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Middle Pleistocene paleoclimate and
paleoenvironment of central Italy and their
relationship with hominin migrations and
evolution,
di A. Zanazzi, A. Fletcher, C. Peretto, U. Thun
Hohenstein, "Quaternary International", Volume
619, 10 May 2022, Pages 12-29
- open access -
To investigate the
paleoclimate and paleoenvironment of central
Italy during the Middle Pleistocene, we analyzed
the carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition
of the carbonate component of sequential enamel
samples from twenty-four rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus
spp.) teeth. The samples come from two key
archeological and paleontological sites located
in the Molise region: Isernia La Pineta (ILP;
~600
ka) and Guado San Nicola (GSN;
~400
ka). (...) |
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Neanderthal child's occipital from Baume
Moula-Guercy (Soyons, Ardèche, France),
di G. D. Richards, R. S. Jabbour, G. Guipert, A.
Defleur, "American Journal of Biological
Anthropology", Volume 178, Issue 1, Pages:
1-197, May 2022, Pages 69-88
This article
provides an ontogenetically based comparative
description of two immature occipital fragments
from Baume Moula-Guercy (MIS 5e) and examines
their affinities to European and Middle Eastern
Middle-to-Late Pleistocene (≈MIS 14–MIS≈1)
Homo. (...) |
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Human occupation of the semi-arid grasslands of
South Africa during MIS 4: New archaeological
and paleoecological evidence from Lovedale, Free
State, di
K. Wroth et alii, "Quaternary Science
Reviews", Volume 283, 1 May 2022, 107455
Marine Isotope
Stage (MIS) 5 and 4 are periods of major
cultural innovations in the Middle Stone Age (MSA)
of southern Africa. While extensive data is
available for the coast, far less is known about
the interior, in particular its central plateau.
This is likely due to the large geographic
extent of this area and a general paucity of
caves and rock shelters that can provide long
stratigraphic sequences and environmental
records. The lack of information and systematic
research has hindered our understanding of
regional variation and patterns of human
dispersal within the subcontinent. (...) |
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"Journal of Human
Evolution", Volume 166, May 2022:
- Evaluating
landscape knowledge and lithic resource
selection at the French Middle Paleolithic site
of the Bau de l'Aubesier,
di C. Marian Pop, L. Wilson, C. L. Browne
- Richard
Erskine Frere Leakey (1944–2022),
di B. Wood
- Early
Neanderthals in contact: The Chibanian (Middle
Pleistocene) hominin dentition from Velika
Balanica Cave, Southern Serbia,
di M. Roksandic, P. Radović, J. Lindal, D.
Mihailović
- Morphological
affinities of a fossil ulna (KNM-WS 65401) from
Buluk, Kenya,
di A. C. Nishimura, G. A. Russo, I. O. Nengo, E.
R. Miller
- An ancient
cranium from Dmanisi: Evidence for interpersonal
violence, disease, and possible predation by
carnivores on Early Pleistocene Homo,
di A. Margvelashvili, M. Tappen, G. P. Rightmire,
N. Tsikaridze, D. Lordkipanidze |
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Climate effects on archaic human habitats and
species successions,
di A. Timmermann et alii, "Nature", 13
April 2022 - open
access -
It has long been
believed that climate shifts during the last 2
million years had a pivotal role in the
evolution of our genus Homo. However, given the
limited number of representative palaeo-climate
datasets from regions of anthropological
interest, it has remained challenging to
quantify this linkage. Here, we use an
unprecedented transient Pleistocene coupled
general circulation model simulation in
combination with an extensive compilation of
fossil and archaeological records to study the
spatiotemporal habitat suitability for five
hominin species over the past 2 million years.
We show that astronomically forced changes in
temperature, rainfall and terrestrial net
primary production had a major impact on the
observed distributions of these species.
