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Shao Y, Wegener C, Klein K, Schmidt I, Weniger GC. Reconstruction of human dispersal during Aurignacian on pan-European scale. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7406. [PMID: 39198497 PMCID: PMC11358479 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51349-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The Aurignacian is the first techno-complex related with certainty to Anatomically Modern Humans in Europe. Studies show that they appeared around 43-42 kyr cal BP and dispersed rapidly in Europe during the Upper Palaeolithic. However, human dispersal is a highly convoluted process which is until today not well understood. Here, we provide a reconstruction of the human dispersal during the Aurignacian on the pan-European scale using a human dispersal model, the Our Way Model, which combines archaeological with paleoclimate data and uses the human existence potential as a unifying driver of human population dynamics. Based on the reconstruction, we identify the different stages of the human dispersal and analyse how human demographic processes are influenced by climate change and topography. A chronology of the Aurignacian human groups in Europe is provided, which is verified for locations where archaeological dating records are available. Insights into highly debated hypotheses, such as human dispersal routes, are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaping Shao
- Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Christian Wegener
- Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Konstantin Klein
- Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Isabell Schmidt
- Institute of Prehistory, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Clark JL, Hartman G, Nilsson-Stutz L, Stutz AJ. The fauna from Mughr el-Hamamah, Jordan: Insights on human hunting behavior during the Early Upper Paleolithic. J Hum Evol 2024; 190:103518. [PMID: 38520970 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
As a corridor for population movement out of Africa, the southern Levant is a natural laboratory for research exploring the dynamics of the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition. Yet, the number of well-preserved sites dating to the initial millennia of the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP; ∼45-30 ka) remains limited, restricting the resolution at which we can study the biocultural and techno-typological changes evidenced across the transition. With EUP deposits dating to 45-39 ka cal BP, Mughr el-Hamamah, Jordan, offers a key opportunity to expand our understanding of EUP lifeways in the southern Levant. Mughr el-Hamamah is particularly noteworthy for its large faunal assemblage, representing the first such assemblage from the Jordan Valley. In this paper, we present results from taxonomic and taphonomic analyses of the EUP fauna from Mughr el-Hamamah. Given broader debates about shifts in human subsistence across the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition, we also assess evidence for subsistence intensification, focusing especially on the exploitation of gazelle and the use of small game. Taphonomic data suggest that the fauna was primarily accumulated by human activity. Ungulates dominate the assemblage; gazelle (Gazella sp.) is the most common taxa, followed by fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) and goat (Capra sp.). Among the gazelle, juveniles account for roughly one-third of the sample. While the focus on gazelle and the frequency of juveniles are consistent with broader regional trends, evidence for the regular exploitation of marrow from gazelle phalanges suggests that the EUP occupants of Mughr el-Hamamah processed gazelle carcasses quite intensively. Yet, the overall degree of dietary intensification appears low-small game is rare and evidence for human capture of this game is more equivocal. As a whole, our results support a growing body of data showing gradual shifts in animal exploitation strategies across the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in the southern Levant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L Clark
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive MS3G5, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Universität Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Gideon Hartman
- Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road, Unit 1176, Storrs, Connecticut, 06226, USA
| | - Liv Nilsson-Stutz
- Department of Cultural Sciences, The Linnaeus University, S 351 95, Växjö, Sweden
| | - Aaron J Stutz
- Bohusläns Museum, Box 403, SE-451 19, Uddevalla, Sweden
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3
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Shemer M, Barzilai O, Marder O. Cultural Dynamics in the Levantine Upper Paleolithic, ca. 40-33 ky BP: Insights Based on Recent Advances in the Study of the Levantine Aurignacian, the Arkov-Divshon, and the Atlitian. JOURNAL OF PALEOLITHIC ARCHAEOLOGY 2024; 7:10. [PMID: 38694615 PMCID: PMC11058049 DOI: 10.1007/s41982-024-00176-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
The chrono-cultural sequence of the Levantine Upper Paleolithic went through several major revisions during approximately a century of focused research, each revision contributing to shedding light on the mosaic of cultural entities and the complex social and cultural dynamics composing the Levantine Upper Paleolithic. The current state of research suggests the co-inhabitance of two cultural groups: the Early Ahmarian and the Levantine Aurignacian. Two other cultural entities, the Arkov-Divshon and the Atlitian, are regarded as younger manifestations and were tentatively suggested to relate to the Levantine Aurignacian. This paper presents a research synthesis of two case studies: Manot Cave, located in western Galilee, Israel, and Nahal Rahaf 2 Rockshelter in the Judean Desert. The application of high-resolution excavation methods, alongside detailed documentation of the stratigraphy and site-formation processes and wide-scale radiocarbon-based absolute dating, marked these sites as ideal for chrono-cultural study through the analyses of flint industries. The results indicate a clear distinction between the Levantine Aurignacian and the Arkov-Divshon/Atlitian industries and a chronological overlap between the Arkov-Divshon, Levantine Aurignacian, and possibly with the Early Ahmarian. Subsequently, we suggest another revision of the currently accepted chrono-cultural model: not two, but at least three cultural entities co-inhabited the Levant at ca. 40-30 ky cal BP. This study further suggests an evolvement of the Atlitian flint industries from the Arkov-Divshon and stresses the foreign cultural features of the Levantine Aurignacian. These results were used to construct an updated model of migration and possible interaction patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maayan Shemer
- Department of Archaeology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, 84105 Beer Sheva, Israel
- Archaeological Research Department, Israel Antiquities Authority, The National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, 1 Nahman Avigad Street, 9370726 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Omry Barzilai
- The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Ofer Marder
- Department of Archaeology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, 84105 Beer Sheva, Israel
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4
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Alarashi H, Benz M, Gresky J, Burkhardt A, Fischer A, Gourichon L, Gerlitzki M, Manfred M, Sakalauskaite J, Demarchi B, Mackie M, Collins M, Odriozola CP, Garrido Cordero JÁ, Avilés MÁ, Vigorelli L, Re A, Gebel HGK. Threads of memory: Reviving the ornament of a dead child at the Neolithic village of Ba`ja (Jordan). PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288075. [PMID: 37531349 PMCID: PMC10396020 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2018, a well-constructed cist-type grave was discovered at Ba`ja, a Neolithic village (7,400-6,800 BCE) in Southern Jordan. Underneath multiple grave layers, an 8-year-old child was buried in a fetal position. Over 2,500 beads were found on the chest and neck, along with a double perforated stone pendant and a delicately engraved mother-of-pearl ring discovered among the concentration of beads. The first was found behind the neck, and the second on the chest. The meticulous documentation of the bead distribution indicated that the assemblage was a composite ornament that had gradually collapsed, partly due to the burying position. Our aim was to challenge time degradation and to reimagine the initial composition in order to best explore the significance of this symbolic category of material culture, not as mere group of beads, but as an ornamental creation with further aesthetic, artisanal and socioeconomic implications. The reconstruction results exceeded our expectations as it revealed an imposing multi-row necklace of complex structure and attractive design. Through multiple lines of evidence, we suggest that the necklace was created at Ba`ja, although significant parts of beads were made from exotic shells and stones, including fossil amber, an unprecedented material never attested before for this period. The retrieval of such an ornament from life and its attribution to a young dead child highlights the significant social status of this individual. Beyond the symbolic functions related to identity, the necklace is believed to have played a key role in performing the inhumation rituals, understood as a public event gathering families, relatives, and people from other villages. In this sense, the necklace is not seen as belonging completely to the realm of death but rather to the world of the living, materializing a collective memory and shared moments of emotions and social cohesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hala Alarashi
