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Despriée J, Moncel MH, Courcimault G, Voinchet P, Jouanneau JC, Bahain JJ. Earliest evidence of human occupations and technological complexity above the 45th North parallel in Western Europe. The site of Lunery-Rosieres la-Terre-des-Sablons (France, 1.1 Ma). Sci Rep 2024; 14:16894. [PMID: 39043764 PMCID: PMC11266561 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66980-4] [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: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The site of LuneryRosieres la-Terre-des-Sablons (Lunery, Cher, France) comprises early evidence of human occupation in mid-latitudes in Western Europe. It demonstrates hominin presence in the Loire River Basin during the Early Pleistocene at the transition between an interglacial stage and the beginning of the following glacial stage. Three archaeological levels sandwiched and associated with two diamicton levels deposited on the downcutting river floor indicate repeated temporary occupations. Lithic material yields evidence of simple and more complex core technologies on local Jurassic siliceous rocks and Oligocene millstone. Hominins availed of natural stone morphologies to produce flakes with limited preparation. Some cores show centripetal management and a partially prepared striking platform. The mean ESR age of 1175 ka ± 98 ka obtained on fluvial sediments overlying the archaeological levels could correspond to the transition between marine isotopic stages (MIS) 37 and 36, during the normal Cobb Mountain subchron, and in particular at the beginning of MIS 36. The Lunery site shows that hominins were capable of adapting to early glacial environmental conditions and adopting appropriate strategies for settling in mid-latitude zones. These areas cannot be considered as inhospitable at that time as Lunery lies at some distance from the forming ice cap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackie Despriée
- HNHP UMR 7194 CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Paleontologie Humaine, 1 Rue René Panhard, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Marie-Hélène Moncel
- HNHP UMR 7194 CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Paleontologie Humaine, 1 Rue René Panhard, 75013, Paris, France.
| | - Gilles Courcimault
- Laboratoire Régional Des Ponts Et Chaussées, Centre d'Etudes Techniques de L'Equipement (CETE) Normandie-Centre, 1, Rue Laplace, 41000, Blois, France
| | - Pierre Voinchet
- HNHP UMR 7194 CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Paleontologie Humaine, 1 Rue René Panhard, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Claude Jouanneau
- Laboratoire Régional Des Ponts Et Chaussées, Centre d'Etudes Techniques de L'Equipement (CETE) Normandie-Centre, 1, Rue Laplace, 41000, Blois, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Bahain
- HNHP UMR 7194 CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Paleontologie Humaine, 1 Rue René Panhard, 75013, Paris, France
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Muller A, Barsky D, Sala-Ramos R, Sharon G, Titton S, Vergès JM, Grosman L. The limestone spheroids of 'Ubeidiya: intentional imposition of symmetric geometry by early hominins? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230671. [PMID: 37680494 PMCID: PMC10480702 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Spheroids are one of the least understood lithic items yet are one of the most enduring, spanning from the Oldowan to the Middle Palaeolithic. Why and how they were made remains highly debated. We seek to address whether spheroids represent unintentional by-products of percussive tasks or if they were intentionally knapped tools with specific manufacturing goals. We apply novel three-dimensional analysis methods, including spherical harmonics and surface curvature, to 150 limestone spheroids from 'Ubeidiya (ca 1.4 Ma), presently the earliest Acheulean occurrence outside of Africa, to bring a new perspective to these enigmatic artefacts. We reconstruct the spheroid reduction sequence based on trends in their scar facets and geometry, finding that the spheroid makers at 'Ubeidiya followed a premeditated reduction strategy. During their manufacture, the spheroids do not become smoother, but they become markedly more spherical. They approach an ideal sphere, a feat that likely required skilful knapping and a preconceived goal. Acheulean bifaces are currently thought to represent the earliest evidence of hominins imposing a premeditated, symmetrical shape on stone. The intentional production of sphere-like objects at 'Ubeidiya similarly shows evidence of Acheulean hominins desiring and achieving intentional geometry and symmetry in stone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Muller
- Computational Archaeology Laboratory, Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Deborah Barsky
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007 Tarragona, Spain
