
Aggiornamento 31 dicembre 2020 |
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Krapina and the Case for Neandertal
Symbolic Behavior,
di D. W. Frayer, J. Radovčić, D.
Radovčić, "Current Anthropology",
Volume 61, Number 6, December 2020
We
review four examples of ritual or
symbolic behavior from the central
European Mousterian site of Krapina
in present-day Croatia. These
include evidence of ritual
cannibalism and secondary burials; a
cranium of a Neandertal female with
35 mostly parallel postmortem lines
inscribed into the forehead; eight
talons and an associated foot bone
from three or four different
white-tailed eagles, all with signs
of manipulation and assembly into a
necklace, bracelet, or rattle; and a
limestone rock with black inclusions
that appears to have been carried
onto the site as a curiosity.
(...) |
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Beyond the Bounds of Western Europe:
Paleolithic Art in the Balkan
Peninsula,
di A. Ruiz-Redondo et alii,
"Journal of World Prehistory",
Volume 33, issue 4, December 2020,
pages 425–455
Paleolithic art offers unique
perspectives on prehistoric
societies and cultures. It is also
considered a key component of modern
human behavior. Until recently,
Paleolithic artworks were thought to
be geographically restricted to a
very few areas, especially
southwestern Europe. Discoveries of
art in other parts of Europe and
other parts of the globe have
challenged this vision, expanding
the documented distribution of this
important cultural phenomenon. As a
consequence, there has been renewed
interest in less well-known areas,
with the goal of determining whether
the current lack of art is a
reflection of a past reality, the
product of limited research, or a
matter of preservation. (...) |
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La séquence loess-paléosol de Novyi
Tik : un nouvel enregistrement du
Pléistocène moyen et supérieur des
plateaux de Volhynie (nord-ouest de
l’Ukraine),
di O. Bonchkovskyi, "Quaternaire",
31/4, 2020: Volume 31, Numéro 4
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Distinguishing Discoid and Centripetal Levallois
methods through machine learning,
di I. González-Molina, B. Jiménez-García, J. M.
Maíllo-Fernández, E. Baquedano, M.
Domínguez-Rodrigo, 23 December 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244288
- open access -
In this paper, we apply Machine Learning (ML)
algorithms to study the differences between
Discoid and Centripetal Levallois methods. For
this purpose, we have used experimentally
knapped flint flakes, measuring several
parameters that have been analyzed by seven ML
algorithms. From these analyses, it has been
possible to demonstrate the existence of
statistically significant differences between
Discoid products and Centripetal Levallois
products, thus contributing with new data and a
new method to this traditional debate. The new
approach enabled differentiating the blanks
created by both knapping methods with an
accuracy >80% using only ten typometric
variables. The most relevant variables were
maximum length, width to the 25%, 50% and 75% of
the flake length, external and internal platform
angles, maximum width and number of dorsal scars.
This study also demonstrates the advantages of
the application of multivariate ML methods to
lithic studies. (...) |
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Stone Age technologies and human behaviors as
reflected in decoration of osseous artefacts
from the northern part of East-Central Europe,
di G. Osipowicz et alii, "Quaternary
International", Volumes 569–570, 20 December
2020, Pages 66-83
This article
presents the results of traceological studies of
ornaments observed on selected prehistoric
osseous products from Poland and Lithuania.
Included are unique artefacts from this region
dated to the Late Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and
Neolithic, or which are connected to
Subneolithic communities. The article presents
the results of analyses focused on interpreting
the applied decorative techniques and tools
employed in making the ornaments. (...) |
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Results of a functional study on the Middle to
early Upper Pleistocene lithic assemblages from
the Azokh 1 Cave site (South Caucasus),
di L. Asryan, A. Ollé, "Quaternary
International", Volumes 569–570, 20 December
2020, Pages 168-180
The study of the
lithic artefacts exploited by early hominins and
the manner in which they were used is a key
aspect of lithic studies. Azokh Cave in the
Southern Caucasus comprises a complete
stratigraphic sequence of five archaeological
units (Units V–I) and has yielded large Middle
to early Upper Pleistocene lithic and faunal
assemblages in association with hominin remains.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the state
of preservation of the lithic assemblages
recovered from a marginal area at the rear of
the cave and to test the feasibility of
functionally analysing these artefacts. The
study focused on a sample of archaeological
pieces that at the macroscopic scale exhibit
fresh surfaces and unaltered edges. (...) |
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Use-wear analysis of the late Middle Pleistocene
quartzite assemblage from the Gran Dolina site,
TD10.1 subunit (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain),
di A. Pedergnana, A. Ollé, "Quaternary
International", Volumes 569–570, 20 December
2020, Pages 181-211
Quartzite has been
poorly studied from a functional point of view
since the foundation of use-wear analysis, as
the method was largely built upon the
observation of wear on fine-grained raw
materials (e.g., chert). In the case of the
Middle Pleistocene Gran Dolina-TD10.1 site in
Spain (ca. 300 kya), the sole raw material that
can provide functional information for the
artifacts used by the human occupants of the
site is quartzite. A sample of 51 quartzite
artifacts was mainly analyzed with scanning
electron microscopy, and functional
interpretation was possible for 36 of them. The
activities identified were mostly connected to
the butchering of animals, but bone and hide
scraping as well as woodworking were also
present. (...) |
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Characterization of the use-wear and residues
resulting from limestone working. Experimental
approach to the parietal art of La Viña rock
shelter (La Manzaneda, Asturias, Spain),
di C. López-Tascón, A. Pedergnana, A. Ollé, M.
de la Rasilla, C. Mazo, "Quaternary
International", Volumes 569–570, 20 December
2020, Pages 212-227
The Palaeolithic
rock engravings that are located along the Nalón
river basin in Northern Spain (central area of
Asturias) have been studied from various
perspectives (morphology, depth, style, manual
range), but no use-wear studies on the stone
tools used to produce such engravings have ever
been undertaken. This paper aims to explore a
new approach to this type of incisions based on
use-wear analysis of experimental lithic tools
used to engrave limestone blocks and slabs. Our
results show that the use-wear traces generated
by engraving limestone are well-developed and
can be defined with specific criteria. (...) |
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Pluridisciplinary evidence for burial for the La
Ferrassie 8 Neandertal child,
di A. Balzeau et alii, "Scientific
Reports", volume 10, article number: 21230
(2020), 09 December 2020
- open access -
The origin of
funerary practices has important implications
for the emergence of so-called modern cognitive
capacities and behaviour. We provide new
multidisciplinary information on the
archaeological context of the La Ferrassie 8
Neandertal skeleton (grand abri of La Ferrassie,
Dordogne, France), including geochronological
data -14C and OSL-, ZooMS and ancient DNA data,
geological and stratigraphic information from
the surrounding context, complete taphonomic
study of the skeleton and associated remains,
spatial information from the 1968–1973
excavations, and new (2014) fieldwork data. Our
results show that a pit was dug in a sterile
sediment layer and the corpse of a two-year-old
child was laid there. A hominin bone from this
context, identified through Zooarchaeology by
Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) and associated with
Neandertal based on its mitochondrial DNA,
yielded a direct 14C age of 41.7–40.8 ka cal
BP (95%), younger than the 14C dates of the
overlying archaeopaleontological layers and the
OSL age of the surrounding sediment. (...) |
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Lower Paleolithic bone handaxes and chopsticks:
Tools and symbols?,
di R. Barkai, "Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences", 8 December 2020,
vol. 117, no. 49, pp. 30892-30893
Across the Old
World, Lower Paleolithic humans manufactured
bone facsimiles of the canonical Acheulean stone
handaxe, but these enigmatic bone items (mostly
elephant) are exceptionally rare. As no
functional use evidence was available, bone
handaxes, unlike their more prevalent stone
counterparts, were thought to reflect early
human worldviews or spiritual conceptions. Sano
et al. (1) provide unequivocal evidence for the
use of a 1.4-million-year-old bone handaxe from
Konso in carcass processing. (...) |
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In
situ observations on the dentition and oral
cavity of the Neanderthal skeleton from Altamura
(Italy), di
A. Riga, M. Boggioni, A. Papini, C. Buzi, A.
Profico, F. Di Vincenzo, D. Marchi, J.
Moggi-Cecchi, G. Manzi, 2 December 2020, doi:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241713
- open access -
The Neanderthal
specimen from Lamalunga Cave, near Altamura (Apulia,
Italy), was discovered during a speleological
survey in 1993. The specimen is one of the most
complete fossil hominins in Europe and its state
of preservation is exceptional, although it is
stuck in calcareous concretions and the bones
are mostly covered by calcite depositions.
Nevertheless, it is possible to carry out some
observations on craniodental features that have
not previously been described. In this work, we
present an account of the oral cavity, made
possible by the use of a videoscope, which
allowed us to reach some hidden parts of the
mandible and palate. This is the first detailed
overview of the teeth and maxillary bones of the
Neanderthal skeleton from Altamura. The
dentition is almost complete. However, two teeth
(upper right P3 and upper left M1) were lost
ante mortem and four teeth (lower right I1 and
P3 and lower left I1 and I2) were lost most
probably post mortem. Dental wear is marked. The
erupted M3s and the inversion of the
compensating curve of Wilson in the M1s and M2s
but not in the M3s suggest that the individual
is fully adult, but not old. Although most of
the teeth have their roots exposed for several
millimeters, the periodontal bone appears to be
in good condition overall, except in
correspondence of the two ante-mortem tooth
losses. X-rays of the anterior teeth show a
periapical lesion, probably linked to the
advanced dental wear. We also observed a weak
expression of taurodontism in the posterior
dentition and the presence of a retromolar space,
features consistent with an attribution to the
Neanderthal hypodigm; this attribution is also
supported by aspects of the cranial morphology,
the morphometric analysis of the scapula and
preliminary mtDNA data. There is also a
well-developed palatine torus, to the best of
our knowledge a feature not previously described
in Neanderthals. (...) |
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CU
Anschutz researcher offers new theory on `Venus'
figurines,
1-DEC-2020
One of world's
earliest examples of art, the enigmatic `Venus'
figurines carved some 30,000 years ago, have
intrigued and puzzled scientists for nearly two
centuries. Now a researcher from the University
of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus believes
he's gathered enough evidence to solve the
mystery behind these curious totems. The
hand-held depictions of obese or pregnant women,
which appear in most art history books, were
long seen as symbols of fertility or beauty. But
according to Richard Johnson, MD, lead author of
the study published today in the journal,
Obesity, the key to understanding the statues
lays in climate change and diet. "Some of the
earliest art in the world are these mysterious
figurines of overweight women from the time of
hunter gatherers in Ice Age Europe where you
would not expect to see obesity at all," said
Johnson, a professor at the University of
Colorado School of Medicine specializing in
renal disease and hypertension. "We show that
these figurines correlate to times of extreme
nutritional stress." (...) |
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Did Neandertals have large brains? Factors
affecting endocranial volume comparisons,
di C. VanSickle, Z. Cofran, D. Hunt, "American
Journal of Physical Anthropology", Volume 173, Issue 4, December 2020, Pages 768-775
Common wisdom in
paleoanthropology is that Neandertals had bigger
brains than recent humans. Here we tested the
hypothesis that there is no difference in brain
size between Neandertals and recent humans while
accounting for methodological variation and the
makeup of both the Neandertal and recent human
samples.
We examined endocranial volume (ECV) derived
from virtually reconstructed endocasts of 11
Neandertals, six of which had associated femoral
head diameters (FHD). Our recent human
comparative dataset consisted of virtually
measured ECV and associated FHD from 94 recent
humans from the Robert J. Terry Anatomical
Collection (63 male, 31 female). ECV of
Neandertals and recent humans was compared using
bootstrap resampling, repeating the analysis for
two groupings of Neandertals (all and classic)
and for three groupings of recent humans (all,
males, and females). To examine brain size
scaling, we completed an ordinary least squares
regression of log (ECV) against log (FHD) for
Neandertals and recent humans. (...) |
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Piecing together a new mosaic: Gravettian lithic
resources and economic territories in the
Western Pyrenees,
di A. Calvo, A. Arrizabalaga, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, issue
12, December 2020 -
open access -
To palliate the
current scarcity of information about lithic raw
materials in the Western Pyrenees during the
Gravettian, the study of ten assemblages has
explored the flint procurement patterns and
economic organisation of the territory. The
study was based on the macro- and microscopic
analysis of the different lithic remains. A wide
range of flint varieties were used, including
some excellent rocks for knapping and others of
poorer quality. This diversified catchment
pattern was defined by the criteria of quality
and suitability for reduction. Although
procurement took place mostly at the primary
outcrops, there is some evidence of limited
acquisition in secondary deposits. Within the
economic territory of the Western Pyrenees,
divergences in the connections between the
outcrops on one side of the mountains and the
archaeological sites on the other may indicate
different territorial or economic roles for each
side. In general terms, the northern side may
have been more residential with more stable
habitation, while the southern side was linked
with logistic tasks and more seasonal occupation.
The economic connections between this territory
and surrounding areas revealed by the lithic
resources are the reflection of inter-group
contacts and an economic mosaic imbricated with
a cultural or symbolic one. (...) |
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Turonian flint economy in the easternmost
Magdalenian: new data from Stare Baraki, site 1
(eastern Poland),
di T. Wiśniewski, M. T. Krajcarz, K.
Standzikowski, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, issue 12,
December 2020 - open
access -
Magdalenian
communities exploited mostly local and regional
good-quality lithic raw materials. In
south-eastern Poland, being the easternmost
fringe of the Magdalenian range, Turonian grey
flint had a particular importance. Outcrops of
this raw material occur both at the west and at
the east sides the Vistula River Gorge. The
varieties from the eastern area (called here
“eastern Turonian flint” or ETF) are common
among inventories of the Magdalenian sites
situated to west of the Vistula river. This fact
points toward the frequent penetration of the
ETF outcrop area by those societies. However, no
Magdalenian sites were known directly from the
ETF deposit area, and this gap in knowledge
restricted further understanding of the
character and diversity of Magdalenian activity
there. Therefore, in this paper, we present the
results of searching for Magdalenian sites
within the ETF outcrop zone. Applied methodology
included study of the archive archaeological
materials, followed by detail survey and
excavation of the selected site—Stare Baraki 1.
This site documents a short stay or multiple
stays of Magdalenian people, who were focused on
Turonian flint knapping. Lithic inventory
records collecting of several local flint
varieties at the distance up to around 20 km
from the site, followed by almost all stages of
flint working. The material from Stare Baraki is
the first known and currently the only trace of
the Magdalenian people inside the zone of
Turonian flint deposits on the right bank of the
Vistula river. The study in Stare Baraki
delivered new data for the reconstruction of
territory exploitation strategies used in the
easternmost Magdalenian. (...) |
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Aggregates, Formational Emergence, and the Focus
on Practice in Stone Artifact Archaeology,
di Z. Rezek, S. J. Holdaway, D. I. Olszewski, S.
C. Lin, M. Douglass, S. P. McPherron, R. Iovita,
D. R. Braun, D. Sandgathe, "Journal of
Archaeological Method and Theory", Volume 27,
issue 4, December 2020, pp. 887–928
- open access -
The stone artifact
record has been one of the major grounds for
investigating our evolution. With the
predominant focus on their morphological
attributes and technological aspects of
manufacture, stone artifacts and their
assemblages have been analyzed as explicit
measures of past behaviors, adaptations, and
population histories. This analytical focus on
technological and morphological appearance is
one of the characteristics of the conventional
approach for constructing inferences from this
record. An equally persistent routine involves
ascribing the emerged patterns and variability
within the archaeological deposits directly to
long-term central tendencies in human actions
and cultural transmission. Here we re-evaluate
this conventional approach. By invoking some of
the known concerns and concepts about the
formation of archaeological record, we introduce
notions of aggregates and formational emergence
to expand on the understanding of how artifacts
accumulate, what these accumulations represent,
and how the patterns and variability among them
emerge. To infer behavior that could inform on
past lifeways, we further promote a shift in the
focus of analysis from the technological and
morphological appearance of artifacts and
assemblages to the practice of stone use. We
argue for a more rigorous and multi-level
inferential procedure in modeling behavioral
adaptation and evolution. (...) |
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La
ceinture scapulaire Homo naledi: une adaptation
à l’escalade de bloc,
di J. L. Voisin, E. M. Feuerriegel, S. E.
Churchill, L. R. Berger, "L'Anthropologie",
Volume 124, Issue 5, December 2020, 102783
Homo naledi, a
recently discovered hominin species from the
Rising Star cave complex in Gauteng Province,
South Africa, is a surprising species in more
ways than one. The conditions of accumulation,
as well as the location of these remains in the
cave are intriguing, as is their age of
approximately 300,000 years. Likewise, the
number of remains as well as their state of
preservation are exceptional. But the most
astonishing discovery of all is represented by
the general morphology of this new species, with
an upper body adapted to climbing and the lower
body presenting important adaptations to
bipedalism. (...) |
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Hibernation des hominidés d’Atapuerca, en
Espagne, il y a un demi-million d’années,
di A. Bartsiokas, J. L. Arsuaga, "L'Anthropologie",
Volume 124, Issue 5, December 2020, 102797
Both animal
hibernation and human renal osteodystrophy are
characterized by high levels of serum
parathyroid hormone. To test the hypothesis of
hibernation in an extinct human species, we
examined the hominin skeletal collection from
Sima de los Huesos, Cave Mayor, Atapuerca, Spain,
for evidence of hyperparathyroidism after a
thorough review of the literature. We studied
the morphology of the fossilized bones by using
macrophotography, microscopy, histology and CT
scanning. We found trabecular tunneling and
osteitis fibrosa, subperiosteal resorption,
‘rotten fence post’ signs, brown tumours,
subperiosteal new bone, chondrocalcinosis,
rachitic osteoplaques and empty gaps between
them, craniotabes, and beading of ribs mostly in
the adolescent population of these hominins.
Since many of the above lesions are
pathognomonic, these extinct hominins suffered
annually from renal rickets, secondary
hyperparathyroidism, and renal osteodystrophy
associated with Chronic Kidney Disease - Mineral
and Bone Disorder (CKD-MBD). (...) |
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Establishing a predictive model for rock art
surveying: The case of Palaeolithic caves in
Northern Spain,
di D. Garate, I. Intxaurbe, J. Moreno-García,
"Journal of Anthropological Archaeology", Volume
60, December 2020, 101231
Since the
discovery of Altamira Cave in 1879, the
archaeological record of Palaeolithic parietal
art has expanded steadily across Western Europe
but with an unequal distribution. Discoveries
have often been made by chance, but at other
times as the result of painstaking searches by
archaeologists and/or speleologists, eventually
reaching some 500 sites currently known. The
present study proposes a selective surveying
system based on the current characterisation of
parietal ensembles in the Autonomous Community
of the Basque Country (North Spain) but
applicable to any other territory or region in
the world. (...) |
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Static allometry of a small-bodied omnivore:
body size and limb scaling of an island fox and
inferences for Homo floresiensis,
di C. B. Young, "Journal of Human Evolution",
Volume 149, December 2020, 102899
Island dwarfing is
a paraphyletic adaptation across numerous
mammalian genera. From mammoths to foxes,
extreme body size reduction is shared by diverse
organisms that migrate to an island environment.
Because it largely occurs owing to ecological
variables, not phylogenetic ones, skeletal
characters in a dwarfed taxon compared with its
ancestor may appear abnormal. As a result,
allometric patterns between body size and
morphological traits may differ for an island
dwarf compared with its ancestor. The diminutive
Late Pleistocene hominin, Homo floresiensis,
displays a unique character suite that is
outside of the normal range of variation for any
extinct or extant hominin species. (...) |
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Nature and relationships of Sahelanthropus
tchadensis,
di R. Macchiarelli, A. Bergeret-Medina, D.
Marchi, B. Wood, "Journal of Human Evolution",
Volume 149, December 2020, 102898
A partial left
femur (TM 266-01-063) was recovered in July 2001
at Toros-Menalla, Chad, at the same
fossiliferous location as the late Miocene
holotype of Sahelanthropus tchadensis (the
cranium TM 266-01-060-1). It was recognized as a
probable primate femur in 2004 when one of the
authors was undertaking a taphonomic survey of
the fossil assemblages from Toros-Menalla. We
are confident the TM 266 femoral shaft belongs
to a hominid. It could sample a hominid hitherto
unrepresented at Toros-Menalla, but a more
parsimonious working hypothesis is that it
belongs to S. tchadensis. (...) |
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Underestimating Kanzi?
Exploring Kanzi-Oldowan comparisons in light of
recent human stone tool replication,
di M. I.
Eren, S. J. Lycett, M. Tomonaga, "Evolutionary
Anthropology", Volume 29, Issue 6, November/December
2020, Pages 310-316
The knapping
experiments with Kanzi, a bonobo, are among the
most insightful experiments into Oldowan
technology ever undertaken. Comparison of his
artifacts against archeological material,
however, indicated he did not produce Oldowan
lithic attributes precisely, prompting
suggestions that this indicated cognitive or
biomechanical impediments. The literature
describing the learning environment provided to
Kanzi, we suggest, indicates alternative factors.
(...) |
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Reconstructing prehistoric demography: What role
for extant hunter-gatherers?,
di A. E. Page, J. C. French, "Evolutionary
Anthropology", Volume 29, Issue 6, November/December
2020, Pages 332-345 -
open access -
Demography is
central to biological, behavioral, and cultural
evolution. Knowledge of the demography of
prehistoric populations of both Homo sapiens and
earlier members of the genus Homo is, therefore,
key to the study of human evolution.
Unfortunately, demographic processes (fertility,
mortality, migration) leave little mark on the
archeological and paleoanthropological records.
One common solution to this issue is the
application of demographic data from extant
hunter-gatherers to prehistory. With the aim of
strengthening this line of enquiry, here we
outline some pitfalls and their interpretative
implications. In doing so, we provide
recommendations about the application of
hunter-gatherer data to the study of demographic
trends throughout human evolution. We use
published demographic data from extant
hunter-gatherers to show that it is the
diversity seen among extant hunter-gatherers—both
intra- and inter-population variability—that is
most relevant and useful for understanding past
hunter-gatherer demography. (...) |
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Lithic raw material procurement at the Chaves
cave (Huesca, Spain): A geochemical approach to
defining Palaeolithic human mobility,
di M. Sánchez de la Torre, P. Utrilla, R.
Domingo, L. Jiménez, F. X. Le Bourdonnec, B.
Gratuze, "Geoarchaeology", Volume 35, Issue 6,
November/December 2020, Pages 856-870
The Chaves cave (Huesca,
Spain) is located in the central Pre-Pyrenean
range in NE Iberia. It is a huge cave opening to
the east, which was systematically excavated
between 1975 and 2007. Several human occupations
from the Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic
periods were documented. Archaeological
investigations had barely covered a tenth of the
total area when they were abruptly interrupted
by the destruction in 2007 of most of the
archaeological sediments and all the preserved
Neolithic levels that had not yet been excavated.
While the most intensive prehistoric occupations
of the cave were Neolithic, several components
from the Upper Palaeolithic were also detected
and excavated before 2007. The recovered lithic
tools, as well as the radiocarbon dates,
revealed that the Chaves cave was frequented by
hunter–gatherer groups during the Upper
Solutrean and the Upper Magdalenian. (...) |
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Petrographic and SEM-EDX characterization of
Mousterian white/beige chert tools from the
Navalmaíllo rock shelter (Madrid, Spain),
di A. Abrunhosa, M. Á. Bustillo, T. Pereira, B.
Márquez, A. Pérez-González, J. L. Arsuaga, E.
Baquedano, "Geoarchaeology", Volume 35, Issue 6,
November/December 2020, Pages 883-896
Studying lithic
raw material sourcing, processing and
distribution is helpful when trying to
reconstruct the territory, ecology, and cultural
practices of Neanderthal groups. The use of
multiple methods in such analyses allows for
more refined characterizations to be made,
helping to distinguish between materials better
than any single method. Although 85% of the raw
materials making up the Mousterian assemblage at
the Navalmaíllo Rock Shelter (Pinilla del Valle,
Madrid Region of Spain) correspond to the
available local geological resources, 10% is
made of white/beige chert, which is not
registered in regional geological cartography.
(...) |
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Mammal butchery by Homo erectus at the Lower
Pleistocene acheulean site of Juma’s korongo 2
(JK2), bed III, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania,
di J. Yravedra, S. Rubio-Jara, L. A. Courtenay,
J. A. Martos, "Quaternary Science Reviews",
Volume 249, 1 December 2020, 106612
The Olduvai Gorge
is considered one of the most relevant
archaeological complexes with regards to the
study of our human evolution. This is especially
evident when studying the emergence of hunting
practices over the past 1.7 Ma. Butchery
activities have been documented throughout Bed
II, including the exploitation of megafauna in a
larger number of sites. Among these,
Hippopotamus, giraffe, sivatherium and large
bovids have been documented to be consumed by
hominins in, BK, TK, FLK-West and SHK between
1.3 and 1.7 Ma. Similar evidence has also been
found in sites from Koobi Fora (Kenya), Peninj
(Tanzania) and Ain Hanech (Marroco). Contrary to
sites of lower Pleistocene earlier than 1.3 Ma,
human butchery practices later than this are
scarce during the transition between the Lower
and Middle Pleistocene. (...) |
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The implications of thumb movements for
Neanderthal and modern human manipulation,
di A. Bardo, M. H. Moncel, C. J. Dunmore, T. L.
Kivell, E. Pouydebat, R. Cornette, "Scientific
Reports", volume 10, article number: 19323
(2020), 26 November 2020
- open access -
Much research has
debated the technological abilities of
Neanderthals relative to those of early modern
humans, with a particular focus on subtle
differences in thumb morphology and how this may
reflect differences in manipulative behaviors in
these two species. Here, we provide a novel
perspective on this debate through a 3D
geometric morphometric analysis of shape
covariation between the trapezial and proximal
first metacarpal articular surfaces of
Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) in
comparison to early and recent humans (Homo
sapiens). Results show a distinct pattern of
shape covariation in Neanderthals, consistent
with more extended and adducted thumb postures
that may reflect habitual use of grips commonly
used for hafted tools. Both Neanderthals and
recent humans demonstrate high intraspecific
variation in shape covariation. (...) |
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A new complete sequence
from Lower to Middle Paleolithic: El Provencio
Complex (Cuenca, Spain),
di S. D. Domínguez-Solera, D. Moreno, C.
Pérez-Garrido, "Quaternary International",
Volumes 566–567, 20 November 2020, Pages 39-56
This paper
presents the results of the archaeological
research project on the Lower and Middle
Paleolithic in the municipality of El Provencio
(Cuenca, Spain). During the first 6 years of the
project, an unknown archaeological complex has
been defined with a large concentration of
remains of lithic industry of Modes 1, 2 and 3,
as well as Pleistocene faunal remains (Mammuthus
and Equus), associated with the large-scale
sequences of the Záncara River. (...) |
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The reinterpretation of
the Cova Negra archaeological and
stratigraphical sequence and its implications in
the understanding of the Middle Palaeolithic
Iberian Peninsula,
di A. Eixea, I.
Oltra, M. Mercè Bergadà, V. Villaverde, "Quaternary
International", Volumes 566–567, 20 November
2020, Pages 98-112
This paper
presents new data from the reinterpretation of
the Cova Negra sequence from a chronological and
stratigraphic perspective. The primary aim is to
reorder the lithic industry from the excavations
of the 1950s in light of the stratigraphic
sequence, paying particular attention to raw
materials, knapping methods and tools. The
reconstruction, carried out from a taphonomic
perspective, is specified in sectors B, C and F,
and the archaeological levels and the included
material are adjusted to the stratigraphic
levels. Although the number of remains involved
in the proposed chronology is reduced in
relation to previous work, it is an arrangement
that relies on a more precise
chronostratigraphic framework. (...) |
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Refitting lithic laminar fragments to assess
Palaeolithic sequences: The case of Cova de les
Cendres (Teulada-Moraira, Alicante, Spain),
di M. Á. Bel, Á. Martínez-Alfaro, V. Villaverde,
"Quaternary International", Volumes 566–567, 20
November 2020, Pages 152-162
The integrity of
the different levels that form a sequence and
the formation processes of the archaeological
deposit must be assessed as a previous step to
the construction of behavioural, cultural and
evolutionary interpretations. This is especially
relevant when dealing with long sequences and
cultural evolution constructed on them, as is
the case in the research on Upper Palaeolithic.
Lithic taphonomy provides insight into these
issues and refitting is one of its powerful
tools. This approach has been applied to the
Aurignacian, Gravettian and Solutrean levels of
Cova de les Cendres (Teulada-Moraira, Alicante,
Spain), where fracture refits of laminar
fragments –including blades, bladelets, and
laminar flakes– have been systematically
searched. (...) |
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Hidden images in Atxurra Cave (Northern Spain):
A new proposal for visibility analyses of
Palaeolithic rock art in subterranean
environments,
di I. Intxaurbe et alii, "Quaternary
International", Volumes 566–567, 20 November
2020, Pages 163-170
Visibility has
been the subject of study in Palaeolithic rock
art research ever since the discovery of
Altamira Cave in 1879. Nevertheless, until now,
the different approaches have been based on
subjective assessments, due to computational
limitations for a more objective methodology.
Nowadays, cutting-edge technologies such as GIS
allow us to address spatial studies in caves and
overcome their geomorphologically complex and
closed characteristics. Here we describe an
innovative methodology that uses computing tools
available to any researcher to study the
viewsheds of the graphic units in decorated
caves. We have tested its validity on the
recently discovered rock art ensemble of Atxurra
Cave, in Northern Spain. (...) |
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Sexual dimorphism in the
vertebral wedging of the human lumbar vertebrae
and its importance as a comparative framework
for understanding the wedging pattern of
Neanderthals,
di D.
García-Martínez et alii, "Quaternary
International", Volumes 566–567, 20 November
2020, Pages 224-232
Lumbar lordosis is
a key element of the upright posture, being
interpreted as a consequence of bipedal
locomotion. There is consensus that the generic
modern human pattern of metameric vertebral body
wedging is sexually dimorphic in modern humans.