- IMF-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, CEPAM, Nice, France
| | - Marion Benz
- Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Gresky
- German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alice Burkhardt
- Department of Conservation-Art History, Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Andrea Fischer
- Department of Conservation-Art History, Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design, Stuttgart, Germany
| | | | - Melissa Gerlitzki
- Landesamt für Geologie, Rohstoffe und Bergbau (LGRB) im Regierungspräsidium Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Martin Manfred
- Landesamt für Geologie, Rohstoffe und Bergbau (LGRB) im Regierungspräsidium Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jorune Sakalauskaite
- Section for GeoBiology, GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute of Bioscience, Life Sciences Centre, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Beatrice Demarchi
- ArchaeoBiomics, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Meaghan Mackie
- Section for GeoBiology, GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Matthew Collins
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos P Odriozola
- Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
- UNIARQ, Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Miguel Ángel Avilés
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla, Universidad de Sevilla- CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Luisa Vigorelli
- Electronics and Telecomunication Department, Polytechnic of Torino, Turin, Italy
- Physics Department, University of Torino and INFN, Turin Section, Turin, Italy
| | - Alessandro Re
- Physics Department, University of Torino and INFN, Turin Section, Turin, Italy
| | - Hans Georg K Gebel
- Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology, Free University, Berlin, Germany
- ex oriente e.V., Berlin, Germany
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5
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Shemer M, Boaretto E, Greenbaum N, Bar-Yosef Mayer DE, Tejero JM, Langgut D, Gnezdilov DL, Barzilai O, Marder O, Marom N. Early Upper Paleolithic cultural variability in the Southern Levant: New evidence from Nahal Rahaf 2 Rockshelter, Judean Desert, Israel. J Hum Evol 2023; 178:103342. [PMID: 36934495 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
The Levantine Early Upper Paleolithic (ca. 45-30 ka) has been a focus of research because of its unique position as a conduit of human, flora, and fauna species between Africa and Eurasia. Studies have mainly focused on the Early Ahmarian and Levantine Aurignacian, two entities, the former endemic and the latter foreign, which are considered to have coinhabited the region during that period. However, other cultural entities, such as the Atlitian in the Mediterranean region and the Arkov-Divshon in the arid regions of the southern Levant received less attention, and accordingly, suffer from broad definitions and chronological insecurity. These cultures hold potential insights regarding nuanced adaptations, reciprocal influences, and diachronic assimilation processes. The recently discovered site of Nahal Rahaf 2 Rockshelter in the Judean Desert provides integral information on one of these entities-the Arkov-Divshon. Two excavation seasons revealed a sequence of archaeological layers, with lithic assemblages in which laterally carinated items were prominent. Alongside rich faunal assemblages, other components of the material culture include perforated marine shells and bone tools, marking the first association of these elements with Arkov-Divshon and implying some degree of contact with the Mediterranean regions of the Levant. Good preservation of organic materials allowed radiocarbon dating of the human occupation at the site to ca. 37.5-34.0 ka cal BP, indicating chronological overlap with the Levantine Aurignacian, and possibly also with the latest phases of the Early Ahmarian. Thus, challenging the validity of the widely accepted 'Two Tradition' Model of the Levantine Upper Paleolithic. Lithic analyses suggest the use of one main reduction sequence and the primary production of bladelets from carinated items. Faunal remains suggest targeted hunting of ibex and gazelle. Botanical remains and sedimentary analyses suggest roughly similar environmental conditions, with a possible woodier environment in the surroundings of the site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maayan Shemer
- Department of Bible, Archaeology and the Ancient Near East, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; Archaeological Research Department, Israel Antiquities Authority, P.O. Box 586, Jerusalem 9100402, Israel.
| | - Elisabetta Boaretto
- Dangoor Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Noam Greenbaum
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Daniella E Bar-Yosef Mayer
- The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jose-Miguel Tejero
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Wien Biocenter, Djerassiplat 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria; Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Djerassiplat 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria; Seminari d'Estudis I Recerques Prehistòriques (SERP), Universitat de Barcelona, C/ Montalegre 6, 08001, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dafna Langgut
- The Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Ancient Environments, Institute of Archaeology, The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dariya Lokshin Gnezdilov
- Laboratory of Archaeozoology, School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Omry Barzilai
- Archaeological Research Department, Israel Antiquities Authority, P.O. Box 586, Jerusalem 9100402, Israel
| | - Ofer Marder
- Department of Bible, Archaeology and the Ancient Near East, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Nimrod Marom
- Laboratory of Archaeozoology, School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
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Marín-Arroyo AB, Terlato G, Vidal-Cordasco M, Peresani M. Subsistence of early anatomically modern humans in Europe as evidenced in the Protoaurignacian occupations of Fumane Cave, Italy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3788. [PMID: 36882431 PMCID: PMC9992387 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30059-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Documenting the subsistence strategies developed by early modern humans is relevant for understanding the success of their dispersal throughout Eurasia. Today, we know that there was not a single colonization event and that the process was progressive while coping with the MIS3 abrupt climatic oscillations. Modern humans expanded into the continent by adapting to different topographic situations and by exploiting resources in diverse ecological niches. The northern part of Italy is one of the first European regions where early modern humans are documented. Here, we present the subsistence regimen adopted by the Protoaurignacian groups in two different levels in Fumane Cave based on archaeozoological data. New radiocarbon dates confirm an overlap between Uluzzian and Protoaurignacian occupations, around 42 and 41,000 cal BP, and reveal that modern humans occupied the cave from GI10 to GS9, the last level coinciding with the Heinrich Event 4. The data indicate seasonal site occupations during late spring/summer and that prey exploitation was focused mostly on ibex and chamois, killed in nearby areas. The whole faunal assemblage suggests the presence of early modern humans in a cold environment with mostly open landscapes and patchy woodlands. The estimation of net primary productivity (NPP) in Fumane, compared with other contemporaneous Italian sites, reflects how the NPP fluctuations in the Prealpine area, where Fumane is located, affected the biotic resources in contrast to known Mediterranean sites. From a pan-European perspective, the spatiotemporal fluctuation of the NPP versus the subsistence strategies adopted by Protoaurignacian groups in the continent supports rapid Homo sapiens dispersal and resilience in a mosaic of environments that were affected by significant climate changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana B Marín-Arroyo
- Grupo de I+D+I EVOADAPTA (Evolución Humana y Adaptaciones durante la Prehistoria), Dpto. Ciencias Históricas, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de Los Castros 44, 39005, Santander, Spain.
| | - Gabriele Terlato
- Grupo de I+D+I EVOADAPTA (Evolución Humana y Adaptaciones durante la Prehistoria), Dpto. Ciencias Históricas, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de Los Castros 44, 39005, Santander, Spain.
