University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Between research and conservation: integrating analytical methods in the rescue excavations of the Vindija cave Između istraživanja i očuvanja: integracija analitičkih metoda u zaštitnim iskopavanjima špilje Vindije This article presents data about rescue excavations and sampling of the south face of the interior profile (profile 3), conducted in the Vindija cave in 2023. The goal of the fieldwork was the protection of the south profile face and the collection of samples for new and hitherto unconducted analyses. Vindija has been a relevant site in the field of archaeology for many years, not only because of the extraordinary finds of Neandertal skeletal remains and Palaeolithic stone and bone artefacts, but also due to the early implementation of various analytical methods, whose results have contributed to answering key questions about the life and development of Palaeolithic populations. This paper describes the methodology, the course of the excavation, and the sampling procedure, while also providing basic quantitative data on the finds recovered. In addition, data on stratigraphy is provided, as well as correlation with the stratigraphic framework established by earlier research. During this excavation, samples were collected for radiocarbon dating, micromorphological analysis, sedimentary ancient-DNA (sedaDNA) analysis, and tephrochronological determination, all aimed at offering deeper insights into site-formation processes, the chronology of sediment deposition, and environmental conditions during the Upper Pleistocene. In accordance with this, the study emphasizes that sampling for the application of modern analytical methods within archaeological science can successfully be integrated with the requirements of rescue excavations, even within the constraints of highly limited research. U ovome radu donose se podatci o zaštitnim iskopavanjima i uzorkovanjima južne strane unutarnjega profila špilje Vindije (profil 3) provedenima 2023. Cilj radova bila je zaštita južne strane profila i prikupljanje uzoraka za nove, dosad neprovedene analize. Špilja Vindija dugo zauzima važno mjesto u arheološkoj struci, ne samo zbog izvanrednih nalaza koštanih ostataka neandertalaca i paleolitičkih kamenih te koštanih izrađevina, nego i zbog rane primjene raznih analitičkih metoda čiji su rezultati doprinijeli rješavanju ključnih pitanja o životu i razvoju paleolitičkih populacija. U radu su opisane metodologija, tijek iskopavanja, postupci uzorkovanja, a pruženi su i osnovni kvantitativni podatci o prikupljenim nalazima. Nadalje, donose se podatci o stratigrafiji te korelacije sa stratigrafskom shemom prijašnjih istraživanja. Tim iskopavanjem prikupljeni su uzorci za radiokarbonsko datiranje, mikromorfološku analizu, sedaDNA analizu te tefrokronološku determinaciju, kojima je cilj pružiti dodatne uvide u procese nastanka nalazišta, kronologiju nastanka naslaga te okolišne uvjete tijekom gornjega pleistocena. Shodno navedenomu, naglašeno je kako uzorkovanja za provedbu suvremenih analitičkih metoda u okviru arheološke znanosti mogu biti integrirana sa zahtjevima zaštitnih iskopavanja, čak i u okviru iznimno ograničenoga opsega istraživanja. hr en TEXT journal article Wissenschaftlicher Artikel Articolo scientifico Text journal article Documento PDF Articolo scientifico Text Wissenschaftlicher Artikel Paleolitik Vindija Zaštitna Iskopavanja Uzorkovanje Radiokarbonsko Datiranje Mikromorfološka Analiza Palaeolithic Rescue Excavations Vindija Sampling Radiocarbon Dating Micromorphological Analysis 2025 2025 Marko Banda Filomena Sirovica Ivor Karavanić Ivor Janković Lia Vidas Nikola Vukosavljević Giovanni Boschian Katarina Gerometta Victoria Oberreiter James Ahern Sanjin Mihelić Arheoloski muzej u Zagrebu