However, recently published studies have
compared this pattern with other hominins, such
as Neanderthals. These tried to establish
whether the (male) Neanderthal lumbar vertebrae
express a pattern that falls within or outside
the range of modern human males. In the present
study, data collected by 3D landmarks of the
lumbar vertebrae of modern humans from different
geographic regions and Neanderthals (Ntotal =
505 individual vertebrae) are used to clarify
this problem, observing a similarity of the
generic human pattern but with some
interspecific differences in the pattern in the
upper and lower lumbar vertebrae. (...) |
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Lasco, un pseudo en forme de clin doeil à la
plus célèbre grotte ornée du Périgord,
19/11/2020
Ce street artist
lyonnais a commencé à s’intéresser à l’art
pariétal durant ces études en sciences. Ce qu’il
a ressenti pendant les visites de grottes ornées
l’a motivé à rendre accessible ces dessins
ancestraux au grand public, et à sensibiliser à
cet art préhistorique. Il a donc décidé d’utiliser
les murs (fissurés) des villes pour faire s’interroger
sur nos origines, et celle de lart. Une mise en
lumière du paradoxe entre un art millénaire que
l’on conserve précieusement et des graffitis
aujourd’hui proscrits. Lasco contemporanise les
chevaux de Przewalski, girafes rupestres
namibiennes, bisons des steppes, et autres
animaux, en utilisant diverses techniques
artistiques : bombes de peinture, tracés à main
levée, pochoirs, marqueurs acryliques… et des
études bibliographiques pour donner à ses pièces
l’authenticité requise. (...) |
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Early life of Neanderthals,
di A. Nava et alii, "Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences", 17 November 2020,
vol. 117, no. 46, pp. 28719-28726
The early onset
of weaning in modern humans has been linked to
the high nutritional demand of brain development
that is intimately connected with infant
physiology and growth rate. In Neanderthals,
ontogenetic patterns in early life are still
debated, with some studies suggesting an
accelerated development and others indicating
only subtle differences vs. modern humans. Here
we report the onset of weaning and rates of
enamel growth using an unprecedented sample set
of three late (~70 to 50 ka) Neanderthals and
one Upper Paleolithic modern human from
northeastern Italy via spatially resolved
chemical/isotopic analyses and histomorphometry
of deciduous teeth. Our results reveal that the
modern human nursing strategy, with onset of
weaning at 5 to 6 mo, was present among these
Neanderthals. (...) |
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Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Cradle
of Humankind during the Plio-Pleistocene
transition, inferred from the analysis of fossil
birds from Member 2 of the hominin-bearing site
of Kromdraai (Gauteng, South Africa),
di M. Pavia, "Quaternary Science Reviews",
Volume 248, 15 November 2020, 106532
The results of the
analysis of the bird assemblage from Member 2 of
the Paranthropus robustus type-locality of
Kromdraai are presented here, and the data are
used to infer the environmental context of the
Plio-Pleistocene transition in the Cradle of
Humankind. The study of more than 800 remains
revealed the presence of 25 bird taxa, 2 of them
described as new to science. For some of the
taxa, Kromdraai represents the oldest fossil
record so far, if not the first ever. This
relatively diverse bird association comprises
terrestrial taxa dominated by rock-dwelling
birds, such as Geronticus thackerayi and Tyto cf.
alba, followed by open grassland birds, such as
Francolinus sp. and Turnix sp., freshwater birds,
ducks and waders, and forest birds, such as
Accipiter melanoleucos and Treron sp. (...) |
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Paleogenetic and morphometric analysis of a
Mesolithic individual from Grotta d’Oriente: An
oldest genetic legacy for the first modern
humans in Sicily,
di
A. Modi et alii, "Quaternary Science
Reviews", Volume 248, 15 November 2020, 106603
Grotta d’Oriente,
a coastal cave located on the island of
Favignana (Sicily, Italy) is a key site for the
study of the early human colonization of Sicily.
Inside the cave, during different field
excavations, three burials attributable to the
Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic were
found. The Mesolithic Oriente B individual,
directly dated at 9,377 ± 25 uncal BP, was
previously assigned to HV1 haplogroup using a
traditional approach. However, it is well known
that PCR based methods are prone to erroneous
haplotype or haplogroup determination. In order
to redefine the mitochondrial lineage of this
Mesolithic hunter-gatherer and explore its
phylogenetic position, we target-enriched and
sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of
Oriente B. Moreover, we conducted a morphometric
analysis to assess its phenetic affinities.
(...) |
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Split-based points from the Swabian Jura
highlight Aurignacian regional signatures,
di K. Kitagawa, N. J. Conard, 10 November 2020,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239865
- open access -
The systematic use
of antlers and other osseous materials by modern
humans marks a set of cultural and technological
innovations in the early Upper Paleolithic, as
is seen most clearly in the Aurignacian.
Split-based points, which are one of the most
common osseous tools, are present throughout
most regions where the Aurignacian is documented.
Using results from recent and ongoing
excavations at Geißenklösterle, Hohle Fels and
Vogelherd, we nearly tripled the sample of
split-based points from 31 to 87 specimens, and
thereby enhance our understanding of the
technological economy surrounding the production
of osseous tools. Aurignacian people of the
Swabian Jura typically left spit-based points at
sites that appear to be base camps rich with
numerous examples of personal ornaments,
figurative art, symbolic imagery, and musical
instruments. The artifact assemblages from SW
Germany highlight a production sequence that
resembles that of SW France and Cantabria,
except for the absence of tongued pieces. Our
study documents the life histories of osseous
tools and demonstrates templates for manufacture,
use, recycling, and discard of these archetypal
artifacts from the Aurignacian. The study also
underlines the diversified repertoire of modern
humans in cultural and technological realms
highlighting their adaptive capabilities.
(...) |
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Drimolen cranium DNH 155 documents
microevolution in an early hominin species,
di J. M. Martin et alii, "Nature Ecology
& Evolution", 09 November 2020, volume 5, pages
38–45 (2021)
Paranthropus
robustus is a small-brained extinct hominin from
South Africa characterized by derived, robust
craniodental morphology. The most complete known
skull of this species is DNH 7 from Drimolen
Main Quarry, which differs from P. robustus
specimens recovered elsewhere in ways attributed
to sexual dimorphism. Here, we describe a new
fossil specimen from Drimolen Main Quarry, dated
from approximately 2.04–1.95 million years ago,
that challenges this view. DNH 155 is a
well-preserved adult male cranium that shares
with DNH 7 a suite of primitive and derived
features unlike those seen in adult P. robustus
specimens from other chronologically younger
deposits. (...) |
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Improved accuracy of U-series and radiocarbon
dating of ostrich eggshell using a sample
preparation method based on microstructure and
geochemistry: A study from the Middle Stone Age
of Northwestern Ethiopia,
di S. L. Loewy et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 247, 1 November 2020,
106525
The Middle Stone Age (MSA) is important to
studies of human evolution because it witnessed
the origin of modern Homo sapiens and its
dispersal out of Africa and across the rest of
the Old World. Obtaining accurate ages for these
and other events that occurred during this time
interval is of critical importance. Ostrich
eggshell (OES) is commonly found in MSA sites,
and OES calcite can be dated by radiocarbon and
U-series geochronologic techniques. It is
important to understand how both techniques are
potentially compromised when the eggshell’s pore
clusters and intercrystalline microporosity are
infilled with younger calcite and/or
soil-derived detrital materials. We investigated
this question by using high-resolution X-ray
computed tomography (HRXCT) to reveal the extent
and three-dimensional structure of the pore
clusters, and element mapping to evaluate
concentrations of detrital elements in modern
versus ancient OES within the pore clusters and
the crystal (outer) and cone (inner) layers
relative to the palisade (central) layer.
(...) |
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The first human settlements out africa into
Europe: A chronological perspective,
di C. Falguères, "Quaternary Science Reviews",
Volume 247, 1 November 2020, 106551
A reliable
chronology for the oldest settlements of Europe
from the Early to the beginning of the Middle
Pleistocene is an important requirement for
understanding human evolution and especially the
routes used to reach Western Europe from Africa.
The paucity of sites, plus the limited number of
available samples for dating, and the many
contexts which do not favor the use of
particular dating methods, further complicate
the picture. (...) |
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High-resolution Neanderthal settlements in
mediterranean Iberian Peninsula: A matter of
altitude?,
di C. Sánchez-Hernández et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 247, 1 November 2020,
106523
Neanderthals are widely known to be a resilient
human species that successfully faced constant
and strong environmental fluctuations modifying
the landscapes they inhabited and the
availability of their potential resources. It
has been traditionally assumed that
environmental features could strongly affect
human behaviour due to the stretch relationship
between their potential prey and the
availability of habitats. Environmental changes
would produce a high variability in the
settlement patterns of the Neanderthal groups.
However, the preponderant influence of
environmental conditions on these human groups
has recently been strongly questioned. This is
especially true for the Iberian Peninsula, where
latitudinal position and orographic features
supported the persistence of environmental
conditions that allowed the permanence of a wide
range of biotopes and animal and vegetal
resources. (...) |
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Journal of Human
Evolution,
Volume 148, November 2020:
-
The Fauresmith of South
Africa: A new assemblage from Canteen Kopje and
significance of the technology in human and
cultural evolution,
di K. Kuman, M. G. Lotter, G. M. Leader
-
Bone tools from Beds II–IV,
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, and implications for
the origins and evolution of bone technology,
di M. Pante, I. de la Torre, F. d’Errico, J.
Njau, R. Blumenschine
-
Hominin diversity in East
Asia during the Middle Pleistocene: A premolar
endostructural perspective,
di L. Pan, J. Dumoncel, A. Mazurier, C. Zanolli
-
The cochlea of the Aroeira
3 Middle Pleistocene cranium—a comparative study,
di M. Conde-Valverde et alii
-
A broader perspective on
estimating dental age for the Xujiayao juvenile,
a late Middle Pleistocene archaic hominin from
East Asia,
di S. Xing et alii
-
A different interpretation
of dental development stages in Xujiayao 1
Middle to Late Pleistocene Homo,
di M. Šešelj, L. W. Konigsberg |
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It's
getting hot in here – Microcontextual study of a
potential pit hearth at the Middle Paleolithic
site of El Salt, Spain,
di L. Leierer et alii, "Journal of
Archaeological Science", Volume 123, November
2020, 105237
By studying
combustion structures, which conceal information
about anthropogenic activity, we might learn
about their makers. This is especially important
for remote time periods like the Middle
Paleolithic, whose archaeological record
comprises numerous combustion structures. The
majority of these are simple, flat, open hearths,
although a small number of features situated in
pit-like depressions have been recorded. Given
that hearths built on a flat surface can result
in pit-like color alteration of the underlying
sediment, accurate identification of pit hearths
is a crucial step prior to behavioral
interpretation. (...) |
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Searching for hidden activities: Percussive
tools from the Oldowan and Acheulean of West
Turkana, Kenya (2.3–1.76 Ma),
di A. Arroyo, S. Harmand, H. Roche, N.Taylor,
"Journal of Archaeological Science", Volume 123,
November 2020, 105238
Over the last
thirty years, investigations in the Nachukui
Formation (West Turkana, Kenya) have revealed
the importance of the region for human evolution
studies within an archaeological sequence
spanning the period 3.3 million years (Ma) to
0.7 Ma. Despite the numerous sites discovered,
little is known about pounding activities during
this time period in the region. In this paper,
we present an analysis of percussive tools from
three West Turkana archaeological sites:
Lokalalei 2C, Kokiselei 1 and Kokiselei 4, dated
between 2.3 Ma and 1.76 Ma. Their chronological
range allows us to conduct a diachronic
comparison of the percussive activities during a
time span with two hominin genera (Australopithecus
boisei, early Homo and Homo erectus). The three
assemblages are compared with others from the
Early Stone Age and with experimental percussive
tools. (...) |
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First evidence of Pleistocene ochre production
from bacteriogenic iron oxides. A case study of
the Upper Palaeolithic site at the San Teodoro
Cave (Sicily, Italy),
di V. Garilli et alii, "Journal of
Archaeological Science", Volume 123, November
2020, 105221
The use of iron
pigments is well documented in the
archaeological horizons of the different parts
of the world since the Middle Pleistocene. The
mineralogical and chemical composition of the
pigments allowed defining, in most cases, their
inorganic origin, which were then used after a
limited transformation and manipulation. The use
of a biogenic ochraceous pigment and its
manipulation has recently been described in a
late Holocene archaeological horizon of the
American continent. (...) |
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Denisovan ancestry and population history of
early East Asians,
di D. Massilani et alii, "Science", 30
Oct 2020: Vol. 370, Issue 6516, pp. 579-583
We present
analyses of the genome of a ~34,000-year-old
hominin skull cap discovered in the Salkhit
Valley in northeastern Mongolia. We show that
this individual was a female member of a modern
human population that, following the split
between East and West Eurasians, experienced
substantial gene flow from West Eurasians. Both
she and a 40,000-year-old individual from
Tianyuan outside Beijing carried genomic
segments of Denisovan ancestry. These segments
derive from the same Denisovan admixture event(s)
that contributed to present-day mainland Asians
but are distinct from the Denisovan DNA segments
in present-day Papuans and Aboriginal
Australians. (...) |
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Denisovan DNA in Late Pleistocene sediments from
Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan Plateau,
di D. Zhang et alii, "Science", 30 Oct
2020: Vol. 370, Issue 6516, pp. 584-587
A late Middle
Pleistocene mandible from Baishiya Karst Cave (BKC)
on the Tibetan Plateau has been inferred to be
from a Denisovan, an Asian hominin related to
Neanderthals, on the basis of an amino acid
substitution in its collagen. Here we describe
the stratigraphy, chronology, and mitochondrial
DNA extracted from the sediments in BKC. We
recover Denisovan mitochondrial DNA from
sediments deposited ~100 thousand and ~60
thousand years ago (ka) and possibly as recently
as ~45 ka. The long-term occupation of BKC by
Denisovans suggests that they may have adapted
to life at high altitudes and may have
contributed such adaptations to modern humans on
the Tibetan Plateau. (...) |
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"Cultures of the
Pleistocene-Holocene transition in Western
Europe".
Edited by Dídac Roman, Célia Fat
Cheung, Mathieu Langlais. Volume 564, Pages
1-138 (30 October 2020):
- Cultures of the
Pleistocene-Holocene transition in Western
Europe,
di D. Roman, C. Fat Cheung, M. Langlais
-
Lost in transition:
Between late pleistocene and Early Holocene
around the adriatic,
di A. Tomasso, M. Serradimigni, G. Ricci, D.
Mihailovic
-
Lithic perspectives on the
Late Upper Palaeolithic in the French Pyrenees,
di C. Fat
Cheung
-
The pleistocene-holocene
transition in Southwestern France: A focus on
the laborian,
di M. Langlais et alii
-
Late Laborian trapezoids:
Function and origin of the first transverse
projectile tips of Western Europe prehistory,
di J. Jacquier, M. Langlais, N. Naudinot
-
For a fistful of geometric
microliths: Reflections on the Sauveterrian
industries from the upper and middle Ebro Basin
(Spain),
di A. Soto, R. Domingo, L. M. García-Simón, A.
Alday, L. Montes
-
Exploring the end of the
upper magdalenian in northern Valencian region (Mediterranean
Iberia),
di D. Roman, I.
Domingo
-
Lithic production in the
centre and south of the Iberian Mediterranean
region (Spain) throughout the Pleistocene–Holocene
transition (14.5–10.5 ky cal BP),
di
M. Vadillo Conesa, J. E. Aura Tortosa
-
On the shore of
Mediterranean sea. The end of the palaeolithic
on the coast of Málaga (South of Spain),
di M.
Cortés-Sánchez et alii
-
Beyond the Palaeolithic:
Figurative final Palaeolithic art in
Mediterranean Iberia,
di I. Domingo, D.
Roman
-
Archaeology of the
Pleistocene-Holocene transition in Portugal:
Synthesis and prospects,
di C. Gameiro et
alii |
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Redefining shared symbolic networks during the
Gravettian in Western Europe: New data from the
rock art findings in Aitzbitarte caves (Northern
Spain), di
D. Garate, O. Rivero, J. Rios-Garaizar, M.
Arriolabengoa, I. Intxaurbe, S. Salazar, 28
October 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240481
- open access -
The renewal of the
archaeological record, mainly through the
discovery of unpublished sites, provides
information that sometimes qualifies or even
reformulates previous approaches. One of the
latter cases is represented by the three new
decorated caves found in 2015 in Aitzbitarte
Hill. Their exhaustive study shows the presence
of engraved animals, mainly bison, with formal
characteristics unknown so far in the
Palaeolithic art of the northern Iberian
Peninsula. However, parallels are located in
caves in southern France such as Gargas, Cussac,
Roucadour or Cosquer. All of them share very
specific graphic conventions that correspond to
human occupations assigned basically to the
Gravettian cultural complex. The new discovery
implies the need to reformulate the iconographic
exchange networks currently accepted, as well as
their correspondence with other elements of the
material culture at the same sites. Thus, we
have carried out a multiproxy approach based in
statistical analysis. The updated data reveals a
greater complexity in artistic expression during
the Gravettian that had not been considered so
far, and also challenges the traditional
isolation that had been granted to Cantabrian
symbolic expressions during pre-Magdalenian
times. (...) |
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Increased ecological resource variability during
a critical transition in hominin evolution,
di R. Potts et alii, "Science Advances",
21 Oct 2020, Vol. 6, no. 43, eabc8975
- open access -
Although climate
change is considered to have been a large-scale
driver of African human evolution,
landscape-scale shifts in ecological resources
that may have shaped novel hominin adaptations
are rarely investigated. We use well-dated,
high-resolution, drill-core datasets to
understand ecological dynamics associated with a
major adaptive transition in the archeological
record ~24 km from the coring site. Outcrops
preserve evidence of the replacement of
Acheulean by Middle Stone Age (MSA)
technological, cognitive, and social innovations
between 500 and 300 thousand years (ka) ago,
contemporaneous with large-scale taxonomic and
adaptive turnover in mammal herbivores.
Beginning ~400 ka ago, tectonic, hydrological,
and ecological changes combined to disrupt a
relatively stable resource base, prompting
fluctuations of increasing magnitude in
freshwater availability, grassland communities,
and woody plant cover. Interaction of these
factors offers a resource-oriented hypothesis
for the evolutionary success of MSA adaptations,
which likely contributed to the ecological
flexibility typical of Homo sapiens foragers.
(...) |
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Nubian Levallois reduction strategies in the
Tankwa Karoo, South Africa,
di E. Hallinan, M. Shaw, 22 October 2020, doi:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241068
- open access -
The Middle Stone
Age record in southern Africa is recognising
increasing diversity in lithic technologies as
research expands beyond the coastal-montane
zone. New research in the arid Tankwa Karoo
region of the South African interior has
revealed a rich surface artefact record
including a novel method of point production,
recognised as Nubian Levallois technology in
Late Pleistocene North Africa, Arabia and the
Levant. We analyse 121 Nubian cores and
associated points from the surface site
Tweefontein against the strict criteria which
are used to define Nubian technology elsewhere.
The co-occurrence of typically post-Howiesons
Poort unifacial points suggests an MIS 3 age. We
propose that the occurrence of this distinctive
technology at numerous localities in the Tankwa
Karoo region reflects an environment-specific
adaptation in line with technological
regionalisation seen more widely in MIS 3. The
arid setting of these assemblages in the Tankwa
Karoo compares with the desert context of Nubian
technology globally, consistent with convergent
evolution in our case. The South African
evidence contributes an alternative perspective
on Nubian technology removed from the
‘dispersal’ or ‘diffusion’ scenarios of the
debate surrounding its origin and spread within
and out of Africa. (...) |
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"Art préhistorique",
"L'Anthropologie", Volume 124, Issue 3, October 2020
-
free dowload -
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First Pleistocene rock art
found in central Europe,
di R. G. Bednarik
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Notes on Tectiforms:
Experience of Interpretation, Context,
di E. M.
Baitenov
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L’art rupestre en abri
sous-roche du Paléolithique supérieur,
di G.
Pinçon, O. Fuentes
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Les entrées préhistoriques
à la grotte Chauvet - Pont d’Arc,
di G. Jouve
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Chauvet Cave's art remains
undated,
di G. Jouve, P.
Pettitt, P. Bahn
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Nouvelles données
concernant les représentations du bubale antique
de l’Atlas saharien, Algérie,
di F. Z. Khaled
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Les gravures rupestres d’Aïn
Charchara (Smar-Tataouine ; Sud-Est tunisien),
di J. Ben
Nasr, Y. Houla
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Hypothèses et propositions
pour envisager l’étude des gravures rupestres du
mont Bego comme une écriture,
di I.
Klock-Fontanille
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Antet Anthropologie des
Techniques. De la mémoire aux gestes en
Préhistoire,
di M. Otte |
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"Paleo",
30-2, 2020
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Full text -
- An osseous industry
dated from the Last Glacial Maximum: the special
case of the “Le Colombier” assemblage in
Chézy-sur-Marne (Aisne, France),
di A. Averbouh, N. Goutas, C. Montoya
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Une industrie en matières
osseuses datée du Dernier Maximum Glaciaire : le
cas unique de la série du « Colombier »
Chézy-sur-Marne (Aisne, France),
di B. Boulestin
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The elk/moose (Alces alces)
in the Upper Palaeolithic Art of Western Europe,
di I. M. Braun
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The Neandertal (Krapina
and Regourdou 1), fossil modern human (Chancelade
1) and extant human patella: an insight from
inside,
di M. Cazenave, D. Radovčić, J. Hoffman, R.
Macchiarelli
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Biostratigraphie et
datations de la fin des temps glaciaires.
Nouvelles visites des faunes de quelques
gisements du Grand Sud-ouest de la France,
di F. Delpech
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New study and
complementary analyses on the Keilmesser with
tranchet blow from the site Abri du Musée at
Les Eyzies (Dordogne, France),
di J. A. Frick
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La grotte Castaigne (Commune
de Torsac, Charente, France). Présentation d’un
site méconnu riche en vestiges humains (dont des
Néandertaliens),
di B. Maureille et alii
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La grotte ornée de la
Mairie (Teyjat, Dordogne, France) dans les
musées. Fragments d’un discours symbolique,
di P. Paillet, E. Paillet, C. Noûs
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Bouquetins et tracés:
nouvelles lectures de blocs gravés du Colombier
II (Ardèche, France),
di R. Pigeaud
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Analyses non invasives in
situ des œuvres préhistoriques de la grotte de
Font-de-Gaume pour une meilleure connaissance du
décor pariétal polychrome et de son organisation,
di I. Reiche et alii
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L’industrie sur quartzite
du site de Bidau à Garlin (Pyrénées-Atlantiques,
France): Acheuléen versus Moustérien?,
di A. Taylor, M. Rué, S. Bernard-Guelle, P.
Fernandes, A. Ajas, L. Chesnaux
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Les dépôts de remplissage
de l’abri inférieur du Moustier (Dordogne,
France) : lithostratigraphie, processus de
formation et évolution du système
géomorphologique,
di J. P. Texier, E. Discamps, B. Gravina, M.
Thomas
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The Neanderthal mandible
BD 1 from La Chaise-de-Vouthon Abri
Bourgeois-Delaunay (Charente, Southwestern
France, OIS 5e). Dental tissue proportions,
cortical bone distribution and endostructural
asymmetry,
di C. Zanolli, L.
Genochio, J. F. Tournepiche, A. Mazurier, R.
Macchiarelli |
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La Grotta paleolitica di
Roccia San Sebastiano (Mondragone, CE). Una
metodologia per l’analisi dei dati in spazi
simbolici,
di L. Repola, C. Collina, M. Piperno,
"Archeologia e Calcolatori" n. XXXI.1 - 2020,
pp. 167-187 - free
access -
The Prehistory of
the Mondragone area, in the province of Caserta,
emerged in its importance thanks to the results
of systematic surveys carried out since 1994 by
the University of Naples “Federico II” and the
Museum Biagio Greco together with the
Archeological Superintendence of Naples and
Caserta. Since 2001, the Museum has accomplished
regular excavation campaigns of the very
important Upper and Middle Palaeolithic deposit
in the large cave opening in the site of Roccia
di San Sebastiano, which represents the only
evidence of Palaeolithic frequentation
systematically and stratigraphically studied in
the territory included between the Northern
Campania coast and the Southern Latium coast. On
the basis of such evidences, the authors
illustrate a project aimed to produce a detailed
territorial study to understand the dynamics of
the frequentation and settlement of the area
during Palaeolithic (Musterian, Uluzzian,
Aurignazian and Gravettian) and the cultural
behaviours of last Neanderthals and first Homo
sapiens groups. The latest excavation campaigns
allowed to unearth Uluzzian layers in two
sectors of the cave and to investigate the
Mousterian levels, from which a deciduous molar
of a Neanderthal child comes. Moreover they
permitted to consolidate the study of symbolic
activities in the cave. Digital and
tridimensional documentation techniques have
been adopted for the description of the
excavation surfaces and to understand the
symbolic activities consisting in both parietal
and mobiliary art evidences. The storage and
elaboration of data is realized in a 3D
application in order to elaborate detailed
intra-site analysis in a predictive pattern of
activities. This model allows the management of
digital data in a single spatial system of
representation, in which the digital copies of
places, excavations areas and objects coincide
with the relational matrices between the
archaeological data and the possible events
recorded in the physical layers. (...) |
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Issues of theory and method in the analysis of
Paleolithic mortuary behavior: A view from
Shanidar Cave,
di E. Pomeroy et alii, "Evolutionary
Anthropology", Volume 29, Issue 5, September/October
2020, Pages 263-279 -
open access -
Mortuary behavior
(activities concerning dead conspecifics) is one
of many traits that were previously widely
considered to have been uniquely human, but on
which perspectives have changed markedly in
recent years. Theoretical approaches to hominin
mortuary activity and its evolution have
undergone major revision, and advances in
diverse archeological and paleoanthropological
methods have brought new ways of identifying
behaviors such as intentional burial. Despite
these advances, debates concerning the nature of
hominin mortuary activity, particularly among
the Neanderthals, rely heavily on the rereading
of old excavations as new finds are relatively
rare, limiting the extent to which such debates
can benefit from advances in the field. The
recent discovery of in situ articulated
Neanderthal remains at Shanidar Cave offers a
rare opportunity to take full advantage of these
methodological and theoretical developments to
understand Neanderthal mortuary activity, making
a review of these advances relevant and timely.
(...) |
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Neanderthal Spatial Patterns and Occupation
Dynamics: A Focus on the Central Region in
Mediterranean Iberia,
di A. Eixea, M. G. Chacón, A. Bargalló, A.
Sanchis, F. Romagnoli, M. Vaquero, V. Villaverde,
"Journal of World Prehistory", volume 33, issue
3, September 2020
This paper focuses
on the study of some Middle Palaeolithic
assemblages from Mediterranean Iberia to examine
Neanderthal occupation patterns and territory
management strategies, paying special attention
to raw material procurement and technological
behaviours, zooarchaeological data and
microspatial patterning. The site occupation
types are variable, and some of the results may
have more importance than is immediately
apparent, but there does not seem to be a single
cultural, functional, temporal or environmental
explanation. (...) |
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The Dawn of the Mesolithic
on the Plains of Poland,
di T. Płonka, D.
Bobak, M. Szuta,
"Journal of World Prehistory", Volume 33, issue
3, September 2020 -
open access -
In this article we
take a fresh look at the population dynamics of
the Polish Plain in the transition from the
Pleistocene to the Holocene, using Bayesian
analysis and modelling of radiocarbon dates, and
contrast the results with data from the North
German Plain. We argue against simple
adaptationalist models and instead see the
cultural landscape as a complex patchwork of old
forms and the emerging new traits of the early
Mesolithic. We argue that the Mesolithic
directly follows the Final Palaeolithic on the
Polish Plain, without the chronological hiatus
of 150–300 years that is often assumed for that
region; while, by contrast, the two cultural
patterns—Final Palaeolithic and microlith-based
Mesolithic—overlapped significantly in time on
the adjacent North German Plain. (...) |
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"Paleolithique du Caucase",
"L'Anthropologie", Volume 124, Issue 2, May–September
2020
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free dowload -
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Lower Paleolithic of
Georgia,
di N. Tushabramishvili
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Les cultures acheuléennes
des différentes régions du Caucase,
di M. Nioradzé, G. Nioradzé
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Cores from the site of
Ainikab 1 (layer 21) in the general context of
the Oldowan in the Caucasus,
di H. A. Amirkhanov
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Dynamique du climat et du
peuplement du Caucase Nord-Central au tournant
du Pléistocène et de l’Holocène,
di L. V. Golovanova et alii
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Nouveau site du
Paléolithique Moyen dans le Caucase Central (résultats
préliminaires des études complexes),
di E. Doronicheva et alii
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Nouvelles données sur l’utilisation
des matières premières lithiques et la mobilité
pendant le Paléolithique moyen du Caucase du
Nord,
di E. Doronicheva et alii
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Changements des paramètres
métriques des éclats et interprétation du
développement du débitage laminaire au
Paléolithique supérieur du Caucase du Nord-Ouest
(selon les matériaux de la grotte Mézmaiskaya),
di A. G. Nedomolkin |
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"Current Research on
Prehistoric Central Asia".
Edited by
Andrei I. Krivoshapkin, Arina M. Khatsenovich,
Evgeny P. Rybin, John W. Olsen, Volume 559,
Pages 1-198 (10 September 2020):
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Current research on
prehistoric Central Asia,
di A. I. Krivoshapkin, A. M. Khatsenovich, E. P.
Rybin, J. W. Olsen
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Understanding the
overestimated impact of the Toba volcanic
super-eruption on global environments and
ancient hominins,
di Y. Ge, X. Gao
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Dynamics of the Altai
Paleolithic industries in the archaeological
record of Denisova Cave,
di M. V. Shunkov,
M. B. Kozlikin, A. P. Derevianko
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Initial Upper Palaeolithic
ornaments and formal bone tools from the East
Chamber of Denisova Cave in the Russian Altai,
di M. V.
Shunkov, A. Yu. Fedorchenko, M. B. Kozlikin, A.
P. Derevianko
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The Neandertal bone
industry at Chagyrskaya cave, Altai Region,
Russia,
di M. Baumann
et alii
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The application of
geometric-morphometric shape analysis to Middle
Paleolithic bone retouchers from the Altai
Mountains, Russia,
di K. Kolobova
et alii
-
Raw material procurement
as a crucial factor determining knapping
technology in the Katta Sai complex of Middle
Palaeolithic sites in the western Tian Shan
piedmonts of Uzbekistan,
di M. Kot et alii
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In search of a Paleolithic
Silk Road in Kazakhstan,
di R. Iovita et
alii
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A new Upper Paleolithic
occupation at the site of Tolbor-21 (Mongolia):
Site formation, human behavior and implications
for the regional sequence,
di E. P. Rybin et alii
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Technological parameters
of rock art at the Kalgutinsky Rudnik site on
the Ukok Plateau, Russian Altai region,
di L. V.
Zotkina, C. Cretin, H. Plisson, J. M. Geneste,
V. I. Molodin |
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Aggiornamento 16 ottobre 2020 |
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Body mass estimation in hominins from humeral
articular dimensions,
di C. B. Ruff, N. Squyres, J. A. Junno,
"American Journal of Physical Anthropology", Volume 173, Issue 3, November
2020, Pages 480-499
While many
attempts have been made to estimate body mass in
hominins from lower limb bone dimensions, the
upper limb has received far less attention in
this regard. Here we develop new body mass
estimation equations based on humeral articular
breadths in a large modern human sample and
apply them to 95 Plio‐Pleistocene specimens.
Humeral head superoinferior and total distal
articular mediolateral breadths were measured in
a morphologically diverse sample of 611 modern
human skeletons whose body masses were estimated
from bi‐iliac breadth and reconstructed stature.
Reduced major axis regressions were used to
compute body mass estimation equations.
Consistency of the resulting estimates with
those derived previously using lower limb bone
equations was assessed in matched Plio‐Pleistocene
individuals or samples. (...) |
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Hand grasping and finger flexion during Lower
Paleolithic stone tool ergonomic exploration,
di A. Fedato, M. Silva-Gago, M.
Terradillos-Bernal, R. Alonso-Alcalde, E. Bruner,
"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences",
volume 12, issue 11, November 2020, article
number: 254
Lower Paleolithic
stone tool features and shape have been studied
in detail; traceology and experimental
archaeology have provided us with a lot of
information about possible tool use and
functionality. The way modern humans use these
tools has been used as a proxy for the study of
early stone tool-makers’ behavior, taking into
account that our ancestors could have had
similar manipulative capabilities to us. Less
importance has been given to stone tool
ergonomics, even if comfortable and ergonomic
grasping prevent hand damage and improve tool
use. (...) |
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Hominin Stone Flaking and the Emergence of
Top-down’Design in Human Evolution,
di M. W. Moore, "Cambridge Archaeological
Journal", volume 30, issue 4, November 2020, pp.