| | - Marco Vidal-Cordasco
- Grupo de I+D+I EVOADAPTA (Evolución Humana y Adaptaciones durante la Prehistoria), Dpto. Ciencias Históricas, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de Los Castros 44, 39005, Santander, Spain
| | - Marco Peresani
- Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Sezione di Scienze Preistoriche e Antropologiche, Università di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.,Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milan, Italy
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7
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Bailey SE, Tryon CA. The dentition of the Early Upper Paleolithic hominins from Ksâr 'Akil, Lebanon. J Hum Evol 2023; 176:103323. [PMID: 36738521 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
There are scant human remains associated with Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) industries. The rock shelter at Ksâr 'Akil, Lebanon, is one of the few circum-Mediterranean archaeological sites with EUP artifacts and associated fossils attributed to Homo sapiens. The skull and post-crania of the juvenile 'Egbert' (Ksâr 'Akil 1) from the EUP levels (conservatively dated from ∼43 to 39 ka) have been lost; the partial edentulous maxilla of 'Ethelruda' (Ksâr 'Akil 2) from the Initial Upper Paleolithic levels has only recently been rediscovered, leaving an isolated deciduous molar (Ksâr 'Akil 3) from Levantine Aurignacian strata. A fourth individual was found adjacent to Ksâr 'Akil 1 in 1938, but never described, and is apparently also lost. New archival research at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography uncovered photographs and radiographs of Ksâr 'Akil 1 and photographs of the fourth individual (which we designate Ksâr 'Akil 4). These new photographs and radiographs allow a comparative dental analysis of both individuals. Radiographs confirm an age of 7-8 years for Ksâr 'Akil 1 and photographs of Ksâr 'Akil 4 suggest a similar, if not slightly younger, age. Compared to other fossil H. sapiens, the teeth of Ksâr 'Akil 1 and Ksâr 'Akil 4 are remarkably modern. The upper deciduous third premolars lack a hypocone and metacone; the upper deciduous fourth premolars of Ksâr 'Akil 1 have reduced hypocones and both individuals have upper fourth premolars and first molars with square (as opposed to skewed) occlusal outlines, resulting from a hypocone that is smaller than, or equal in size to, the metacone. The lower first permanent molars of Ksâr 'Akil 1, and possibly Ksâr 'Akil 4, are four-cusped, which is a rare trait among Paleolithic and recent H. sapiens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shara E Bailey
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Study of Human Origins, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY, 10003, USA.
| | - Christian A Tryon
- Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road, Storrs, CT, 06269 USA; Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, 21 Divinity Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA; Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th St. and Constitution Ave. NW Washington DC 20560, USA
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8
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Slimak L. The three waves: Rethinking the structure of the first Upper Paleolithic in Western Eurasia. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0277444. [PMID: 37134082 PMCID: PMC10155996 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The Neronian is a lithic tradition recognized in the Middle Rhône Valley of Mediterranean France now directly linked to Homo sapiens and securely dated to 54,000 years ago (ka), pushing back the arrival of modern humans in Europe by 10 ka. This incursion of modern humans into Neandertal territory and the relationships evoked between the Neronian and the Levantine Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) question the validity of concepts that define the first H. sapiens migrations and the very nature of the first Upper Paleolithic in western Eurasia. Direct comparative analyses between lithic technology from Grotte Mandrin and East Mediterranean archeological sequences, especially Ksar Akil, suggest that the three key phases of the earliest Levantine Upper Paleolithic have very precise technical and chronological counterparts in Western Europe, recognized from the Rhône Valley to Franco-Cantabria. These trans-Mediterranean technical connections suggest three distinct waves of H. sapiens expansion into Europe between 55-42 ka. These elements support an original thesis on the origin, structure, and evolution of the first moments of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe tracing parallel archaeological changes in the East Mediterranean region and Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Slimak
- CNRS, UMR 5288, Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, Université Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
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9
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Initial Upper Paleolithic bone technology and personal ornaments at Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria). J Hum Evol 2022; 167:103198. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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10
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Slimak L, Zanolli C, Higham T, Frouin M, Schwenninger JL, Arnold LJ, Demuro M, Douka K, Mercier N, Guérin G, Valladas H, Yvorra P, Giraud Y, Seguin-Orlando A, Orlando L, Lewis JE, Muth X, Camus H, Vandevelde S, Buckley M, Mallol C, Stringer C, Metz L. Modern human incursion into Neanderthal territories 54,000 years ago at Mandrin, France. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabj9496. [PMID: 35138885 PMCID: PMC8827661 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj9496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Determining the extent of overlap between modern humans and other hominins in Eurasia, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, is fundamental to understanding the nature of their interactions and what led to the disappearance of archaic hominins. Apart from a possible sporadic pulse recorded in Greece during the Middle Pleistocene, the first settlements of modern humans in Europe have been constrained to ~45,000 to 43,000 years ago. Here, we report hominin fossils from Grotte Mandrin in France that reveal the earliest known presence of modern humans in Europe between 56,800 and 51,700 years ago. This early modern human incursion in the Rhône Valley is associated with technologies unknown in any industry of that age outside Africa or the Levant. Mandrin documents the first alternating occupation of Neanderthals and modern humans, with a modern human fossil and associated Neronian lithic industry found stratigraphically between layers containing Neanderthal remains associated with Mousterian industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Slimak
- CNRS, UMR 5608, TRACES, Université de Toulouse Jean Jaurès, 5 Allées Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
- Corresponding author. (L.S.); (C.Z.)
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33600 Pessac, France
- Corresponding author. (L.S.); (C.Z.)