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Robert Sala-Ramos
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007 Tarragona, Spain
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Gonen Sharon
- MA Program in Galilee Studies, East Campus, Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee, Israel
| | - Stefania Titton
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Josep-Maria Vergès
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007 Tarragona, Spain
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Leore Grosman
- Computational Archaeology Laboratory, Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Palmqvist P, Rodríguez-Gómez G, Bermúdez de Castro JM, García-Aguilar JM, Espigares MP, Figueirido B, Ros-Montoya S, Granados A, Serrano FJ, Martínez-Navarro B, Guerra-Merchán A. Insights on the Early Pleistocene Hominin Population of the Guadix-Baza Depression (SE Spain) and a Review on the Ecology of the First Peopling of Europe. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.881651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The chronology and environmental context of the first hominin dispersal in Europe have been subject to debate and controversy. The oldest settlements in Eurasia (e.g., Dmanisi, ∼1.8 Ma) suggest a scenario in which the Caucasus and southern Asia were occupied ∼0.4 Ma before the first peopling of Europe. Barranco León (BL) and Fuente Nueva 3 (FN3), two Early Pleistocene archeological localities dated to ∼1.4 Ma in Orce (Guadix-Baza Depression, SE Spain), provide the oldest evidence of hominin presence in Western Europe. At these sites, huge assemblages of large mammals with evidence of butchery and marrow processing have been unearthed associated to abundant Oldowan tools and a deciduous tooth of Homo sp. in the case of BL. Here, we: (i) review the Early Pleistocene archeological sites of Europe; (ii) discuss on the subsistence strategies of these hominins, including new estimates of resource abundance for the populations of Atapuerca and Orce; (iii) use cartographic data of the sedimentary deposits for reconstructing the landscape habitable in Guadix-Baza; and (iv) calculate the size of the hominin population using an estimate of population density based on resource abundance. Our results indicate that Guadix-Baza could be home for a small hominin population of 350–280 individuals. This basin is surrounded by the highest mountainous reliefs of the Alpine-Betic orogen and shows a limited number of connecting corridors with the surrounding areas, which could have limited gene flow with other hominin populations. Isolation would eventually lead to bottlenecks, genetic drift and inbreeding depression, conditions documented in the wild dog population of the basin, which probably compromised the viability of the hominin population in the medium to long term. This explains the discontinuous nature of the archeological record in Guadix-Baza, a situation that can also be extrapolated to the scarcity of hominin settlements for these ancient chronologies in Europe.
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Hyaenas and early humans in the latest Early Pleistocene of South-Western Europe. Sci Rep 2021; 11:24036. [PMID: 34912011 PMCID: PMC8674336 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03547-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Throughout the Pleistocene, early humans and carnivores frequented caves and large rock-shelters, usually generating bone accumulations. The well-preserved late Early Pleistocene sedimentary sequence at Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar (CNERQ) has provided substantial evidence concerning the behavioural and adaptive skills of early humans in Western Europe, such as butchery practices, lithic technology or tending fire, whilst also bearing witness to the bone-altering activities of carnivores. Recent fieldwork has allowed the re-examination of the spatial and taphonomical nature of the macrofaunal assemblage from the upper layers of Complex 2. These layers are somewhat different from most of the underlying sequence, in showing quite a high representation of cranial and post-cranial bones of large mammals, including several Megaloceros carthaginiensis antlers. The presence of Crocuta sp. at Cueva Negra represents one of the earliest instances of this genus in Western Eurasia. Identification of several juvenile Crocuta sp. remains alongside coprolites and bones with carnivore damage, indicates sporadical hyaenid denning activity. Furthermore, the presence of bones with percussion and cut-marks near to several hammerstones suggests a clear albeit limited anthropogenic input. We interpret the available taphonomical and spatial evidence from these layers as reflecting a multi-patterned palimpsest, likely representing the non-simultaneous and short-lived co-existence of hyaenas, humans, and other small carnivores in the Cueva Negra palaeolandscape during the final phase of sedimentation preserved at the site.
