The Last Glacial Maximum (MIS 2) was a period of rapid and extreme environmental change, prompting remarkable human adaptive responses across the world. While large parts of the temperate zone were uninhabitable during this interval, other areas served as refugia for plant, animal and human populations. The Balkans region is identified as a biotic refugium zone for many species during high glacial intervals, but until recently there has been little archaeological evidence that it was also a refugium for Paleolithic human populations. This paper reports archaeological findings from the cave site of Velika Pećina (Žagubica, Serbia), which preserves evidence for multiple episodes of human presence between 24,000 and 20,500 cal BP. Species combinations within the macro- and microfaunas attest to a mosaic environment with high habitat and species diversity over relatively small areas in the periods leading into, during, and following the LGM. Humans hunted a wide spectrum of large mammals, birds, and small carnivores while occupying Velika Pećina. Other mammalian and avian carnivores used the cave when humans were not present. Lithic and osseous artifact assemblages indicate that a range of manufacturing activities took place in the cave, despite the relatively low density of occupational debris. The late Upper Paleolithic groups used the cave as a residential base during a series of brief, probably seasonal visits. Human populations were small in the study area, but their presence was not diminished during episodes of extreme variation in global climate.

最后一次冰川盛期 (MIS 2) 是一个快速而极端的环境变化时期，促使全世界人类做出显着的适应性反应。虽然在此期间温带的大部分地区无法居住，但其他地区却是植物、动物和人类的避难所。在高冰期，巴尔干地区被确定为许多物种的生物避难所，但直到最近，几乎没有考古证据表明它也是旧石器时代人类的避难所。本文报告了 Velika Pećina（塞尔维亚，Žagubica）洞穴遗址的考古发现，该遗址保存了人类在 24,000 到 20,500 cal BP 之间多次出现的证据。大型和微型动物群中的物种组合证明了在 LGM 之前、期间和之后的时期内，在相对较小的区域内具有高度栖息地和物种多样性的镶嵌环境。人类在占领 Velika Pećina 时猎杀了范围广泛的大型哺乳动物、鸟类和小型食肉动物。当人类不在时，其他哺乳动物和鸟类食肉动物会使用这个洞穴。石器和骨质人工制品组合表明，尽管职业碎片的密度相对较低，但在洞穴中进行了一系列制造活动。旧石器时代晚期晚期的团体在一系列简短的、可能是季节性的访问中将该洞穴作为居住基地。研究区域的人口很少，但在全球气候极端变化期间，他们的存在并没有减少。