| | - Tom Higham
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, University Biology Building, Djerassiplatz 1, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marine Frouin
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
- Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, 255 Earth and Space Sciences Building, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2100, USA
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA
| | - Jean-Luc Schwenninger
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Lee J. Arnold
- School of Physical Sciences, Environment Institute, Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), University of Adelaide, North Terrace Campus, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Martina Demuro
- School of Physical Sciences, Environment Institute, Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), University of Adelaide, North Terrace Campus, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Katerina Douka
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, University Biology Building, Djerassiplatz 1, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische, Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Norbert Mercier
- CNRS, UMR 5060, Institut de Recherche sur les Archéomatériaux and Centre de Recherche en Physique Appliquée à l’Archéologie (CRP2A), Maison de l’Archéologie, Université Bordeaux Montaigne, 33607 Pessac, France
| | - Gilles Guérin
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, UMR 8212 CEA CNRS UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Hélène Valladas
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, UMR 8212 CEA CNRS UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Pascale Yvorra
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Min. Culture, UMR 7269, LAMPEA, Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme, BP 647, 5 rue du Château de l’Horloge, F-13094, Aix-en-Provence Cedex 2, France
| | - Yves Giraud
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Min. Culture, UMR 7269, LAMPEA, Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme, BP 647, 5 rue du Château de l’Horloge, F-13094, Aix-en-Provence Cedex 2, France
| | | | - Ludovic Orlando
- CNRS, UMR 5288, CAGT, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Jason E. Lewis
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA
| | | | - Hubert Camus
- PROTEE-EXPERT, 4 rue des Aspholdèles, 34750 Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, France
| | - Ségolène Vandevelde
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, UMR 8212 CEA CNRS UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Université Paris 1–Panthéon-Sorbonne, Équipe Archéologies Environnementales, UMR 7041, ArScAn, Équipe Archéologies Environnementales, 21 allée de l’Université, 92023 Nanterre Cedex, France
| | - Mike Buckley
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Carolina Mallol
- Archaeological Micromorphology and Biomarkers Laboratory (AMBI Lab), Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, Departamento de Geografía e Historia, UDI Prehistoria, Arqueología e Historia Antigua, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Chris Stringer
- Centre for Human Evolution Research (CHER), Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Laure Metz
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Min. Culture, UMR 7269, LAMPEA, Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme, BP 647, 5 rue du Château de l’Horloge, F-13094, Aix-en-Provence Cedex 2, France
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut, 215 Glenbrook Road, U-4098, Storrs, CT 06269-4098, USA
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11
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Smith GM, Spasov R, Martisius NL, Sinet-Mathiot V, Aldeias V, Rezek Z, Ruebens K, Pederzani S, McPherron SP, Sirakova S, Sirakov N, Tsanova T, Hublin JJ. Subsistence behavior during the Initial Upper Paleolithic in Europe: Site use, dietary practice, and carnivore exploitation at Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria). J Hum Evol 2021; 161:103074. [PMID: 34628301 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The behavioral dynamics underlying the expansion of Homo sapiens into Europe remains a crucial topic in human evolution. Owing to poor bone preservation, past studies have strongly focused on the Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) stone tool record. Recent excavations and extensive radiocarbon dating at Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria) pushed back the arrival of IUP H. sapiens into Europe to ca. 45,000 years ago. This site has exceptional bone preservation, and we present the study of 7431 faunal remains from across two IUP layers (I and J) and one Middle Paleolithic layer (K). We identified a shift in site use and occupation intensity through time, marked by increased find density and human modifications in Layer I. Alongside a decrease in carnivore presence and seasonality data demonstrating human presence in all seasons, this indicates a more frequent or prolonged occupation of the site by IUP groups. Contrarily, the dietary focus across the IUP and Middle Paleolithic layers is similar, centered on the exploitation of species from a range of habitats including Bos/Bison, Cervidae, Equidae, and Caprinae. While body parts of large herbivores were selectively transported into the site, the bear remains suggest that these animals died in the cave itself. A distinct aspect of the IUP occupation is an increase in carnivore remains with human modifications, including these cave bears but also smaller taxa (e.g., Canis lupus, Vulpes vulpes). This can be correlated with their exploitation for pendants, and potentially for skins and furs. At a broader scale, we identified similarities in subsistence behavior across IUP sites in Europe and western Asia. It appears that the first IUP occupations were less intense with find densities and human modifications increasing in succeeding IUP layers. Moreover, the exploitation of small game appears to be limited across IUP sites, while carnivore exploitation seems a recurrent strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoff M Smith
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Rosen Spasov
- Archaeology Department, New Bulgarian University, 21 Montevideo Str., 1618 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Naomi L Martisius
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, 74104, Tulsa, USA; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Virginie Sinet-Mathiot
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Vera Aldeias
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behaviour, Universidade do Algarve, FCHS, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Zeljko Rezek
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany; University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Karen Ruebens
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sarah Pederzani
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, UK
| | - Shannon P McPherron
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svoboda Sirakova
- National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Saborna Str., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Nikolay Sirakov
- National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Saborna Str., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Tsenka Tsanova
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany; Collège de France, 11, place Marcelin Berthelot, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France
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12
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Marder O, Hershkovitz I, Gilead I, Berna F, Barzilai O. Introduction to special issue: In searcrh for modern humans and the Early Upper Paleolithic at Manot Cave, Western Galilee, Israel. J Hum Evol 2021; 160:103053. [PMID: 34456056 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ofer Marder
- Department of Bible, Archaeology and the Ancient Near East, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, POB 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, POB 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Isaac Gilead
- Department of Bible, Archaeology and the Ancient Near East, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, POB 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Francesco Berna
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Omry Barzilai
- Archaeological Research Department, Israel Antiquities Authority, POB 586, Jerusalem 91004, Israel
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13
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Lombard M, Shea JJ. Did Pleistocene Africans use the spearthrower-and-dart? Evol Anthropol 2021; 30:307-315. [PMID: 34343369 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Archeologists commonly suppose that among complex projectile weapons humans use as subsistence aids, the spearthrower-and-dart preceded bow-and-arrow use. And yet, neither ethnographic nor archeological records furnish any robust evidence for spearthrower-and-dart use in Africa. Instead, evidence grows apace for ever-more ancient bow-and-arrow use. Here we explore these findings and their implications for models of early Homo sapiens behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlize Lombard
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
| | - John J Shea
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
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The absolute chronology of Boker Tachtit (Israel) and implications for the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in the Levant. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2014657118. [PMID: 34161257 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2014657118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) is a crucial lithic assemblage type in the archaeology of southwest Asia because it marks a dramatic shift in hominin populations accompanied by technological changes in material culture. This phase is conventionally divided into two chronocultural phases based on the Boker Tachtit site, central Negev, Israel. While lithic technologies at Boker Tachtit are well defined, showing continuity from one phase to another, the absolute chronology is poorly resolved because the radiocarbon method used had a large uncertainty. Nevertheless, Boker Tachtit is considered to be the origin of the succeeding Early Upper Paleolithic Ahmarian tradition that dates in the Negev to ∼42,000 y ago (42 ka). Here, we provide 14C and optically stimulated luminescence dates obtained from a recent excavation of Boker Tachtit. The new dates show that the early phase at Boker Tachtit, the Emirian, dates to 50 through 49 ka, while the late phase dates to 47.3 ka and ends by 44.3 ka. These results show that the IUP started in the Levant during the final stages of the Late Middle Paleolithic some 50,000 y ago. The later IUP phase in the Negev chronologically overlaps with the Early Upper Paleolithic Ahmarian of the Mediterranean woodland region between 47 and 44 ka. We conclude that Boker Tachtit is the earliest manifestation of the IUP in Eurasia. The study shows that distinguishing the chronology of the IUP from the Late Middle Paleolithic, as well as from the Early Upper Paleolithic, is much more complex than previously thought.
