Eurasian Prehistory, 6 (1–2): 3–31. CRVENA STIJENA EXCAVATIONS 2004–2006, PRELIMINARY REPORT Mile Bakoviæ 1 , Bojana Mihailoviæ 2 , Dušan Mihailoviæ 3 , Mike Morley 4 , Zvezdana Vušoviæ-Luèiæ 5, Robert Whallon 6 and Jamie Woodward 7 1 Centar za arheoloških istraživanja Crne Gore, Gojka Radonjiæa 33, Poštanski fah 255, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro 2 Narodni muzej, Trg republike 1a, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 3 Filozovski fakultet, Odeljenje za arheologiju, Èika Ljubina 18-20, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 4 Department of Anthropology and Geography, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP, United Kingdom 5 Centar za kulturu, Trg Šaka Petroviæa 1, 81400 Nikšiæ, Montenegro 6 University of Michigan, Museum of Anthropology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; whallon@umich.edu 7 Geography, School of Environment and Development, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom Abstract The excavations and geological studies made in 2004–2006 at the Paleolithic site of Crvena Stijena in Montenegro are described in preliminary form. Earlier excavations had removed virtually all of the layers later than the Middle Paleolithic, as well as a large part of the Middle Paleolithic, leaving a 9 m tall profile through these deposits. A small de- posit of intact Mesolithic layers remained, however, and the Mesolithic materials recovered in 2004–2006 are presented in some detail, along with accompanying 14 C dates. Geological investigations were made of the entire remaining section of Middle Paleolithic deposits. These studies demonstrated that the numerous charcoal- and ash-rich layers visible in section are in situ hearths. Lying directly on top of the Middle Paleolithic layers is a layer of volcanic ash, which was identified as the Y5 tephra, or Campanian Ignimbrite, dated to 39,000–41,000 BP. The 2004–2006 excavations did not reach the Mid- dle Paleolithic layers, but access has been prepared for future excavations in these layers. So far, only a few Middle Paleolithic tools and a single Neanderthal tooth have been recovered from the cleaning of the profile of these layers. INTRODUCTION In 2004, after several preliminary visits to the site and discussions of goals and possibilities, new excavations were begun at the site of Crvena Stijena in Montenegro. These excavations are a joint project of the Centar za arheološka istra- živanja Crne Gore, the Zavièajni muzej, Nikšiæ, and the University of Michigan Museum of An- thropology. This project is ongoing, and we pres- ent here only preliminary results from the first three years of the project. Crvena Stijena is a rock shelter located on the western border of Montenegro (ca. 42.779°N, 18.481°E, Fig. 1), in the small village of Petroviæi, administratively within the municipality of Nikšiæ. The site is situated high above the river Trebišnjica, at an elevation of about 700 m a.s.l., looking south and slightly west down into the val- ley and across to neighboring Bosnia–Herzego- vina. The rock shelter of Crvena Stijena is large, ca. 26 m wide at the mouth, extending inward ca. 15 m at the surface, and some 20–25 m in the lower depths, with known archaeological levels down to a depth of at least 20 m. Previous excavations carried out some 40+ years ago at Crvena Stijena removed an enormous volume of deposits from this site. The results of these excavations were reported in numerous arti-