(...) |
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MIS 13 and MIS 11 aggradational successions of
the Paleo-Tiber delta: Geochronological
constraints to sea-level fluctuations and to the
Acheulean sites of Castel di Guido and
Malagrotta (Rome, Italy),
di F. Marra, A. Pereira, G. Boschian, S. Nomade,
"Quaternary International", Volume 616, 10 April
2022, Pages 1-11
This contribution
presents an application of the conceptual model
of 'aggradational succession' (i.e., the
sedimentary record deposited in response to
sea-level rise during the glacial terminations)
to a series of geological sections of the
Paleo-Tiber delta cropping out along the Via
Aurelia near Rome, Italy. The geochronological
constraints provided here through 40Ar/39Ar
dating of volcanic layers intercalated within
the sedimentary deposits of the MIS 13 and MIS
11 aggradational successions resulted in some
remarkable outcomes (...) |
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Every contact leaves a trace: Documenting
contamination in lithic residue studies at the
Middle Palaeolithic sites of Lusakert Cave 1
(Armenia) and Crvena Stijena (Montenegro),
di E. Frahm, D. S. Adler, B. Gasparyan, B. Luo, C. Mallol, G. Pajović, G. B. Tostevin, B. Yeritsyan, G. Monnier, 7
April 2022, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266362
- open access -
Investigations of
organic lithic micro-residues have, over the
last decade, shifted from entirely morphological
observations using visible-light microscopy to
compositional ones using scanning electron
microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared
microspectroscopy, providing a seemingly
objective chemical basis for residue
identifications. Contamination, though, remains
a problem that can affect these results. Modern
contaminants, accumulated during the
post-excavation lives of artifacts, are
pervasive, subtle, and even “invisible” (unlisted
ingredients in common lab products). Ancient
contamination is a second issue. The aim of
residue analysis is to recognize residues
related to use, but other types of residues can
also accumulate on artifacts. Caves are subject
to various taphonomic forces and organic inputs,
and use-related residues can degrade into
secondary compounds. This organic “background
noise” must be taken into consideration.
(...) |
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Unraveling Châtelperronian high-density
accumulations: the open-air site of Aranbaltza
II (Bizkaia, Spain),
di L. Sánchez-Romero, A. Benito-Calvo, E.
Iriarte, A. San Emeterio, I. Ortega, J.
Rios-Garaizar, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", Volume 14, issue 4,
April 2022 - open
access -
The
Châtelperronian open-air site of Aranbaltza II
presents a set of very particular
characteristics, such as the large number of
well-preserved lithic materials in a small area
and the presence of lobular accumulations that
represents the 33% of different size and shape
of lithic materials of the whole assemblage.
Through the application of density, hotspots,
and 3D-fabric analysis, in combination with
sedimentological data, we discuss the factors
responsible of the accumulation of these
archaeological materials. The main goal of this
work is inferring the formation processes from a
geoarchaeological perspective and the spatial
organization of this site, unraveling the
high-density accumulations of this site and
therefore the activities carried out. (...) |
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Innovations in Acheulean biface production at la
Noira (France) during Middle Pleistocene in
Western Europe,
di P. García-Medrano, J. Despriée, M. H. Moncel,
"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences",
Volume 14, issue 4, April 2022
The
archaeological sequence of la Noira (Centre
region, France) yielded two phases of occupation:
ca 700 ka (stratum a) and ca 450 ka (stratum c).
No site between these two dates has yet been
discovered in the area, and this chronological
period has thus been interpreted as a gap in
settlement from MIS 16 to MIS 12, two crucial
phases of occupation in Western Europe. The
record before the long glacial event MIS 12 has
been traditionally associated with the onset of
the Acheulean in Europe. From MIS 12, the record
represents the earliest evidence of innovations,
a clear shift in human evolution. Here, we
compare these two levels (strata a and c),
tracking the technological innovations during
this time and combining technological analysis
with geometric morphometrics with the use of 3D
models comparison of the large cutting tools (LCTs).