647-664
The philosopher
Daniel Dennett argues that complex structures in
the natural and cultural worlds emerge from two
types of design. Bottom-up design involves the
rote action of a simple algorithm in an
environment constrained by physical laws.
Top-down design involves deliberation and
planning, and is unique to modern humans.
Identifying the emergence of top-down design in
the hominin lineage is an important research
challenge, and the archaeological record of
stone technology is our best evidence for it. A
current view is that artefact types and flaking
methods increased in complexity from 3.3 to c.
0.3 million years ago, reflecting improving
capacities at spatial cognition and working
memory, culminating in top-down design perhaps
as early as 1.75 million years ago. (...) |
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Upper Palaeolithic Installation Art: Topography,
Distortion, Animation and Participation in the
Production and Experience of Cantabrian Cave Art,
di T. Sakamoto, P. Pettitt, R. Ontañon-Peredo,
"Cambridge Archaeological Journal", volume 30,
issue 4, November 2020, pp. 665-688
The physical
nature of cave walls and its impact on Upper
Palaeolithic image making and viewing has
frequently been invoked in explanations about
the function of cave art. The morphological
features (convexities, concavities, cracks and
ridges) are frequently incorporated into the
representations of prey animals that dominate
the art, and several studies have attempted to
document the relationship between the cave wall
and the art in a quantitative manner. One of the
effects of such incorporation is that undulating
walls will distort the appearance of images as
viewers change their viewing position. Was this
distortion deliberate or accidental? Until now,
the phenomenon has not been investigated
quantitatively. (...) |
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Review of the animal figures in the palaeolithic
rock art of the Romito shelter. New discoveries,
new data and new perspectives,
di D. Sigari, "Oxford Journal of Archaeology",
volume 39, issue 4, pages 344-367, November 2020
This paper
presents the results of a recent systematic
review of the zoomorphic figures of the Romito
shelter, a key site for Upper Palaeolithic rock
art and one of the best‐preserved in Europe. The
research led to the discovery of two new animal
figures and re‐examines the chronology of the
rock art evidence and the chrono‐stylistic data.
The zoomorphic figures are discussed within the
wider chrono‐cultural frame of Magdalenian
figurative productions, casting new light on the
Palaeolithic rock art phenomenon of southern
Italy. (...) |
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Environmental drivers of megafauna and hominin
extinction in Southeast Asia,
di J. Louys, P. Roberts, "Nature", volume 586,
issue 7829, 15 October 2020, pages 402–406
Southeast Asia
has emerged as an important region for
understanding hominin and mammalian migrations
and extinctions. High-profile discoveries have
shown that Southeast Asia has been home to at
least five members of the genus Homo.
Considerable turnover in Pleistocene megafauna
has previously been linked with these hominins
or with climate change, although the region is
often left out of discussions of megafauna
extinctions. In the traditional hominin
evolutionary core of Africa, attempts to
establish the environmental context of hominin
evolution and its association with faunal
changes have long been informed by stable
isotope methodologies. However, such studies
have largely been neglected in Southeast Asia.
Here we present a large-scale dataset of stable
isotope data for Southeast Asian mammals that
spans the Quaternary period. (...) |
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Al-Ansab and the Dead Sea: Mid-MIS 3 archaeology
and environment of the early Ahmarian population
of the Levantine corridor,
di J. Richter et alii, 13 October 2020,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239968
- open access -
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. (...) |
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The early Aurignacian dispersal of modern humans
into westernmost Eurasia,
di J. A. Haws et alii, "Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences", 13 October 2020;
vol. 117 no. 41, pp. 25414-25422
- free access -
We report the
remarkable discovery of an early Aurignacian
occupation, ∼5,000 years older than any Upper
Paleolithic site in westernmost Eurasia. The
archaeological and radiocarbon data provide
definitive evidence that modern humans were in
western Iberia at a time when, if present at all,
Neanderthal populations would have been
extremely sparse. This discovery has important
ramifications for our understanding of the
process of modern human dispersal and
replacement of Neanderthal populations. The
results support a very rapid, unimpeded
dispersal of modern humans across western
Eurasia and support the notion that climate and
environmental change played a significant role
in this process. (...) |
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Microbial biomarkers reveal a hydrothermally
active landscape at Olduvai Gorge at the dawn of
the Acheulean, 1.7 Ma,
di A. Sistiaga et alii, "Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences", 6 October 2020,
vol. 117, no. 40, pp. 24720-24728
Molecular fossil
biomarkers illuminate a geothermally active
oasis landscape at Olduvai Gorge 1.7 Ma at the
emergence of the Acheulean technology. This
study on the local paleolandscape reveals a
mosaic ecosystem with great biodiversity, rivers,
edible resources, and hydrothermal features.
Evidence of hydrothermalism was found near sites
intensively used by early hominins. The
geothermal activity described here may have
influenced the use of the space at Olduvai Gorge
and may have provided advantages, such as
cooking, which has not been previously
contemplated in the context of human evolution.
(...) |
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Radiocarbon and U-series age constraints for the
Lateglacial rock art of Sicily,
di G. Di Maida et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 245, 1 October 2020,
106524
The presence of
rock and portable art on Sicily has been
recognized since World War II. This record has
been unanimously attributed to the Upper
Palaeolithic in the published literature, based
almost uniquely on stylistic reasoning. Here we
present the first absolute dates in direct
association with the Sicilian art record.
(...) |
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Early Marine Isotope Stage 5 sea levels, coastal
dune palaeoenvironments, and human occupation on
the southeast coast of South Africa,
di P. Morrissey, J. Knight, D. J. Stratford, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 245, 1 October 2020,
106504
Quaternary-age
human and animal footprints have been reported
from coastal deposits along the South African
coast. These footprints and their sedimentary
contexts can inform on Quaternary
palaeoenvironments and processes
stratigraphically associated with the
palaeoanthropological record of past human
occupation in the coastal zone, and exploitation
of its resources. This study examines the
palaeoenvironmental context and sedimentology of
Marine Isotope Stage 5 aeolianite at Nahoon
Point, southeastern coast of South Africa, where
preserved human footprints have been previously
recorded. (...) |
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Abrupt climate change and its influences on
hominin evolution during the early Pleistocene
in the Turkana Basin, Kenya,
di R. L. Lupien, J. M. Russell, M. Grove, C. C.
Beck, C. S. Feibel, A. S. Cohen, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", volume 245, 1 October 2020,
106531
Rapid climate
variability has been hypothesized to play an
important role in hominin evolution, yet our
knowledge of Plio-Pleistocene climate change on
short timescales is poor. Here, we developed
centennial-scale reconstructions of
precipitation from leaf wax biomarker hydrogen
isotope ratios (δDwax) using lacustrine sediment
from West Turkana, Kenya. We analyzed two time
intervals (∼1.72 and ∼1.60 Ma) with different
orbital configurations (0.043 and 0.025
eccentricity, respectively) to examine the
influence of seasonal insolation forcing on
high-frequency climate variability and the rates
of climate transitions. (...) |
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Utilizing auxology to understand ontogeny of
extinct hominins: A case study on Homo naledi,
di D. R. Bolter, N. Cameron, "American Journal of Physical
Anthropology", Volume 173, Issue 2, October
2020, Pages 368-380
The methods used
to study human growth and development (auxology)
have not previously been applied within the
setting of hominin maturation (ontogeny).
Ontogeny is defined here as the pattern of
biological change into an adult form, both at
the individual and species level. The hominin
fossil record has a lack of recovered immature
materials, due to such factors as taphonomic
processes that destroy pre-adults; the fragility
of immature compared to adult bone; and the
lower mortality rates of juveniles compared to
adults. The recent discovery of pre-adult
hominin skeletal material from a single,
homogeneous Homo naledi species from the Rising
Star cave system in South Africa provides the
opportunity for a broader application of
auxology methods and thus the need to understand
their use in a modern context. (...) |
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The Early Upper
Palaeolithic bone industry of the Central Altai,
Russia: new evidence from the Kara-Bom site,
di N. E.
Belousova et alii, "Antiquity", Volume
94, Issue 377, October 2020, e26
- free access -
The first formal bone tool in the Central Altai
of Russia was found in an Early Upper
Palaeolithic assemblage at the Kara-Bom open-air
site. Here the authors report the results of AMS
dating, use-wear analysis, 3D-modelling and
zooarchaeological and collagen fingerprinting
analysis, which reveal important new insights
into the osseous technology of the Kara-Bomian
tradition. (...) |
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The Early Upper Palaeolithic in the south Judean
Desert, Israel: preliminary excavation results
from Nahal Rahaf 2 rockshelter,
di O. Barzilai et alii, "Antiquity",
Volume 94, Issue 377, October 2020, e27
- free access -
The discovery of
an Early Upper Palaeolithic rockshelter, Nahal
Rahaf 2, in the southern Judean Desert revives
the debate about whether the Levantine
Aurignacian extended into the arid regions of
the Southern Levant. (...) |
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A
method for the taphonomic assessment of bone
tools using 3D surface texture analysis of bone
microtopography,
di N. L. Martisius, S. P. McPherron, E.
Schulz-Kornas, M. Soressi, T. E. Steele,
"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences",
volume 12, issue 10, October 2020, article
number: 251
Increasingly
researchers have employed confocal microscopy
and 3D surface texture analysis to assess bone
surface modifications in an effort to understand
ancient behavior. However, quantitative
comparisons between the surfaces of purported
archaeological bone tools and experimentally
manufactured and used bones are complicated by
taphonomic processes affecting ancient bone.
Nonetheless, it may be reasonable to assume that
bones within the same deposits are altered
similarly and thus these alterations are
quantifiable. Here we show how unworked bones
can be used to quantify the taphonomic effect on
bone surfaces and how this effect can then be
controlled for and incorporated into an analysis
for evaluating the modified surfaces of
purported bone tools. To assess the baseline
taphonomy of Middle Paleolithic archaeological
deposits associated with typologically
identified bone artifacts, specifically lissoirs,
we directly compare the surface textures of
ancient and modern unworked ribs. (...) |
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Khoe-San Genomes Reveal Unique Variation and
Confirm the Deepest Population Divergence in
Homo sapiens,
di C. M. Schlebusch et alii, "Molecular
Biology and Evolution", volume 37, issue 10,
October 2020, pages 2944–2954
The southern
African indigenous Khoe-San populations harbor
the most divergent lineages of all living
peoples. Exploring their genomes is key to
understanding deep human history. We sequenced
25 full genomes from five Khoe-San populations,
revealing many novel variants, that 25% of
variants are unique to the Khoe-San, and that
the Khoe-San group harbors the greatest level of
diversity across the globe. In line with
previous studies, we found several gene regions
with extreme values in genome-wide scans for
selection, potentially caused by natural
selection in the lineage leading to Homo sapiens
and more recent in time. (...) |
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The new 14C chronology for
the Palaeolithic site of La Ferrassie, France:
the disappearance of Neanderthals and the
arrival of Homo sapiens in France,
di S. Talamo et alii, "Journal of
Quaternary Science", volume 35, issue 7, October
2020, pages 961-973 -
open access -
The grand abri at
La Ferrassie (France) has been a key site for
Palaeolithic research since the early part of
the 20th century. It became the eponymous site
for one variant of Middle Palaeolithic stone
tools, and its sequence was used to define
stages of the Aurignacian, an early phase of the
Upper Palaeolithic. Several Neanderthal remains,
including two relatively intact skeletons, make
it one of the most important sites for the study
of Neanderthal morphology and one of the more
important data sets when discussing the
Neanderthal treatment of the dead. (...) |
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A
genotype:phenotype approach to testing taxonomic
hypotheses in hominids,
di M. F. Brasil, T. A. Monson, C. A. Schmitt, L.
J. Hlusko, "The Science of Nature", volume 107,
issue 5, October 2020, article number: 33
Paleontology
has long relied on assumptions about the genetic
and developmental influences on skeletal
variation. The last few decades of developmental
genetics have elucidated the genetic pathways
involved in making teeth and patterning the
dentition. Quantitative genetic analyses have
refined this genotype:phenotype map even more,
especially for primates. We now have the ability
to define dental traits with a fair degree of
fidelity to the underlying genetic architecture;
for example, the molar module component (MMC)
and the premolar-molar module (PMM) that have
been defined through quantitative genetic
analyses. We leverage an extensive dataset of
extant and extinct hominoid dental variation to
explore how these two genetically patterned
phenotypes have evolved through time. (...) |
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Early development of the
Neanderthal ribcage reveals a different body
shape at birth compared to modern humans,
di D. García-Martínez et alii, "Science
Advances", 07 Oct 2020, vol. 6, no. 41, eabb4377
- free access -
Ontogenetic
studies provide clues for understanding
important paleobiological aspects of extinct
species. When compared to that of modern humans,
the adult Neanderthal thorax was shorter, deeper,
and wider. This is related to the wide
Neanderthal body and is consistent with their
hypothetical large requirements for energy and
oxygen. Whether these differences were already
established at birth or appeared later during
development is unknown. To delve into this
question, we use virtual reconstruction tools
and geometric morphometrics to recover the 3D
morphology of the ribcages of four Neanderthal
individuals from birth to around 3 years old:
Mezmaiskaya 1, Le Moustier 2, Dederiyeh 1, and
Roc de Marsal. (...) |
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Three-dimensional geometric morphometrics of
thorax-pelvis covariation and its potential for
predicting the thorax morphology: A case study
on Kebara 2 Neandertal,
di N. Torres-Tamayo et alii, "Journal of
Human Evolution", Volume 147, October 2020,
102854
The skeletal torso is a complex structure of
outstanding importance in understanding human
body shape evolution, but reconstruction usually
entails an element of subjectivity as
researchers apply their own anatomical expertise
to the process. Among different fossil
reconstruction methods, 3D geometric
morphometric techniques have been increasingly
used in the last decades. Two-block partial
least squares analysis has shown great potential
for predicting missing elements by exploiting
the covariation between two structures (blocks)
in a reference sample: one block can be
predicted from the other one based on the
strength of covariation between blocks. (...) |
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A
late Neanderthal tooth from northeastern Italy,
di M. Romandini et alii, "Journal of
Human Evolution", Volume 147, October 2020,
102867
The site of Riparo
Broion (Vicenza, northeastern Italy) preserves a
stratigraphic sequence documenting the
Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition, in
particular the final Mousterian and the Uluzzian
cultures. In 2018, a human tooth was retrieved
from a late Mousterian level, representing the
first human remain ever found from this rock
shelter (Riparo Broion 1). Here, we provide the
morphological description and taxonomic
assessment of Riparo Broion 1 with the support
of classic and virtual morphology, 2D and 3D
analysis of the topography of enamel thickness,
and DNA analysis. (...) |
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A
toothless bonobo skull challenges the notion of
alternative subsistence strategies in early Homo,
di M. Surbeck, "Journal of Human Evolution",
Volume 147, October 2020, 102871
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Taxonomic differences in deciduous lower first
molar crown outlines of Homo sapiens and Homo
neanderthalensis,
di S. E. Bailey, R. Sorrentino, G. Mancuso, J.
J. Hublin, S. Benazzi, "Journal of Human
Evolution", Volume 147, October 2020, 102864
Recent studies
have demonstrated that the outline shapes of
deciduous upper and lower second molars and the
deciduous upper first molar are useful for
diagnosing hominin taxa—especially Homo
neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. Building on
these studies, we use geometric morphometric
methods to assess the taxonomic significance of
the crown outline of the lower first deciduous
molar (dm1). We test whether the crown shape of
the dm1 distinguishes H. neanderthalensis from
H. sapiens and explore whether dm1 crown shape
can be used to accurately assign individuals to
taxa. (...) |
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The evolutionary history of Neanderthal and
Denisovan Y chromosomes,
di M. Petr et alii, "Science", 25 Sep
2020: vol. 369, issue 6511, pp. 1653-1656
Ancient DNA has
provided new insights into many aspects of human
history. However, we lack comprehensive studies
of the Y chromosomes of Denisovans and
Neanderthals because the majority of specimens
that have been sequenced to sufficient coverage
are female. Sequencing Y chromosomes from two
Denisovans and three Neanderthals shows that the
Y chromosomes of Denisovans split around 700
thousand years ago from a lineage shared by
Neanderthals and modern human Y chromosomes,
which diverged from each other around 370
thousand years ago. The phylogenetic
relationships of archaic and modern human Y
chromosomes differ from the population
relationships inferred from the autosomal
genomes and mirror mitochondrial DNA phylogenies,
indicating replacement of both the mitochondrial
and Y chromosomal gene pools in late
Neanderthals. This replacement is plausible if
the low effective population size of
Neanderthals resulted in an increased genetic
load in Neanderthals relative to modern humans.
·How
Neanderthals lost their Y chromosome,
di A. Gibbons, "Science news", Sep. 24, 2020 |
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The use of ash at Late Lower Paleolithic Qesem
Cave, Israel—An integrated study of use-wear and
residue analysis,
di C. Lemorini, E. Cristiani, S. Cesaro, F.
Venditti, A. Zupancich, A. Gopher, 21 September
2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237502
- open access -
Employing an
integrated approach to investigate the use of
Late Lower Paleolithic flint tools found at the
site of Qesem Cave (Israel), we revealed a
particular trace pattern related to the
employment of ashes at the site. Using a
designated collection of replica items and
combining use-wear and residue (morphological
analysis, FTIR, SEM-EDX) analyses, we revealed
the intentional use of ashes in preserving foods
for delayed consumption as well as hide for
delayed processing. Our interpretation, we
believe is the most plausible one since we were
able to delineate the specific use-wear
fingerprints of the intentional use of ashes for
such purposes, suggesting that our approach
might be useful for the recognition of other
similar functional-behavioral patterns. Lastly,
in support of previous findings at Qesem Cave,
our current findings present evidence for the
processing of organic matters intentionally
mixed with ash, leading us to suggest that the
inhabitants of Qesem Cave were proficient not
only in the habitual use of fire but also of its
main by-product, ash. Hence, we call for a
reassessment of the timeline currently assigned
to hominins’ utilization of ash for storing and
processing vegetal foods and hide. (...) |
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These 120,000-year-old footprints offer early
evidence for humans in Arabia,
di A. Gibbons, "Science news", Sep. 17, 2020
One day about
120,000 years ago, a few humans wandered along
the shore of an ancient lake in what is now the
Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia. They may have
paused for a drink of fresh water or to track
herds of elephants, wild asses, and camels that
were trampling the mudflats. Within hours of
passing through, the humans’ and animals’
footprints dried out and eventually fossilized.
Now, these ancient footsteps offer rare evidence
of when and where early humans once inhabited
the Arabian Peninsula. “These are the first
genuine human footprints of Arabia,” says
archaeologist and team leader Michael Petraglia
of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of
Human History. The Arabian Peninsula has long
been considered the obvious route that early
members of our species took as they trekked out
of Africa and migrated to the Middle East and
Eurasia. Stone tools have suggested ancient
humans explored the Arabian Peninsula at various
times in prehistory when the climate was wetter
and its harsh deserts were transformed into
green grasslands punctuated with freshwater
lakes. Yet so far, researchers have only found a
single human finger bone dating to 88,000 years
to prove modern humans, rather than some other
hominin toolmaker, lived there. (...) |
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New perspectives on
Neanderthal dispersal and turnover from Stajnia
Cave (Poland), di A. Picin et alii,
"Scientific Reports", volume 10, 08
September 2020, article number:
14778 (2020)
- open access -
The Micoquian is the broadest and longest
enduring cultural facies of the Late Middle
Palaeolithic that spread across the periglacial
and boreal environments of Europe between
Eastern France, Poland, and Northern Caucasus.
Here, we present new data from the
archaeological record of Stajnia Cave (Poland)
and the paleogenetic analysis of a Neanderthal
molar S5000, found in a Micoquian context. Our
results demonstrate that the mtDNA genome of
Stajnia S5000 dates to MIS 5a making the tooth
the oldest Neanderthal specimen from
Central-Eastern Europe. Furthermore, S5000 mtDNA
has the fewest number of differences to mtDNA of
Mezmaiskaya 1 Neanderthal from Northern Caucasus,
and is more distant from almost contemporaneous
Neanderthals of Scladina and Hohlenstein-Stadel.
This observation and the technological affinity
between Poland and the Northern Caucasus could
be the result of increased mobility of
Neanderthals that changed their subsistence
strategy for coping with the new low biomass
environments and the increased foraging radius
of gregarious animals. The Prut and Dniester
rivers were probably used as the main corridors
of dispersal. The persistence of the Micoquian
techno-complex in South-Eastern Europe infers
that this axis of mobility was also used at the
beginning of MIS 3 when a Neanderthal population
turnover occurred in the Northern Caucasus.
(...) |
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Ichnological and archaeological evidence from
Gombore II OAM, Melka Kunture, Ethiopia: An
integrated approach to reconstruct local
environments and biological presences between
1.2 and 0.85 Ma,
di F. Altamura et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 244, 15 September 2020,
106506
New ichnological
data are available at the prehistoric site of
Melka Kunture, Upper Awash Valley in Ethiopia.
Excavation of new test pits enabled us to
explore the volcanic and fluvio-lacustrine
sequence at the Gombore II Open Air Museum
archaeological site (ca. 0.85 Ma). This has
allowed a detailed reconstruction of the
palaeoenvironment and of the fauna present in
the time interval between 1.2 and 0.85 Ma.
Various-sized mammals, birds, molluscs as well
as hominins left tracks throughout the sequence,
and document a varied fauna and associated
behaviours. (...) |
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Extended dilation of the radiocarbon time scale
between 40,000 and 48,000 y BP and the overlap
between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens,
di E. Bard et alii, "Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences", 01 September
2020, vol. 117, no. 35, pp. 21005-21007
- free access -
The new
radiocarbon calibration curve (IntCal20) allows
us to calculate the gradient of the relationship
between 14C age and calendar age over the past
55 millennia before the present (55 ka BP). The
new gradient curve exhibits a prolonged and
prominent maximum between 48 and 40 ka BP during
which the radiocarbon clock runs almost twice as
fast as it should. This radiocarbon time
dilation is due to the increase in the
atmospheric 14C/12C ratio caused by the 14C
production rise linked to the transition into
the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion centered
around 41 ka BP. The major maximum in the
gradient from 48 to 40 ka BP is a new feature of
the IntCal20 calibration curve, with
far-reaching impacts for scientific communities,
such as prehistory and paleoclimatology, relying
on accurate ages in this time range. To
illustrate, we consider the duration of the
overlap between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens in
Eurasia. (...) |
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Neanderthal faunal exploitation and settlement
dynamics at the Abri du Maras, level 5 (south-eastern
France), di
J. Marín et alii, "Quaternary Science
Reviews", Volume 243, 1 September 2020, 106472
Over the past two
decades, taphonomic and zooarchaeological
studies have focused on Neanderthal settlement
patterns and subsistence strategies. The
south-eastern margins of the Massif Central
constitute one of the regions with the most
abundant archaeological evidence of Neanderthal
occupations in France. The faunal record of
level 5 of Abri du Maras is a unique source of
information for analysing Neanderthal behaviour
at the end of the MIS 5. The assemblage is
divided into three levels 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3,
which correspond to the three main phases of
human occupation of the shelter in level 5.
(...) |
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New stratigraphically constrained
palaeoenvironmental reconstructions for the
first human settlement in Western Europe: The
Early Pleistocene herpetofaunal assemblages from
Barranco León and Fuente Nueva 3 (Granada, SE
Spain), di
C. Sánchez-Bandera et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 243, 1 September 2020,
106466
The Early
Pleistocene sites of Barranco León and Fuente
Nueva 3 (Guadix-Baza Basin, SE Spain) have
yielded abundant Oldowan lithic artifacts and
one hominin tooth (Homo sp. in level D1 or D2 of
Barranco León), today considered to be among the
earliest evidence for a hominin presence in
Western Europe, at ca. 1.4–1.2 Ma. Here, for the
first time, the stratigraphic succession of
these two sites are studied more precisely from
a palaeoenvironmental point of view, taking into
account the different levels of the depositional
sequences to analyze the successive fossil
assemblages of amphibians and reptiles. (...) |
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The use of bone retouchers in a Mousterian
context of Discoid lithic technology,
di E. F. Martellotta, D. Delpiano, M. Govoni, N.
Nannini, R. Duches, M. Peresani, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", volume 12, issue
9, September 2020, article number: 228
Bone retouchers
are an important behavioural marker in the
definition of several Lower, Middle and Upper
Palaeolithic cultural complexes. However, their
relationship with the assemblages of knapped
stone artefacts is still to be investigated
particularly in specific but not uncommon lithic
contexts of the Middle Palaeolithic in Europe.
This paper offers insights to evaluate the use
of bone retouchers in a context of Discoid
lithic technology, a significant cultural
expression largely spread in many regions during
MIS3. The study case is the lithic and osseous
assemblage of unit A9 at Fumane Cave, in
north-eastern Italy. (...) |
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Plant taphonomy, flora exploitation and
palaeoenvironments at the Middle Stone Age site
of Mwulu’s Cave (Limpopo, South Africa): an
archaeobotanical and mineralogical approach,
di I. Esteban, J. M. Fitchett, P. de la Peña, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", volume 12, issue
9, September 2020, article number: 226
The interior
regions of South Africa have had less attention
devoted to archaeological research than coastal
regions, and palaeoenvironmental studies are
also more limited. As such, little is known
about the interaction between human behaviours
and past environments in these semi-arid regions.
Here, we present an archaeobotanical and
mineralogical study from the Middle Stone Age
site of Mwulu’s Cave, Limpopo Province. Our
study shows the importance of using taphonomical
approaches prior to interpreting
archaeobotanical assemblages, while provides
with novel information on the plants used by
ancient inhabitants of Mwulu’s. (...) |
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Lithic miniaturization as adaptive strategy: a
case study from Boomplaas Cave, South Africa,
di J. Pargeter, J. T. Faith, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", volume 12, issue 9,
September 2020, article number: 225
Lithic
miniaturization is a multivariate and
evolutionarily significant technological
phenomenon involving backed tools, bladelets,
small retouched tools, flakes, and small cores.
This paper investigates the proximate causes for
variability in lithic miniaturization processes
during Marine Isotope Stage 2 (c. 29–12 ka) in
southern Africa. We test the hypothesis that
lithic miniaturization represents a form of
adaptive behavior by examining its relationship
to site occupation intensity and rainfall
seasonality at Boomplaas Cave in South Africa.
These are two widely cited explanations for
shifts in the organization of hunter-gatherer
technologies and the data required for testing
them are also readily available. We combine
several lithic variables, macrofauna and
microfauna indicators, and other archeological
data to test the hypotheses. (...) |
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A
new approach to measure reduction intensity on
cores and tools on cobbles: the Volumetric
Reconstruction Method,
di D. Lombao, A. Cueva-Temprana, M. Mosquera, J.
I. Morales, "Archaeological and Anthropological
Sciences", volume 12, issue 9, September 2020,
article number: 222
Knowing to what
extent lithic cores have been reduced through
knapping is an important step toward
understanding the technological variability of
lithic assemblages and disentangling the
formation processes of archaeological sites. In
addition, it is a good complement to more
developed studies of reduction intensity in
retouched tools and provides information on raw
material management or site occupation dynamics.
This paper presents a new methodology for
estimating the intensity of reduction in cores
and tools on cobbles, the Volumetric
Reconstruction Method (VRM). It is based on a
correction of the dimensions (length, width, and
thickness) of each core from an assemblage. The
median values of thickness and platform
thickness of the assemblage’s flakes are used as
corrections for the cores’ original dimensions,
after its diacritic analysis. (...) |
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Use and selection of bone fragments in the north
of the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle
Palaeolithic: bone retouchers from level 4 of
Prado Vargas (Burgos, Spain),
di P. Alonso-García, M. Navazo Ruiz, R. Blasco,
"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences",
volume 12, issue 9, September 2020, article
number: 218
Bone specimens
showing a large amount of markings that include
scratching, cutting, and fracture provide us
with a clear idea of the use of animals from an
archaeological site for butchery-related work.
Nevertheless, there is one type of damage that
stands out from the rest—the stigmas associated
with retouch work. There is a great deal of
evidence concerning the use of bones by
Neanderthal groups as retouchers. In particular,
we present a sample of 65 retouchers from the
level 4 of Prado Vargas (Burgos, Spain).
(...) |
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New perspectives on human subsistence during the
Magdalenian in the Swabian Jura, Germany,
di G. L. Wong, B. M. Starkovich, D. G. Drucker,
N. J. Conard, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", volume 12, issue 9,
September 2020, article number: 217
- open access -
The Swabian Jura
of southwestern Germany is famous for its
Paleolithic sites which have been studied since
the 1860s. While there is a rich tradition of
research on the Magdalenian, many of the
best-known sites were not excavated using modern
methods, and recently, few discoveries of new
sites have been made. Thus, much of the
information on this period comes from sites
lacking data collected using modern standards.
This has left open questions regarding the
recolonization of the Swabian Jura and
hunter-gatherer subsistence and settlement
during the Magdalenian in the region.
Langmahdhalde is a recently discovered rock
shelter in the Lone Valley of the Swabian Jura
that has intact, well-stratified horizons dating
to the Magdalenian with associated lithic
artifacts, faunal remains, and combustion
features. (...) |
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The role of foxes in the Palaeolithic economies
of the Swabian Jura (Germany),
di C. Baumann, G. L. Wong, B. M. Starkovich, S.
C. Münzel, N. J. Conard, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", article number: 208
- open access -
In this study, we
examine the role of foxes in Palaeolithic
economies, focusing on sites of the Middle
Palaeolithic, Aurignacian, Gravettian and
Magdalenian of the Swabian Jura. For this
purpose, we used published faunal data from 26
assemblages from the region, including new
information from the Magdalenian layers of
Langmahdhalde. We explore how the abundance of
foxes changes over time, how they were used by
humans, and how they were deposited at the sites,
with a special focus on fox hunting methods. To
evaluate these hunting methods, we use the prey
choice model of optimal foraging theory (OFT)
and simulate possible hunting scenarios, which
we test based on the published faunal
assemblages. (...) |
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Prehistoric Art as a Boundary Object: Technology
and Temporality of South African Petroglyphs,
di S. Tomášková, "Journal of Archaeological
Method and Theory", volume 27, issue 3,
September 2020, pages 526–544
Decades ago I
argued for the limited analytic purchase of the
term “art.” I was then primarily concerned with
the relatively recent invention of the present
day category; the lack of local and
archaeological specificity when “art” was
discussed in broad classificatory lumps; and the
minimal reflection on the geopolitical ground of
archaeological practice. While I continue to
find little analytic value in the term “art”
when used to describe a broad range of
prehistoric materials, I offer a defense of its
transactional nature. I embrace the term “art”
to show some of the classificatory work the term
has done and the potential it may have if
decoupled from certainty. (...) |
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Motion and Gesture: Analysing Artistic Skills in
Palaeolithic Art,
di O. Rivero, D. Garate, "Journal of
Archaeological Method and Theory", volume 27,
issue 3, September 2020, pages 561–584
The development of
artistic abilities in Upper Palaeolithic
societies has been analysed in recent years from
the perspective of learning and transmission of
artistic know-how, from both technical and
formal points of view. Recent analyses, based on
the study of the operational chains involved in
engraving, have shown different levels of
acquisition of technical knowledge among
Magdalenian artists in Western Europe. This
study presents the results of an experimental
programme based on the analysis of the physical
actions performed while executing artistic
motifs. (...) |
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Entanglements: the Role of Finger Flutings in
the Study of the Lived Lives of Upper
Paleolithic Peoples,
di A. Nowell, L. Van Gelder, "Journal of
Archaeological Method and Theory", volume 27,
issue 3, September 2020, pages 585–606
During the Upper
Paleolithic, Ice Age peoples in Europe and
Australia used their fingers to trace figurative
and non-figurative images in soft sediments that
lined the walls and ceilings of the limestone
caves they encountered. The resulting images,
while fragile, are preserved in at least 70
caves with the oldest dating to approximately
36,000 years ago. During the first 100 years of
the study of Paleolithic cave imagery, these
finger flutings were largely ignored. Though
they make up a larger percentage of cave art
than any other form, they are enigmatic and not
always visually appealing. In 1912, Henri Breuil
famously referred to them as “traits
parasites”(parasite lines) and deleted them from
his re-drawings of cave images, believing they
detracted from the figurative art. (...) |
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Human and Animal Individuals in the Middle
Magdalenian,
di C. Birouste, "Journal of Archaeological
Method and Theory", volume 27, issue 3,
September 2020, pages 607–630
The category of
“animal species” is at the heart of traditional
interpretations of Palaeolithic art. In this
context, animal depictions have traditionally
been conceptualized in terms of the “animal
species” they are supposed to represent.