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Luzón C, Yravedra J, Courtenay LA, Saarinen J, Blain HA, DeMiguel D, Viranta S, Azanza B, Rodríguez-Alba JJ, Herranz-Rodrigo D, Serrano-Ramos A, Solano JA, Oms O, Agustí J, Fortelius M, Jiménez-Arenas JM. Taphonomic and spatial analyses from the Early Pleistocene site of Venta Micena 4 (Orce, Guadix-Baza Basin, southern Spain). Sci Rep 2021; 11:13977. [PMID: 34234181 PMCID: PMC8263577 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93261-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Venta Micena is an area containing several palaeontological sites marking the beginning of the Calabrian stage (Early Pleistocene). The richness of the fossil accumulation including species of Asian, African and European origin, makes Venta Micena a key site for the the palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental study of southern Europe during the Early Pleistocene. Thus, research has been focused on Venta Micena 3, which was originally interpreted as a single palaeosurface associated with a marshy context, in which most of the fauna was accumulated by Pachycrocuta brevirostris. Recent excavations have unearthed a new site, Venta Micena 4, located in the same stratigraphic unit (Unit C) and in close proximity to Venta Micena 3. Here we show the first analyses regarding the taphonomic and spatial nature of this new site, defining two stratigraphic boundaries corresponding to two different depositional events. Furthermore, the taphonomic analyses of fossil remains seem to indicate a different accumulative agent than Pachycrocuta, thus adding more complexity to the palaeobiological interpretation of the Venta Micena area. These results contribute to the discussion of traditional interpretations made from Venta Micena 3.
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Grants
- Junta de Andalucía, General Research Project “Proyecto Orce”, BC.03.032/17 Ministerio de Trabajo y Economóa Social
- Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. FPI Predoctoral Grant (Reg. PRE2019-089411) associated to project RTI2018-099850-B-IOO
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Programa “María de Maeztu”, CEX2019-000945-M AGAUR, 2017SGR-859
- Junta de Andalucía, General Research Project “Proyecto Orce”, BC.03.032/17
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Programa “María de Maeztu”, CEX2019-000945-M Ministerio de Economóa y Competitivdad, CGL2016-80000-P AGAUR, 2017SGR-859
- Junta de Andalucía, Research Group HUM-607
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Luzón
- Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Jose Yravedra
- Departamento de Prehistoria, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
- C.A.I. Arqueometría, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Lloyd A Courtenay
- Departamento de Ingeniería Cartográfica y del Terreno, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Ávila, Universidad de Salamanca, Ávila, Spain
| | - Juha Saarinen
- Department of Geosciences and Geology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hugues-Alexandre Blain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Tarragona, Spain
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Daniel DeMiguel
- ARAID/Departmento de Ciencias de la Tierra (Paleontología), Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
- Institut Català Paleontologia M. Crusafont ICP, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Suvi Viranta
- Department of Anatomy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Beatriz Azanza
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra (Paleontología), Universidad de Zaragoza/Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | | | - Alexia Serrano-Ramos
- Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Jose A Solano
- Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Oriol Oms
- Departament de Geologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Jordi Agustí
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Tarragona, Spain
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
- ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mikael Fortelius
- Department of Geosciences and Geology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, Helsinki, Finland
- Visiting Scholars Program, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Juan Manuel Jiménez-Arenas
- Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
- Instituto Universitario de la Paz y los Conflictos, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
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An integrated study discloses chopping tools use from Late Acheulean Revadim (Israel). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245595. [PMID: 33465143 PMCID: PMC7815122 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Chopping tools/choppers provide one of the earliest and most persistent examples of stone tools produced and used by early humans. These artifacts appeared for the first time ~2.5 million years ago in Africa and are characteristic of the Oldowan and Acheulean cultural complexes throughout the Old World. Chopping tools were manufactured and used by early humans for more than two million years regardless of differences in geography, climate, resource availability, or major transformations in human cultural and biological evolution. Despite their widespread distribution through time and space in Africa and Eurasia, little attention has been paid to the function of these items, while scholars still debate whether they are tools or cores. In this paper, we wish to draw attention to these prominent and ubiquitous early lithic artifacts through the investigation of 53 chopping tools retrieved from a specific context at Late Acheulean Revadim (Israel). We combined typo-technological and functional studies with a residue analysis aimed at shedding light on their functional role within the tool-kits of the inhabitants of the site. Here we show that most of the chopping tools were used to chop hard and medium materials, such as bone, most probably for marrow extraction. A few of the tools were also used for cutting and scraping activities, while some also served as cores for further flake detachment. The chopping tools exhibit extraordinarily well-preserved bone residues suggesting they were used mainly for bone-breaking and marrow acquisition. We discuss the data and explore the tool versus core debate also in light of a sample of 50 flake cores made on pebbles/cobbles retrieved from the same archeological layer. The results add further pieces to the puzzle of activities carried out at Revadim and add to our knowledge of the production and use of these enigmatic tools and their role in human evolutionary history.