(...) |
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Thermal transformation of chalcedonite artefacts
from the Magdalenian site of Ćmielów 95 ”Mały
Gawroniec” (Poland),
di E. A. Miśta-Jakubowska et alii, "Archaeometry",
Volume 64, Issue 2, April 2022, Pages 300-316
Two chalcedonite
artefacts from the Magdalenian site of Ćmielów
95 (Poland), with macroscopic features
suggestive of thermal treatment, were subjected
to a multi-instrumental analysis. The red upper
layer of the objects consists of ”protohematite”,
implying temperature-driven,
goethite-to-hematite transition. The red layer
shows traces of carbonized matter with
saccharides and levoglucosan (from burning wood)
as well as fatty acids. PXRD data suggest a
source of higher temperatures (up to ~800°C)
within the bottom layer, with ~200–300°C range
ascribed to the red layer. On the basis of the
collected data the artefacts are proposed to be
relics of cooking stones. (...) |
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Determining the diagenetic
paths of archaeofaunal assemblages and their
palaeoecology through artificial intelligence:
an application to Oldowan sites from Olduvai
Gorge (Tanzania),
di M. Pizarro-Monzo, E. Organista, L.
Cobo-Sánchez, E. Baquedano, M. Domínguez-Rodrigo,
"Journal of Quaternary Science", Volume 37,
Issue 3, April 2022, Pages 543-557
- open access -
The implementation
of deep-learning methods to the taphonomic
analysis of the microscopic modification of
bone-surface modifications exposed to different
chemical diagenetic pathways can effectively
discriminate between acidic and alkaline soil
properties, indirectly reflecting different
ecological conditions. Here we use this novel
method to assess the sedimentary conditions of
two of the oldest Oldowan archaeofaunal records
(DS and PTK, Bed I) from Olduvai Gorge Bed I in
Tanzania. We show how the results support
different diagenetic conditions for both
penecontemporaneous sites, which are appropriate
for their respective locations on the
palaeolandscape to which they belonged. We also
show how geochemical analyses of the clay
deposit that embedded both sites indicate a
similar soil pH divergence. (...) |
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Flake tools in the European Lower Paleolithic: A
case study from MIS 9 Britain,
di A. Rawlinson, L. Dale, N. Ashton, D.
Bridgland, M. White, "Journal of Human Evolution",
Volume 165, April 2022, 103153
Studies of flake
tools in the British Lower Paleolithic are rare
owing to lower quantities of flake tools than
handaxes and the perception that flake tool
technology became more important in the
succeeding Middle Paleolithic. In Britain, and
Europe more broadly, MIS 9 (328–301 ka) has been
characterized as a period of technological
transition owing to the presence of early
prepared core technology and the status of the
period as the final interglacial prior to the
onset of the Middle Paleolithic. It has been
argued that the period demonstrates an increase
in both the numbers and importance of flake
tools, possibly showing emerging Middle
Paleolithic behaviors. (...) |
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Direct cosmogenic nuclide isochron burial dating
of early Acheulian stone tools at the T69
Complex (FLK West, Olduvai Bed II, Tanzania),
di T. Fujioka, A. Benito-Calvo, R. Mora, L.
McHenry, J. K. Njau, I. de la Torre, "Journal of
Human Evolution", Volume 165, April 2022, 103155
- open access -
Keywords: Early
Stone AgeEarly AcheulianEarly
PleistoceneCosmogenic nuclide dating (...) |
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Cochlear morphology of Indonesian Homo erectus
from Sangiran,
di A. Urciuoli et alii, "Journal of Human
Evolution", Volume 165, April 2022, 103163
Homo erectus s.l.
is key for deciphering the origin and subsequent
evolution of genus Homo. However, the
characterization of this species is hindered by
the existence of multiple variants in both
mainland and insular Asia, as a result of
divergent chronogeographical evolutionary trends,
genetic isolation, and interbreeding with other
human species. Previous research has shown that
cochlear morphology embeds taxonomic and
phylogenetic information that may help infer the
phylogenetic relationships among hominin species.