Moreover, the relationships between humans and
animals have been discussed in similar terms. In
this paper, I examine some innovative ways in
which this relationship can be considered. In
particular, I explore the possibility of
interpreting animal images as representations of
individuals, rather than just of species.
(...) |
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The Neandertal Progesterone Receptor,
di H. Zeberg, J. Kelso, S. Pääbo, "Molecular
Biology and Evolution", volume 37, issue 9,
September 2020, Pages 2655–2660
The hormone
progesterone is important for preparing the
uterine lining for egg implantation and for
maintaining the early stages of pregnancy. The
gene encoding the progesterone receptor (PGR)
carries introgressed Neandertal haplotypes with
two missense substitutions and a mobile Alu
element. These Neandertal gene variants have
reached nearly 20% frequency in non-Africans and
have been associated with preterm birth. Here,
we show that one of the missense substitutions
appears fixed in Neandertals, while the other
substitution as well as the Alu insertion were
polymorphic among Neandertals. (...) |
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Carnivores in the everyday life of Gravettian
hunters-gatherers in Central Europe,
di P. Wojtal, J. Svoboda, M. Roblíčková, J.
Wilczyński, "Journal of Anthropological
Archaeology", Volume 59, September 2020, 101171
Insights into
human life in Central Europe at ~30–20,000 years
ago have come from studies of archaeological and
paleontological materials in Czechia, Poland,
and Slovakia, including assemblages from sites
such as Dolní Věstonice I and II, Pavlov I,
Kraków Spadzista, Jaksice II, and Moravany–Lopata
II. Pavlovian mammal bone assemblages from
settlements in South Moravia are dominated by
small (birds, hares, foxes) and medium sized
animals (wolves, reindeer, wolverines), but
bones of large mammals also occur (bears, cave
lions, horses, and mammoths, which dominate in
the adjacent bone deposits), showing the wide
spectrum of the hunters’prey choices. (...) |
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The chronology of hominin fossils from the Altai
Mountains, Siberia: An alternative view,
di Y. V. Kuzmin, S. G. Keates, "Journal of Human
Evolution", Volume 146, September 2020, 102834
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Human manual distal phalanges from the Middle
Stone Age deposits of Klasies River Main Site,
Western Cape Province, South Africa,
di F. E. Grine, C. S. Mongle, S. L. Smith, W.
Black, Anton du Plessis, J. Braga, "Journal of
Human Evolution", Volume 146, September 2020,
102849
Two new distal
manual phalanges from the Middle Stone Age
deposits of Klasies River Main Site are
described. One (SAM-AP 6387) likely derives from
ray II or ray III, whereas the other (SAM-AP
6388) is from the thumb. Both derive from a late
adolescent or fully adult individual. They were
recovered by H. Deacon from the same
stratigraphic unit (submember W or possibly
submember R) of the Shell and Sand Member of
Cave 1, which places them between 100 and 90 ka.
Both are comparatively small elements, and the
possibility that they came from the same hand
cannot be discounted at this time. (...) |
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Associated Australopithecus afarensis second and
third metatarsals (A.L. 333-133) from Hadar,
Ethiopia,
di J. M. DeSilva, E. McNutt, B. Zipfel, C. V.
Ward, W. H. Kimbel, "Journal of Human Evolution",
Volume 146, September 2020, 102848
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A
Late Pleistocene human humerus from Rusinga
Island, Lake Victoria, Kenya,
di O. M. Pearson, E. C. Hill, D. J. Peppe, A.
Van Plantinga, N. Blegen, J. Tyler Faith, C. A.
Tryon, "Journal of Human Evolution", Volume 146,
September 2020, 102855
In 2010, a hominin
right humerus fragment (KNM-RU 58330) was
surface collected in a small gully at Nyamita
North in the Late Pleistocene Wasiriya Beds of
Rusinga Island, Kenya. A combination of
stratigraphic and geochronological evidence
suggests the specimen is likely between ∼49 and
36 ka in age. The associated fauna is diverse
and dominated by semiarid grassland taxa. The
small sample of associated Middle Stone Age
artifacts includes Levallois flakes, cores, and
retouched points. The 139 mm humeral fragment
preserves the shaft from distal to the lesser
tubercle to 14 mm below the distal end of the
weakly projecting deltoid tuberosity. (...) |
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Technological differences between Kostenki 17/II
(Spitsynskaya industry, Central Russia) and the
Protoaurignacian: Reply to Dinnis et al. (2019),
di G. Bataille, A. Falcucci, Y. Tafelmaier, N.
J. Conard, "Journal of Human Evolution", Volume
146, September 2020, 102685
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Neural networks differentiate between Middle and
Later Stone Age lithic assemblages in eastern
Africa, di
M. Grove, J. Blinkhorn, 26 August 2020, doi:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237528
- open access -
The Middle to
Later Stone Age transition marks a major change
in how Late Pleistocene African populations
produced and used stone tool kits, but is
manifest in various ways, places and times
across the continent. Alongside changing
patterns of raw material use and decreasing
artefact sizes, changes in artefact types are
commonly employed to differentiate Middle Stone
Age (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) assemblages.
The current paper employs a quantitative
analytical framework based upon the use of
neural networks to examine changing
constellations of technologies between MSA and
LSA assemblages from eastern Africa. Network
ensembles were trained to differentiate LSA
assemblages from Marine Isotope Stage 3&4 MSA
and Marine Isotope Stage 5 MSA assemblages based
upon the presence or absence of 16 technologies.
Simulations were used to extract significant
indicator and contra-indicator technologies for
each assemblage class. The trained network
ensembles classified over 94% of assemblages
correctly, and identified 7 key technologies
that significantly distinguish between
assemblage classes. These results clarify both
temporal changes within the MSA and differences
between MSA and LSA assemblages in eastern
Africa. (...) |
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Artists on the edge of the world: An integrated
approach to the study of Magdalenian engraved
stone plaquettes from Jersey (Channel Islands),
di S. M. Bello et alii, 19 August 2020,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236875
- open access -
The Upper
Palaeolithic is characterised by the appearance
of iconographic expressions most often depicting
animals, including anthropomorphic forms, and
geometric signs. The Late Upper Palaeolithic
Magdalenian saw a flourishing of such depictions,
encompassing cave art, engraving of stone, bone
and antler blanks and decoration of tools and
weapons. Though Magdalenian settlement exists as
far northwest as Britain, there is a limited
range of art known from this region, possibly
associated with only fleeting occupation of
Britain during this period. Stone plaquettes,
flat fragments of stone engraved on at least one
surface, have been found in large quantities at
numerous sites spanning the temporal and
geographical spread of the Magdalenian, but they
have been absent so far from the archaeological
record of the British Isles. Between 2015 and
2018, ten fragments of stone plaquettes
extensively engraved with abstract designs were
uncovered at the Magdalenian site of Les Varines,
Jersey, Channel Islands. In this paper, we
report detailed analyses of these finds, which
provide new evidence for technologies of
abstract mark-making, and their significance
within the lives of people on the edge of the
Magdalenian world. These engraved stone
fragments represent important, rare evidence of
artistic expression in what is the far northern
and western range of the Magdalenian and add new
insight to the wider significance of dynamic
practices of artistic expression during the
Upper Palaeolithic. (...) |
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Techno-functional and 3D shape analysis applied
for investigating the variability of backed
tools in the Late Middle Paleolithic of Central
Europe, di
D. Delpiano, T. Uthmeier, 19 August 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236548
- open access -
In the Late Middle
Paleolithic of Central Europe, two main cultural
complexes have been distinguished: the Micoquian
or Keilmessergruppe (KMG), and the Mousterian.
Their differences mainly consist in the
frequence of some retouched tools and the
presence of bifacial technology. When these
industries coexist, one element of discussion is
the application of different concepts to
manufacture tools with the same
techno-functionality. This is particularly true
for backed artifacts, such as Keilmesser (backed,
asymmetrical bifacially-shaped knives) opposed
to flake-tools equipped with a natural or
knapped back. We conducted a techno-functional
analysis of the backed tools from the
G-Layer-Complex of Sesselfelsgrotte, one of the
main Late Middle Paleolithic sequences in
Central Europe, characterized by a combination
of KMG and Mousterian aspects. In order to
better understand the morpho-metrical data, 3D
scans were used for recording technical features
and performing semi-automatic geometric
morphometrics. Results indicate that the
techno-functional schemes of Keilmesser show a
moderate variability and often overlap with the
schemes of other typological groups. Within
bifacial backed knives, a process of imitation
of unifacial flake tools’ functionaly was
recognized particularly in the cutting edge
manufacturing. Keilmesser proved to be the
long-life, versatile version of backed
flake-tools, also due to the recurrent valence
as both tool and core. This is why Keilmesser
represent an ideal strategic blank when a mobile
and multi-functional tool is needed. Based on
these data, it is assumed that the relationship
between Mousterian and KMG is deeply rooted and
the emergence of KMG aspects could be related to
constrained situations characterizing the long
cold stages of the Early Weichselian. A higher
regional mobility caused by the comparably low
predictability of resources characterized the
subsistence tactics of Neanderthal groups
especially at the borders of their overall
distribution. For this reason, Keilmesser could
have represented an ecological answer before
possibly becoming a marker of cultural identity.
(...) |
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The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in
Hohlenstein-Stadel cave (Swabian Jura, Germany):
A comparison between ESR, U-series and
radiocarbon dating,
di M. Richard, C. Falguères, E. Pons-Branchu, D.
Richter, T. Beutelspacher, N. J. Conard, C. J.
Kind, "Quaternary International", volume 556, 10
August 2020, pages 49-57
The Swabian Jura
is a key region for the early Aurignacian. Sites
such as Geißenklösterle, Hohle Fels, Vogelherd
and Hohlenstein-Stadel have produced the
earliest evidence of figurative and musical art,
such as ivory figurines and flutes made of bone
and ivory, attributed to Homo sapiens. To date,
radiocarbon (14C) and thermoluminescence dating
have been applied in the region, providing a
precise chronology for the Upper Palaeolithic
levels, especially the Aurignacian. At
Hohlenstein-Stadel, Upper and late Middle
Palaeolithic levels were dated using 14C. This
study focuses on the chronology of the Middle
Palaeolithic levels of this site using electron
spin resonance (ESR) on herbivorous tooth enamel,
in order to constrain the timing of the earliest
human occupation at the cave, attributed to
Neanderthals. (...) |
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ESR and ESR/U-series chronology of the Middle
Pleistocene site of Tourville-la-Rivière (Normandy,
France) - A multi-laboratory approach,
di J. J. Bahain et alii, "Quaternary
International", volume 556, 10 August 2020,
pages 58-70
Tourville-la-Rivière (Normandy, France) is one
of the rare Middle Pleistocene
palaeoanthropological localities of Northern
France. Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and
combined ESR/U-series dating methods were
independently applied by different teams on
sediments and teeth from this site. The present
work provides an overview of this
multi-laboratory dating work by integrating a
description and discussion of the methodologies
employed and results obtained. (...) |
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A multi-technique dating
study of two Lower Palaeolithic sites from the
Cher Valley (Middle Loire Catchment, France):
Lunery-la Terre-des-Sablons and Brinay-la Noira,
di M. Duval et alii, "Quaternary
International", volume 556, 10 August 2020,
pages 71-87
We present the
results of a new dating study carried out at
Lunery-la Terre-des-Sablons (LTS) and Brinay-la
Noira (BN), two key Lower Palaeolithic sites
located in deposits associated to the Cher River
(Middle Loire Catchment, France). These sites
preserve abundant Mode 1 and Mode 2 lithic
industries, and are considered as among the
oldest evidence of hominin presence in Western
Europe north of the 45°N latitude. Following a
multi-technique approach combining electron spin
resonance (ESR), single-grain
thermally-transferred optically stimulated
luminescence (TT-OSL) dating of quartz grains
and palaeomagnetism, we obtained new
chronological constraints for the sedimentary
sequence, and the associated lithic assemblages,
at the two sites. (...) |
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Refining the chronology of Acheulean deposits at
Porto Maior in the River Miño basin (Galicia,
Spain) using a comparative luminescence and ESR
dating approach,
di M. Demuro et alii, "Quaternary
International", volume 556, 10 August 2020,
pages 96-112
Trapped charge
dating of optically bleached quartz, which
involves techniques such as electron spin
resonance (ESR) and thermally transferred
optically stimulated luminescence (TT-OSL), is
increasingly being used to establish Middle and
Early Pleistocene chronologies for
archaeological, palaeontological and
palaeoenvironmental sedimentary sequences.
Comparative dating studies that make use of
several independent or semi-independent
radiometric techniques in tandem are an
invaluable means of assessing the reliability of
optically bleached quartz dating methods and
ascertaining empirical relationships between
different quartz dating signals. (...) |
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ESR dating applied to optically bleached quartz
- A comparison with 40Ar/39Ar chronologies on
Italian Middle Pleistocene sequences,
di P. Voinchet, A. Pereira, S. Nomade, C.
Falguères, I. Biddittu, M. Piperno, M. H. Moncel,
J. J. Bahain, "Quaternary International", volume
556, 10 August 2020, pages 113-123
The geological
sequences of numerous Lower and Middle
Palaeolithic sites of central and southern
Italy, found in fluvio-lacustrine contexts and
rich both in archaeological and palaeontological
remains, have recorded various volcanic events
all along the Middle Pleistocene timescale.
These sedimentary sequences made of detritic and
volcanic materials are suitable to compare
independent numerical geochronological methods
and thus develop a multi-method approach relying
especially ESR method applied to optically
bleached fluvial quartz and the 40Ar/39Ar on
single grain isotopic method applied to
potassium feldspars. (...) |
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Changes in hafting practices during the Middle
Stone Age at Ifri n’Ammar,
di S. Tomasso, D. Cnuts, A. Mikdad, V. Rots, "Quaternary
International", volume 555, 30 July 2020, pages
21-32
The present use
wear and residue analysis aims at identifying
hafting practices during the Middle Stone Age at
Ifri n’Ammar to improve insight in assemblage
variability through time. Particular attention
was devoted to the characteristics of the tanged
and non-tanged tools to determine whether these
morphological varieties were linked with
different prehensile modes. (...) |
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Middle Stone Age technology in Algeria: A
techno-economic approach case study of the Oued
Bousmane site (Djebel Dyr),
di N. Bahra, A. Djerrab, M. Ruault-Djerrab, K.
Semiane, R. Zedam, "Quaternary International",
volume 555, 30 July 2020, pages 33-46
The rock shelter
of Oued Bousmane, located in the eastern
Algerian highlands, presents a stratigraphic
sequence of the Middle Stone Age. The site,
which was discovered in 2006, produced a
significant number of lithic artefacts that are
primarily made of local flint. The aim of the
paper is to present the results of a
techno-economic study of the Mode 3 lithic
industry. (...) |
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The Late Quaternary pollen sequence of Toll
Cave, a palaeontological site with evidence of
human activities in northeastern Spain,
di J. Ochando et alii, "Quaternary
International", volume 554, 20 July 2020, pages
1-14
Palynological investigations of Toll Cave, a
carnivore and archaeological cave site in
northeastern Spain, are presented. The inferred
vegetation reveals the long-term permanence of
mixed pine-oak forests through a long period of
environmental changes within the interval MIS 4
to MIS 1, and probably before. A relatively high
diversity of woody taxa is found, including
conifers, mesophytic angiosperms, Mediterranean
forest, and xerothermic scrub. (...) |
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The use of blades and pointed tools during
middle palaeolithic, the example of Riparo
Tagliente (VR),
di G. L. F. Berruti et alii, "Quaternary
International", volume 554, 20 July 2020, pages
45-59 The
aim of this study is to understand Neanderthals'
techno-functional behavior at Riparo Tagliente
(VR). To this purpose, the use-wear analysis on
the lithic artefacts from the upper levels of
the Mousterian sequences was carried out. In
particular, two main features of the Mousterian
lithic assemblage of Riparo Tagliente are
considered: how the laminar component and the
pointed tools were differently used. The use of
blades in the Mousterian period represents a
debated issue: many scholars interpret the
Mousterian blades as specific tools used as
butchering knives, while others underline their
use as undifferentiated tools. (...) |
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The Bucobello 322
ka-fossil-bearing volcaniclastic-flow deposit in
the eastern Vulsini Volcanic District (central
Italy): Mechanism of emplacement and insights on
human activity during MIS 9,
di G. M. Di Buduo et alii, "Quaternary
International", volume 554, 20 July 2020, pages
75-89 We
present a multidisciplinary study of a
fossiliferous site located in the Vulsini
Volcanic District, on the western side of the
Tiber River Valley north of Rome, highlighting
the peculiar geologic factors that contributed
to the origin and preservation of an outstanding
archaeological record testifying of the early
human frequentation in this region. Mighty
explosive eruptions since at least 500 ka
affected the investigated area eventually
culminating in the formation of the huge Bolsena
caldera. (...) |
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Reconstructing Magdalenian hunting equipment
through experimentation and functional analysis
of backed bladelets,
di E. Gauvrit Roux, M. I. Cattin, I. Yahemdi, S.
Beyries, "Quaternary International", volume 554,
20 July 2020, pages 107-127
The hunting
technical sphere has a particularly important
socioeconomic role among hunter-gatherers as it
provides vital nutritive goods and serves
numerous technical spheres. Approaching Upper
Palaeolithic hunting techniques therefore offers
a valuable insight into past cultural dynamics.
Microliths are often the only conserved evidence
of Magdalenian hunting equipment, occasionally
accompanied by osseous projectile points to
which they were exceptionally found hafted.
Backed bladelets are the most common Magdalenian
microliths. In this paper, we investigate their
function as projectile insert, and address the
question of projectiles designs through the
analysis of impact damages. (...) |
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Peopling dynamics in the
Mediterranean area between 45 and 39 ky ago:
state of art and new data. Edited by
S. Benazzi, D. Boric, "Quaternary
International", volume 551, pages
1-264 (20 June 2020):
-
A focus on the Middle to
Upper Palaeolithic transition in the
Mediterranean area,
di S. Benazzi et alii
-
An overview of Alpine and
Mediterranean palaeogeography, terrestrial
ecosystems and climate history during MIS 3 with
focus on the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic
transition,
di F. Badino et
alii
-
Before the massive modern
human dispersal into Eurasia: A 55,000-year-old
partial cranium from Manot Cave, Israel,
di G. W. Weber et alii
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Noisy beginnings: The
Initial Upper Palaeolithic in Southwest Asia,
di A. N. Goring-Morris, A. Belfer-Cohen
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Push-and-pull factors of
the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in
the Balkans,
di D. Mihailović
-
The cultural trajectories
of Aurignacian osseous projectile points in
Southern Europe: Insights from geometric
morphometrics,
di L. Doyon
-
The Middle and Upper
Palaeolithic at La Crouzade cave (Gruissan, Aude,
France): New excavations and a
chronostratigraphic framework,
di T. Saos et alii
-
New data concerning
Neanderthal occupation in the Iberian System:
First results from the late Pleistocene (MIS 3)
Aguilón P5 cave site (NE Iberia),
di C. Mazo, M. Alcolea
-
Lithic techno-complexes in
Italy from 50 to 39 thousand years BP: An
overview of lithic technological changes across
the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic boundary,
di G. Marciani et alii
-
Refining the Uluzzian
through a new lithic assemblage from Roccia San
Sebastiano (Mondragone, southern Italy),
di C. Collina et alii
-
Bone tools, ornaments and
other unusual objects during the Middle to Upper
Palaeolithic transition in Italy,
di S. Arrigh et alii
-
Macromammal and bird
assemblages across the late Middle to Upper
Palaeolithic transition in Italy: an extended
zooarchaeological review,
di M. Romandini et alii
-
Archeozoology and
taphonomy of bird remains from Grotta di
Castelcivita (Salerno, Italy) and clues for
human-bird interactions,
di I. Fiore et alii
-
Archaeozoological,
taphonomic and ZooMS insights into The
Protoaurignacian faunal record from Riparo
Bombrini,
di G. Pothier Bouchard, J. Riel-Salvatore, F.
Negrino, M. Buckley |
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L'Archeologia Sperimentale di Alberto Carlo
Blanc: appunti inediti di un pioniere della
Preistoria italiana,
di F. Altamura, "Archeologie sperimentali", N. 1
(2020) - free access -
Due documenti inediti dell’archivio Blanc-Aguet
a Roma contengono appunti di archeologia
sperimentale dello studioso Alberto Carlo Blanc,
risalenti ai primi anni ‘50 del secolo scorso.
Le annotazioni riguardano la scheggiatura di
ciottoli silicei e la percussione di ossa di
bue. Queste osservazioni, finalizzate a fornire
elementi di confronto per i contesti preistorici
indagati da Blanc, anticipano di molti decenni
l’ingresso di tali tematiche negli studi
archeologici italiani, confermando l’intuito e
la lungimiranza scientifica dello studioso.
(...) |
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Aggiornamento 4 agosto 2020 |
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A
1.4-million-year-old bone handaxe from Konso,
Ethiopia, shows advanced tool technology in the
early Acheulean,
di K. Sano et alii, "Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences", 04 August 2020;
vol. 117 no. 31, pp. 18393-18400
We report a rare
example of a 1.4-million-y-old large bone
fragment shaped into handaxe-like form. This
bone tool derives from the Konso Formation in
southern Ethiopia, where abundant early
Acheulean stone artifacts show considerable
technological progression between
~1.75
and <1.0 Mya. Technological analysis of the bone
tool indicates intensive anthropogenic shaping.
Edge damage, polish, and striae patterns are
consistent with use in longitudinal motions,
such as in butchering. The discovery of this
bone handaxe shows that advanced flaking
technology, practiced at Konso on a variety of
lithic materials, was also applied to bone, thus
expanding the known technological repertoire of
African Early Pleistocene Homo. (...) |
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Neanderthals in a highly diverse,
mediterranean-Eurosiberian forest ecotone: The
pleistocene pollen record of Teixoneres Cave,
northeastern Spain,
di J. Ochando et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 241, 1 August 2020,
106429
A palynological
study of the archaeological layers from the
Neanderthal site of Teixoneres Cave, located in
Northeastern Spain, is presented. Vegetation
dynamics for the MIS 7-MIS 2 period are
described, revealing the long-term resilience of
mixed oak-pine forests throughout cold phases
and a high diversity of woody taxa, including
conifers, mesophytes, Mediterranean, and
xerothermics. Unexpected features of the
Teixoneres sequence include the relative
abundances of evergreen Quercus, deciduous
Quercus + suber and Juniperus, the continuous
occurrences of Corylus, Castanea, Betula,
Fraxinus, Buxus, Olea, Populus, and Salix, and
the presence of Abies, Taxus, Cedrus, Acer,
Alnus, Celtis, Juglans, Fagus, Ulmus, Calicotome,
Ceratonia, Cistus, Ephedra fragilis, Myrtus,
Pistacia, Phillyrea, Rhamnus and Viburnum.
(...) |
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Biocultural diversity in Late Pleistocene/Early
Holocene Africa: Olduvai Hominid 1 (Tanzania)
biological affinity and intentional body
modification,
di J. C. Willman, R. Hernando, M. Matu, I.
Crevecoeur, "American Journal of Physical
Anthropology", Volume 172, Issue 4, August 2020,
Pages 664-681
The dentition of
Olduvai Hominid 1 (OH1) exhibits an anomalous
pattern of dental wear that was originally
attributed to either intentional cultural
modification (filing) or plant processing
behaviors. A differential diagnosis of the wear
and assessment of the biological affinity of OH1
is presented.
Macroscopic and microscopic observations of all
labial and buccal tooth surfaces were undertaken
to assess wear patterns. A multivariate analysis
of mandibular morphology of OH1 compared to
other Late Pleistocene, Holocene, and recent
modern humans was used to ascertain biological
affinity. (...) |
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Reassessment of the TM 1517 odonto‐postcranial
assemblage from Kromdraai B, South Africa, and
the maturational pattern of Paranthropus
robustus,
di M. Cazenave et alii, Volume 172, Issue 4,
August 2020, Pages 714-722
- open access -
The Pleistocene
taxon Paranthropus robustus was established in
1938 following the discovery at Kromdraai B,
South Africa, of the partial cranium TM 1517a
and associated mandible TM 1517b. Shortly
thereafter, a distal humerus (TM 1517g), a
proximal ulna (TM 1517e), and a distal hallucial
phalanx (TM 1517k) were collected nearby at the
site, and were considered to be associated with
the holotype. TM 1517a‐b represents an immature
individual; however, no analysis of the
potentially associated postcranial elements has
investigated the presence of any endostructural
remnant of recent epiphyseal closure. This study
aims at tentatively detecting such traces in the
three postcranial specimens from Kromdraai B.
By using μXCT techniques, we assessed the
developmental stage of the TM 1517b's C‐M3 roots
and investigated the inner structure of TM
1517g, TM 1517e, and TM 1517k. (...) |
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First results of a Middle Stone Age survey in
the Kerma region, northern Sudan,
di N. Bicho, J. Haws, M. Honegger, "Antiquity",
Volume 94, Issue 376, August 2020, e19
Sudan is a vitally
important region for understanding the
migrations of Anatomically Modern Humans from
the African continent. Here, the authors present
the results of a preliminary survey in the Kerma
region, during which, 16 new Middle Stone Age
sites were discovered. (...) |
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Emergence of regional cultural traditions during
the Lower Palaeolithic: the case of
Frosinone-Ceprano basin (Central Italy) at the
MIS 11–10 transition,
di
M. H. Moncel et alii, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue 8,
August 2020, Article number: 185
Decades of
fieldwork in the Frosinone-Ceprano basin (Latin
Valley, Latium, central Italy) have shed light
on numerous open-air Lower Palaeolithic
localities, delivering a human fossil calvarium,
thousands of scattered faunal remains and a
large collection of lithic industries, including
core-and-flake type lithic series (mode 1) and
Acheulean assemblages (mode 2). The continuously
growing number of available geochronological
data (obtained by 40Ar/39Ar on volcanic minerals,
ESR/U-series on large mammal teeth and ESR on
bleached fluvial quartz) allow today the
construction of a reliable and precise
chronological framework for the Lower
Palaeolithic sites of this area of the Latin
Valley. The archaeological horizons with bifaces
all appear to belong to a relatively short
Middle Pleistocene time range, between about 410
and 350 ka, coeval to the end of the
interglacial MIS 11 and to the beginning of the
following glacial MIS 10. The Acheulean tools
are often associated with cores and flakes.
Bifaces are mainly made on limestone, secondary
flint and quartz. The archaeological corpus also
yielded tools on fragments of large herbivore
bones. (...) |
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From cave geomorphology to Palaeolithic human
behaviour: speleogenesis, palaeoenvironmental
changes and archaeological insight in the
Atxurra‐Armiña cave (northern Iberian Peninsula),
di M. Arriolabengoa et alii, "Journal of
Quaternary Science", Volume35, Issue 6, August
2020, Pages 841-853
A detailed
geomorphological study was performed in the
Atxurra‐Armiña cave system (northern Iberian
Peninsula) to decode landscape evolution,
palaeoenvironmental changes and human use of a
cave within an Inner Archaeological Context. The
results show an average incision rate of the
river of <0.083 mm a–1 for at least the last
419 ka, with interruptions due to sedimentary
inputs. Moreover, allostratigraphic units
comprising fluviokarstic deposits at the base
and flowstone formation at the top have been
shown to be climatically controlled, formed
either during glacial–interglacial cycles or
during interstadial cycles. Finally, when the
cave was used by humans in the Late Magdalenian,
the lower entrance was closed, and they must
therefore have entered the cave through the
upper entrance. (...) |
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Journal of Human
Evolution, Volume 145, August 2020:
1)
The dawn of the Middle
Paleolithic in Atapuerca: the lithic assemblage
of TD10.1 from Gran Dolina,
di A. de
Lombera-Hermida et alii
2)
A view of the Lower to
Middle Paleolithic boundary from Northern
France, far from the Near East?,
di D. Hérisson, S.
Soriano
3)
A virtual assessment of
the suprainiac depressions on the Eyasi I
(Tanzania) and Aduma ADU-VP-1/3 (Ethiopia)
Pleistocene hominin crania,
di A. Marinus
Bosman, H. Reyes-Centeno, K. Harvati
4)
Hominin dental remains
from the Pliocene localities at Lomekwi, Kenya
(1982–2009),
di M. M. Skinner,
M. G. Leakey, L. N. Leakey, F. K. Manthi, F.
Spoor
5)
Inner morphological and
metric characterization of the molar remains
from the Montmaurin-La Niche mandible: The
Neanderthal signal,
di M. Martínez de
Pinillos et alii
6)
Pitted stones in the
Acheulean from Olduvai Gorge Beds III and IV
(Tanzania): A use-wear and 3D approach,
di A.
Arroyo, I. de la Torre |
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Lithic artifact assemblage transport and
microwear modification in a fluvial setting: A
radio frequency identification tag experiment,
di W. Chu, R. Hosfield, "Geoarchaeology", Volume
35, Issue 4, Pages: 431-608, July/August 2020
- open access -
River processes
are widely assumed to have impacted the
integrity of lithic assemblages when artifacts
are found in fluvial sediments, but the
specifics of these influences remain largely
unknown. We conducted a real‐world experiment to
determine how the initial stages of fluvial
entrainment affected lithic artifact assemblages.
We inserted replica artifacts with radio
frequency identification tags into a gravel‐bedded
river in Wales (UK) for seven months and related
their transport distances to their morphology
and the recorded streamflow. In addition, nine
artifacts were recovered at the end of the
experiment and analyzed for microwear traces. In
sum, our results show that in a gravel‐bedded
river with a mean discharge of 5.1 m3/s,
artifact length and width were the main
variables influencing artifact transport
distances. The experiment also resulted in
characteristic microwear traces developing on
the artifacts over distances of 485 m or less.