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Assaf E, Caricola I, Gopher A, Rosell J, Blasco R, Bar O, Zilberman E, Lemorini C, Baena J, Barkai R, Cristiani E. Shaped stone balls were used for bone marrow extraction at Lower Paleolithic Qesem Cave, Israel. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230972. [PMID: 32271815 PMCID: PMC7145020 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of shaped stone balls at early Paleolithic sites has attracted scholarly attention since the pioneering work of the Leakeys in Olduvai, Tanzania. Despite the persistent presence of these items in the archaeological record over a period of two million years, their function is still debated. We present new results from Middle Pleistocene Qesem Cave on the use of these implements as percussion tools. Use-wear and abundant bone and fat residues found on ten shaped stone balls indicate crushing of fresh bones by thrusting percussion and provide direct evidence for the use of these items to access bone marrow of animal prey at this site. Two experiments conducted to investigate and verify functional aspects proved Qesem Cave shaped stone balls are efficient for bone processing and provide a comfortable grip and useful active areas for repeated use. Notably, the patina observed on the analyzed items precedes their use at the cave, indicating that they were collected by Qesem inhabitants, most probably from older Lower Paleolithic Acheulian sites. Thus, our results refer only to the final phases of the life of the items, and we cannot attest to their original function. As bone marrow played a central role in human nutrition in the Lower Paleolithic, and our experimental results show that the morphology and characteristics of shaped stone ball replicas are well-suited for the extraction of bone marrow, we suggest that these features might have been the reason for their collection and use at Qesem Cave. These results shed light on the function of shaped stone balls and are consistent with the significance of animal fat in the caloric intake of Middle Pleistocene humans as shown by the archeozoological evidence at Qesem Cave and possibly beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella Assaf
- Institute of Archaeology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail: (EA); (EC)
| | - Isabella Caricola
- DANTE—Diet and Ancient Technology Laboratory, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome (IT), Rome, Italy
- Newcastle University, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
| | - Avi Gopher
- Institute of Archaeology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Jordi Rosell
- IPHES Institut Català de Palaeoecologia Humana i Evolució Social,Tarragona, Spain
- Àrea de Prehistòria Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV),Tarragona, Spain
| | - Ruth Blasco
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain
| | - Oded Bar
- Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Cristina Lemorini
- Department of Classics, LTFAPA Lab., Sapienza University of Rome (IT), Rome, Italy
| | - Javier Baena
- Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, Universidad Autónoma, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ran Barkai
- Institute of Archaeology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Emanuela Cristiani
- DANTE—Diet and Ancient Technology Laboratory, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome (IT), Rome, Italy
- * E-mail: (EA); (EC)
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Titton S, Barsky D, Bargalló A, Serrano-Ramos A, Vergès JM, Toro-Moyano I, Sala-Ramos R, Solano JG, Jimenez Arenas JM. Subspheroids in the lithic assemblage of Barranco León (Spain): Recognizing the late Oldowan in Europe. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228290. [PMID: 31999766 PMCID: PMC6992009 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The lithic assemblage of Barranco León (BL), attributed to the Oldowan techno-complex, contributes valuable information to reconstruct behavioral patterning of the first hominins to disperse into Western Europe. This archaic stone tool assemblage comprises two, very different groups of tools, made from distinct raw materials. On the one hand, a small-sized toolkit knapped from Jurassic flint, comprising intensively exploited cores and small-sized flakes and fragments and, on the other hand, a large-sized limestone toolkit that is mainly linked to percussive activities. In recent years, the limestone macro-tools have been the center of particular attention, leading to a re-evaluation of their role in the assemblage. Main results bring to light strict hominin selective processes, mainly concerning the quality of the limestone and the morphology of the cobbles, in relation to their use-patterning. In addition to the variety of traces of percussion identified on the limestone tools, recurrences have recently been documented in their positioning and in the morphology of the active surfaces. Coupled with experimental work, this data has contributed to formulating hypothesis about the range of uses for these tools, beyond stone knapping and butchery, for activities such as: wood-working or tendon and meat tenderizing. The abundance of hammerstones, as well as the presence of heavy-duty scrapers, are special features recognized for the limestone component of the Barranco León assemblage. This paper presents, for the first time, another characteristic of the assemblage: the presence of polyhedral and, especially, subspheroid morphologies, virtually unknown in the European context for this timeframe. We present an analysis of these tools, combining qualitative evaluation of the raw materials, diacritical study, 3D geometric morphometric analysis of facet angles and an evaluation of the type and position of percussive traces; opening up the discussion of the late Oldowan beyond the African context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Titton