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Richter J, Litt T, Lehmkuhl F, Hense A, Hauck TC, Leder DF, Miebach A, Parow-Souchon H, Sauer F, Schoenenberg J, Al-Nahar M, Hussain ST. Al-Ansab and the Dead Sea: Mid-MIS 3 archaeology and environment of the early Ahmarian population of the Levantine corridor. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0239968. [PMID: 33048958 PMCID: PMC7553344 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Our field data from the Upper Palaeolithic site of Al-Ansab 1 (Jordan) and from a pollen sequence in the Dead Sea elucidate the role that changing Steppe landscapes played in facilitating anatomically modern human populations to enter a major expansion and consolidation phase, known as the "Early Ahmarian", several millennia subsequent to their initial Marine Isotope Stage 4/3 migration from Africa, into the Middle East. The Early Ahmarian techno-cultural unit covers a time range between 45 ka-37 ka BP. With so far more than 50 sites found, the Early Ahmarian is the first fully Upper Palaeolithic techno-cultural unit exclusively and undisputedly related to anatomically modern human populations. In order to better understand the potentially attractive features of the Early Ahmarian environmental context that supported its persistence for over 8,000 years, we carried out a decennial research program in Jordan and in the Dead Sea. This included (1) a geoscientific and archaeological survey program in the Wadi Sabra (Jordan) with a particular focus on excavations at the Early Ahmarian site of Al-Ansab 1 alongside the detailed analysis of Quaternary sediments from the same area and (2) palaeobotanical research based on Quaternary lake deposits from the Dead Sea. Our pollen data from the Dead Sea indicate slow, low frequency vegetational variation with expanding Artemisia steppe, from 60 to 20 ka BP (MIS 3-2). Here, we see a reciprocal assimilation of southern and northern Levantine vegetation zones thereby enhancing a long-lasting south-to-north steppe corridor. The same integration process accelerated about 40 ka ago, when forested areas retreated in the Lebanese Mountains. The process then extended to encompass an area from Southern Lebanon to the Sinai Peninsula. We argue that, at the same time, the carriers of the Early Ahmarian techno-cultural unit extended their habitat from their original Mediterranean biome (in the North) to the Saharo-Arabian biome (to the South). Our excavation of Al-Ansab 1, a campsite at the eastern margins of the Early Ahmarian settlement area, indicates far reaching annual movements of small, highly mobile hunter-gatherer groups. We assume a low degree of settlement complexity, still allowing for habitat extension of the Early Ahmarian into the margins of the Levantine corridor. Due to our radiometric dates, our combined archaeological and environmental record sheds light on an evolved phase of the Early Ahmarian, around 38 ka ago, rather than the starting phase of this techno-cultural unit. Possible application of our model to the starting phase of the Early Ahmarian remains an aspect of future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Richter
- Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Thomas Litt
- Institute of Geosciences, Palaeontology Section, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Frank Lehmkuhl
- Department of Geography, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Andreas Hense
- Institute for Geosciences, Meteorology Section, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas C. Hauck
- Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Dirk F. Leder
- Department of Archaeology, Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage, Hanover, Germany
| | - Andrea Miebach
- Institute of Geosciences, Palaeontology Section, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Florian Sauer
- Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | | | | | - Shumon T. Hussain
- Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, School of Culture and Society and BIOCHANGE - Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World, Institute for Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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16
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Berna F, Boaretto E, Wiebe MC, Goder-Goldberger M, Abulafia T, Lavi R, Barzilai O, Marder O, Weiner S. Site formation processes at Manot Cave, Israel: Interplay between strata accumulation in the occupation area and the talus. J Hum Evol 2020; 160:102883. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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17
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Personal ornaments from Hayonim and Manot caves (Israel) hint at symbolic ties between the Levantine and the European Aurignacian. J Hum Evol 2020; 160:102870. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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18
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Sakalauskaite J, Marin F, Pergolizzi B, Demarchi B. Shell palaeoproteomics: First application of peptide mass fingerprinting for the rapid identification of mollusc shells in archaeology. J Proteomics 2020; 227:103920. [PMID: 32712371 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Molluscs were one of the most widely-used natural resources in the past, and their shells are abundant among archaeological findings. However, our knowledge of the variety of shells that were circulating in prehistoric times (and thus their socio-economic and cultural value) is scarce due to the difficulty of achieving taxonomic determination of fragmented and/or worked remains. This study aims to obtain molecular barcodes based on peptide mass fingerprints (PMFs) of intracrystalline proteins, in order to obtain shell identification. Palaeoproteomic applications on shells are challenging, due to low concentration of molluscan proteins and an incomplete understanding of their sequences. We explore different approaches for protein extraction from small-size samples (<20 mg), followed by MALDI-TOF-MS analysis. The SP3 (single-pot, solid-phase) sample preparation method was found to be the most successful in retrieving the intracrystalline protein fraction from seven molluscan shell taxa, which belong to different phylogenetic groups, possess distinct microstructures and are relevant for archaeology. Furthermore, all the shells analysed, including a 7000-year-old specimen of the freshwater bivalve Pseudunio, yielded good-quality distinctive spectra, demonstrating that PMFs can be used for shell taxon determination. Our work suggests good potential for large-scale screening of archaeological molluscan remains. SIGNIFICANCE: We characterise for the first time the peptide mass fingerprints of the intracrystalline shell protein fraction isolated from different molluscan taxa. We demonstrate that these proteins yield distinctive PMFs, even for shells that are phylogenetically related and/or that display similar microstructures. Furthermore, we extend the range of sample preparation approaches for "shellomics" by testing the SP3 method, which proved to be well-suited to shell protein extraction from small-size and protein-poor samples. This work thus lays the foundations for future large-scale applications for the identification of mollusc shells and other invertebrate remains from the archaeological and palaeontological records.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorune Sakalauskaite
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Turin, Italy; Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282, University of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France.
| | - Frédéric Marin
- Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282, University of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Barbara Pergolizzi
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, AOU S. Luigi, 10043 Orbassano, TO, Italy
| | - Beatrice Demarchi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Turin, Italy.
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Marder O, Shemer M, Abulafia T, Bar-Yosef Mayer D, Berna F, Caux S, Edeltin L, Goder-Goldberger M, Hershkovitz I, Lavi R, Shavit R, Tejero JM, Yeshurun R, Barzilai O. Preliminary observations on the Levantine Aurignacian sequence of Manot Cave: Cultural affiliations and regional perspectives. J Hum Evol 2019; 160:102705. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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20
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Tryon CA, Metz L. Archeological evidence for human dispersals around the Mediterranean basin? Evol Anthropol 2019; 28:233-235. [PMID: 31336009 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christian A Tryon
- Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
| | - Laure Metz
- Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.,Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l'Homme, Aix-en-Provence Cedex 2, France
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21