These results emphasize the multifaceted nature
of alluvial site formation processes in a
repeatable experiment and highlight new ways to
identify the transport of replica Paleolithic
material. (...) |
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A
Neanderthal Sodium Channel Increases Pain
Sensitivity in Present-Day Humans,
di H. Zeberg et alii, 23 July 2020, DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.045
- open access -
The sodium channel
Nav1.7 is crucial for impulse generation and
conduction in peripheral pain pathways [1]. In
Neanderthals, the Nav1.7 protein carried three
amino acid substitutions (M932L, V991L, and
D1908G) relative to modern humans. We expressed
Nav1.7 proteins carrying all combinations of
these substitutions and studied their
electrophysiological effects. Whereas the single
amino acid substitutions do not affect the
function of the ion channel, the full
Neanderthal variant carrying all three
substitutions, as well as the combination of
V991L with D1908G, shows reduced inactivation,
suggesting that peripheral nerves were more
sensitive to painful stimuli in Neanderthals
than in modern humans. We show that, due to gene
flow from Neanderthals, the three Neanderthal
substitutions are found in ∼0.4% of present-day
Britons, where they are associated with
heightened pain sensitivity. (...)
·Quel
gene Neanderthal che rende più sensibili al
dolore, "Le Scienze", 29 luglio 2020 |
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On
holes and strings: Earliest displays of human
adornment in the Middle Palaeolithic,
di D. E. Bar-Yosef Mayer et alii, 8 July
2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234924
- open access -
Glycymeris shell
beads found in Middle Palaeolithic sites are
understood to be artifacts collected by modern
humans for symbolic use. In Misliya Cave,
Israel, dated to 240–160 ka BP, Glycymeris
shells were found that were neither perforated
nor manipulated; nevertheless, transportation to
the cave is regarded as symbolic. In about 120
ka BP at Qafzeh Cave, Israel, modern humans
collected naturally perforated Glycymeris shells
also for symbolic use. Use-wear analyses backed
by experiments demonstrate that the Qafzeh
shells were suspended on string, thus suggesting
that the collection of perforated shells was
intentional. The older Misliya shells join a
similar finding from South Africa, while the
later-dated perforated shells from Qafzeh
resemble other assemblages from North Africa and
the Levant, also dated to about 120 ka BP. We
conclude that between 160 ka BP and 120 ka BP
there was a shift from collecting complete
valves to perforated ones, which reflects both
the desire and the technological ability to
suspend shell beads on string to be displayed on
the human body. (...) |
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Crown tissue proportions and enamel thickness
distribution in the Middle Pleistocene hominin
molars from Sima de los Huesos (SH) population (Atapuerca,
Spain), di
L. Martín-Francés et alii, 8 June 2020,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233281
- open access -
Dental enamel
thickness, topography, growth and development
vary among hominins. In Homo, the thickness of
dental enamel in most Pleistocene hominins
display variations from thick to hyper-thick,
while Neanderthals exhibit proportionally
thinner enamel. The origin of the thin trait
remains unclear. In this context, the Middle
Pleistocene human dental assemblage from
Atapuerca-Sima de los Huesos (SH) provides a
unique opportunity to trace the evolution of
enamel thickness in European hominins. In this
study, we aim to test the hypothesis if the SH
molar sample approximates the Neanderthal
condition for enamel thickness and/or
distribution. This study includes 626 molars,
both original and comparative data. We analysed
the molar inner structural organization of the
original collections (n = 124), belonging to SH(n
= 72) and modern humans from Spanish origin (n =
52). We compared the SH estimates to those of
extinct and extant populations of the genus Homo
from African, Asian and European origin (estimates
extracted from literature n = 502). The
comparative sample included maxillary and
mandibular molars belonging to H. erectus, East
and North African Homo, European Middle
Pleistocene Homo, Neanderthals, and fossil and
extant H. sapiens. We used high-resolution
images to investigate the endostructural
configuration of SH molars (tissue proportions,
enamel thickness and distribution). (...) |
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Speleothem record attests to stable
environmental conditions during Neanderthal–modern
human turnover in southern Italy,
di A. Columbu, V. Chiarini, C. Spötl, S. Benazzi,
J. Hellstrom, H. Cheng, J. De Waele, "Nature
Ecology & Evolution", 06 July 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1243-1
The causes of
Neanderthal–modern human (MH) turnover are
ambiguous. While potential biocultural
interactions between the two groups are still
little known, it is clear that Neanderthals in
southern Europe disappeared about 42 thousand years
ago (ka) after cohabitation for ~3,000 years
with MH. Among a plethora of hypotheses on
Neanderthal extinction, rapid climate changes
during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic
transition (MUPT) are regarded as a primary
factor. Here we show evidence for stable
climatic and environmental conditions during the
MUPT in a region (Apulia) where Neanderthals and
MH coexisted. We base our findings on a rare
glacial stalagmite deposited between ~106 and
~27 ka, providing the first continuous western
Mediterranean speleothem palaeoclimate archive
for this period. (...) |
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Neanderthal occupation during the tephra
fall-out: Technical and hunting behaviours,
sedimentology and settlement patterns in SU 14
of Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, southern
Italy), di
G. Marciani, V. Spagnolo, I. Martini, A. Casagli,
R. Sulpizio, D. Aureli, P. Boscato, A.
Ronchitelli, F. Boschin, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue 7,
July 2020, Article number: 152
The Oscurusciuto
rock shelter (southern Italy) is crucial for the
understanding of Neanderthals’ subsistence and
settlement strategies as it contains a
~ 6-m-thick reliable deposit made up of several
Middle Palaeolithic levels. This paper focuses
on level SU 14, a 60-cm-thick deposit of
volcanic tephra containing traces of human
occupation only in the few upper centimetres.
Geochemical and mineralogical features of SU 14
deposits allowed their correlation to the ‘Mount
Epomeo Green Tuff’ eruption, which came from
Ischia volcano and dated to ~ 55,000 years BP.
The pyroclastic materials injected into the
atmosphere caused an ash fall-out over a large
part of southern Italy, resulting in the
alteration of ecosystems. (...) |
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Between new and inherited technical behaviours:
a case study from the Early Middle Palaeolithic
of Southern France,
di C. Mathias, L. Bourguignon, M. Brenet, S.
Grégoire, M. H. Moncel, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue 7,
July 2020, Article number: 146
The beginning of
the Middle Palaeolithic in Western Europe is
traditionally associated with the emergence of
new, more complex and standardised debitage
technologies, such as Levallois technology.
These changes occurred in the archaeological
record between MIS 9 and MIS 6. This paper aims
to evaluate the processes of technical change at
work in Southern France, tracking innovations
and persistent behaviours and potential shifts,
to describe the process of transition and
compare the Southeast and Southwest of France.
We revised several major sites from Ardèche and
Dordogne through the technological analysis of
seven lithic assemblages in areas rich in
good-quality raw materials, mostly flint.
Technological analysis shows common features in
lithic strategies and industries that can all be
attributed to the Early Middle Palaeolithic. The
features are a diversity of debitage methods and
spatiotemporal management of the chaînes
opératoires (ramification and artefact mobility).
(...) |
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Tracing Palaeolithic human routes through the
geochemical characterisation of chert tools from
Caune de Belvis (Aude, France),
di M. Sánchez de la Torre, D. Sacchi, F. X. Le
Bourdonnec, B. Gratuze, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue 7,
July 2020, Article number: 135
Caune de Belvis (Aude,
France) is located in the northern slopes of the
eastern Pyrenees, in south-east France.
Excavations at the site during the final decades
of the past century identified several human
occupations from the Late Mousterian (Maroto et
al. 2003) and the Magdalenian periods (Sacchi
1993). The archaeological remains are mostly
composed of faunal bones and a rich bone and
stone industry. In this paper, we focused on the
analysis of stone remains recovered in the
Magdalenian levels. The goals of this study are
to determine the territorial behaviour of
Magdalenian groups settled at Caune de Belvis
and to identify their lithic procurement
strategies. To do so, we applied a range of
techniques for analysing stone remains from the
Magdalenian levels and geological samples from
the geological formations that may have been
used. (...) |
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Journal of Human
Evolution, Volume 144, July 2020:
1)
Interpreting the Quina and
demi-Quina scrapers from Acheulo-Yabrudian Qesem
Cave, Israel: Results of raw materials and
functional analyses,
di A. Agam, A.
Zupancich
2)
The Middle Pleistocene
hominin mandible from Payre (Ardèche, France),
di C. Verna
et alii
3)
Great apes and humans
evolved from a long-backed ancestor,
di A. L.
Machnicki, P. L. Reno
4)
Muscle recruitment and
stone tool use ergonomics across three million
years of Palaeolithic technological transitions,
di A. J. M.
Key, I. Farr, R. Hunter, S. L. Winter
5)
Sexual dimorphism of the
enamel and dentine dimensions of the permanent
canines of the Middle Pleistocene hominins from
Sima de los Huesos (Burgos, Spain),
di C.
García-Campos et alii
6)
The emergence of the
Levallois technology in the Levant: A view from
the Early Middle Paleolithic site of Misliya
Cave, Israel,
di Y. Zaidner, M.
Weinstein-Evron
7)
Reappraisal of hominin
group size in the Lower Paleolithic: An
introduction to the special issue,
di N. Goren-Inbar,
A. Belfer-Cohen
8)
Still no archaeological
evidence that Neanderthals created Iberian cave
art,
di R. White et
alii
9)
Response to White et al.’s
reply: ‘Still no archaeological evidence that
Neanderthals created Iberian cave art’ [J. Hum.
Evol. (2020) 102640],
di D. L. Hoffmann
et alii |
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Deglacial landscapes and the Late Upper
Palaeolithic of Switzerland,
di H. Reade et alii, "Quaternary Science
Reviews", Volume 239, 1 July 2020, 106372
The presence of
people in Switzerland in recently deglaciated
landscapes after the Last Glacial Maximum
represents human utilisation of newly available
environments. Understanding these landscapes and
the resources available to the people who
exploited them is key to understanding not only
Late Upper Palaeolithic settlement in
Switzerland, but more broadly human behavioural
ecology in newly inhabited environmental
settings. By applying bone collagen stable
isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N and δ34S) to faunal
remains from Late Upper Palaeolithic localities
in Switzerland, we investigate animal ecology
and environmental conditions during periods of
human occupation. (...) |
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CLIOdynamic ARCHaeology: computational
approaches to Final Palaeolithic/Early
Mesolithic archaeology and climate change,
di F. Riede, S. T. Hussain, C, Timmreck, J. C.
Svenning, "Antiquity", Volume 94, Issue 375,
June 2020 , e13
It is often
claimed that changes in material culture signify
adaptations to changing environments. Deploying
novel conceptual models and computational
techniques, research funded by the European
Research Council seeks to reconstruct the
patterns and processes of cultural transmission
and adaptation at the turbulent transition from
the Pleistocene to the Holocene. (...) |
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Complex mortuary dynamics in the Upper
Paleolithic of the decorated Grotte de Cussac,
France, di
S. Kacki et alii, "Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences", 30 June 2020;
vol. 117 no. 26, pp. 14851-14856
Gravettian
mortuary practices provide a key perspective on
social complexity during the Upper Paleolithic.
Such inferences have been drawn mostly from the
formal burials relatively abundant for this
period. Here we present the bioanthropological
study of Grotte de Cussac, a decorated cave with
Gravettian human remains deposited on the floor.
These bone accumulations correspond to several
forms of deposition (a whole body, body parts on
the surface, and dry bones in bear nests), plus
displacement and removal of elements that
indicate diverse and complex mortuary behaviors.
The exceptional preservation during millennia of
these surficial deposits illustrates steps of a
mortuary landscape that are beyond reach in more
usual Upper Paleolithic burial sites. (...) |
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A
high-coverage Neandertal genome from Chagyrskaya
Cave, di F.
Mafessoni et alii, "Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences", 30 June 2020;
vol. 117 no. 26, pp. 15132-15136
- free access -
We present the
third high-quality genome to be determined from
a Neandertal. Patterns of variation in the
genome suggest that her ancestors lived in
relatively isolated populations of less than 60
individuals. When we analyze this genome
together with two previously sequenced
Neandertal genomes, we find that genes expressed
in the striatum of the brain may have changed
especially much, suggesting that the striatum
may have evolved unique functions in Neandertals.
(...) |
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Studying the Neanderthal DNA found in modern
humans using stem cells and organoids,
18 June 2020
Protocols that
allow the transformation of human induced
pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines into
organoids have changed the way scientists can
study developmental processes and enable them to
decipher the interplay between genes and tissue
formation, particularly for organs where primary
tissue is not available. Now, investigators are
taking this technology and applying it to study
the developmental effects of Neanderthal DNA.
(...)
·Human Stem Cell Resources Are an Inroad to
Neandertal DNA Functions, di M. Dannemann et
alii, "Stem Cell Reports", 18 June 2020 |
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Deposit-centered archaeological survey and the
search for the Aegean Palaeolithic: A
geoarchaeological perspective,
di J. A. Holcomb, C. Runnels, K. W. Wegmann, "Quaternary
International", Volume 550, 10 June 2020, Pages
169-183
Recent
archaeological discoveries from the Greek
islands of Crete and Naxos point to the presence
of hominins in the Aegean Basin beginning at
least in the Middle Pleistocene (~200 ka),
indicating that the region may have been an
important dispersal route for hominins (including
humans) entering southeastern Europe. Currently,
archaeologists lack a clear understanding about
where Palaeolithic sites should exist throughout
the region. Consequently, archaeologists are
hindered in their ability to construct the
chronostratigraphic frameworks necessary to
place the Aegean Palaeolithic into broader
narratives of human biogeography until more
buried and scientifically dated sites are found.
Addressing this issue, we review one successful
survey strategy that has proven effective in
increasing the likelihood of discovering
archaeological sites of Pleistocene age – namely,
systematic geoarchaeologically informed research
frameworks centered on targeting Pleistocene
geologic deposits (soils and sediments). Such an
approach has worked well on mainland Greece (and
elsewhere) but has yet to be operationalized for
application in the Greek islands. (...) |
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The nature of Neanderthal introgression revealed
by 27,566 Icelandic genomes,
di L. Skov et alii, "Nature", Volume 582,
Issue 7810, 4 June 2020, pp. 78–83
Human evolutionary
history is rich with the interbreeding of
divergent populations. Most humans outside of
Africa trace about 2% of their genomes to
admixture from Neanderthals, which occurred
50–60 thousand years ago1. Here we examine the
effect of this event using 14.4 million putative
archaic chromosome fragments that were detected
in fully phased whole-genome sequences from
27,566 Icelanders, corresponding to a range of
56,388–112,709 unique archaic fragments that
cover 38.0–48.2% of the callable genome. On the
basis of the similarity with known archaic
genomes, we assign 84.5% of fragments to an
Altai or Vindija Neanderthal origin and 3.3% to
Denisovan origin; 12.2% of fragments are of
unknown origin. We find that Icelanders have
more Denisovan-like fragments than expected
through incomplete lineage sorting. This is best
explained by Denisovan gene flow, either into
ancestors of the introgressing Neanderthals or
directly into humans. (...) |
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Versatile use of microliths as a technological
advantage in the miniaturization of Late
Pleistocene toolkits: The case study of Neve
David, Israel,
di I. Groman-Yaroslavski, H. Chen, C. Liu, R.
Shimelmitz, R. Yeshurun, J. Liu, X. Yang, D.
Nadel, 3 June 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233340
- open access -
The
miniaturization of stone tools, as reflected
through the systematic production of bladelets
and bladelet tools (microliths), characterized
many industries of the Late Pleistocene, with
the Levantine Epipalaeolithic serving as a
well-studied example. It is commonly held that
microliths were used as modular inserts in
composite projectiles, while their incorporation
in other tools for different tasks is generally
overlooked, the latter aspect being the main
focus of this paper. We present here a more
inclusive approach through a case study of the
Geometric Kebaran (Middle Epipalaeolithic, ca.
18,500–15,000 cal BP) site of Neve David, Mount
Carmel, Israel. Recent excavations at the site
exposed a variety of features, and one
well-preserved shallow pit provided a large
lithic assemblage with ca. 90 microliths. We
studied this assemblage using both the low- and
high- magnification use-wear protocols,
accompanied by a range of experiments. Our
results show that a) the fragmentation rate is
very high in this assemblage (ca. 90%), b) most
of the microliths have identifiable use-wear, c)
the microliths were commonly used as inserts in
composite projectiles, d) many microliths were
used for functions not related to weaponry and
hunting, such as wood-working, weed harvesting
and meat processing. (...) |
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The Upper Palaeolithic site Doroshivtsi III: A
new chronostratigraphic and environmental record
of the Late Pleniglacial in the regional context
of the Middle Dniester-Prut loess domain
(Western Ukraine),
di P. Haesaerts et alii, "Quaternary
International", Volume 546, 30 April 2020, Pages
196-215
A
multidisciplinary study of the Upper
Palaeolithic site Doroshivtsi III (Western
Ukraine) allows the establishment of a
high-resolution chronostratigraphic and
environmental record of short climatic
oscillations during the Late Pleniglacial (from
ca. 23 ka uncal BP to the Late Glacial).
Chronostratigraphic records, radiocarbon dating,
palynology and anthracology were used in
parallel with archaeological studies.
Palaeoenvironmental interpretations based on
pedostratigraphy and pollen data show a
remarkable concordance. The Doroshivtsi III
sequence provides a succession of 12 short-time
interstadial events. In the lower part of the
sequence, they are separated by very cold and
wet stadials, represented by tundra gleys. In
the middle part of the sequence, interstadial
events are separated by episodes of loess
accumulation under cold and dry climate, whereas
the upper part of the sequence almost completely
consists of loesses. The sum of pollen of
arcto-alpine and arcto-boreal plants was the
largest during the periods of tundra gley
formation, whereas few pollen grains of
broad-leaved taxa occurred during formation of
some soil horizons. (...) |
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When not everything is as nice as its looks.
Social veiled conflicts in Levantine rock art (Spain),
di M. Bea, "Quaternary International", Volume
544, 10 April 2020, Pages 12-22
Based on new
documentation carried out on some of the most
important Levantine sites, it is possible to
reinterpret some Levantine scenes and their
social contexts. Using new perspectives, it is
possible to point out a real social instability
that is represented not only in war or fight
scenes but also in some other veiled forced
activities (i.e., massive movement of human
groups, captures, etc.). In these scenes
conflict is not just represented by the use of
arms (bows, arrows, or boomerangs), but by some
other kind of social violence scenes that make
us to reconsider the social relationships among
creators of Levantine rock art from its earliest
phases. These scenes allow complex thematic
levels that can be considered. Why did those
people depict such veiled violence? (...) |
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The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at
El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain),
di A. B. Marín-Arroyo, "Quaternary
International", Volume 544, 10 April 2020, Pages
23-31
The use of caves
during the Late Middle and Early Upper
Palaeolithic in Europe was often characterized
by alternation between humans (Neandertals and
Anatomically Modern Humans) and carnivores. One
of the most important karstic areas in Europe
that contains a rich archaeological record
during this cultural period is the Cantabrian
Region, northern Spain. We explore the
archaeological evidence recovered from the lower
levels of the stratigraphic sequence in El Mirón
Cave dated between 27 and 48ka cal BP –
Gravettian and Mousterian in age.
Zooarchaeological and taphonomic analyses of the
limited number of mammal bones, together with
the small lithic artefact assemblages, suggest
brief human occupations after which the carcass
remains left by humans and, composed mainly of
Spanish ibex, red deer and some leporids, were
scavenged by carnivores. Carnivores were
probably also agents of accumulation, especially
in the two lowest layers in which artifacts are
most scarce. (...) |
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Bird procurement by humans during the Middle and
early Upper Paleolithic of Europe: New data for
the Aurignacian of southwestern France,
di V. Laroulandie, E. Morin, M. C. Soulier, J.
C. Castel, "Quaternary International", Volume
543, 30 March 2020, Pages 16-24
Recently, the
development of taphonomically-oriented studies
of avifaunal assemblages have contributed
towards renewing our perceptions of the
complexity of Neandertal behavioral adaptations
in Europe. In contrast, few studies have been
conducted on bird samples dated to the Early
Upper Paleolithic. Here, we provide new data for
three archeological sites (Isturitz, le Piage,
Abri Cellier) from southwestern France that have
produced Aurignacian material. (...) |
Aggiornamento 5 giugno 2020 |
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Quantifying the potential causes of Neanderthal
extinction: Abrupt climate change versus
competition and interbreeding,
di A. Timmermann, "Quaternary Science Reviews",
Volume 238, 15 June 2020, 106331
Anatomically
Modern Humans are the sole survivor of a group
of hominins that inhabited our planet during the
last ice age and that included, among others,
Homo neanderthalensis, Homo denisova, and Homo
erectus. Whether previous hominin extinctions
were triggered by external factors, such as
abrupt climate change, volcanic eruptions or
whether competition and interbreeding played
major roles in their demise still remains
unresolved. Here I present a spatially resolved
numerical hominin dispersal model (HDM) with
empirically constrained key parameters that
simulates the migration and interaction of
Anatomically Modern Humans and Neanderthals in
the rapidly varying climatic environment of the
last ice age. (...) |
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The palaeoecology of Klasies River, South
Africa: An analysis of the large mammal remains
from the 1984–1995 excavations of Cave 1 and 1A,
di J. P. Reynard, S. Wurz, "Quaternary Science
Reviews", Volume 237, 1 June 2020, 106301
Given the large
number of hominin and archaeological remains the
site has yielded, Klasies River has contributed
significantly to our understanding of how humans
developed and behaved during the Middle Stone
Age. Its extensive occupational sequence and the
abundance of faunal remains recovered from the
deposits also make it an important site in
exploring palaeoenvironmental change during the
Late Pleistocene. The mammalian fauna from the
over 70 000 year long sequence at Klasies River
possibly extending from MIS 6 to 3 are useful in
positioning the evolution of complex human
behaviour within an environmental context. Here,
we use the large mammal fauna excavated in the
1980s and 1990s from Klasies River Cave 1 and 1A
to test links between ungulate diversity and
palaeoclimatic change in the south-eastern Cape
of South Africa. Fauna from extended Pleistocene
sequences in the south-eastern Cape are
relatively rare and collections such as these
are important proxies for assessing
environmental change in this particular region.
(...) |
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The Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in
the southern Levant: New insights from the late
Middle Paleolithic site of Far’ah II, Israel,
di M. Goder-Goldberger et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 237, 1 June 2020,
106304
Far’ah II is an
open-air site in the north western Negev desert
(Israel). Previous excavations in the 1970’s
revealed a rich, in situ Middle Paleolithic (MP)
assemblage composed of flint and limestone
artifacts, animal bones and charcoal. Renewed
excavation at the site were undertaken in 2017,
to re-date it and provide a more accurate
constrain to the sites’ age, as well as collect
samples for paleoclimatic proxies. Our new
Optically Stimulated Luminescence and 14C ages
together with the stable oxygen isotope
signature of the loess sediments, constrain the
age of the upper archaeological horizon to <49
ka. This age agrees with the younger limit of
60–50 ka, obtained by Electron Spin Resonance
ages, measured in the 1990’s. The heavy δ18O
values in carbonates point to cooler climatic
conditions than those that prevailed during the
preceding short, warm episode between 58 and 49
ka. The fauna, pollen and charcoal collected
during the excavation portray a savanna-like
environment with a mix of Irano-Turanian and
Saharo-Arabian elements and a minor
Mediterranean component. (...) |
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Neanderthal lithic procurement and mobility
patterns through a multi-level study in the
Abric Romaní site (Capellades, Spain),
di B. Gómez de Soler et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 237, 1 June 2020,
106315
This study
represents the first integrated approach to the
lithic raw materials exploited by the
Neanderthals that occupied the Abric Romaní site
(NE Iberia). Focusing on chert as the most
abundant raw material (>80% of the assemblages),
we determine the potential procurement areas and
the mobility patterns. Geo-archaeological
surveys within a radius of 30 km from the site
documented 32 primary locations with
silicifications. The chert abundance ratio, a
quantitative approach to the raw material
availability, together with macroscopic and
petrographic analyses, confirm the
underexploitation of the local raw materials
(<10 km). (...) |
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Settlement dynamic of open-air sites in the Late
Lower and Early Middle Paleolithic: surface
survey from the left bank of Jordan Valley,
di D. Wojtczak, R, Jagher, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue 6,
June 2020
Between 2015 and
2018, a joint venture of the Universities of
Basel (Switzerland), Jordan, and Yarmouk
(Jordan) conducted a survey project along the
eastern margins of the Jordan Valley between
Sulaykhat and Adassiyyah. The three field
seasons, which aimed to document archeological
sites, saw a number of important Paleolithic
artifacts discovered. Study of the stone
artifacts focused on the identification of
cultural clusters based on techno-typological
characteristics of particular well-known
cultural units from highly stratified sites in
the Levant. Alongside this, conservation
conditions of lithics from open-air sites were a
focus. Using such benchmarks, 140 Lower and
Middle Paleolithic open-air sites were
identified. In this paper, we focus only on the
finds from Late Lower and Early Middle
Paleolithic. (...) |
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Toothpicking in early Homo OH 62 from Olduvai
Gorge (Tanzania): An indirect evidence of
intensive meat consumption?,
di A. Estalrrich, J. A. Alarcón, A. Rosas,
"Journal of Human Evolution", Volume 143, June
2020, 102769
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Spatial patterning of the archaeological and
paleontological assemblage at Dmanisi, Georgia:
An analysis of site formation and
carnivore-hominin interaction in Block 2,
di R. Coil, M. Tappen, R. Ferring, M.
Bukhsianidze, M. Nioradze, D. Lordkipanidze,
"Journal of Human Evolution", Volume 143, June
2020, 102773
This study
addresses the roles of biotic agents in site
formation in the B1 strata of Block 2 at Dmanisi,
Georgia, using theoretical and analogous
frameworks for the interpretation of spatial
behaviors of carnivores and hominins. For this
study, stone material, faunal remains, and
coprolites are analyzed to determine if any
spatially distinct behaviors can be identified,
located, and attributed to either hominins or
carnivores. Faunal, stone, and coprolite
assemblages are compared with each other, and
lithic, taxonomic, and taphonomic subassemblages
are compared with the overall distribution of
their parent material. (...) |
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The evolution of raw material procurement
strategies: A view from the deep sequence of
Tabun Cave, Israel,
di R. Shimelmitz, S. L. Kuhn, M. Weinstein-Evron,
"Journal of Human Evolution", Volume 143, June
2020, 102787
Changes in the
ways Paleolithic foragers exploited raw material
sources are linked to mobility, the demands of
production, and investment in quarrying. Here,
we analyze the use of raw materials in a long
series of superimposed layers from Tabun Cave
dating to the Middle Pleistocene, attributed to
the Lower and Middle Paleolithic periods. Using
the cortex preserved on the surfaces of
artifacts, including blanks, tools and cores, we
distinguished between flints obtained from
primary and secondary geological contexts. The
results from Tabun Cave indicate that the
exploitation of secondary sources was fairly
common during the earlier part of the Lower
Paleolithic sequence. It decreased during the
later part of the Acheulo-Yabrudian complex of
the Lower Paleolithic, coinciding with growing
use of predetermined technological strategies,
which demand high-quality raw materials. By the
Middle Paleolithic, primary and secondary raw
materials are generally designated for different
reduction trajectories, suggesting a growing
distinction and formalization of technological
strategies. (...) |
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Site occupation dynamics of early modern humans
at Misliya Cave (Mount Carmel, Israel): Evidence
from the spatial taphonomy of faunal remains,
di R. Yeshurun, D. Malkinson, K. M. Crater
Gershtein, Y. Zaidner, M. Weinstein-Evron,
"Journal of Human Evolution", Volume 143, June
2020, 102797
Space use in
Middle Paleolithic (MP) camps has been suggested
as a source of information on the intensity and
repetition of occupations and, by extension, of
demographics. In the Levant, clear evidence for
differential intrasite use and maintenance was
important in viewing the late MP Neanderthal
sites as base camps inhabited for a significant
duration, relative to the Early MP (EMP). We
test this model with the rich faunal assemblage
from the EMP (>140 ka) site of Misliya Cave,
Mount Carmel, Israel. Excavations in Misliya
yielded a large and diverse lithic assemblage,
combustion features, and a modern human maxilla,
together with a large archaeofaunal assemblage
that we use as a spatial marker. We analyzed the
distribution of bone items with variable
taphonomic properties (anthropogenic, biogenic,
and abiotic bone-surface modifications) in a
hearth-related context, both by comparing grid
squares and point patterns. Both analyses are
largely congruent. (...) |
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Ear infections discovered in remains of humans
living in levant 15,000 years ago,
26-MAY-2020
Researchers at Tel
Aviv University have discovered evidence of ear
infections in the skull remains of humans living
in the Levant some 15,000 years ago. "Our
research seeks to determine the impact of our
environment on illnesses in different periods,"
says lead author Dr. Hila May of the Department
of Anatomy and Anthropology at TAU's Sackler
Faculty of Medicine and the Dan David Center for
Human Evolution and Biohistory Research at the
Faculty of Medicine, located at the Steinhardt
Museum of Natural History. "Using advanced
technologies and unique methods developed in our
lab, we have been able to detect signs of
prolonged inflammation in the middle ear." Dr.
Katrina Floranova of the Dan David Center and
Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Dr. Ilan Koren
of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine also
contributed to the study, which was published on
March 25 in the International Journal of
Osteoarchaeology. The researchers found a
decline in morbidity as a result of ear
infections following the transition from hunting
and gathering to farming because of changes in
living conditions. But a peak in morbidity was
observed in a sedentary population living about
6,000 years ago, in the Chalcolithic period.
(...) |
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Initial Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens from
Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria,
di J. J. Hublin et alii, "Nature", volume
581, issue 7808, 21 May 2020, pages 299–302
The Middle to
Upper Palaeolithic transition in Europe
witnessed the replacement and partial absorption
of local Neanderthal populations by Homo sapiens
populations of African origin1. However, this
process probably varied across regions and its
details remain largely unknown. In particular,
the duration of chronological overlap between
the two groups is much debated, as are the
implications of this overlap for the nature of
the biological and cultural interactions between
Neanderthals and H. sapiens. Here we report the
discovery and direct dating of human remains
found in association with Initial Upper
Palaeolithic artefacts2, from excavations at
Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria). (...) |
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Oldest Homo sapiens bones found in Europe,
di A. Gibbons, "Science", 15 May 2020, Vol. 368,
Issue 6492, pp. 697
Europe has long
been home to Neanderthals, who lived here from
400,000 to 40,000 years ago. But about 47,000
years ago, a new group of people took shelter in
a cave in Bulgaria. There, they butchered bison,
wild horses, and cave bears, leaving the cave
floor littered with bones and a wealth of
artifacts—ivory beads, pendants made with cave
bear teeth, and stone blades stained with red
ochre. Researchers used a cutting-edge toolkit
of their own to identify a molar and five bone
fragments as belonging to Homo sapiens, our own
species. (...)
·
Oldest Homo sapiens in Europe—and a cave bear
pendant—suggest cultural link to Neanderthals,
di A. Gibbons, "Science news", 11 May 2020
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Exploring the landscape and climatic conditions
of Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans
in the Middle East: the rodent assemblage from
the late Pleistocene of Kaldar Cave (Khorramabad
Valley, Iran),
di I. Rey-Rodríguez et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 236, 15 May 2020,
106278
The Middle East,
specially the Zagros region, lies in a strategic
position as a crossroads between Africa, Europe
and eastern Asia. The landscape of this region
that prevailed around the Neanderthal and
anatomically modern human occupations is not
well known. Only a few sites have been studied
in detail in this area, often providing only a
faunal list. These reveal that Neanderthals and
anatomically modern humans lived in a landscape
mainly composed of dry steppes. Here we extend
the data obtained from Kaldar Cave through a
systematic study of the rodent assemblage. The
site provided evidence of a Pleistocene
occupation attested by lithic tools associated
with the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic, but it
was also occupied during the Holocene, as
evidenced by Neolithic artefacts. First
excavations have revealed small vertebrates in
Layer 4 (sub-layer 5 and 5II), belonging to the
Upper Palaeolithic, and Layer 5 (sub-layers 7
and 7II), belonging to the Middle Palaeolithic.