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Tarragona, Spain
- Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Deborah Barsky
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Tarragona, Spain
- Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona, Spain
| | - Amèlia Bargalló
- Institute of Archaeology, University College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alexia Serrano-Ramos
- Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Laboratorio 3D de Modelización Arqueológica, Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Josep Maria Vergès
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Tarragona, Spain
- Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona, Spain
| | | | - Robert Sala-Ramos
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Tarragona, Spain
- Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona, Spain
| | - José García Solano
- Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Juan Manuel Jimenez Arenas
- Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de la Paz y los Conflictos, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Mosquera M, Ollé A, Rodríguez-Álvarez XP, Carbonell E. Shedding light on the Early Pleistocene of TD6 (Gran Dolina, Atapuerca, Spain): The technological sequence and occupational inferences. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190889. [PMID: 29370188 PMCID: PMC5784927 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper aims to update the information available on the lithic assemblage from the entire sequence of TD6 now that the most recent excavations have been completed, and to explore possible changes in both occupational patterns and technological strategies evidenced in the unit. This is the first study to analyse the entire TD6 sequence, including subunits TD6.3 and TD6.1, which have never been studied, along with the better-known TD6.2 Homo antecessor-bearing subunit. We also present an analysis of several lithic refits found in TD6, as well as certain technical features that may help characterise the hominin occupations. The archaeo-palaeontological record from TD6 consists of 9,452 faunal remains, 443 coprolites, 1,046 lithic pieces, 170 hominin remains and 91 Celtis seeds. The characteristics of this record seem to indicate two main stages of occupation. In the oldest subunit, TD6.3, the lithic assemblage points to the light and limited hominin occupation of the cave, which does, however, grow over the course of the level. In contrast, the lithic assemblages from TD6.2 and TD6.1 are rich and varied, which may reflect Gran Dolina cave’s establishment as a landmark in the region. Despite the occupational differences between the lowermost subunit and the rest of the deposit, technologically the TD6 lithic assemblage is extremely homogeneous throughout. In addition, the composition and spatial distribution of the 12 groups of lithic refits found in unit TD6, as well as the in situ nature of the assemblage demonstrate the high degree of preservation at the site. This may help clarify the nature of the Early Pleistocene hominin occupations of TD6, and raise reasonable doubt about the latest interpretations that support the ex situ character of the assemblage as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Mosquera
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, Tarragona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Andreu Ollé
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, Tarragona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
| | - Xose Pedro Rodríguez-Álvarez
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, Tarragona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
| | - Eudald Carbonell
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, Tarragona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
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Dubreuil L, Nadel D. The development of plant food processing in the Levant: insights from use-wear analysis of Early Epipalaeolithic ground stone tools. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2014.0357. [PMID: 26483535 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the study of percussive, pounding and grinding tools has provided new insights into human evolution, more particularly regarding the development of technology enabling the processing and exploitation of plant resources. Some of these studies focus on early evidence for flour production, an activity frequently perceived as an important step in the evolution of plant exploitation. The present paper investigates plant food preparation in mobile hunter-gatherer societies from the Southern Levant. The analysis consists of a use-wear study of 18 tools recovered from Ohalo II, a 23 000-year-old site in Israel showing an exceptional level of preservation. Our sample includes a slab previously interpreted as a lower implement used for producing flour, based on the presence of cereal starch residues. The use-wear data we have obtained provide crucial information about the function of this and other percussive tools at Ohalo II, as well as on investment in tool manufacture, discard strategies and evidence for plant processing in the Late Pleistocene. The use-wear analysis indicates that the production of flour was a sporadic activity at Ohalo II, predating by thousands of years the onset of routine processing of plant foods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure Dubreuil
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Life and Health Sciences Building Block C, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J 7B8
| | - Dani Nadel
