pine and fossil larch and proposed a model for the incorporation and distribution of U and Th in the buried wood during aging. Complications related with the recognition of geochemical closed systems with respect to U did not allow obtaining completely reliable 230Th/U age. Despite this the 230Th/U age obtained for the uppermost heartwood sample and 14C ages of the same larch trunk and other wood and vegetation remnants gave consistent results. These age data in combination with previously obtained pollen data testify the stump layer formation during the late cooling stage of the Karganian time (MIS-3, Middle Valdai).

Dental remains from Longtanshan cave 1 (Yunnan, China), and the initial presence of anatomically modern humans in East Asia

We describe and compare two hominin teeth identified here as a RP1 (YV1361) and a LM2 (YV1362) recovered in 1977 from Late Pleistocene deposits at Longtanshan 1, a cave locality near Kunming, Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Placed within the broader context of known variation in Late Pleistocene hominins and recent humans from the region both teeth probably sample anatomically modern humans. They appear to exhibit simple crown morphology, possess narrow buccolingual diameters, YV1361 has a single (simple) root, YV1362 has two simple roots that bifurcate close to the crown, and the roots of both teeth are long but not especially robust compared to the size of their crowns. Previous dating research at Longtanshan 1 suggests both teeth have a minimum age of close to 60–83 ka, but further research will be required to establish this more precisely. These findings combined with recent discoveries from other parts of China suggest that anatomically modern humans appeared in the region during Marine Isotope Stages 4 or 5.

Late Quaternary beach deposits and archaeological relicts on the coasts of Cyprus, and the possible implications of sea-level changes and tectonics on the early populations

Abstract Late Pleistocene beach deposits in 22 selected sites around Cyprus demonstrate the vertical changes in the Earth's crust in that island over the last 125 ka. The beach/shallow-marine deposits were observed on the abraded coastal cliffs at 3–22 m above the present sea-level. They overlie Pliocene marls, and some of them contain the Senegalese marine gastropods Persististrombus latus , Bursa granularis and Conus ermineus that no longer live in the Mediterranean. These are index fossils for the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e in the Mediterranean and, as such, suggest an uplift of up to 15.5 m over about the last 125 ka: that is a maximal rate of 0.12 mm a −1 . These findings are in accordance with Holocene beachrocks, abrasion platforms, wave notches and Roman/Byzantine fish tanks that retained their elevations, and thus enable the reconstruction of the coast encountered by the early colonizers. While the maximal uplift since the early Holocene has been minor and did not exceed 1.2–1.5 m, the sea-level changes have reached 40–50 m. The transition between the impermeable Pliocene marls and the porous Late Pleistocene deposits above them is the origin of freshwater springs and associated vegetation. The early colonizers seemed to recognize the potential of that essential permanent source of water and excavated wells, the earliest wells known so far. The locations of the Early Neolithic settlements (Mylouthkia and Akanthou) adjacent to visible water springs along the coastal cliffs may not be incidental. Not surprisingly, recent wells dug in the coastal Pleistocene deposits rely on the very same hydrological setting. Supplementary material: Appendices 1–4, which include tables and diagrams showing the vertical changes (m) and rates of vertical changes (mm ka −1 ), assuming that MIS5e isotope stage deposits are 122 ka old and are at elevation of 7.2 m asl, or 116 ka at 6.5 m, are available at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18830 .

Recurrent spring‐fed rivers in a Middle to Late Pleistocene semi‐arid grassland: Implications for environments of early humans in the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya

AbstractThe effect of changing palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment on human evolution during the Pleistocene is debated, but hampered by few East African records directly associated with archaeological sites prior to the Last Glacial Maximum. Middle to Late Pleistocene deposits on the shoreline of eastern Lake Victoria preserve abundant vertebrate fossils and Middle Stone Age arte‐facts associated with riverine tufas at the base of the deposits, which are ideal for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. New data from tufas identified on Rusinga Island and on the mainland near Karungu, Kenya are provided from outcrop, thin sections, mineralogical, stable isotopic and U‐series dating analyses. Tufa is identified in four sites: Nyamita (94·0 ± 3·3 and 111·4 ± 4·2 ka); Kisaaka, Aringo (455 ± 45 ka); and Obware. The age ranges of these tufa deposits demonstrate that spring‐fed rivers were a recurrent, variably preserved feature on the Pleistocene landscape for ca 360 kyr. Poor sorting of clastic facies from all sites indicates flashy, ephemeral discharge, but these facies are commonly associated with barrage tufas, paludal environments with δ13C values of ca 10‰ indicative of C3 plants and fossil Hippopotamus, all of which indicate a perennial water source. Other tufa deposits from Nyamita, Obware and Aringo have a mixed C3/C4 signature consistent with a semi‐arid C4 grassland surrounding these spring‐fed rivers. The δ18O values of tufa from Nyamita are on average ca 1‰ more negative than calcite precipitated from modern rainfall in the region, suggesting greater contribution of depleted monsoonal input, similar to the Last Glacial Maximum. Microdebitage and surface‐collected artefacts indicate that early modern humans were utilizing these spring‐fed rivers. The presence of spring−fed rivers would have afforded animals a reliable water source, sustaining a diverse plant and animal community in an otherwise arid environment.

Seasonality in sea surface temperatures from δ18O inCladocora caespitosa: modern Adriatic to late Pleistocene, Gulf of Corinth

High-resolution stable isotope analysis of coral skeletons is an established method to help reconstruct seawater growth temperatures for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Here we investigated the temperate, colonial, Mediterranean scleractinian coral Cladocora caespitosa. We first studied modern Adriatic corals from Mljet (Croatia) where growth temperatures were known. A clear sinusoidal cyclicity is present in the d18O of the modern coral skeletons with average cycle minima 3.3‰ and average maxima 1.6‰. Cyclicity approximately matches the number of seasonal growth band pairs in each sample, implying a genetic link between d18O cyclicity and factors that determine seasonal growth band development, here mainly water temperature. A derived and calibrated species-specific d18O–temperature relationship was then used to reconstruct growth temperatures from fossil C. caespitosa. This was applied to well-preserved material collected from late Pleistocene deposits (MIS 1, 5 and 7) around the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. Clear seasonal d18O signals are seen in all the fossil samples. MIS 5e was the warmest period studied with a lower than modern seasonal temperature range. The Early to mid-Holocene probably experienced the lowest temperatures while conditions in MIS 7a/c were probably the wettest with most freshwater input into the Gulf.