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Kadowaki S, Tamura T, Sano K, Kurozumi T, Maher LA, Wakano JY, Omori T, Kida R, Hirose M, Massadeh S, Henry DO. Lithic technology, chronology, and marine shells from Wadi Aghar, southern Jordan, and Initial Upper Paleolithic behaviors in the southern inland Levant. J Hum Evol 2019; 135:102646. [PMID: 31450172 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) temporally overlaps with the range expansion of Homo sapiens populations in various parts of Eurasia and is often considered a key archaeological phase for investigating behavioral changes from the Middle Paleolithic. This paper reports upon new data from IUP occupations at Wadi Aghar, a rock shelter site in the southern Levant. In combining the results of radiometric dates and lithic analyses, we clarify the chronological and cultural position of Wadi Aghar assemblages in the Levantine IUP. As for the records about mobility, on-site activities, and resource procurement behaviors, we present analyses of lithic use-wear, tool-type composition, soil micromorphology, and marine shells. The lithic analyses and the optically stimulated luminescence (and subsidiary radiocarbon) dating of the Wadi Aghar materials suggest their chronocultural position in the IUP (45-40 ka for Layers C-D1; 39-36 ka for Layer B; possibly 50 ka for Layer D2), providing the southernmost location for the IUP in Eurasia. In the Levant, Wadi Aghar represents one of the few IUP sites in the inland areas. The results also indicate that the timing and technological sequences from the IUP to the following bladelet industries differed between the inland and coastal zones, likely reflecting geographically variable adaptive behaviors and/or cultural transmissions. One of the behavioral characteristics of IUP foragers at Wadi Aghar is the procurement of remote resources, represented by the transportation of marine shells from the Red Sea: Canarium fusiforme and Canarium cf. mutabile. Whether it was a direct procurement with increased mobility or a result of intergroup exchanges, it was not part of behavioral repertoires during the late MP in the same area. This can be understood as the expansion of resource procurement range, functioning as additional buffers from risk in the semiarid environments in the inland Levant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seiji Kadowaki
- Nagoya University Museum, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
| | - Toru Tamura
- Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, Central 7, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8567, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561, Japan
| | - Katsuhiro Sano
- Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University, Kawauchi 41, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8576, Japan
| | - Taiji Kurozumi
- Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba, Aoba-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8682, Japan
| | - Lisa A Maher
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, 232 Kroeber Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3710, USA
| | - Joe Yuichiro Wakano
- School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences, Meiji University, Nakano 4-21-1, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-8525, Japan
| | - Takayuki Omori
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Risako Kida
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Masato Hirose
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Sate Massadeh
- Department of Antiquities, Jordan, Jebal Amman, Third Circle, Abdel Moneim Street, Building No. 21, Jordan
| | - Donald O Henry
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
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22
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Early Upper Paleolithic subsistence in the Levant: Zooarchaeology of the Ahmarian–Aurignacian sequence at Manot Cave, Israel. J Hum Evol 2019; 160:102619. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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23
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Degioanni A, Bonenfant C, Cabut S, Condemi S. Living on the edge: Was demographic weakness the cause of Neanderthal demise? PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216742. [PMID: 31141515 PMCID: PMC6541251 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The causes of disappearance of the Neanderthals, the only human population living in Europe before the arrival of Homo sapiens, have been debated for decades by the scientific community. Different hypotheses have been advanced to explain this demise, such as cognitive, adaptive and cultural inferiority of Neanderthals. Here, we investigate the disappearance of Neanderthals by examining the extent of demographic changes needed over a period of 10,000 years (yrs) to lead to their extinction. In regard to such fossil populations, we inferred demographic parameters from present day and past hunter-gatherer populations, and from bio-anthropological rules. We used demographic modeling and simulations to identify the set of plausible demographic parameters of the Neanderthal population compatible with the observed dynamics, and to explore the circumstances under which they might have led to the disappearance of Neanderthals. A slight (<4%) but continuous decrease in the fertility rate of younger Neanderthal women could have had a significant impact on these dynamics, and could have precipitated their demise. Our results open the way to non-catastrophic events as plausible explanations for Neanderthal extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Degioanni
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Minist Culture, LAMPEA, Aix-en-Provence, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Christophe Bonenfant
- UMR CNRS Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Université Claude Bernard Lyon Villeurbanne, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sandrine Cabut
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Minist Culture, LAMPEA, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Silvana Condemi
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, EFS, ADES, Marseille, France
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Sakalauskaite J, Andersen SH, Biagi P, Borrello MA, Cocquerez T, Colonese AC, Dal Bello F, Girod A, Heumüller M, Koon H, Mandili G, Medana C, Penkman KE, Plasseraud L, Schlichtherle H, Taylor S, Tokarski C, Thomas J, Wilson J, Marin F, Demarchi B. 'Palaeoshellomics' reveals the use of freshwater mother-of-pearl in prehistory. eLife 2019; 8:45644. [PMID: 31060688 PMCID: PMC6542584 DOI: 10.7554/elife.45644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The extensive use of mollusc shell as a versatile raw material is testament to its importance in prehistoric times. The consistent choice of certain species for different purposes, including the making of ornaments, is a direct representation of how humans viewed and exploited their environment. The necessary taxonomic information, however, is often impossible to obtain from objects that are small, heavily worked or degraded. Here we propose a novel biogeochemical approach to track the biological origin of prehistoric mollusc shell. We conducted an in-depth study of archaeological ornaments using microstructural, geochemical and biomolecular analyses, including ‘palaeoshellomics’, the first application of palaeoproteomics to mollusc shells (and indeed to any invertebrate calcified tissue). We reveal the consistent use of locally-sourced freshwater mother-of-pearl for the standardized manufacture of ‘double-buttons’. This craft is found throughout Europe between 4200–3800 BCE, highlighting the ornament-makers’ profound knowledge of the biogeosphere and the existence of cross-cultural traditions. Just like people do today, prehistoric humans liked to adorn themselves with beautiful objects. Shells, from creatures like clams and snails, were used to decorate clothing or worn as jewelry at least as far back as 100,000 years ago. Later people used shells as the raw materials to make beads or bracelets. Learning where the shells came from may help scientists understand why prehistoric people chose certain shells and not others. It may also offer clues about how they used natural resources and the cultural significance of these objects. But identifying the shells is difficult because they lose many of their original distinctive features when worked into ornaments. New tools that use DNA or proteins to identify the raw materials used to craft ancient artifacts have emerged that may help. So far, scientists have mostly used these genomic and proteomic tools to identify the source of materials made from animal hide, ivory or bone – where collagen is the most abundant protein molecule. Yet it is more challenging to extract and characterize proteins or genetic material from mollusc shells. This is partly because the amount of proteins in shells is at least 300 times lower than in bone, and also because the makeup of proteins in shells is not as well-known as in collagen. Sakalauskaite et al. have now overcome these issues by combining the analytical tools used to study the proteins and mineral content of modern shells with those of ancient protein research. They then used this approach, which they named palaeoshellomics, to extract proteins from seven “double-buttons” – pearl-like ornaments crafted by prehistoric people in Europe. The double-buttons were made between 4200 and 3800 BC and found at archeological sites in Denmark, Germany and Romania. Comparing the extracted proteins to those from various mollusc shells showed that the double-buttons were made from freshwater mussels belonging to a group known as the Unionoida. The discovery helps settle a decade-long debate in archeology about the origin of the shells used to make double-buttons in prehistoric Europe. Ancient people often crafted ornaments from marine shells, because they were exotic and considered more prestigious. But the results on the double-buttons suggest instead that mother-of-pearl from fresh water shells was valued and used by groups throughout Europe, even those living in coastal areas. The palaeoshellomics technique used by Sakalauskaite et al. may now help identify the origins of shells from archeological and palaeontological sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorune Sakalauskaite
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, University of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | | | - Paolo Biagi
- Department of Asian and North African Studies, University of Ca' Foscari, Venice, Italy
| | | | - Théophile Cocquerez
- UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, University of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | | | - Federica Dal Bello
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Marion Heumüller
- Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege, Hannover, Germany
| | - Hannah Koon
- School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom
| | - Giorgia Mandili
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Centre for Experimental and Clinical Studies, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Claudio Medana