(...) |
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Visualizing childhood in Upper Palaeolithic
societies: Experimental and archaeological
approach to artists’ age estimation through cave
art hand stencils,
di V. Fernández-Navarro, E. Camarós, D. Garate,
"Journal of Archaeological Science", Volume 140,
April 2022, 105574 -
open access -
This paper
presents rock art as a collective action in
which different strata of society took part,
including children and subadults. Until recent
decades archaeology of childhood has not been in
the main focus of the archaeological research,
much less the participation of those children in
the artistic activity. The present study
approaches the palaeodemography of artists in
the decorated caves through the paleolithic rock
art itself. The approximate age of these
individuals has been calculated through the
biometric analysis of hand stencils in the caves
of Fuente del Salín, Castillo, La Garma,
Maltravieso and Fuente del Trucho, using 3D
photogrammetric models as reference. (...) |
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The intrusive nature of the Châtelperronian in
the Iberian Peninsula,
di J. Rios-Garaizar et alii, 30 March
2022, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265219
- open access -
Multiple factors
have been proposed to explain the disappearance
of Neandertals between ca. 50 and 40 kyr BP.
Central to these discussions has been the
identification of new techno-cultural complexes
that overlap with the period of Neandertal
demise in Europe. One such complex is the
Châtelperronian, which extends from the Paris
Basin to the Northern Iberian Peninsula between
43,760–39,220 BP. In this study we present the
first open-air Châtelperronian site in the
Northern Iberian Peninsula, Aranbaltza II. The
technological features of its stone tool
assemblage show no links with previous Middle
Paleolithic technology in the region, and
chronological modeling reveals a gap between the
latest Middle Paleolithic and the
Châtelperronian in this area. We interpret this
as evidence of local Neandertal extinction and
replacement by other Neandertal groups coming
from southern France, illustrating how local
extinction episodes could have played a role in
the process of disappearance of Neandertals.
(...) |
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Ancient DNA and deep population structure in
sub-Saharan African foragers,
di M. Lipson et alii, "Nature", Volume
603, Issue 7900, 10 March 2022, pages 290–296
- open access -
Multiple lines of
genetic and archaeological evidence suggest that
there were major demographic changes in the
terminal Late Pleistocene epoch and early
Holocene epoch of sub-Saharan Africa. Inferences
about this period are challenging to make
because demographic shifts in the past 5,000
years have obscured the structures of more
ancient populations. Here we present genome-wide
ancient DNA data for six individuals from
eastern and south-central Africa spanning the
past approximately 18,000 years (doubling the
time depth of sub-Saharan African ancient DNA),
increase the data quality for 15 previously
published ancient individuals and analyse these
alongside data from 13 other published ancient
individuals. (...) |
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Les blessures récurrentes sur les fossiles de la
Sierra d’Atapuerca,
08/03/2022
Le CENIEH publie
un véru-itable inventaire des processus survenus
avant la mort (ante mortem), au moment proche de
la mort (peri mortem) et après la mort (post
mortem) de la plus grande collection de crânes
et de mâchoires en paléontologie humaine trouvée
dans le Sierra d'Atapuerca. (...) |
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Function, life histories,
and biographies of Lower Paleolithic patinated
flint tools from Late Acheulian Revadim, Israel,
di B. Efrati, R. Barkai, S. Nunziante Cesaro, F.
Venditti, "Scientific Reports", volume 12, 03
March 2022 - open
access -
Flint tools
exhibiting modified patinated surfaces (“double
patina”, or post-patination flaked items)
provide a glimpse into Paleolithic lithic
recycling, stone economy, and human choices.
Different life cycles of such items are visually
evident by the presence of fresh new modified
surfaces alongside old patinated ones (according
to color and texture differences). New
modifications testify to a gap in time between
the previous life cycle of the patinated flaked
item and its new one. The aim of the current
study is to reconstruct the functional
properties and life cycles of a sample of
modified patinated flaked tools from Late
Acheulian Revadim, Israel by applying use-wear
and residue analyses. The results of the
functional study allow a better understanding of
the practical reasoning behind the collection
and recycling of old flint tools, while
additional inputs from theoretical and
methodological advancements assist in
reconstructing their probable role in the
worldviews of the site’s inhabitants. (...) |
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What explains our lower back pain?