(...) |
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Barozh 12: Formation processes of a late Middle
Paleolithic open-air site in western Armenia,
di P. Glauberman et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 236, 15 May 2020,
106276
Barozh 12 is a
Middle Paleolithic (MP) open-air site located
near the Mt Arteni volcanic complex at the
margins of the Ararat Depression, an
intermontane basin that contains the Araxes
River. Sedimentology, micromorphology,
geochronology, biomarker evidence, together with
an assessment of artifact taphonomy permits the
modelling of site formation processes and
paleoenvironment at a level of detail not
previously achieved in this area. Obsidian MP
artifacts were recovered in high densities at
Barozh 12 from four stratigraphic units
deposited during marine oxygen isotope stage 3 (MIS
3) (60.2 ± 5.7–31.3 ± 3 ka). The MIS 3 sequence
commences with low energy alluvial deposits that
have been altered by incipient soil formation,
while artifact assemblages in these strata were
only minimally reworked. (...) |
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Researchers trace evolution of self-control,
13-MAY-2020
Human self-control
evolved in our early ancestors, becoming
particularly evident around 500,000 years ago
when they developed the skills to make
sophisticated tools, a new study suggests. While
early hominins such as Homo erectus could craft
basic handaxes as early as 1.8 million years
ago, our hominin ancestors began to create more
elaborate and carefully designed versions of
these tools sometime before 500,000 years ago.
The authors of the study, from the University of
York, say these advances in craftsmanship
suggest individuals at this time possessed
characteristics which demonstrate significant
self-control, such as concentration and
frustration tolerance. The study highlights a
collection of 500,000 year-old flint axes
unearthed from a gravel quarry in the village of
Boxgrove in West Sussex. The axes are highly
symmetrical suggesting careful workmanship and
the forgoing of immediate needs for longer term
aims. Senior author of the study, Dr Penny
Spikins, from the Department of Archaeology said:
"More sophisticated tools like the Boxgrove
handaxes start to appear around the same time as
our hominin ancestors were developing much
bigger brains. "The axes demonstrate
characteristics that can be related to
self-control such as the investment of time and
energy in something that does not produce an
immediate reward, forward planning and a level
of frustration tolerance for completing a
painstaking task. (...) |
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Study suggests remnants of human migration paths
exist underwater at 'choke points',
12-MAY-2020
Today, sea-level
rise is a great concern of humanity as climate
change warms the planet and melts ice sheets in
Greenland and Antarctica. Indeed, great coastal
cities around the world like Miami and New
Orleans could be underwater later in this
century. But oceans have been rising for
thousands of years, and this isn't the first
time they have claimed land once settled by
people. A new paper published in Geographical
Review shows evidence vital to understanding
human prehistory beneath the seas in places that
were dry during the Last Glacial Maximum. Indeed,
this paper informs one of the "hottest mysteries"
in science: the debate over when the first
Asians peopled North America. The researchers
behind the paper studied "choke points" --
narrow land corridors, called isthmuses but
often better known for the canals that cross
them, or constricted ocean passages, called
straits. Typically isthmuses would have been
wider 20,000 years ago due to lower sea levels,
and some straits did not even exist back then.
(...) |
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Non-destructive ZooMS identification reveals
strategic bone tool raw material selection by
Neandertals,
di N. L. Martisius et alii, "Scientific
Reports", volume 10, article number: 7746 (2020),
08 May 2020 - free access -
Five nearly
identical fragments of specialized bone tools,
interpreted as lissoirs (French for “smoothers”),
have been found at two Middle Paleolithic sites
in southwest France. The finds span three
separate archaeological deposits, suggesting
continuity in the behavior of late Neandertals.
Using standard morphological assessments, we
determined that the lissoirs were produced on
ribs of medium-sized ungulates. However, since
these bones are highly fragmented and
anthropogenically modified, species
determinations were challenging. Also,
conservative curation policy recommends
minimizing destructive sampling of rare,
fragile, or small artifacts for molecular
identification methods. To better understand raw
material selection for these five lissoirs, we
reassess their taxonomy using a non-destructive
ZooMS methodology based on triboelectric capture
of collagen. We sampled four storage containers
and obtained identifiable MALDI-TOF MS collagen
fingerprints, all indicative of the same
taxonomic clade, which includes aurochs and
bison (Bos sp. and Bison sp.). The fifth
specimen, which was stored in a plastic bag,
provided no useful MALDI-TOF MS spectra. We show
that the choice of large bovid ribs in an
archaeological layer dominated by reindeer (Rangifer
tarandus) demonstrates strategic selection by
these Neandertals. Furthermore, our results
highlight the value of a promising technique for
the non-destructive analysis of bone artifacts.
(...) |
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The chronological, sedimentary and environmental
context for the archaeological deposits at
Blombos Cave, South Africa,
di Z. Jacobs, B. G. Jones, H. C. Cawthra, C. S.
Henshilwood, R. G. Roberts, "Quaternary Science
Reviews", Volume 235, 1 May 2020, 105850
The site of
Blombos Cave (BBC) is well known for
archaeological remains that have advanced our
understanding of the development of modern human
behaviour during the Middle Stone Age (MSA).
Occupation of the cave occurred against a
backdrop of landscape-scale environmental and
sedimentary processes that provide the broader
context for finer-scale interpretations of the
site-formation history and archaeological
patterns detected in the cave deposits. Aeolian
and palaeosol sequences are abundant in the
vicinity of BBC and these provide a partial view
of the past landscapes available to the
inhabitants of the cave. An important extension
to the palaeo-landscape around BBC currently
lies submerged on the Agulhas Bank, as sea
levels were lower than at present for the entire
period of human occupation of BBC. (...) |
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Migration of Pleistocene shorelines across the
Palaeo-Agulhas Plain: Evidence from dated
sub-bottom profiles and archaeological shellfish
assemblages,
di H. C. Cawthra, R. J. Anderson, J. C. De Vynck,
Z. Jacobs, A. Jerardino, K. Kyriacou, C. W.
Marean, "Quaternary Science Reviews", Volume
235, 1 May 2020, 106107
Intertidal zones
on shorelines are geologically complex features
of the coastal plain, shaped by heterogeneous
substrate lithologies. Palaeocoastlines have
been heavily modified by sea-level change, ocean
currents, wind, waves and swell. Rocks and
sediments along intertidal zones create rich
habitats for biogenic forms including shellfish,
which are highly sensitive to subtle variations
in underlying lithology. Here, we assess
Pleistocene shoreline migrations on the south
coast of South Africa in relation to fluctuating
sea-levels and changes in sediment supply. The
study area extends from Still Bay to Mossel Bay,
South Africa, with a particular focus on
Pinnacle Point. Our goal is to better understand
the changes to the intertidal zone along these
palaeocoastlines and how this may have affected
marine resources available to early humans. We
interpret marine geological records at select
time slices along sub-bottom profiled transects
that run perpendicular to the coast. We describe
the character of specific shorelines to
establish expectations of coastline character
which we then compare to archaeological records
at Pinnacle Point. (...) |
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Applying Brantingham's neutral model of stone
raw material procurement to the Pinnacle Point
Middle Stone Age record, Western Cape, South
Africa, di
S. Oestmo, M. A. Janssen, H. C. Cawthra, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 235, 1 May 2020, 105901
The Palaeo-Agulhas
Plain (PAP), when exposed, presented Middle
Stone Age (MSA) foragers at Pinnacle Point (PP)
on the South Coast of South Africa with new
sources of raw materials to make stone tools.
Sea-level fluctuations and the changing size of
the Paleo-Agulhas Plain throughout the
Pleistocene PP record
~165
ka to 50 ka would have altered the availability
of different resources, thus potentially forcing
new raw material procurement strategies. The
relative frequencies of raw material throughout
the PP sequence shows that frequencies of raw
material types did change, especially after 90
ka. What caused these changing frequencies is
debated and centers on whether targeted
procurement of specific raw materials was the
cause, or if simple raw material availability
and abundance due to the changing environmental
context in conjunction with opportunistic
procurement drove such shifts. (...) |
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Archaic hominin introgression into modern human
genomes, di
O. Gokcumen, "American Journal of Physical Anthropology", Volume
171, Issue S70, Supplement: Yearbook of Physical
Anthropology, May 2020, Pages 60-73
- free access -
Ancient genomes
from multiple Neanderthal and the Denisovan
individuals, along with DNA sequence data from
diverse contemporary human populations strongly
support the prevalence of gene flow among
different hominins. Recent studies now provide
evidence for multiple gene flow events that
leave genetic signatures in extant and ancient
human populations. These events include older
gene flow from an unknown hominin in Africa
predating out‐of‐Africa migrations, and in the
last 50,000–100,000 years, multiple gene flow
events from Neanderthals into ancestral Eurasian
human populations, and at least three distinct
introgression events from a lineage close to
Denisovans into ancestors of extant Southeast
Asian and Oceanic populations. Some of these
introgression events may have happened as late
as 20,000 years before present and reshaped the
way in which we think about human evolution. In
this review, I aim to answer anthropologically
relevant questions with regard to recent
research on ancient hominin introgression in the
human lineage. How have genomic data from
archaic hominins changed our view of human
evolution? Is there any doubt about whether
introgression from ancient hominins to the
ancestors of present‐day humans occurred? What
is the current view of human evolutionary
history from the genomics perspective? What is
the impact of introgression on human phenotypes?
(...) |
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U-series dating at Nerja cave reveal open
system. Questioning the Neanderthal origin of
Spanish rock art,
di E. Pons-Branchu et alii, "Journal of
Archaeological Science", Volume 117, May 2020,
105120
U/Th data obtained
on CaCO3 layers covering rock art at Nerja Cave
(Spain) evidence erroneous ages and an inverse
relation between uranium concentration and
apparent ages. This open system behavior could
be due to a mechanism causing uranium mobility,
resulting in apparent ages being too old with
respect to their real age. (...) |
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Postcranial hominin remains from the Late
Pleistocene of Pešturina Cave (Serbia),
di J. A.Lindal, P. Radović, D. Mihailović, M.
Roksandic, "Quaternary International", Volume
542, 20 March 2020, Pages 9-14
The Central
Balkans represents a significant geographical
gap in the human fossil record of Eurasia. Here
we present two new human fossils from Pešturina
Cave, Serbia: a partial atlas vertebra (C1) and
a fragment of radial diaphysis. The atlas
(Pes-1) derives from the lower portion of Layer
2 and conforms to modern human morphology. This
layer is characterized by Gravettian industry
despite uncertainties caused by bioturbation and
difficulties in separating Layers 2 and 3. The
radial fragment (Pes-2) was recovered from the
contact zone between Layers 3 and 4, both of
which represent Mousterian industries, and is
tentatively assessed as Neanderthal based on
morphology. (...) |
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Subsistence Strategies in
the Stone Age: Direct and Indirect Evidence of
Fishing and Gathering, "Quaternary
International". Edited by Marian
Berihuete-Azorín, Olga Lozovskaya. Volume 541,
Pages 1-204 (10 March 2020) |
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Apidima, Péloponnèse,
Grèce, "L'Anthropologie", Volume 124,
Issue 1, January–April 2020:
1)
Apidima 1 and Apidima 2:
Two anteneandertal skulls in the Peloponnese,
Greece,
di M. A. de Lumley, G. Guipert, H. de Lumley, N.
Protopapa, T. Pitsios
2)
An assessment of the late
Middle Pleistocene occipital from Apidima 1
skull (Greece),
di A. Rosas, M. Bastir
3)
Apidima : expressions
rituelles portées sur le traitement des crânes
humains,
di M. Otte |
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Two burials in a unique
freshwater shell midden: insights into
transformations of Stone Age hunter-fisher daily
life in Latvia,
di U. Brinker et alii, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue
5, May 2020, Article number: 97 (2020)
The Stone Age site
Riņņukalns, Latvia, is the only well-stratified
shell midden in the Eastern Baltic. In this
paper, we present new interdisciplinary results
concerning its dating, stratigraphy, features,
and finds to shed light on the daily life of a
fisher population prior to the introduction of
domesticated animals. The undisturbed part of
the midden consists of alternating layers of
unburnt mussel shell, burnt mussel shell and
fish bone, containing artefacts, some mammal and
bird bones, and human burials. Two of them, an
adult man and a baby, are discovered recently
and date to the calibration plateau between 3350
and 3100 cal BC, and to the later 4th millennium,
respectively. (...) |
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Maxillary molar enamel thickness of
Plio-Pleistocene hominins,
di A. L. Lockey, Z. Alemseged, J. J. Hublin, M.
M. Skinner, "Journal of Human Evolution", Volume
142, May 2020, 102731
Enamel thickness
remains an important morphological character in
hominin systematics and is regularly
incorporated into dietary reconstructions in
hominin species. We expand upon a previous study
of enamel thickness in mandibular molars by
examining a large maxillary molar sample of
Plio-Pleistocene hominins (n = 62) and a
comparative sample of extant nonhuman apes (n =
48) and modern humans (n = 29). 2D mesial planes
of section were generated through
microtomography, and standard dental tissue
variables were measured to calculate average
enamel thickness (AET) and relative enamel
thickness (RET). AET was also examined across
the lingual, occlusal, and buccal regions of the
crown. This study confirms previous findings of
increasing enamel thickness throughout the
Plio-Pleistocene, being thinnest in
Australopithecus anamensis and peaking in
Australopithecus boisei, with early Homo
specimens, exhibiting intermediate enamel
thickness. (...) |
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A
morphometric comparison of the parietal lobe in
modern humans and Neanderthals,
di A. S. Pereira-Pedro, E. Bruner, P. Gunz, S.
Neubauer, "Journal of Human Evolution", Volume
142, May 2020, 102770
The modern human
brain and braincase have a characteristic
globular shape including parietal and cerebellar
bulging. In contrast, Neanderthals, although
having similar endocranial volume, displayed
more elongated endocrania with flatter parietal
and cerebellar regions. Based on endocranial
imprints, we compare the parietal lobe
morphology of modern humans and Neanderthals, as
this brain region is central to several
cognitive functions including tool use and
visual imaging. In paleoneurology, shape
analyses of endocasts are based either on
anatomical landmarks that represent endocranial
surface features homologous to cortical
convolutions (impressions of brain gyri and
sulci) or on dense meshes of semilandmarks that
capture overall endocranial shape. Previous
analyses using the former suggested that modern
humans have relatively longer and taller
parietal lobes than extinct human species, while
the latter emphasized parietal bulging without a
significant size difference of parietal regions.
In the present study, we combine both anatomical
landmarks and surface semilandmarks to
investigate the morphological differences of the
parietal lobes between modern humans and
Neanderthals. (...) |
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Morphometric analysis of the hominin talus:
Evolutionary and functional implications,
di R. Sorrentino et alii, "Journal of
Human Evolution", Volume 142, May 2020, 102747
The adoption of
bipedalism is a key benchmark in human evolution
that has impacted talar morphology. Here, we
investigate talar morphological variability in
extinct and extant hominins using a 3D geometric
morphometric approach. The evolutionary timing
and appearance of modern human–like features and
their contributions to bipedal locomotion were
evaluated on the talus as a whole, each
articular facet separately, and multiple
combinations of facets. Distinctive suites of
features are consistently present in all fossil
hominins, despite the presence of substantial
interspecific variation, suggesting a potential
connection of these suites to bipedal gait. A
modern human–like condition evolved in navicular
and lateral malleolar facets early in the
hominin lineage compared with other facets,
which demonstrate more complex morphological
variation within Homininae. Interestingly,
navicular facet morphology of Australopithecus
afarensis is derived in the direction of Homo,
whereas more recent hominin species such as
Australopithecus africanus and Australopithecus
sediba retain more primitive states in this
facet. (...) |
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Dating the skull from
Broken Hill, Zambia, and its position in human
evolution,
di R. Grün et alii, "Nature", volume 580,
issue 7803, 16 April 2020
The cranium from
Broken Hill (Kabwe) was recovered from cave
deposits in 1921, during metal ore mining in
what is now Zambia. It is one of the
best-preserved skulls of a fossil hominin, and
was initially designated as the type specimen of
Homo rhodesiensis, but recently it has often
been included in the taxon Homo heidelbergensis.
However, the original site has since been
completely quarried away, and—although the
cranium is often estimated to be around 500
thousand years old—its unsystematic recovery
impedes its accurate dating and placement in
human evolution. Here we carried out analyses
directly on the skull and found a best age
estimate of 299 ± 25 thousand years (mean ± 2σ).
(...) |
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Evidence for habitual climbing in a Pleistocene
hominin in South Africa,
L. Georgiou et alii, "Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences", 14 April 2020,
vol. 117, no. 15 - free
access -
Bipedalism is a
defining trait of the hominin lineage,
associated with a transition from a more
arboreal to a more terrestrial environment.
While there is debate about when modern
human-like bipedalism first appeared in hominins,
all known South African hominins show
morphological adaptations to bipedalism,
suggesting that this was their predominant mode
of locomotion. Here we present evidence that
hominins preserved in the Sterkfontein Caves
practiced two different locomotor repertoires.
The trabecular structure of a proximal femur (StW
522) attributed to Australopithecus africanus
exhibits a modern human-like bipedal locomotor
pattern, while that of a geologically younger
specimen (StW 311) attributed to either Homo sp.
or Paranthropus robustus exhibits a pattern more
similar to nonhuman apes, potentially suggesting
regular bouts of both climbing and terrestrial
bipedalism. Our results demonstrate distinct
morphological differences, linked to behavioral
differences between Australopithecus and later
hominins in South Africa and contribute to the
increasing evidence of locomotor diversity
within the hominin clade. (...) |
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The dental proteome of
Homo antecessor,
di F. Welker et alii, "Nature", volume
580, issue 7802, 9 April 2020
The phylogenetic
relationships between hominins of the Early
Pleistocene epoch in Eurasia, such as Homo
antecessor, and hominins that appear later in
the fossil record during the Middle Pleistocene
epoch, such as Homo sapiens, are highly debated.
For the oldest remains, the molecular study of
these relationships is hindered by the
degradation of ancient DNA. However, recent
research has demonstrated that the analysis of
ancient proteins can address this challenge.
Here we present the dental enamel proteomes of
H. antecessor from Atapuerca (Spain) and Homo
erectus from Dmanisi (Georgia), two key fossil
assemblages that have a central role in models
of Pleistocene hominin morphology, dispersal and
divergence. We provide evidence that H.
antecessor is a close sister lineage to
subsequent Middle and Late Pleistocene hominins,
including modern humans, Neanderthals and
Denisovans. This placement implies that the
modern-like face of H. antecessor—that is,
similar to that of modern humans—may have a
considerably deep ancestry in the genus Homo,
and that the cranial morphology of Neanderthals
represents a derived form. (...) |
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Shaped stone balls were used for bone marrow
extraction at Lower Paleolithic Qesem Cave,
Israel, di
E. Assaf et alii, 9 April 2020, doi:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230972
- free access -
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. (...) |
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Direct evidence of Neanderthal fibre technology
and its cognitive and behavioral implications,
di B. L. Hardy, M. H. Moncel, C. Kerfant, M.
Lebon, L. Bellot-Gurlet, N. Mélard, "Scientific
Reports", 09 April 2020, volume 10, article
number: 4889 (2020) -
free access -
Neanderthals are
often considered as less technologically
advanced than modern humans. However, we
typically only find faunal remains or stone
tools at Paleolithic sites. Perishable materials,
comprising the vast majority of material culture
items, are typically missing. Individual twisted
fibres on stone tools from the Abri du Maras led
to the hypothesis of Neanderthal string
production in the past, but conclusive evidence
was lacking. Here we show direct evidence of
fibre technology in the form of a 3-ply cord
fragment made from inner bark fibres on a stone
tool recovered in situ from the same site.
Twisted fibres provide the basis for clothing,
rope, bags, nets, mats, boats, etc. which, once
discovered, would have become an indispensable
part of daily life. Understanding and use of
twisted fibres implies the use of complex
multi-component technology as well as a
mathematical understanding of pairs, sets, and
numbers. Added to recent evidence of birch bark
tar, art, and shell beads, the idea that
Neanderthals were cognitively inferior to modern
humans is becoming increasingly untenable.
(...) |
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Contemporaneity of Australopithecus,
Paranthropus, and early Homo erectus in South
Africa, di
A. I. R. Herries et alii, "Science", 03
Apr 2020: vol. 368, issue 6486, eaaw7293
Understanding the
extinction of Australopithecus and origins of
Paranthropus and Homo in South Africa has been
hampered by the perceived complex geological
context of hominin fossils, poor chronological
resolution, and a lack of well-preserved early
Homo specimens. We describe, date, and
contextualize the discovery of two hominin
crania from Drimolen Main Quarry in South
Africa. At ~2.04 million to 1.95 million years
old, DNH 152 represents the earliest definitive
occurrence of Paranthropus robustus, and DNH 134
represents the earliest occurrence of a cranium
with clear affinities to Homo erectus. These
crania also show that Homo, Paranthropus, and
Australopithecus were contemporaneous at ~2
million years ago. This high taxonomic diversity
is also reflected in non-hominin species and
provides evidence of endemic evolution and
dispersal during a period of climatic
variability. (...) |
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New insights into early MIS 5 lithic
technological behavior in the Levant: Nesher
Ramla, Israel as a case study,
di M. Prévost, Y. Zaidner, 3 April 2020, doi:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231109
- free access -
Interpreting human
behavioral patterns during the Middle
Paleolithic in the Levant is crucial for better
understanding the dispersals and evolution of
Homo sapiens and their possible interactions
with other hominin groups. Here, we reconstruct
the technological behavior, focusing on the
centripetal Levallois method at Nesher Ramla
karst sinkhole, Israel. Nesher Ramla karst
sinkhole is dated to the Marine Isotope stages (MIS)
6 and 5 and represents one of the oldest
occurrences of the centripetal Levallois
reduction strategy in the Near East. The
Levallois centripetal technology is often seen
as a marker of human dispersals and adaptations
in the Middle Paleolithic/Middle Stone Age of
Africa and the Near East. This technology is
documented in East African sites as early as 300
kya and in the Levant as early as 130 kya.
However, the degree of similarity between
African and Levantine centripetal technology and
whether it originates from the same source
remain under debate. In this paper, we focus on
describing the lithic organization at Unit III
of Nesher Ramla (dated to MIS 5), which is
dominated by the centripetal Levallois method in
association with other reduction sequences. (...) |
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Mysterious human ancestor
finds its place in our family tree,
di M. Price, "Science", Apr. 1, 2020
When it comes to
deciphering our ancient family tree, DNA from
fossils is the new gold standard. But after
about half a million years, even the
best-preserved DNA degrades into illegibility,
leaving the story of our early evolution
shrouded in mystery. A new study of proteins
taken from the tooth of an enigmatic human
ancestor reveals their rough place in the family
tree—and shows how ancient proteins can push
beyond the limits of DNA. The new study is “a
landmark paper,” says Mark Collard, an
archaeologist at Simon Fraser University who
wasn’t involved with the work. “Ancient protein
analysis promises to be as exciting as ancient
DNA analysis for shedding light on human
evolution.” DNA, made of chains of nucleic acids,
can remain embedded inside fossilized bones (and
prehistoric “chewing gum”) for up to about
500,000 years, explains Enrico Cappellini, a
geneticist at the University of Copenhagen’s
Natural History Museum of Denmark. That time
frame covers the rise of our species, Homo
sapiens, in Africa sometime about 300,000 years
ago. But before then, many other kinds of humans
roamed Earth, including our close cousins the
Neanderthals, and their Siberian kin, the
Denisovans. Another early relative is H.
antecessor, known chiefly from northern Spain’s
Gran Dolina cave. (...) |
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Immature remains and the first partial skeleton
of a juvenile Homo naledi, a late Middle
Pleistocene hominin from South Africa,
di D. R. Bolter, M. C. Elliott, J. Hawks, L. R.
Berger, 1 April 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230440
- free access -
Immature remains
are critical for understanding maturational
processes in hominin species as well as for
interpreting changes in ontogenetic development
in hominin evolution. The study of these
subjects is hindered by the fact that associated
juvenile remains are extremely rare in the
hominin fossil record. Here we describe an
assemblage of immature remains of Homo naledi
recovered from the 2013–2014 excavation season.
From this assemblage, we attribute 16
postcranial elements and a partial mandible with
some dentition to a single juvenile Homo naledi
individual. The find includes postcranial
elements never before discovered as immature
elements in the sub-equatorial early hominin
fossil record, and contributes new data to the
field of hominin ontogeny. (...) |
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Modern humans, Neanderthals share a tangled
genetic history, study affirms,
1-APR-2020
In recent years,
scientists have uncovered evidence that modern
humans and Neanderthals share a tangled past. In
the course of human history, these two species
of hominins interbred not just once, but at
multiple times, the thinking goes. A new study
supports this notion, finding that people in
Eurasia today have genetic material linked to
Neanderthals from the Altai mountains in
modern-day Siberia. This is noteworthy because
past research has shown that Neanderthals
connected to a different, distant location --
the Vindija Cave in modern-day Croatia -- have
also contributed DNA to modern-day Eurasian
populations. The results reinforce the concept
that Neanderthal DNA has been woven into the
modern human genome on multiple occasions as our
ancestors met Neanderthals time and again in
different parts of the world. The study was
published on March 31 in the journal Genetics.
"It's not a single introgression of genetic
material from Neanderthals," says lead
researcher Omer Gokcumen, a University at
Buffalo biologist. "It's just this spider web of
interactions that happen over and over again,
where different ancient hominins are interacting
with each other, and our paper is adding to this
picture. (...) |
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Australopithecus afarensis endocasts suggest
ape-like brain organization and prolonged brain
growth, di
P. Gunz et alii, "Science Advances", 01
Apr 2020: vol. 6, no. 14, eaaz4729
- free access -
Human brains are
three times larger, are organized differently,
and mature for a longer period of time than
those of our closest living relatives, the
chimpanzees. Together, these characteristics are
important for human cognition and social
behavior, but their evolutionary origins remain
unclear. To study brain growth and organization
in the hominin species Australopithecus
afarensis more than 3 million years ago, we
scanned eight fossil crania using conventional
and synchrotron computed tomography. We inferred
key features of brain organization from
endocranial imprints and explored the pattern of
brain growth by combining new endocranial volume
estimates with narrow age at death estimates for
two infants. Contrary to previous claims, sulcal
imprints reveal an ape-like brain organization
and no features derived toward humans. A
comparison of infant to adult endocranial
volumes indicates protracted brain growth in A.
afarensis, likely critical for the evolution of
a long period of childhood learning in hominins.
(...) |
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Ectopic maxillary third molar in Early
Pleistocene Homo antecessor from Atapuerca-Gran
Dolina site (Burgos, Spain),
di L. Martín-Francés et alii, "American
Journal of Physical Anthropology", Volume 171,
Issue 4, April 2020, Pages 733-741
Here we describe
the case of an ectopic maxillary third molar
(M3), preventing the eruption of the M2, in the
individual H3 of the hominin hypodigm of level
TD6.2 of the Early Pleistocene site of Gran
Dolina (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain).
The fossil remains from the TD6.2 level of the
Gran Dolina site (about 170 specimens) are
assigned to Homo antecessor. Different
geochronological methods place these hominins in
the oxygen isotopic stage 21, between 0.8 and
0.85 million years ago (Ma). The immature
individual H3 is represented by an almost
complete midface (ATD6-69), preserving various
teeth in situ. We used high-resolution
microtomograhy (mCT) to investigate the abnormal
position of the left M3, virtually reconstruct
M2, and M3 as well as assessing the development
stage of these. Finally, we compare this case
with extinct and extant populations. (...) |
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The chronology and function of a new circular
mammoth-bone structure at Kostenki 11,
di A. J. E. Pryor et alii, "Antiquity",
Volume 94, Issue 374, April 2020, pp. 323-341
Circular features made from mammoth bone are
known from across Upper Palaeolithic Eastern
Europe, and are widely identified as dwellings.
The first systematic flotation programme of
samples from a recently discovered feature at
Kostenki 11 in Russia has yielded assemblages of
charcoal, burnt bone and microlithic debitage.
New radiocarbon dates provide the first coherent
chronology for the site, revealing it to be one
of the oldest such features on the Russian Plain.
