KOZARNIKA CAVE (Nikolai Sirakov – nikolaysirakov@gmail.com, Jean-Luc Guadelli) The explorations continued in Sectors I and III in the entry hall of the cave and close behind it. Layers of the transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic periods (40,000 – 45,000 BP) were explored, reaching the late phases of the Middle Paleolithic period beneath, mostly in Sector I (45,000/47,000 – 57,000 BP). In the contact zone of Layers 6/7 and 9, the lowest parts of Strata VIIIa and VIIIb were discovered, dated to the very beginning of the transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic periods. The flint assemblages of the end of the Middle Paleolithic period almost lacked technological variety and the combination of Middle and Upper Paleolithic techniques, typical of the transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic periods. The animal bones from the late phases of the Middle Paleolithic period belonged to Bos primigenius, Bison priscus, Equus caballus, Equus hydruntinus and Capra caucasica. A layer was documented, containing microtephra originating from the volcanic activity in the southwestern part of the Apennines dated to 57,000 BP. Early coexistence and contacts between local Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals and Late Paleolithic immigrating groups of Homo sapiens, coming from the Middle East, were documented in the cave. Even earlier immigrating groups coming from the Middle East before 120,000 BP might have been present in the Balkans, who might have been the first groups of Homo sapiens outside Africa who were bearing Middle Paleolithic traditions.