Anthropologists turn to Neanderthals for answers,
3 March 2022
Examining the
spines of Neanderthals, an extinct human
relative, may explain back-related ailments
experienced by humans today, a team of
anthropologists has concluded in a new
comparative study. (...) |
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The Effect of Raw Material on the Identification
of Knapping Skill: a Case Study from Olduvai
Gorge, Tanzania,
di T. Proffitt, A. Bargalló, I. de la Torre,
"Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory",
Volume 29, issue 1, March 2022
- open access
- The
identification of Oldowan hominin knapping skill
levels has been a focus of numerous studies,
with apparent variation in technical abilities
identified between a number of Early Stone Age
archaeological sites. Raw material variability,
however, can play a significant role in the
outcomes of knapping events as well as in the
accuracy of analysis. Implications of such
variability are yet to be fully understood. Here
we present an experimental study to assess the
effects that varying raw materials have on the
identification of technological attributes
typically associated with varying skill levels
and whether it is possible to identify knapper
skill levels across multiple raw materials.
(...) |
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Defining and Characterising Clusters in
Palaeolithic Sites: a Review of Methods and
Constraints,
di L. Sánchez-Romero, A. Benito-Calvo, J.
Rios-Garaizar, "Journal of Archaeological Method
and Theory", Volume 29, issue 1, March 2022
- open access -
Spatial analysis
studies in Palaeolithic archaeology arise as
indispensable research tools for understanding
archaeopalaeontological sites. In general terms,
spatial studies have been specialised in the
description of the distribution of materials and
in the definition of accumulation areas, with
the aim of distinguishing intentional activities
or studying postdepositional processes. In
recent decades, the development of GIS tools has
enabled huge strides forward in the field of
spatial archaeology research, such as spatial
inferential statistics. These tools are
particularly useful in the identification and
location of clustering from statistical criteria,
facilitating the subsequent analysis of
accumulations through other archaeological,
taphonomic and spatial techniques, such as
fabric analysis or directional distribution.
(...) |
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The microstructure and the
origin of the Venus from Willendorf,
di G. W. Weber et alii, "Scientific
Reports", volume 12, 28 February 2022
- open access -
The origin and key
details of the making of the ~30,000 year old
Venus from Willendorf remained a secret since
its discovery for more than a hundred years.
Based on new micro-computed tomography scans
with a resolution of 11.5 µm, our analyses can
explain the origin as well as the choice of
material and particular surface features. It
allowed the identification of internal structure
properties and a chronological assignment of the
Venus oolite to the Mesozoic. Sampling numerous
oolite occurrences ranging ~2500 km from France
to the Ukraine, we found a strikingly close
match for grain size distribution near Lake
Garda in the Southern Alps (Italy). This might
indicate considerable mobility of Gravettian
people and long-time transport of artefacts from
South to North by modern human groups before the
Last Glacial Maximum. (...) |
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Relationships between the hard and soft
dimensions of the nose in Pan troglodytes and
Homo sapiens reveal the positions of the nasal
tips of Plio-Pleistocene hominids,
di R. M. Campbell, G. Vinas, M. Henneberg, 22
February 2022, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259329
- open access -
By identifying
homogeneity in bone and soft tissue covariation
patterns in living hominids, it is possible to
produce facial approximation methods with
interspecies compatibility. These methods may be
useful for producing facial approximations of