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Kirsty Eh Penkman
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, United Kingdom
| | - Laurent Plasseraud
- Institute of Molecular Chemistry, ICMUB UMR CNRS 6302, University of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Helmut Schlichtherle
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Gaienhofen, Germany
| | - Sheila Taylor
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Tokarski
- Miniaturization for Synthesis, Analysis & Proteomics, USR CNRS 3290, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Jérôme Thomas
- UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, University of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Julie Wilson
- Department of Mathematics, University of York, Heslington, United Kingdom
| | - Frédéric Marin
- UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, University of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Beatrice Demarchi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington, United Kingdom
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Langgut D, Almogi-Labin A, Bar-Matthews M, Pickarski N, Weinstein-Evron M. Evidence for a humid interval at ∼56–44 ka in the Levant and its potential link to modern humans dispersal out of Africa. J Hum Evol 2018; 124:75-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Revised: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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26
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van de Loosdrecht M, Bouzouggar A, Humphrey L, Posth C, Barton N, Aximu-Petri A, Nickel B, Nagel S, Talbi EH, El Hajraoui MA, Amzazi S, Hublin JJ, Pääbo S, Schiffels S, Meyer M, Haak W, Jeong C, Krause J. Pleistocene North African genomes link Near Eastern and sub-Saharan African human populations. Science 2018; 360:548-552. [PMID: 29545507 DOI: 10.1126/science.aar8380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
North Africa is a key region for understanding human history, but the genetic history of its people is largely unknown. We present genomic data from seven 15,000-year-old modern humans, attributed to the Iberomaurusian culture, from Morocco. We find a genetic affinity with early Holocene Near Easterners, best represented by Levantine Natufians, suggesting a pre-agricultural connection between Africa and the Near East. We do not find evidence for gene flow from Paleolithic Europeans to Late Pleistocene North Africans. The Taforalt individuals derive one-third of their ancestry from sub-Saharan Africans, best approximated by a mixture of genetic components preserved in present-day West and East Africans. Thus, we provide direct evidence for genetic interactions between modern humans across Africa and Eurasia in the Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke van de Loosdrecht
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Jena, Kahlaische Strasse 10, D-07745, Germany
| | - Abdeljalil Bouzouggar
- Origin and Evolution of Homo sapiens in Morocco Research Group, Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Hay Riad, Madinat Al Irfane, Angle rues 5 et 7, Rabat-Instituts, 10 000 Rabat, Morocco. .,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Germany
| | - Louise Humphrey
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Cosimo Posth
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Jena, Kahlaische Strasse 10, D-07745, Germany
| | - Nick Barton
- Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 36 Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PG, UK
| | - Ayinuer Aximu-Petri
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Germany
| | - Birgit Nickel
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Germany
| | - Sarah Nagel
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Germany
| | - El Hassan Talbi
- Faculté des Sciences, Campus d'Al Qods, Université Mohammed Premier, B.P. 717 Oujda, Morocco
| | - Mohammed Abdeljalil El Hajraoui
- Origin and Evolution of Homo sapiens in Morocco Research Group, Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Hay Riad, Madinat Al Irfane, Angle rues 5 et 7, Rabat-Instituts, 10 000 Rabat, Morocco
| | - Saaïd Amzazi
- Mohammed V University, Avenue Ibn Batouta, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Germany
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Germany
| | - Stephan Schiffels
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Jena, Kahlaische Strasse 10, D-07745, Germany
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Haak
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Jena, Kahlaische Strasse 10, D-07745, Germany
| | - Choongwon Jeong
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Jena, Kahlaische Strasse 10, D-07745, Germany.
| | - Johannes Krause
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Jena, Kahlaische Strasse 10, D-07745, Germany.
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27
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Abstract
Homo sapiens phylogeography begins with the species' origin nearly 200 kya in Africa. First signs of the species outside Africa (in Arabia) are from 125 kya. Earliest dates elsewhere are now 100 kya in China, 45 kya in Australia and southern Europe (maybe even 60 kya in Australia), 32 kya in northeast Siberia, and maybe 20 kya in the Americas. Humans reached arctic regions and oceanic islands last-arctic North America about 5 kya, mid- and eastern Pacific islands about 2-1 kya, and New Zealand about 700 y ago. Initial routes along coasts seem the most likely given abundant and easily harvested shellfish there as indicated by huge ancient oyster shell middens on all continents. Nevertheless, the effect of geographic barriers-mountains and oceans-is clear. The phylogeographic pattern of diasporas from several single origins-northeast Africa to Eurasia, southeast Eurasia to Australia, and northeast Siberia to the Americas-allows the equivalent of a repeat experiment on the relation between geography and phylogenetic and cultural diversity. On all continents, cultural diversity is high in productive low latitudes, presumably because such regions can support populations of sustainable size in a small area, therefore allowing a high density of cultures. Of course, other factors operate. South America has an unusually low density of cultures in its tropical latitudes. A likely factor is the phylogeographic movement of peoples from the Old World bringing novel and hence, lethal diseases to the New World, a foretaste, perhaps, of present day global transport of tropical diseases.
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28
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Alex B, Barzilai O, Hershkovitz I, Marder O, Berna F, Caracuta V, Abulafia T, Davis L, Goder-Goldberger M, Lavi R, Mintz E, Regev L, Bar-Yosef Mayer D, Tejero JM, Yeshurun R, Ayalon A, Bar-Matthews M, Yasur G, Frumkin A, Latimer B, Hans MG, Boaretto E. Radiocarbon chronology of Manot Cave, Israel and Upper Paleolithic dispersals. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1701450. [PMID: 29152566 PMCID: PMC5687856 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1701450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The timing of archeological industries in the Levant is central for understanding the spread of modern humans with Upper Paleolithic traditions. We report a high-resolution radiocarbon chronology for Early Upper Paleolithic industries (Early Ahmarian and Levantine Aurignacian) from the newly excavated site of Manot Cave, Israel. The dates confirm that the Early Ahmarian industry was present by 46,000 calibrated years before the present (cal BP), and the Levantine Aurignacian occurred at least between 38,000 and 34,000 cal BP. This timing is consistent with proposed migrations or technological diffusions between the Near East and Europe. Specifically, the Ahmarian could have led to the development of the Protoaurignacian in Europe, and the Aurignacian in Europe could have spread back to the Near East as the Levantine Aurignacian.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget Alex
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Omry Barzilai
- Archaeological Research Department, Israel Antiquities Authority, POB 586, Jerusalem 91004, Israel
| | - Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Ofer Marder
- Department of Bible, Archaeology and the Ancient Near East, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Francesco Berna
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Valentina Caracuta
- Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology, University of Salento, Lecce 73100, Italy
- Max Planck-Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, DANGOOR Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Talia Abulafia
- Department of Bible, Archaeology and the Ancient Near East, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Lauren Davis
- Department of Bible, Archaeology and the Ancient Near East, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Mae Goder-Goldberger
- Department of Bible, Archaeology and the Ancient Near East, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Ron Lavi
- 8 Dan Street, Modi′in 7173161, Israel
| | - Eugenia Mintz
- Max Planck-Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, DANGOOR Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Lior Regev
- Max Planck-Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, DANGOOR Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Daniella Bar-Yosef Mayer
- The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138, U.S.A
| | - José-Miguel Tejero
- CNRS, UMR 7041, ArScAn équipe Ethnologie préhistorique, 92023 Nanterre, France
- Seminari d’Estudis I Recerques Prehistòriques, Universitat de Barcelona, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Reuven Yeshurun
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Avner Ayalon
- Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhe Israel Street, Jerusalem 95501, Israel
| | - Mira Bar-Matthews
- Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhe Israel Street, Jerusalem 95501, Israel
| | - Gal Yasur
- Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhe Israel Street, Jerusalem 95501, Israel