The authors discuss the implications for
understanding the function of circular
mammoth-bone features during the onset of the
Last Glacial. (...) |
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Short and close in time: overlapped occupation
from the layer 56 of the Molare Rock shelter (Southern
Italy), di
V. Spagnolo et alii, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue 4,
April 2020, Article number: 92 (2020)
The Molare Rock
shelter (S. Giovanni a Piro, Salerno, Italy) is
a key site to carry out high-resolution
chronological studies in the broader context of
Italian Mousterian peopling dynamics. The
stratigraphic sequence is to be referred to MIS
5 and is characterized by the presence of a
number of thin anthropic levels (often
consisting of largely undisturbed living floors)
alternated with sterile layers of various
thickness. Even if the excavated area covers
only a part of the original site, macro-evidence
of the spatial organization of the settlement
(e.g. position of hearths, structures, etc.) is
quite variable through the sequence. However,
broader analyses are needed to better understand
the archaeological record and to detect
continuities or discontinuities related to
survival or change of settlement dynamics and
economic strategies through time. (...) |
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On identifying
Palaeolithic single occupation episodes:
archaeostratigraphic and technological
approaches to the Neanderthal lithic record of
stratigraphic unit Xa of El Salt (Alcoi, eastern
Iberia),
di A. Mayor et alii, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue 4,
April 2020, Article number: 84 (2020)
Within the
framework of archaeological palimpsest
dissection, stratigraphic association of lithic
remains with hearths and other archaeological
materials in undisturbed Neanderthal contexts
allows us to seek patterns in lithic and faunal
assemblage composition, assess the degree of
time averaging within assemblages and
investigate the spatial distribution of
archaeological remains. So far, the European
Neanderthal record shows variability in such
spatial parameters, not only among different
geographic regions but also across time. This
approach has been employed to draw conclusions
about the main features of Neanderthal
occupations from in situ archaeological contexts
within individual site sequences. As
contribution to this topic, we present new
results from our ongoing archaeostratigraphic
investigation of stratigraphic unit Xa from El
Salt (Alcoi, Alacant, eastern Iberia). Our
previous study, based on stratigraphic analysis
of the lithic record consisting of raw material
units, yielded several micropalimpsests within
unit Xa. Here, we carry out further
technological and spatial analysis of the
micropalimpsest units. (...) |
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Quantifying how much raw material is needed: A
case study based on the weight of the lithic
artefacts from the Brno-Štýřice III
Epigravettian site (Moravia, Czech Republic),
di Z. Nerudová, "Archaeometry", Volume 62, Issue
2, Pages: 1-438, April 2020
This paper
compares the quantification of different raw
materials in a chipped stone assemblage by
weight and by number at the site of Brno-Štýřice
III in Moravia, Czech Republic. The use of the
same reduction technology for all raw materials
means that the Brno-Štýřice III assemblage is a
good case study. The result demonstrates that
semi-local raw material tends to dominate
numerically, but in terms of weight, there is a
significant change in the predominant raw
material. The paper contextualizes the results
in relation to other assemblages and discusses
the possible reasons for this phenomenon. |
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"Journal of Human
Evolution", volume 141, april 2020:
1)
The upper limb of
Paranthropus boisei from Ileret, Kenya,
di B. G. Richmond et alii
2)
A refined chronology for
the Gravettian sequence of Abri Pataud,
di K. Douka, L. Chiotti, R. Nespoulet, T. Higham
3)
Analyses of the neandertal
patellae from El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) with
implications for the evolution of body form in
Homo,
di A. Rosas
4)
The study of the lower
limb entheses in the Neanderthal sample from El
Sidrón (Asturias, Spain): How much
musculoskeletal variability did Neanderthals
accumulate?
di M. G. Belcastro
et alii
5)
Trajectories of cultural
innovation from the Middle to Later Stone Age in
Eastern Africa: Personal ornaments, bone
artifacts, and ocher from Panga ya Saidi, Kenya,
di F. d’Errico et alii |
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Cultural taxonomies in the Paleolithic—Old
questions, novel perspectives,
di F. Riede et alii, "Evolutionary
Anthropology", Volume 29, Issue 2, March 2020,
Pages 49-52
Time and time
again, the systematics of Paleolithic archeology
have been discussed, albeit most often in
relation to specific periods or phenomena,1, 2
or in difficult-to-access publications.3-5
Despite these recurring debates, however, the
practice of classification and of building
cultural taxonomies has changed little over the
last many decades. Today, the cultural
taxonomies of the Paleolithic are in crisis.6
Still, a robust definition of the analytical
taxonomic units—cultures, industries, facies,
groups—used for charting cultural and behavioral
change in space and time is critical. (...) |
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Palaeoenvironmental setting of Mojokerto Homo
erectus, the palynological expressions of
Pleistocene marine deltas, open grasslands and
volcanic mountains in East Java,
di R. J. Morley et alii, "Journale of
Biogeography", Volume 47, Issue 3, March 2020,
Pages 566-583
The vertical
stratigraphic series of facies in the Perning
and adjacent Jetis sections indicates a
landscape with four potential Homo habitats:
muddy deltas with widespread Nypa swamps; a
poorly vegetated sandy delta; extensive open
savanna grasslands in the lowlands up river of
the delta; and volcanoes in the upper reaches of
the catchment with perhumid montane podocarp and
broad-leaf forests and probable open fire‐climax
Casuarina junghuhniana forest. Palynological
data support an Early Pleistocene geological age
for Mojokerto H. erectus at about 1.43 Myr.
(...) |
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New fossils of Australopithecus anamensis from
Kanapoi, West Turkana, Kenya (2012–2015),
di C. V. Ward, J. M. Plavcan, F. K. Manthi,
"Journal of Human Evolution", Volume 140, March
2020, 102368
Kanapoi, Kenya,
has yielded the earliest evidence of the genus
Australopithecus, Australopithecus anamensis.
Renewed fieldwork from 2012 through 2015 yielded
18 new fossils attributable to this species. The
new specimens include the second maxillary
fragment known from a Kanapoi hominin and the
first from a relatively young adult. The new
maxilla has the distinctive rounded nasal
aperture margin characteristic of A. anamensis.
A second partial proximal tibia from the site is
the first postcranial element from a small A.
anamensis individual. (...) |
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Preliminary paleoecological insights from the
Pliocene avifauna of Kanapoi, Kenya:
Implications for the ecology of Australopithecus
anamensis,
di D. J. Field, "Journal of Human Evolution",
Volume 140, March 2020, 102384
Fossil bird
remains from the Pliocene hominin-bearing
locality of Kanapoi comprise >100 elements
representing at least 10 avian families,
including previously undescribed elements
referred to the ‘giant’ Pliocene marabou stork
Leptoptilos cf. falconeri. The taxonomic
composition of the Kanapoi fossil avifauna
reveals an assemblage with a substantial aquatic
component, corroborating geological evidence of
this locality's close proximity to a large,
slow-moving body of water. Both the taxonomic
composition and relative abundance of avian
higher-level clades at Kanapoi stand in stark
contrast to the avifauna from the slightly older
(~4.4
Ma vs. 4.2 Ma) hominin-bearing Lower Aramis
Member of Ethiopia, which has been interpreted
as representing a mesic woodland
paleoenvironment far from water. (...) |
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The ecology of
Australopithecus anamensis in the early Pliocene
of Kanapoi, Kenya,
di R. Bobe et alii, "Journal of Human
Evolution", Volume 140, March 2020, 102717
Australopithecus
anamensis is a pivotal species in human
evolution. It is likely to be the direct
ancestor of Australopithecus afarensis and the
species that may have given rise to the Homo and
Paranthropus lineages. It had a suite of
adaptations for habitual bipedalism and a diet
that differed from that of earlier hominin
species. Under what environmental and ecological
conditions did this suite of adaptations arise?
The early Pliocene site of Kanapoi in the Lake
Turkana Basin of Kenya has the largest sample of
A. anamensis in eastern Africa and a rich record
of fossil vertebrates. Most Kanapoi fossils are
chronologically well constrained by
radiometrically dated tephras between the ages
of 4.2 and 4.1 million years ago.
Sedimentological, isotopic, and faunal data
indicate that the environments of Kanapoi during
the early Pliocene had a complex range of
vegetation types that included closed woodlands,
shrubs, and grasslands near a river (for most of
the sequence) or lake. (...) |
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Bone retouchers and technological continuity in
the Middle Stone Age of North Africa,
di E. Turner, L. Humphrey, A. Bouzouggar, N.
Barton, 30 March 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230642
- free access -
Evidence for specialised bone tools has recently
been reported for the Middle Stone Age of North
Africa [one], which complements similar finds of
slightly younger age in South Africa [two, three].
However, until now scant reference has been made
to lesser known tools also made of bone (‘bone
retouchers’) that were employed specifically as
intermediaries for working or refining stone
artefacts, that are sometimes present in these
assemblages. In this paper we describe 20 bone
retouchers from the cave of Grotte des Pigeons
at Taforalt in north-east Morocco. This is the
largest stratified assemblage of bone retouchers
from a North African MSA site, and the biggest
single collection so far from the African
Continent. A total of 18 bone retouchers was
recovered in securely dated archaeological
levels spanning a period from ~ 84.5 ka to 24 ka
cal BP. A further two bone retouchers were found
in a layer at the base of the deposits in
association with Aterian artefacts dating to
around 85,000 BP and so far represent the
earliest evidence of this type of tool at
Taforalt. In this paper we present a first,
detailed description of the finds and trace the
stages of their production, use and discard (chaîne
opératoire). (...) |
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Neanderthal surf and turf,
di M. Will, "Science", 27 Mar 2020, vol. 367,
issue 6485, pp. 1422-1423
Humans share a
deep bond with coasts and oceans. More than 500
million people live in coastal communities, and
beaches and seafood attract tourists from around
the world. Archaeological research in southern
Africa revealed early human coastal adaptations
that occurred at least as far back as
~160,000
years ago in the Middle Stone Age (MSA)—the
cultural period of the earliest Homo sapiens.
Paleolithic sites across Africa and elsewhere
support the hypothesis that coastal adaptations
have a long and lasting history. Yet, scientists
still debate the importance of coastal
adaptations for the evolution and dispersal of
H. sapiens during the Pleistocene (Ice Age)
(...) |
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Last Interglacial Iberian Neandertals as
fisher-hunter-gatherers,
di J. Zilhão et alii, "Science", 27 Mar
2020: Vol. 367, issue 6485, eaaz7943
Marine food–reliant
subsistence systems such as those in the African
Middle Stone Age (MSA) were not thought to exist
in Europe until the much later Mesolithic.
Whether this apparent lag reflects taphonomic
biases or behavioral distinctions between
archaic and modern humans remains much debated.
Figueira Brava cave, in the Arrábida range (Portugal),
provides an exceptionally well preserved record
of Neandertal coastal resource exploitation on a
comparable scale to the MSA and dated to ~86 to
106 thousand years ago. The breadth of the
subsistence base—pine nuts, marine invertebrates,
fish, marine birds and mammals, tortoises,
waterfowl, and hoofed game—exceeds that of
regional early Holocene sites.
Fisher-hunter-gatherer economies are not the
preserve of anatomically modern people; by the
Last Interglacial, they were in place across the
Old World in the appropriate settings. (...) |
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Insights into human genetic variation and
population history from 929 diverse genomes,
di A. Bergström et alii, "Science", 20
Mar 2020: vol. 367, issue 6484, eaay5012
Genome sequences
from diverse human groups are needed to
understand the structure of genetic variation in
our species and the history of, and
relationships between, different populations. We
present 929 high-coverage genome sequences from
54 diverse human populations, 26 of which are
physically phased using linked-read sequencing.
Analyses of these genomes reveal an excess of
previously undocumented common genetic variation
private to southern Africa, central Africa,
Oceania, and the Americas, but an absence of
such variants fixed between major geographical
regions. We also find deep and gradual
population separations within Africa,
contrasting population size histories between
hunter-gatherer and agriculturalist groups in
the past 10,000 years, and a contrast between
single Neanderthal but multiple Denisovan source
populations contributing to present-day human
populations. (...) |
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'Little
Foot' skull reveals how this more than 3 million
year old human ancestor lived,
17-MAR-2020
High-resolution
micro-CT scanning of the skull of the fossil
specimen known as "Little Foot" has revealed
some aspects of how this Australopithecus
species used to live more than 3 million years
ago. The meticulous excavation, cleaning and
scanning of the skull of the ~3.67
million-year-old fossil specimen has revealed
the most complete Australopithecus adult first
cervical vertebra yet found. A description of
the vertebra by Wits University researchers Dr
Amélie Beaudet and the Sterkfontein team was
published in the Scientific Reports. This
research program is supported by the the Centre
of Excellence in Palaeosciences, Scientific
Palaeontological Trust, National Research
Foundation, University of the Witwatersrand and
the French National Centre for Scientific
Research through the French Institute of South
Africa. The first cervical vertebra (or atlas)
plays a crucial role in vertebrate biology.
Besides acting as the connection between the
head and the neck, the atlas also plays a role
in how blood is supplied to the brain via the
vertebral arteries. (...) |
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The Upper Palaeolithic at Trenčianske
Bohuslavice, Western Carpathians, Slovakia,
di J. Wilczyński et alii, "Journal of
Field Archaeology", Volume 45, 2020 - Issue 4,
09 Mar 2020
Trenčianske
Bohuslavice Gravettian site has been known since
the early 1980s, with possibly the longest
sequence of Upper Palaeolithic human occupation
in the region, including a peculiar assemblage
of lithic tools composed of bifacial leaf points.
This paper presents the results of the 2017
excavation season that produced new data on the
absolute chronology, stratigraphy, paleobotany,
archaeology, and archaeozoology of the site. We
found that the earliest occupation most probably
belongs to the Aurignacian. This is followed by
two Late Gravettian layers and the layer that
yielded the bifacial leaf points. An Early
Epigravettian layer dated to 26 kya seals the
sequence. The succession of biological remains
and geological evidence enabled the
reconstruction of a cooling climate and
disappearing boreal forest, which corresponded
well with the development of the Last Glacial
Maximum. (...) |
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Stiffness of the human
foot and evolution of the transverse arch,
di M. Venkadesan et alii, "Nature",
volume 579, issue 7797, 5 March 2020
The stiff human
foot enables an efficient push-off when walking
or running, and was critical for the evolution
of bipedalism. The uniquely arched morphology of
the human midfoot is thought to stiffen it,
whereas other primates have flat feet that bend
severely in the midfoot. However, the
relationship between midfoot geometry and
stiffness remains debated in foot biomechanics,
podiatry and palaeontology. These debates centre
on the medial longitudinal arch and have not
considered whether stiffness is affected by the
second, transverse tarsal arch of the human
foot16. Here we show that the transverse tarsal
arch, acting through the inter-metatarsal
tissues, is responsible for more than 40% of the
longitudinal stiffness of the foot. The
underlying principle resembles a floppy currency
note that stiffens considerably when it curls
transversally. We derive a dimensionless
curvature parameter that governs the stiffness
contribution of the transverse tarsal arch,
demonstrate its predictive power using
mechanical models of the foot and find its
skeletal correlate in hominin feet. (...) |
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Co-occurrence of Acheulian
and Oldowan artifacts with Homo erectus cranial
fossils from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia,
di S. Semaw et alii, "Science Advances", 04
Mar 2020: Vol. 6, no. 10, eaaw4694
- free access -
Although stone
tools generally co-occur with early members of
the genus Homo, they are rarely found in direct
association with hominins. We report that both
Acheulian and Oldowan artifacts and Homo erectus
crania were found in close association at 1.26
million years (Ma) ago at Busidima North
(BSN12), and ca. 1.6 to 1.5 Ma ago at Dana Aoule
North (DAN5) archaeological sites at Gona, Afar,
Ethiopia. The BSN12 partial cranium is robust
and large, while the DAN5 cranium is smaller and
more gracile, suggesting that H. erectus was
probably a sexually dimorphic species. The
evidence from Gona shows behavioral diversity
and flexibility with a lengthy and concurrent
use of both stone technologies by H. erectus,
confounding a simple “single species/single
technology” view of early Homo. (...) |
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The evolution of early
symbolic behavior in Homo sapiens,
di K. Tylén et alii, "Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences", 3 March 2020, 117
(9), pp. 4578-4584
How did human
symbolic behavior evolve? Dating up to about
100,000 y ago, the engraved ochre and ostrich
eggshell fragments from the South African
Blombos Cave and Diepkloof Rock Shelter provide
a unique window into presumed early symbolic
traditions of Homo sapiens and how they evolved
over a period of more than 30,000 y. Using the
engravings as stimuli, we report five
experiments which suggest that the engravings
evolved adaptively, becoming better-suited for
human perception and cognition. More
specifically, they became more salient,
memorable, reproducible, and expressive of style
and human intent. However, they did not become
more discriminable over time between or within
the two archeological sites. Our observations
provide support for an account of the Blombos
and Diepkloof engravings as decorations and as
socially transmitted cultural traditions. By
contrast, there was no clear indication that
they served as denotational symbolic signs. Our
findings have broad implications for our
understanding of early symbolic communication
and cognition in H. sapiens. |
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The evolution of the
vestibular apparatus in apes and humans,
di A. Urciuoli et alii, 3 March 2020, DOI: 10.7554/eLife.51261
- free access -
Phylogenetic
relationships among extinct hominoids (apes and
humans) are controversial due to pervasive
homoplasy and the incompleteness of the fossil
record. The bony labyrinth might contribute to
this debate, as it displays strong phylogenetic
signal among other mammals. However, the
potential of the vestibular apparatus for
phylogenetic reconstruction among fossil apes
remains understudied. Here we test and quantify
the phylogenetic signal embedded in the
vestibular morphology of extant anthropoids (monkeys,
apes and humans) and two extinct apes (Oreopithecus
and Australopithecus) as captured by a
deformation-based 3D geometric morphometric
analysis. We also reconstruct the ancestral
morphology of various hominoid clades based on
phylogenetically-informed maximum likelihood
methods. Besides revealing strong phylogenetic
signal in the vestibule and enabling the
proposal of potential synapomorphies for various
hominoid clades, our results confirm the
relevance of vestibular morphology for
addressing the controversial phylogenetic
relationships of fossil apes. (...) |
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Late Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in the
Central Mediterranean: New archaeological and
genetic data from the Late Epigravettian burial
Oriente C (Favignana, Sicily),
di G. Catalano et alii, "Quaternary
International", Volume 537, 30 January 2020,
Pages 24-32
Grotta d’Oriente,
a small coastal cave located on the island of
Favignana (Sicily, Italy) is a key site for the
study of the early human colonization of Sicily.
The individual known as Oriente C was found in
the lower portion of an anthropogenic deposit
containing typical local Late Upper Palaeolithic
(Late Epigravettian) stone assemblages. Two
radiocarbon dates on charcoal from the deposit
containing the burial are consistent with the
archaeological context and refer Oriente C to a
period spanning about 14,200–13,800 cal. BP.
(...) |
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Kebara V - A Contribution for the Study of the
Middle-Upper Paleolithic Transition in the
Levant, di
I. Abadi, O. Bar-Yosef, A. Belfer-Cohen, "PaleoAnthropology",
2020, pages 1-28 - free
access -
The excavations at
Kebara Cave (Mt. Carmel, Israel) revealed an
important archaeological sequence of late Middle
Paleolithic units superimposed by Early Upper
Paleolithic ones. This sequence provides
important insights concerning our knowledge of
the Middle-Upper Paleolithic transition in the
Levant. Here we present a detailed description
of the lithic assemblage from Unit V, considered
as the last Middle Paleolithic occupation on
site. This assemblage is dated to 48/49 ky cal
BP, thus representing the final stages of the
Middle Paleolithic in the region. Although in
previous publications the material of Unit V was
considered as a Middle/Upper Paleolithic
admixture, the results of the current study
indicate (at least concerning the assemblage
presented here) that the number of Upper
Paleolithic items is negligible. We discuss the
role of this assemblage for understanding some
of the late Middle Paleolithic lithic
variability, as well as the appearance of the
Upper Paleolithic blade technology in the Levant.
After a detailed synthesis of the archaeological
evidence (lithics, stratigraphy and radiometric
dating) from Kebara and other sites, we
demonstrate that the lithic technology at the
end of the local Middle Paleolithic is focused
on flake production by using centripetal and
bi-directional prepared Levallois cores, while
the retouched component of the assemblage is
dominated by typical Middle Paleolithic forms.
Accordingly, one cannot observe a direct
continuity between the Middle Paleolithic and
the Upper Paleolithic techno-typologies.
(...) |
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Comments on the Zambian Kabwe Cranium (BH1) in
the Context of Pleistocene Specimens of Homo and
the Need for Species Definitions,
di F. Thackeray, L. Albessard-Ball, A. Balzeau,
"PaleoAnthropology", 2020, pages 29-33
- free access -
This study is an
extension of that which was undertaken by
Balzeau et al. and published in this journal
(2017), to re-examine the BH1 cranium which was
initially described as Homo rhodesiensis in
1921, but more recently regarded as H.
heidelbergensis. It is compared to other
Pleistocene specimens of Homo. Balzeau et al.
(2017) examined various cranial and intracranial
characters, including the conformation of the
mid-sagittal plane. They discussed the results
of a geometric morphometrics analysis of the
cranial vault’s profile based on two Principal
Components (PC1 and PC2). This note includes the
third component (PC3)Taken together, the results
can be assessed in the context of potential
relationships in temporal and geographical
dimensions. Recognizing that boundaries between
species are not necessarily clear, we appeal for
the adoption of a probabilistic definition of a
paleontological species (sigma taxonomy, as
opposed to conventional alpha taxonomy).
(...) |
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A
snapshot on some everyday actions of a Middle
Pleistocene hominin: the Trackway B at the
Devil’s Trails palaeontological site (Tora e
Piccilli, Caserta, Central Italy),
di A. Panarello, "JASs Reports", Vol. 98 (2020),
pp. 1-22 - free access
-
This report aims to
give notice of and provide a more detailed
dataset and detailed remarks on what can be
considered a one-of-a-kind hominin fossil
walking pattern: Trackway B of the Foresta
ichnological site (Tora e Piccilli, Caserta,
Central Italy). Although the site is known since
2003, only recently has the study
been performed by means of the newest
photogrammetric and experimental techniques of
collection, analysis and interpretation of
ichnological data. The results obtained enable us
to depict an astonishing movie printed in rock,
describing some body features and common moments
of the everyday movements of a hominin who lived
about 350 ka. In particular, some up-to-now
absolutely unique fossil prints of body parts of
a Pleistocene hominin (calf, ankle, and gluteus),
which have simply been mentioned in the
ichnological fossil record, are here
quantitatively described for the rst time. The
data coming from this research will provide
scientists with new valuable elements thus far
undetected anywhere else in the world. (...) |
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"Journal of Human
Evolution", volume 139, february 2020:
1)
Jaw kinematics and
mandibular morphology in humans,
di M. F. Laird, C. F. Ross, P. O'Higgins
2)
A descriptive and
comparative study of two Early Pleistocene
immature scapulae from the TD6.2 level of the
Gran Dolina cave site (Sierra de Atapuerca,
Spain),
di J. M. Bermúdez de Castro et alii
3)
Early Levallois core
technology between Marine Isotope Stage 12 and 9
in Western Europe,
di M. H. Moncel et alii
4)
Acheulo-Yabrudian and
Early Middle Paleolithic at Hayonim Cave
(Western Galilee, Israel): Continuity or break?,
di L. Meignen, O. Bar-Yosef
5)
Climate variability in
early expansions of Homo sapiens in light of the
new record of micromammals in Misliya Cave,
Israel,
di L. Weissbrod, M. Weinstein-Evron |
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A
microwear study regarding the function of lithic
tools in Moravian Epigravettian,
di K. Pyżewicz, Z. Nerudová, "Quaternary
International", Volume 536, 20 January 2020,
Pages 60-74
Use-wear analyses
on lithic pieces from Brno-Štýřice III presented
in this article are the first studies of this
type conducted on Epigravettian Late Upper
Paleolithic (LUP) assemblages from the Czech
Republic and the broader region. A total of 187
artefacts classified as formal tools as well as
pieces with macroscopic traces of marginal –
discontinuous – retouch (edge damage) have been
microscopically analyzed. Different types of
use-wear traces were noticed on 57 of these
artefacts. The traces are mainly associated with
animal carcass treatment (the tools were usually
used for cutting or scraping), including hide
processing, butchering activities, or, to a
lesser extent, bone/antler processing. (...) |
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Santa Maria D’Agnano site (Puglia, Italy)
micromorphology and lithic study of the (SU4)
Epigravettian SMA-Extern layer,
di A. Chakroun, H. Baills, D. Coppola, "Quaternary
International", Volume 536, 20 January 2020,
Pages 114-126
The Epigravettian
of Santa Maria d’Agnano site is represented by a
SMA-Extern layer (SU4). The present study
resorts to a micromorphological analysis to
clarify the depositional and the
post-depositional process of the open air site
in front of the Santa Maria d’Agnano cave.
Epigravettian samples from the open air level
(SU4), spanning from 18013-17587 CalBC to
9752-9298 CalBC are analysed. Results show a
complex microstructure due to the combination of
the pedological deposition mode and the
anthropogenic input. Variable amounts of
centimetric sub-angular limestone confirm the
deposition from the roof fall. Bone,charcoal
fragments and micro-artefacts are present
throughout the micromorphological column and are
considered as indicators of human activity. The
groundmass contains ferruginous pedofeatures
such as nodules, mottles and coatings. (...) |
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Recent Progress of the
Paleolithic Research in Asia: Cultural
diversities and Paleoenvironmental changes,
Edited by M. Izuho, K. Morisaki, H. Sato,
"Quaternary International", Volume 535, Pages
1-154 (10 January 2020) |
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Aggiornamento 21 febbraio |
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From the apron into the pit: the deposition of
the complete debris from the manufacture of a
bifacial preform at the Middle Paleolithic site
of Kabazi V, level III/4-2,
di T. Uthmeier, V. P. Chabai, A. P. Veselsky,
"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences",
Volume 12, Issue 3, March 2020
- free access -
At Kabazi V, level
III/4-2, the entire debris from the manufacture
of a bifacial preform was found deposited in a
small anthropogenic pit. The bifacial preform
itself was missing. The fact that it was
possible to refit all larger blanks, as well as
several chips, from the pit, whereas refits with
artifacts discarded on the surface of the
corresponding archeological level were not found,
underlines the character of the pit’s contents
as a closed find sensu stricto. The only
explanation for the presence of chips of very
small size from the same nodule, alongside the
larger ones, in the pit fill is the use of an
apron to collect all detached items during the
process of flaking. Among the numerous
anthropogenic pits from the Crimean Middle
Paleolithic, the one found at Kabazi V, level
III/4-2, and two other examples from Zaskalanya
V and Zaskalnaya VI stand out for the
intentional deposition of carefully selected
artifacts in them. The sizes of the pits match
the volumes of the artifacts deposited, which
emphasizes the close relationship between the
construction of the pits and the artifacts’
deposition. This article explores the
significance of the three cases of artifact
deposition referred to above to our
understanding of segmented production processes
and of why these depositions occurred. (...) |
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Grotta Reali, the first multilayered mousterian
evidences in the Upper Volturno Basin (Rocchetta
a Volturno, Molise, Italy),
di C. Peretto et alii, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue
3, March 2020
The Mousterian
site of Grotta Reali (Rocchetta a Volturno,
Molise, southern Italy), dated from between
50,940 and 40,370 cal BP, provides detailed
information on the depositional dynamic and
human occupation in southern Italy, and
contributes to the international debate on
technical behaviour at the end of the Mousterian.
The site was discovered in 2001 and it was
located in a small cave/shelter now partially
quarried, on the backside of a tufa waterfall,
at the edge of a large alluvial terrace, in
correspondence of the major spring of the
Volturno River. Pollen and faunal assemblages
record the persistence of wooded environments
with large open areas as indicated by the
presence of horse, aurochs and spotted hyena.
Humans settled occasionally for hunting,
processing game and performing related
activities. Anthropic occupation was followed by
carnivores, particularly in the upper part of
the stratigraphy where the evidences of their
activities prevail decisively rather than those
left by humans. (...) |
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The impact of major warming at 14.7 ka on
environmental changes and activity of Final
Palaeolithic hunters at a local scale (Orawa-Nowy
Targ Basin, Western Carpathians, Poland,
di A. Lemanik et alii, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue 3,
March 2020 - free
access -
There is a
widespread belief that the abrupt warming at
14.7 ka had a profound impact on the environment.
However, the direct correlation between the
global climatic event and changes in local
environments is not obvious. We examined faunal
succession in an intra-mountain basin of the
Western Carpathians to assess the potential
influence of the climatic change between
Greenland Stadial-2a and Greenland
Interstadial-1e on the local environment. We
investigated three vertebrate assemblages (total
number of identified specimens = 18,745; minimum
number of individuals = 7515; 138 taxa) from
Obłazowa Cave (western entrance) and a Rock
overhang in Cisowa Rock, radiocarbon dated to
the period before and after the global warming,
between ca. 17.0 and 14.0 ka. Our data revealed
that the major abrupt warming that occurred 14.7
ka had little impact on the local environment,
which could suggest that ecosystems in Central
Europe were resilient to the abrupt global
climate changes. The increase in fauna
population sizes and species diversities in
local biotopes was gradual and began long before
the temperature increase. This was supported by
the analysis of ancient DNA of Microtus arvalis,
which showed a gradual increase in effective
population size after 19.0 ka.
(...) |
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Dental microwear as a behavioral proxy for
distinguishing between canids at the Upper
Paleolithic (Gravettian) site of Předmostí,
Czech Republic,
di K. A. Prassacka, J. DuBois, M.
Lázničková-Galetová, M. Germonpré, P. S. Ungar,
"Journal of Archaeological Science", Volume 115,
March 2020, 105092
Morphological and
genetic evidence put dog domestication during
the Paleolithic, sometime between 40,000 and
15,000 years ago, with identification of the
earliest dogs debated. We predict that these
earliest dogs (referred to herein as protodogs),
while potentially difficult to distinguish
morphologically from wolves, experienced
behavioral shifts, including changes in diet.
Specifically, protodogs may have consumed more
bone and other less desirable scraps within
human settlement areas. Here we apply Dental
Microwear Texture Analysis (DMTA) to canids from
the Gravettian site of Předmostí (approx. 28,500
BP), which were previously assigned to the
Paleolithic dog or Pleistocene wolf morphotypes.
We test whether these groups separate out
significantly by diet-related variation in
microwear patterning. Results are consistent
with differences in dietary breadth, with the
Paleolithic dog morphotype showing evidence of
greater durophagy than those assigned to the
wolf morphotype. (...) |
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Strange bedfellows for
human ancestors,
di A. Gibbons, "Science", 21 Feb 2020: Vol. 367,
Issue 6480, pp. 838-839
The story of human
evolution is full of ancient trysts. Genes from
fossils have shown that the ancestors of many
living people mated with Neanderthals and with
Denisovans, a mysterious group of extinct humans
who lived in Asia. Now, a flurry of papers
suggests the ancestors of all three groups mixed
at least twice with even older "ghost" lineages
of unknown extinct hominins. (...) |
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Neanderthal-Denisovan ancestors interbred with a
distantly related hominin,
di A. R. Rogers, N. S. Harris, A. A. Achenbach,
"Science Advances", 20 Feb 2020: Vol. 6, no. 8,
eaay5483 - free access
-
Previous research
has shown that modern Eurasians interbred with
their Neanderthal and Denisovan predecessors. We
show here that hundreds of thousands of years
earlier, the ancestors of Neanderthals and
Denisovans interbred with their own Eurasian
predecessors—members of a “superarchaic”
population that separated from other humans
about 2 million years ago. The superarchaic
population was large, with an effective size
between 20 and 50 thousand individuals. We
confirm previous findings that Denisovans also
interbred with superarchaics, Neanderthals and
Denisovans separated early in the middle
Pleistocene, their ancestors endured a
bottleneck of population size, and the
Neanderthal population was large at first but
then declined in size. We provide qualified
support for the view that Neanderthals interbred
with the ancestors of modern humans. (...) |
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The evolution of early symbolic behavior in Homo
sapiens, di
K. Tylén et alii, "Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences-Early edition",
18 February 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910880117
How did human
symbolic behavior evolve? Dating up to about
100,000 y ago, the engraved ochre and ostrich
eggshell fragments from the South African
Blombos Cave and Diepkloof Rock Shelter provide
a unique window into presumed early symbolic
traditions of Homo sapiens and how they evolved
over a period of more than 30,000 y. Using the
engravings as stimuli, we report five
experiments which suggest that the engravings
evolved adaptively, becoming better-suited for
human perception and cognition. More
specifically, they became more salient,
memorable, reproducible, and expressive of style
and human intent. However, they did not become
more discriminable over time between or within
the two archeological sites. (...) |
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Shanidar Z: what did Neanderthals do with their
dead?, 18
February 2020
Archaeologists
have unearthed a Neanderthal skeleton in a
famous cave in Iraqi Kurdistan. They say the new
discovery provides a unique opportunity to use
modern (...) |
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The real ‘paleo diet’ may have been full of
toxic metals,
di I. Randall, "Science news", 14 Feb. 2020
You’ll be
healthier if you ate as your ancestors did. At
least that’s the promise of some modern fads
such as the “caveman” or paleo diet—characterized
by avoiding processed food and grains and only
eating things like meat, fish, and seeds. But a
new study suggests the food some early humans in
Norway ate may have not only been unhealthy, but
downright toxic. In some cases, these people may
have consumed more than 20 times the levels of
dangerous metals recommended for humans today.
“This study raises interesting ideas,” says
Katheryn Twiss, an archaeologist at Stony Brook
University who was not involved in the work. But,
she notes, the findings are limited to a small
number of animal remains from just a few sites,
and therefore may not fully represent the diets
of Norwegians from thousands of years ago.