fossil hominids that are more realistic than
currently possible. In this study, we conducted
an interspecific comparison of the nasomaxillary
region in chimpanzees and modern humans with the
aim of producing a method for predicting the
positions of the nasal tips of Plio-Pleistocene
hominids. We addressed this aim by first
collecting and performing regression analyses of
linear and angular measurements of nasal cavity
length and inclination in modern humans (Homo
sapiens; n = 72) and chimpanzees (Pan
troglodytes; n = 19), and then performing a set
of out-of-group tests. (...) |
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Experimental investigation of orangutans’ lithic
percussive and sharp stone tool behaviours,
di A. Motes-Rodrigo et alii, 16 February
2022, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263343
- open access -
Early stone tools,
and in particular sharp stone tools, arguably
represent one of the most important
technological milestones in human evolution. The
production and use of sharp stone tools
significantly widened the ecological niche of
our ancestors, allowing them to exploit novel
food resources. However, despite their
importance, it is still unclear how these early
lithic technologies emerged and which behaviours
served as stepping-stones for the development of
systematic lithic production in our lineage. One
approach to answer this question is to collect
comparative data on the stone tool making and
using abilities of our closest living relatives,
the great apes, to reconstruct the potential
stone-related behaviours of early hominins. To
this end, we tested both the individual and the
social learning abilities of five orangutans to
make and use stone tools. Although the
orangutans did not make sharp stone tools
initially, three individuals spontaneously
engaged in lithic percussion, and sharp stone
pieces were produced under later experimental
conditions. (...) |
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Industries archaïques,
"L'Anthropologie", Volume 126, Issue 1, January–March
2022: -
Oldowayen archaïque et Oldowayen classique de l’Afrique
à l’Europe méditerranéenne,
di H. de Lumley
- The evolution
of stone tool technology at Olduvai Gorge
(Tanzania): Contributions from the Olduvai
Paleoanthropology and Paleoecology Project,
di F. Diez-Martín et alii
- New Oldowan
localities at high level within Kilombe Caldera,
Kenya, di
J. A.J. Gowlett et alii
- Une vue
d’ensemble sur Melka Kunture, grand complexe de
sites pléistocènes dans la vallée supérieure de
l’Awash (Éthiopie),
di M. Mussi et alii
- Les
industries archaïques au Proche-Orient,
di J. M. Le Tensorer, S. Muhesen
- On the
ecological scenario of the first hominin
dispersal out of Africa,
di P. Palmqvist, G. Rodríguez-Gómez, B.
Figueirido, J. M. García-Aguilar, J. A.
Pérez-Claros
- The Vallonnet
cave on the northern Mediterranean border: A
record of one of the oldest human presences in
Europe, di
D. Cauche
- Cueva Negra
del Estrecho del Río Quípar: Comings and goings
recorded in a late Early (Lower) Pleistocene
microstratigraphical palimpsest,
di M. J. Walker et alii
- Les plus
anciennes industries paléolithiques en Russie,
di S. A. Vasil’ev, S. A. Koulakov
- The birth of
the Acheulian techno-complex in the Caucasus
region, di
E. V. Belyaeva, V. E. Shchelinsky
- Early human
dispersal at the western edge of the Eastern
European plain: Data from Ukraine,
di V. N. Stepanchuk
- The first
lithic industry of mainland Southeast Asia:
Evidence of the earliest hominin in a tropical
context, di
H. Forestier et alii
- The early
lithic productions of Island Southeast Asia:
Traditions or convergences?,
di T. Ingicco, F. Sémah, Y. Zhou, A. M. Sémah,
H. Forestier
- Les premiers
habitants de la caune de l’Arago entre - 700 000
et - 400 000 ans avaient-ils domestiqué le feu ?
savaient-ils l’allumer à leur gré?,
di H. de Lumley
- Commentaires
du Pr Henry de Lumley, Rédacteur en Chef de la
revue L’Anthropologie, portant sur l’article
publié dans ce même volume: «La naissance du
technocomplexe acheuléen dans la région du
Caucase» par Elena V. Belyaeva, Vyacheslav E.