| | - Amos Frumkin
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Bruce Latimer
- Department of Orthodontics, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Mark G. Hans
- Department of Orthodontics, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Elisabetta Boaretto
- Max Planck-Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, DANGOOR Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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29
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Sikora M, Seguin-Orlando A, Sousa VC, Albrechtsen A, Korneliussen T, Ko A, Rasmussen S, Dupanloup I, Nigst PR, Bosch MD, Renaud G, Allentoft ME, Margaryan A, Vasilyev SV, Veselovskaya EV, Borutskaya SB, Deviese T, Comeskey D, Higham T, Manica A, Foley R, Meltzer DJ, Nielsen R, Excoffier L, Mirazon Lahr M, Orlando L, Willerslev E. Ancient genomes show social and reproductive behavior of early Upper Paleolithic foragers. Science 2017; 358:659-662. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aao1807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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30
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Vyas DN, Al‐Meeri A, Mulligan CJ. Testing support for the northern and southern dispersal routes out of Africa: an analysis of Levantine and southern Arabian populations. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 164:736-749. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Deven N. Vyas
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Florida, 1112 Turlington Hall, PO Box 117305Gainesville Florida 32611‐7305
- Genetics InstituteUniversity of Florida, Cancer & Genetics Research Complex, PO Box 103610Gainesville Florida 32610‐3610
| | - Ali Al‐Meeri
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health SciencesUniversity of Sana'aSana'a Yemen
| | - Connie J. Mulligan
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Florida, 1112 Turlington Hall, PO Box 117305Gainesville Florida 32611‐7305
- Genetics InstituteUniversity of Florida, Cancer & Genetics Research Complex, PO Box 103610Gainesville Florida 32610‐3610
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31
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Been E, Hovers E, Ekshtain R, Malinski-Buller A, Agha N, Barash A, Mayer DEBY, Benazzi S, Hublin JJ, Levin L, Greenbaum N, Mitki N, Oxilia G, Porat N, Roskin J, Soudack M, Yeshurun R, Shahack-Gross R, Nir N, Stahlschmidt MC, Rak Y, Barzilai O. The first Neanderthal remains from an open-air Middle Palaeolithic site in the Levant. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2958. [PMID: 28592838 PMCID: PMC5462778 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03025-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of caves and open landscape sites. The fossil record shows that two types of hominins occupied the region during this period—Neandertals and Homo sapiens. Until recently, diagnostic fossil remains were found only at cave sites. Because the two populations in this region left similar material cultural remains, it was impossible to attribute any open-air site to either species. In this study, we present newly discovered fossil remains from intact archaeological layers of the open-air site ‘Ein Qashish, in northern Israel. The hominin remains represent three individuals: EQH1, a nondiagnostic skull fragment; EQH2, an upper right third molar (RM3); and EQH3, lower limb bones of a young Neandertal male. EQH2 and EQH3 constitute the first diagnostic anatomical remains of Neandertals at an open-air site in the Levant. The optically stimulated luminescence ages suggest that Neandertals repeatedly visited ‘Ein Qashish between 70 and 60 ka. The discovery of Neandertals at open-air sites during the late MP reinforces the view that Neandertals were a resilient population in the Levant shortly before Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens populated the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella Been
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Professions, Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono, 55107, Israel. .,Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
| | - Erella Hovers
- Institute of Archaeology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel.,Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 874101, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4101, Israel
| | - Ravid Ekshtain
- Institute of Archaeology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel
| | - Ariel Malinski-Buller
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Schloss Monrepos, D - 56567, Neuwied, Germany
| | - Nuha Agha
- Israel Antiquities Authority, P.O. Box 586, Jerusalem, 91004, Israel
| | - Alon Barash
- Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Bar Ilan University, Zefat, 13115, Israel
| | - Daniella E Bar-Yosef Mayer
- Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.,Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lihi Levin
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Noam Greenbaum
- Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Netta Mitki
- Institute of Archaeology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel
| | - Gregorio Oxilia
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy.,Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via del Proconsolo, 12, 50122, Firenze, Italy
| | - Naomi Porat
- Luminescence Dating Lab, Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, 95501, Israel
| | - Joel Roskin
- Department of Maritime Civilizations, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.,School of Sciences, Achva Academic College, Shikmim Mobile Post 79800, Shikmim, Israel
| | - Michalle Soudack
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, 52621, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Reuven Yeshurun
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Ruth Shahack-Gross
- Department of Maritime Civilizations, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Nadav Nir
- Institute of Archaeology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel
| | | | - Yoel Rak
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Omry Barzilai
- Israel Antiquities Authority, P.O. Box 586, Jerusalem, 91004, Israel
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32
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Reply to Douka et al.: Critical evaluation of the Ksâr 'Akil chronologies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E7035. [PMID: 26668378 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1520412112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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33
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Statistical and archaeological errors invalidate the proposed chronology for the site of Ksar Akil. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E7034. [PMID: 26668379 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1519746112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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34
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Ruebens K, McPherron SJP, Hublin JJ. On the local Mousterian origin of the Châtelperronian: Integrating typo-technological, chronostratigraphic and contextual data. J Hum Evol 2015; 86:55-91. [PMID: 26277304 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Revised: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 06/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Across Europe the period 45-40 ka (thousands of years ago) is associated with several technological changes, including the emergence of the Châtelperronian technocomplex in France and northern Spain. The Châtelperronian, stratigraphically located between the Mousterian and Aurignacian, is characterized by Upper Palaeolithic features, such as volumetric blade reduction, curved backed blades, end-scrapers, bladelets, bone tools and ornaments. Concurrently, repeated, though debated, associations with Neanderthal remains and Mousterian elements suggest a local technological development. Following recent critiques and cumulating technological studies, this paper provides data-driven contextualisations of the Châtelperronian and late Mousterian archaeological records and a primary comparative assessment of a major linking element, backed knives, to re-assess the origin of the Châtelperronian. The results demonstrate the challenging nature of the 50-35 ka record, with many interpretive problems caused by poorly recorded excavations, resulting in only 25 well-contextualised assemblages from the claimed 143 Châtelperronian find spots. These 25 assemblages facilitate more detailed chronostratigraphic and typo-technological assessments and show that the Châtelperronian has a homogenous set of technologies and tools. A similar evaluation of the late Mousterian indicates a wide-ranging late Neanderthal skill set, commonly including laminar blank production and backing. Further, conceptual similarities were noted both in blank selection and edge modification between Mousterian and Châtelperronian backed knives, alongside their near-absence in other, contemporaneous technocomplexes. A Europe-wide contextualisation shows that while the current coarse-grained record still allows for several potential scenarios, the data throughout this paper point towards a most parsimonious model of a Châtelperronian made by Neanderthals, with roots in the late Middle Palaeolithic technological skill set. However, this change seems triggered by early arrivals of modern humans either indirectly, through stimulus diffusion, or directly, after ca. 42 ka. Fully testing this model requires an ongoing focus on site formation and assemblage integrity, alongside in-depth analyses of recently excavated assemblages and existing collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Ruebens
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany; MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, RGZM, Schloss Monrepos, D-56567 Neuwied, Germany.
| | - Shannon J P McPherron
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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