Pollutants have been entering our food chain for
millennia. In 2015, for example, researchers
reported that cod caught off the North American
coast around 6500 years ago by Stone Age
hunter-gatherers contained high levels of
mercury. This metal occurs naturally in Earth’s
crust and is thought to have leached into the
oceans in greater concentrations after sea level
rise covered more land. Once in the water, fish
absorb mercury through their gills and their
food. (...) |
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Evolution of brain
lateralization: A shared hominid pattern of
endocranial asymmetry is much more variable in
humans than in great apes,
di S. Neubauer et alii, "Science Advances",
14 Feb 2020: Vol. 6, no. 7, eaax9935
- free access -
Brain
lateralization is commonly interpreted as
crucial for human brain function and cognition.
However, as comparative studies among primates
are rare, it is not known which aspects of
lateralization are really uniquely human. Here,
we quantify both pattern and magnitude of brain
shape asymmetry based on endocranial imprints of
the braincase in humans, chimpanzees, gorillas,
and orangutans. Like previous studies, we found
that humans were more asymmetric than
chimpanzees, however so were gorillas and
orangutans, highlighting the need to broaden the
comparative framework for interpretation. We
found that the average spatial asymmetry
pattern, previously considered to be uniquely
human, was shared among humans and apes. In
humans, however, it was less directed, and
different local asymmetries were less correlated.
We, thus, found human asymmetry to be much more
variable compared with that of apes. These
findings likely reflect increased functional and
developmental modularization of the human brain.
(...) |
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Une nouvelle grotte ornée
de gravures en Espagne,
12/02/20
Des archéologues
dirigés par Josep María Vergès de l'Université
Rovira i Virgili et l'Institut catalan de
paléoécologie humaine et d'évolution sociale (IPHES)
ont identifié des gravures dans une grotte déjà
connue sous le nom de grotte de la Font Major.
Cette cavité fait partie d'un système karstique
situé à proximité du village de L'Espluga de
Francolí, en Catalogne, une région située dans
le nord-est de l'Espagne. Le système karstique
est très étendu et connu depuis 1853. Le 22
octobre 2020, les équipes de chercheurs sont
venus évaluer le potentiel archéologique de ces
cavités. Il ne cherchaient pas spécialement de
l'art pariétal. La ministre de la Culture de
Catalogne Mariangela Vilallonga-Vives a expliqué
"A L'Espluga de Francoli, une équipe sous la
direction de Josep Maria Vergès, a décidé d'explorer
des zones inconnues de la cavité. C'est à cette
occasion qu'a été révélé ce sanctuaire" (...) |
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Archaeological evidence for two separate
dispersals of Neanderthals into southern Siberia,
di K. A. Kolobova et alii, "Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences", 11 February
2020, vol. 117, no. 6, pp. 2879-2885
- free access -
Neanderthals were
once widespread across Europe and western Asia.
They also penetrated into the Altai Mountains of
southern Siberia, but the geographical origin of
these populations and the timing of their
dispersal have remained elusive. Here we
describe an archaeological assemblage from
Chagyrskaya Cave, situated in the Altai
foothills, where around 90,000 Middle
Paleolithic artifacts and 74 Neanderthal remains
have been recovered from deposits dating to
between 59 and 49 thousand years ago (age range
at 95.4% probability). Environmental
reconstructions suggest that the Chagyrskaya
hominins were adapted to the dry steppe and
hunted bison. Their distinctive toolkit closely
resembles Micoquian assemblages from central and
eastern Europe, including the northern Caucasus,
more than 3,000 kilometers to the west of
Chagyrskaya Cave. At other Altai sites, evidence
of earlier Neanderthal populations lacking
associated Micoquian-like artifacts implies two
or more Neanderthal incursions into this region.
(...) |
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African climate response to orbital and glacial
forcing in 140,000-y simulation with
implications for early modern human environments,
di J. E. Kutzbach, J. Guan, F. He, A. S. Cohen,
I. J. Orland, G. Chen, "Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences", 04 February 2020, vol. 117, no. 5, pp. 2255-2264
A climate/vegetation
model simulates episodic wetter and drier
periods at the 21,000-y precession period in
eastern North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and
the Levant over the past 140,000 y. Large
orbitally forced wet/dry extremes occur during
interglacial time,
~130
to 80 ka, and conditions between these two
extremes prevail during glacial time,
~70
to 15 ka. Orbital precession causes high
seasonality in Northern Hemisphere (NH)
insolation at
~125,
105, and 83 ka, with stronger and northward
extended summer monsoon rains in North Africa
and the Arabian Peninsula and increased winter
rains in the Mediterranean Basin. The combined
effects of these two seasonally distinct
rainfall regimes increase vegetation and narrow
the width of the Saharan–Arabian desert and
semidesert zones. During the opposite phase of
the precession cycle (~115,
95, and 73 ka), NH seasonality is low, and
decreased summer insolation and increased winter
insolation cause monsoon and storm track rains
to decrease and the width of the desert zone to
increase. (...) |
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Trabecular variation in the first metacarpal and
manipulation in hominids,
di C. J. Dunmore, A. Bardo, M. M. Skinner, T. L.
Kivell, "American Journal of Physical
Anthropology", volume 171, issue 2, february
2020, pages 219-241
The dexterity of
fossil hominins is often inferred by assessing
the comparative manual anatomy and behaviors of
extant hominids, with a focus on the thumb. The
aim of this study is to test whether trabecular
structure is consistent with what is currently
known about habitually loaded thumb postures
across extant hominids.
We analyze first metacarpal (Mc1) subarticular
trabecular architecture in humans (Homo sapiens,
n = 10), bonobos (Pan paniscus, n = 10),
chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes, n = 11), as well
as for the first time, gorillas (Gorilla gorilla
gorilla, n = 10) and orangutans (Pongo sp., n =
1, Pongo abelii, n = 3 and Pongo pygmaeus, n =
5). Using a combination of subarticular and
whole-epiphysis approaches, we test for
significant differences in relative trabecular
bone volume (RBV/TV) and degree of anisotropy
(DA) between species. (...) |
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A
case of marked bilateral asymmetry in the sacral
alae of the Neandertal specimen Regourdou 1 (Périgord,
France), di
R. Rmoutilová et alii, "American Journal
of Physical Anthropology", volume 171, issue2,
february 2020, pages 242-259
A marked asymmetry
was previously reported in the sacral alae and
S1-L5 facets orientation of the Neandertal
individual Regourdou 1. Here, we provide a
detailed description and quantification of the
morphology and degree of asymmetry of this
sacrum.
Regourdou 1 was compared to a modern human
sample composed of 24 females and 17 males, and
to other Neandertal individuals. Both
traditional and geometric morphometric analyses
were used in order to quantify the degree of
sacral asymmetry of Regourdou 1. (...) |
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Africans carry surprising amount of Neanderthal
DNA, di M.
Price, "Science news", 30 Jan. 2020
For 10 years,
geneticists have told the story of how
Neanderthals—or at least their DNA sequences—live
on in today’s Europeans, Asians, and their
descendants. Not so in Africans, the story goes,
because modern humans and our extinct cousins
interbred only outside of Africa. A new study
overturns that notion, revealing an unexpectedly
large amount of Neanderthal ancestry in modern
populations across Africa. It suggests much of
that DNA came from Europeans migrating back into
Africa over the past 20,000 years. “That gene
flow with Neanderthals exists in all modern
humans, inside and outside of Africa, is a novel
and elegant finding,” says anthropologist
Michael Petraglia of the Max Planck Institute
for the Science of Human History. The work,
reported in this week’s issue of Cell, could
also help clear up a mysterious disparity: why
East Asians appear to have more Neanderthal
ancestry than Europeans. As members of Homo
sapiens spread from Africa into Eurasia some
70,000 years ago, they met and mingled with
Neanderthals. Researchers knew that later
back-migrations of Europeans had introduced a
bit of Neanderthal DNA into African populations,
but previous work suggested it was a just a
smidgen. In contrast, modern Europeans and East
Asians apparently inherited about 2% of their
DNA from Neanderthals.(...)
·
Identifying and Interpreting Apparent
Neanderthal Ancestry in African Individuals, di
L. Chen, A. B. Wolf, W. Fu, L. Li, J. M. Akey,
"Cell", 30 January 2020 |
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Subspheroids in the lithic assemblage of
Barranco León (Spain): Recognizing the late
Oldowan in Europe,
di S. Titton et alii, 30 January 2020,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228290
- free access -
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. (...) |
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New Neanderthal remains
associated with the ‘flower burial’ at Shanidar
Cave,
di E. Pomeroy et alii, "Antiquity", volume 94, issue
373, february 2020, pp. 11-26
Shanidar Cave in
Iraqi Kurdistan became an iconic Palaeolithic
site following Ralph Solecki's mid
twentieth-century discovery of Neanderthal
remains. Solecki argued that some of these
individuals had died in rockfalls and—controversially—that
others were interred with formal burial rites,
including one with flowers. Recent excavations
have revealed the articulated upper body of an
adult Neanderthal located close to the ‘flower
burial’ location—the first articulated
Neanderthal discovered in over 25 years.
Stratigraphic evidence suggests that the
individual was intentionally buried. This new
find offers the rare opportunity to investigate
Neanderthal mortuary practices utilising modern
archaeological techniques. |
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Filling the void: a new Palaeolithic cave art
site at Danbolinzulo in the Basque Country,
di B. Ochoa et alii, "Antiquity", volume 94, issue
373, february 2020, pp. 27-43
Northern Spain has
a high density of Upper Palaeolithic cave art
sites. Until recently, however, few such sites
have been reported from the Basque Country,
which has been considered to be a ‘void’ in the
distribution of parietal art. Now, new
discoveries at Danbolinzulo Cave reveal a
different situation. The graphic homogeneity of
the motifs, which comprise five ibex, two horses
and a possible anthropomorph, along with several
unidentified figures, strongly suggests a
pre-Magdalenian (>20 000 cal BP) date for the
art. Here, Danbolinzulo is interpreted in its
wider context as occupying a pivotal position
between Cantabrian-Iberian and French/continental
art traditions. |
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Backdating systematic shell ornament making in
Europe to 45,000 years ago,
di S. Arrighi et alii, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue
2, February 2020
Personal ornaments
are commonly linked to the emergence of symbolic
behavior. Although their presence in Africa
dates back to the Middle Stone Age, evidence of
ornament manufacturing in Eurasia are
sporadically observed in Middle Palaeolithic
contexts, and until now, large-scale diffusion
has been well documented only since the Upper
Palaeolithic. Nevertheless, little is known
during the period between ca. 50,000 and 40,000
years ago (ka), when modern humans colonized
Eurasia replacing existing hominin populations
such as the Neandertals, and a variety of
“transitional” and/or early Upper Palaeolithic
cultures emerged. Here, we present shell
ornaments from the Uluzzian site of Grotta del
Cavallo in Italy, southern Europe. (...) |
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Testing meat-eating by Middle Stone Age hominins
at Loiyangalani open-air site in Serengeti
National Park, Tanzania,
di F. Masele, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue 2,
February 2020
New results from
detailed zooarchaeological and taphonomic
analyses of faunal remains from Loiyangalani are
presented. The assemblage is well preserved but
highly fragmented mainly as a result of
anthropogenic processing. Results show that
hominins exploited high-quality nutritional
resources from small and large-sized ungulates.
Overall, the assemblage is dominated by
large-sized ungulates, which suggest were
preferentially targeted. The fact that the site
was strategically positioned along a wildlife
migration corridor made their encounters always
high and predictable. Feeding traces of both
hominins and carnivores are also recorded.
(...) |
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Climbing the time to see Neanderthal behaviour’s
continuity and discontinuity: SU 11 of the
Oscurusciuto Rockshelter (Ginosa, Southern
Italy), di
V. Spagnolo, G. Marciani, D. Aureli, I. Martini,
P. Boscato, F. Boschin, A. Ronchitelli,
"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences",
Volume 12, Issue 2, February 2020
The Oscurusciuto
Rockshelter (Ginosa, Southern Italy) is a
perfect sample-site for the reconstruction of
multiple aspects of the last Neanderthals life.
Different settlement strategies are attested in
the excavated portion of the stratigraphic
sequence, dated between ~ 55 and 43 ka BP. As a
first goal, the reconstruction of the site
spatial organization across the palimpsest SU 11
was achieved by a high-temporal-resolution
approach (assisted by sedimentological analysis),
integrating lithic technology, zooarchaeology
and spatial analysis (by means of the GIS
technology). As a second goal, a diachronic
perspective was adopted by comparing results
from SU 11 with the previously studied evidence
from the underlying SU 13. Results were
processed at a diachronic scale, highlighting
similarities and differences related both to the
type of activities carried out at the site and
to their spatial management. (...) |
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Last Neanderthal occupations at Central Iberia:
the lithic industry of Jarama VI rock shelter (Valdesotos,
Guadalajara, Spain),
di M. Navazo Ruiz et alii, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue 2,
February 2020
The work
undertaken at the Jarama VI site (Valdesotos,
Guadalajara, Spain) in the 1990s resulted in the
recovery of thousands of archeological remains
from the three Pleistocene sedimentary units of
this cavity. Prior to the systematic analysis of
the lithic material and the reception of new
geochronological data, it had been suggested
that the upper unit of Jarama VI could
correspond to the Early Upper Paleolithic, while
the other two units could be related to
Neanderthal occupations. (...) |
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Human teeth pendants from the Mid-Upper
Paleolithic sites Pavlov I and Dolní Věstonice
I, Czech Republic,
di S. Sázelová, B. Hromadová, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", Volume 12, Issue
2, February 2020
This paper focuses
on a special case of mortuary habit in the
treatment of human bodies during the Upper
Paleolithic. Human teeth present a good
available raw material source; however, until
now, 12 Czech and French sites have been
identified with human teeth pendants dated from
the Aurignacian to the Magdalenian. Our study
investigates four human teeth (Pav 15, Pav 25,
Pav 39, and DV 8) from Pavlov I and Dolní
Věstonice I that display perforations in the
root area. This paper aims at distinguishing
traces of human manipulation and perforation
activities from traces caused by non-human
depositional and post-depositional processes.
(...) |
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Discovery of cryptotephra at Middle–Upper
Paleolithic sites Arma Veirana and Riparo
Bombrini, Italy: a new link for broader
geographic correlations,
di J. N. Hirniak et alii, "Journal of
Quaternary Science", Volume 35, Issue 1-2,
Special Issue: Tephrochronology as a global
geoscientific research tool, January-February
2020, Pages 199-212 -
free access -
Chemical
characterization of cryptotephra is critical for
temporally linking archaeological sites. Here,
we describe cryptotephra investigations of two
Middle–Upper Paleolithic sites from north-west
Italy, Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini.
Cryptotephra are present as small (<100 µm)
rhyolitic glass shards at both sites, with
geochemical signatures rare for volcanoes in the
Mediterranean region. Two chemically distinct
shard populations are present at Arma Veirana
(P1 and P2). P1 is a high silica rhyolite (>75
wt.%) with low FeO (<1 wt.%) and a K2O/Na2O > 1
and P2 is also a high silica rhyolite (>75 wt.%)
but with higher FeO (2.33–2.65 wt.%). Shards at
Riparo Bombrini (P3) are of the same composition
as P1 shards at Arma Veirana, providing a
distinct link between deposits at both sites.
Geochemical characteristics suggest three
possible sources for P1 and P3: eruptions from
Lipari Island (56–37.7 ka) in Italy, the Acigöl
volcanic field (200–20 ka) in Turkey and the
Miocene Kirka‐Phrigian caldera (18 Ma) in Turkey.
(...) |
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Ancient African genomes offer glimpse into early
human history,
di E. Callaway, "Nature news", 23 january 2020
The
ancient-genomics revolution is finally reaching
the cradle of humanity: Africa. Researchers have
sequenced the genomes of four children who lived
in what is now Cameroon several thousand years
ago. Their genomes — the first to be collected
from any ancient human in West Africa — raise
questions about the origins of a migration that
carried languages and agriculture across the
continent, and hint at older events in human
history, such as the emergence of Homo sapiens
and its spread out of Africa. But the findings
underscore the yawning gap in scientists’
understanding of African population history,
relative to that of Eurasia, the Americas and
even Oceania. Researchers have sequenced more
than 1,000 ancient human genomes from these
regions, versus fewer than 80 from Africa, few
of which are older than 10,000 years. “We don’t
have a clear picture right now,” says David
Reich, a population geneticist at Harvard
Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, who
co-led the study. “Africa is the most diverse
place on Earth. It’s where our particular
sub-lineage of humans originated.” It’s no
surprise, he adds, that even the relatively
recent history of its populations is hard to
decipher today. (...) |
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17,000-year-old Venus
statue in Romania stirs controversy,
21 January 2020
The alleged
discovery of a 17,000-year-old Venus figurine in
site near Piatra Neamt, in North-Eastern
Romania, has stirred controversy after
journalists reported that the figurine was found
by two amateurs, not professional archeologists,
raising questions about its authenticity. The
team of archeologists who was in charge of the
Paleolithic settlement (called Piatra Neamț 1)
staged the discovery and made photos suggesting
that they were on site when the figurine was
found, thus aiming to make the discovery more
credible. The circumstances in which the statue
was found, the impossibility to date the
material from which the statue is made, its
nearly perfect state, and the style that doesn't
match the period when it was supposedly created
point rather to a fake than to an authentic
discovery, according to specialists. The
discovery of the Venus figurine took place on
June 21, 2019, and was announced officially on
December 11, 2019. The discovery was announced
by the Museum of Human Evolution and Technology
in the Paleolithic in Targoviste, whose team of
archeologists, coordinated by professors Marin
Carciumaru and Elena Nitu, was in charge of the
Piatra Neamt site. (...) |
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Hard plant tissues do not contribute
meaningfully to dental microwear: evolutionary
implications,
di A. van Casteren et alii, "Scientific
Reports", volume 10, article number: 582 (2020),
17 January 2020 - free
access -
Reconstructing
diet is critical to understanding hominin
adaptations. Isotopic and functional
morphological analyses of early hominins are
compatible with consumption of hard foods, such
as mechanically-protected seeds, but dental
microwear analyses are not. The protective
shells surrounding seeds are thought to induce
complex enamel surface textures characterized by
heavy pitting, but these are absent on the teeth
of most early hominins. Here we report nanowear
experiments showing that the hardest woody
shells – the hardest tissues made by
dicotyledonous plants – cause very minor damage
to enamel but are themselves heavily abraded (worn)
in the process. Thus, hard plant tissues do not
regularly create pits on enamel surfaces despite
high forces clearly being associated with their
oral processing. We conclude that hard plant
tissues barely influence microwear textures and
the exploitation of seeds from graminoid plants
such as grasses and sedges could have formed a
critical element in the dietary ecology of
hominins. (...) |
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Last appearance of Homo erectus at Ngandong,
Java, 117,000–108,000 years ago,
di Y. Rizal et alii, "Nature", volume
577, issue 7790, pp. 381–385, 16 January 2020
Homo erectus is
the founding early hominin species of Island
Southeast Asia, and reached Java (Indonesia)
more than 1.5 million years ago. Twelve H.
erectus calvaria (skull caps) and two tibiae (lower
leg bones) were discovered from a bone bed
located about 20 m above the Solo River at
Ngandong (Central Java) between 1931 and 1933,
and are of the youngest, most-advanced form of
H. erectus. Despite the importance of the
Ngandong fossils, the relationship between the
fossils, terrace fill and ages have been heavily
debated. Here, to resolve the age of the
Ngandong evidence, we use Bayesian modelling of
52 radiometric age estimates to establish—to our
knowledge—the first robust chronology at
regional, valley and local scales. We used
uranium-series dating of speleothems to
constrain regional landscape evolution;
luminescence, 40argon/39argon (40Ar/39Ar) and
uranium-series dating to constrain the sequence
of terrace evolution; and applied uranium-series
and uranium series–electron-spin resonance (US–ESR)
dating to non-human fossils to directly date our
re-excavation of Ngandong (...) |
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Neandertals on the beach: Use of marine
resources at Grotta dei Moscerini (Latium,
Italy), di
P. Villa et alii, 15 January 2020, doi:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226690
- free access -
Excavated in 1949,
Grotta dei Moscerini, dated MIS 5 to early MIS
4, is one of two Italian Neandertal sites with a
large assemblage of retouched shells (n = 171)
from 21 layers. The other occurrence is from the
broadly contemporaneous layer L of Grotta del
Cavallo in southern Italy (n = 126). Eight other
Mousterian sites in Italy and one in Greece also
have shell tools but in a very small number. The
shell tools are made on valves of the smooth
clam Callista chione. The general idea that the
valves of Callista chione were collected by
Neandertals on the beach after the death of the
mollusk is incomplete. At Moscerini 23.9% of the
specimens were gathered directly from the sea
floor as live animals by skin diving Neandertals.
Archaeological data from sites in Italy, France
and Spain confirm that shell fishing and fresh
water fishing was a common activity of
Neandertals, as indicated by anatomical studies
recently published by E. Trinkaus. Lithic
analysis provides data to show the relation
between stone tools and shell tools. Several
layers contain pumices derived from volcanic
eruptions in the Ischia Island or the Campi
Flegrei (prior to the Campanian Ignimbrite
mega-eruption). Their rounded edges indicate
that they were transported by sea currents to
the beach at the base of the Moscerini sequence.
Their presence in the occupation layers above
the beach is discussed. (...) |
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Combined palaeoecological methods using
small-mammal assemblages to decipher
environmental context of a long-term Neanderthal
settlement in northeastern Iberia,
di M. Fernández-García et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 228, 15 January 2020,
106072
Recurrent long-
and short-term Neanderthal occupations occurred
in the Abric Romaní rock shelter (Capellades,
Barcelona, Spain) for more than 20,000 years.
This provides an opportunity to enhance our
understanding of the evolution of behavioral
strategies of these human groups. The site has a
long and high-resolution sequence with 17 levels
completely excavated, 13 of which are presented
in this work, from D to Q; ca. 40–60 ka. These
levels have generated extensive research
concerning Neanderthal hunting strategies,
lithic production, and fire technology. Here is
presented the evolution of palaeoenvironment
under which these populations lived applying
different methods of palaeoecological
reconstruction based on small-mammal remains
along the entire sequence. The study is
completed with taphonomic analyses that locate
the primary origin of their accumulation under
the action of owls and describe a past humid
fossiliferous microenvironment where intense
human occupation occurred. Oxygen isotope
analyses were performed on rodent incisors from
the richest levels (D, E, N and O), in order to
reconstruct the past air temperatures. (...) |
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A
younger “earliest human migration” to Southeast
Asia, di B.
Brasseur, "Science", 10 Jan 2020, Vol. 367,
Issue 6474, pp. 147-148
The fossiliferous
Sangiran dome in Central Java contains the
oldest human remains in Southeast Asia and is
thus considered to be one of the most important
sites in human paleoanthropology. Researchers
have discovered more than 100 hominid remains
from at least three different early to middle
Pleistocene hominid species. Although numerous
dating studies have been conducted at this site,
the accepted date of earliest hominin migration
is controversial. On page 210 of this issue,
Matsu'ura et al. describe their combined use of
uranium/lead (U/Pb) dating (crystallization age)
and fission-track dating (volcano eruption age)
on zircons from three key strata in the
hominid-bearing layers of Sangiran. |
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Age control of the first appearance datum for
Javanese Homo erectus in the Sangiran area,
di S. Matsu’ura et alii, "Science", 10
Jan 2020, Vol. 367, Issue 6474, pp. 210-214
The chronology of
the World Heritage Site of Sangiran in Indonesia
is crucial for the understanding of human
dispersals and settlement in Asia in the Early
Pleistocene (before 780,000 years ago). It has
been controversial, however, especially
regarding the timing of the earliest hominin
migration into the Sangiran region. We use a
method of combining fission-track and
uranium-lead dating and present key ages to
calibrate the lower (older) Sangiran
hominin-bearing horizons. We conclude that the
first appearance datum for the Sangiran hominins
is most likely ~1.3 million years ago and less
than 1.5 million years ago, which is markedly
later than the dates that have been widely
accepted for the past two decades. |
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Dietary niche partitioning among Magdalenian
canids in southwestern Germany and Switzerland,
di C. Baumann et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 227, 1 January 2020,
106032
Fox (Vulpes vulpes
and Vulpes lagopus), wolf (Canis lupus) and dog
(Canis lupus familiaris) remains are commonly
found in the faunal assemblages of Magdalenian
sites in Central Europe. However, little is
known about their ecology in terms of food
preference and niche partitioning. We
hypothesize that domestication leads to a new
trophic niche for dogs and even for commensal
animals, such as foxes, compared to their wild
counterparts (i.e. wolves and wild non-commensal
foxes). To test our hypothesis, we used stable
isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N) of bone collagen
extracted from canid bones from several
Magdalenian sites in southwestern Germany and
Switzerland (between 17,000 and 13,000 years
ago). We then ran Bayesian statistic systems (SIBER,
mixSIAR) to reconstruct the trophic niches and
diets of Magdalenian canids. We conclude that a
significant niche partitioning of canids is
reflected in their carbon and nitrogen isotopic
composition. (...) |
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Predictive Middle Palaeolithic climatic
conditions from Eastern Iberia: a methodological
approach based on charcoal analysis and
modelling,
di P. Vidal-Matutano, S. Pardo-Gordó, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", volume 12, issue
1, january 2020
Ecological and
climate modelling is increasingly common in
archaeological science as it is a useful tool to
analyse human behaviour and ecological variables
that influenced the conformation of landscapes.
Predictive vegetation models, mainly based on
palynological data, provide meaningful
information about the theoretical distribution
of plant formations in the past by creating
different hypothetical scenarios. However,
factors linked to variability in pollen
productivity according to taxa and to the
regional scale offered by this proxy in
palaeoenvironmental reconstructions have led
some authors to propose the use of
macrobotanical data in order to detect a higher
number of ecological nuances on a local scale.
In this paper, we present the results of a study
aimed at characterising the theoretical
distribution of simulated Middle Palaeolithic
biogeographic and climatic values in the local
area of the Upper Serpis Valley, Eastern Iberia.
(...) |
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Use-wear analysis of a specific mobile toolkit
from the Middle Paleolithic site of Abric Romaní
(Barcelona, Spain): a case study from level M,
di J. I. Martín-Vivero et alii, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", volume 12, issue
1, january 2020
A use-wear
analysis was carried out on a specific mobile
toolkit belonging to level M of the Middle
Paleolithic site of Abric Romaní (Barcelona,
Spain), which is dated to MIS 3, between 51 and
55 Ka BP. In an environment rich in local and
regional chert sources and in a technological
context marked by expedient behavior, a set of
flakes, which also included debordant elements
with asymmetric transversal sections, were
introduced into the site having already been
knapped. A combination of technological,
refitting, and raw material unit analyses (RMU)
have distinguished them from the rest of the
chert artifacts knapped in situ. Given that the
aim of the reduction sequences in level M, as in
most of the stratigraphic sequence, is the
production of small flakes of poor quality chert,
the introduction of these finished tools
indicates the existence of planned behavior in
relation to raw material constraints and, to a
major extent, with specific needs. (...) |
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Dehydration and persistence hunting in Homo
erectus, di
M. Hora et alii, "Journal of Human
Evolution", Volume 138, January 2020, 102682
- free access -
Persistence
hunting has been suggested to be a key strategy
for meat acquisition in Homo erectus. However,
prolonged locomotion in hot conditions is
associated with considerable water losses due to
sweating. Consequently, dehydration has been
proposed to be a critical limiting factor,
effectively curtailing the usefulness of
persistence hunting prior to the invention of
water containers. In this study, we aimed to
determine the extent to which dehydration
limited persistence hunting in H. erectus. We
simulated ambient conditions and spatiotemporal
characteristics of nine previously reported
persistence hunts in the Kalahari. We used a
newly developed and validated heat exchange
model to estimate the water loss in H. erectus
and a recent Kalahari hunter. Water loss
equivalent to 10% of the hunter's body mass was
considered the physiological limit of a hunt
with no drinking. Our criterion for ruling
dehydration out of being a limit for persistence
hunting was the ability to hunt without drinking
for at least 5 h, as this was the longest
duration reported for a successful persistence
hunt of large prey. Our results showed that H.
erectus would reach the dehydration limit in
5.5–5.7 h of persistence hunting at the reported
Kalahari conditions, which we argue represent a
conservative model also for Early Pleistocene
East Africa. Maximum hunt duration without
drinking was negatively related to the relative
body surface area of the hunter.
(...) |
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Statistical estimates of hominin origination and
extinction dates: A case study examining the
Australopithecus anamensis–afarensis lineage,
di A. Du et alii, Journal of Human
Evolution, Volume 138, January 2020, 102688
- free access -
Reliable estimates
of when hominin taxa originated and went extinct
are central to addressing many
paleoanthropological questions, including those
relating to macroevolutionary patterns. The
timing of hominin temporal ranges can be used to
test chronological predictions generated from
phylogenetic hypotheses. For example, hypotheses
of phyletic ancestor–descendant relationships,
based on morphological data, predict no temporal
range overlap between the two taxa. However, a
fossil taxon's observed temporal range is almost
certainly underestimated due to the
incompleteness of both the fossil record itself
and its sampling, and this decreases the
likelihood of observing temporal overlap. Here,
we focus on a well-known and widely accepted
early hominin lineage, Australopithecus
anamensis–afarensis, and place 95% confidence
intervals (CIs) on its origination and
extinction dates. We do so to assess whether its
temporal range is consistent with it being a
phyletic descendant of Ardipithecus ramidus
and/or a direct ancestor to the earliest claimed
representative of Homo (i.e., Ledi-Geraru). We
find that the last appearance of Ar. ramidus
falls within the origination CI of Au. anamensis–afarensis,
whereas the claimed first appearance of Homo
postdates the extinction CI. These results are
consistent with Homo evolving from Au. anamensis–afarensis,
but temporal overlap between Ar. ramidus and Au.
anamensis–afarensis cannot be rejected at this
time. (...) |
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The Neanderthal teeth from
Marillac (Charente, Southwestern France):
Morphology, comparisons and paleobiology,
di M. D. Garralda et alii, "Journal of
Human Evolution", Volume 138, January 2020,
102683 - free access -
Few European sites
have yielded human dental remains safely dated
to the end of MIS 4/beginning of MIS 3. One of
those sites is Marillac (Southwestern France), a
collapsed karstic cave where archeological
excavations (1967–1980) conducted by B.
Vandermeersch unearthed numerous faunal and
human remains, as well as a few Mousterian Quina
tools. The Marillac sinkhole was occasionally
used by humans to process the carcasses of
different prey, but there is no evidence for a
residential use of the site, nor have any
hearths been found. Rare carnivore bones were
also discovered, demonstrating that the sinkhole
was seasonally used, not only by Neanderthals,
but also by predators across several millennia.
The lithostratigraphic units containing the
human remains were dated to ∼60 kyr. The fossils
consisted of numerous fragments of skulls and
jaws, isolated teeth and several post-cranial
bones, many of them with traces of perimortem
manipulations. For those already published,
their morphological characteristics and
chronostratigraphic context allowed their
attribution to Neanderthals.This paper analyzes
sixteen unpublished human teeth (fourteen
permanent and two deciduous) by investigating
the external morphology and metrical variation
with respect to other Neanderthal remains and a
sample from modern populations. We also
investigate their enamel thickness distribution
in 2D and 3D, the enamel-dentine junction
morphology (using geometric morphometrics) of
one molar and two premolars, the roots and the
possible expression of taurodontism, as well as
pathologies and developmental defects. (...) |
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Index
di antiqui |
Sommario
bacheca |
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