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, Aba Hushi 199, Haifa 3498838, Israel
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Roda Gilabert X, Mora R, Martínez-Moreno J. Identifying bipolar knapping in the Mesolithic site of Font del Ros (northeast Iberia). Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2014.0354. [PMID: 26483532 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite recent advances in the identification of bipolar knapping, its role in many sites is not well known. We propose to assess the significance of this technique in the context of changes that occur in the Mesolithic. A lithic assemblage was recovered from unit SG at Font del Ros (Catalunya, Spain) in which pitted stones, cores and products arising from bipolar reduction (flakes, fragments and splintered pieces) were identified. This study indicates that the bipolar technique is fundamental in the settlement. These results are key to defining the organization of Holocene hunter-gatherer subsistence in northeast Iberia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Roda Gilabert
- Centre d'Estudis del Patrimoni Arqueològic de la Prehistoria (CEPAP), Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - Rafael Mora
- Centre d'Estudis del Patrimoni Arqueològic de la Prehistoria (CEPAP), Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - Jorge Martínez-Moreno
- Centre d'Estudis del Patrimoni Arqueològic de la Prehistoria (CEPAP), Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
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de la Torre I, Hirata S. Percussive technology in human evolution: an introduction to a comparative approach in fossil and living primates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2014.0346. [PMID: 26483526 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Percussive technology is part of the behavioural suite of several fossil and living primates. Stone Age ancestors used lithic artefacts in pounding activities, which could have been most important in the earliest stages of stone working. This has relevant evolutionary implications, as other primates such as chimpanzees and some monkeys use stone hammer-and-anvil combinations to crack hard-shelled foodstuffs. Parallels between primate percussive technologies and early archaeological sites need to be further explored in order to assess the emergence of technological behaviour in our evolutionary line, and firmly establish bridges between Primatology and Archaeology. What are the anatomical, cognitive and ecological constraints of percussive technology? How common are percussive activities in the Stone Age and among living primates? What is their functional significance? How similar are archaeological percussive tools and those made by non-human primates? This issue of Phil. Trans. addresses some of these questions by presenting case studies with a wide chronological, geographical and disciplinary coverage. The studies presented here cover studies of Brazilian capuchins, captive chimpanzees and chimpanzees in the wild, research on the use of percussive technology among modern humans and recent hunter-gatherers in Australia, the Near East and Europe, and archaeological examples of this behaviour from a million years ago to the Holocene. In summary, the breadth and depth of research compiled here should make this issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, a landmark step forward towards a better understanding of percussive technology, a unique behaviour shared by some modern and fossil primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio de la Torre
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK
| | - Satoshi Hirata
- Kumamoto-Sanctuary of Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, 990 Ohtao, Misumi, Uki, Kumamoto 869-3201, Japan
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Gowlett JAJ. Variability in an early hominin percussive tradition: the Acheulean versus cultural variation in modern chimpanzee artefacts. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2014.0358. [PMID: 26483536 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Percussion makes a vital link between the activities of early human ancestors and other animals in tool-use and tool-making. Far more of the early human actions are preserved as archaeology, since the percussion was largely used for making hard tools of stone, rather than for direct access to food. Both primate tools and early hominin tools, however, offer a means to exploring variability in material culture, a strong focus of interest in recent primate studies. This paper charts such variability in the Acheulean, the longest-lasting tool tradition, extant form about 1.7 to about 0.1 Ma, and well known for its characteristic handaxes. The paper concentrates on the African record, although the Acheulean was also known in Europe and Asia. It uses principal components and discriminant analysis to examine the measurements from 66 assemblages (whole toolkits), and from 18 sets of handaxes. Its review of evidence confirms that there is deep-seated pattern in the variation, with variability within a site complex often matching or exceeding that between sites far distant in space and time. Current techniques of study allow comparisons of handaxes far more easily than for other components, stressing a need to develop common practice in measurement and analysis. The data suggest, however, that a higher proportion of traits recurs widely in Acheulean toolkits than in the chimpanzee record.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A J Gowlett
- Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, School of Histories, Language and Cultures, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
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