Supplementary Table 1: Radiocarbon ages determined for the animal remains from the Mladeč site.

Laboratory
number / Sample name,
provenience and inventory number / Sample material / Gelatine yield
[mg/g sample] / 14C-agea)
[years BP] / calibrated dateb)
VERA-2217 / Bison priscus,
NHM/PA 72222 c) / bone,
vertebra / ~9 / 16,940 ± 60 / 18,900BC - 17,500BC
VERA-2218 / Bison priscus,
NHM/PA 72223 c) / teeth from the upper jaw / ~7 / 21,340 ± 100 / ***
VERA-2219 / Bison priscus,
NHM/PA 72220 c) / bone,
metapodium / ~0.3 / 25,880 ± 180 / ***
VERA-2962 / Castor fiber
MMB; n.a.d) / tooth / ~4 / 8,515 ± 35 / 7,600BC - 7,520BC
VERA-2963 / Equus
MMB; n.a.d) / bone,
metapodium / ~10 / 42,500 +1400/-1200 / ***

a) errors are 1 sigma uncertainties

b) determined with the calibration program OxCal1,2 and the calibration curve INTCAL983; data correspond to the 2-sigma confidence level (95.4%). *** indicate that the uncalibrated 14C age lies in the time range where no generally agreed calibration curve is available.

c) Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna/ inventory number of the Department of Prehistory

d) Moravské Zemské Muzeum, Brno; inventory number not available (n.a.)

The preservation state of the animal bones can be deduced for the gelatine yields after the sample pretreatment (EA/IRMS measurements were not performed for these samples). Considering losses during the handling of the material and the fact that in the case of the animal teeth an unknown amount of tooth enamel was present in the untreated samples, the majority of the yields fall in the range where reliable 14C dating can be assumed. The collagen yield of VERA-2219 is far below the 5% level of collagen in recent bones (see text). Therefore the age of this sample has to be considered with caution. The 14C dating of three more samples failed due to the advanced degradation of the collagen.

1 Bronk Ramsey, C. Development of the Radiocarbon Program OxCal, Radiocarbon, 43/2A, 355-363 (2001)

2 Bronk Ramsey, C. Radiocarbon Calibration and Analysis of Stratigraphy: The OxCal Program Radiocarbon 37/2, 425-430 (1985)

3 Stuiver, M., Reimer, P.J., Bard, E., Beck, J.W., Burr, G.S., Hughen, K.A., Kromer, B., McCormac, G., Van der Plicht, J. & Spurk, M. INTCAL98 Radiocarbon Age Calibration, 24,000-0 cal BP. Radiocarbon 40(3), 1041-1083 (1998).