Shchelinsky,
di H. de Lumley |
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The quotidian of the symbolic’. Iconographic
changes between decorated objects in cantabrian
magdalenian portable art. A multivariate
statistical approach,
di S. Salazar Cañarte, O. Rivero Vilá, "Oxford
Journal of Archaeology", Volume 41, Issue 1,
February 2022, Pages 2-21
Cantabrian
portable art enjoys a long research tradition
that has generated a vision of this phenomenon
in which decoration seems to be determined by
the type of artefact to be decorated and the
context in which it participates. However, this
conceptualization does not address the
multiplicity of situations in which decorated
objects were used. In the present work, both the
iconographic variations in Cantabrian
Magdalenian decorated objects and the diachronic
changes in the use of the themes and artefacts
are explored. (...) |
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Rennes, hommes et loups à
la grotte ouest du Portel (Ariège): Analyse
paleoécologique et taphonomique de l'impact des
carnivores de l'ensemble F-F3,
di J. B. Fourvel, N. Frerebeau, P. Magniez, A.
M. Moigne, R. Vézian, "Quaternaire", vol. 32/3 |
2021 : Volume 32 Numéro 3
- open access -
La grotte Ouest du
Portel (Ariège) est un gisement archéologique
majeur pour la connaissance des modalités d’acquisition
et d’exploitation des ressources carnées par les
communautés humaines du Paléolithique moyen.
L’ensemble moustérien F (MIS 3) présente l’accumulation
osseuse la plus riche (avec le renne dominant)
et dont l’analyse archéozoologique a démontré
l’origine anthropique. Si l’impact des
carnivores sur cet ensemble a été reconnu, la
reconnaissance précise de leur rôle reste un
aspect essentiel tant pour comprendre les
relations entre les prédateurs humains et
non-humains que pour estimer les biais induits
par le chapardage secondaire d’éléments osseux
issus d’un dépôt primaire. (...) |
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The middle palaeolithic site of Vajo Salsone in
the monti Lessini, Italian Alps. First report on
the archaeofauna and lithic assemblage with
foliate tools,
di M. Peresani et alii, "Alpine and
Mediterranean Quaternary", vol. 35, n. 1, 2022,
pp. 1–25
This first
report aims to illustrate the Middle
Palaeolithic site of Vajo Salsone in the Monti
Lessini plateau in the eastern Italian Alps, its
geological and geomorphological context, the
conditions leading to its discovery occurred
after a road cutting, and the archaeological
excavation of a karst structure where the
sediments, faunal and cultural remains were
still preserved. The karst infill is a massive
clast-supported breccia with abundant animal
bones and lithic artifacts coated of carbonate
encrustations. The first analysis of the samples
of small and large mammal assemblages recovered
in the karst deposits has revealed the abundance
of Microtus arvalis, a rodent currently reported
to live in open environments and in relatively
drier regions of northern Italy. (...) |
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Early hominin group size: A perspective from
Bestwood 1, Northern Cape Province, South Africa,
di M. Chazan, "Quaternary International", Volume
614, 20 March 2022, Pages 7-15
The study of
primate social behavior in the wild has emerged
as a tool with great potential for increasing
our understanding early hominins. However, the
application of models generated from observation
of living primates to the archaeological record
is challenging. Bestwood 1, a component of the
Kathu Complex of sites in the Northern Cape
Province, (...) |
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Single grain TT-OSL ages for the Earlier Stone
Age site of Bestwood 1 (Northern Cape Province,
South Africa),
di M. Richard, M. Chazan, N. Porat, "Quaternary
International", Volume 614, 20 March 2022, Pages
16-22
The transition
from the Earlier Stone Age (ESA) to the Middle
Stone Age (MSA) in the interior of southern
Africa is associated with the Fauresmith
Industry. Major cultural developments found in
the Fauresmith include regular use of ochre and
other coloured minerals, prepared core
technology including blade and point production,
and the use of hafted spears. Chronological
control for the Fauresmith is weak so that
critical questions regarding the relationship of
this industry to the evolution of modern humans
remain unresolved. Here we present ages for the
Bestwood 1 site, an open-air locality in the
Northern Cape Province (South Africa) where an
extensive Fauresmith occupation is found
underlying sand deposits. (...) |
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Exploring the Later Stone Age at a micro-scale:
New high-resolution excavations at Wonderwerk
Cave, di S.
E. Rhodes et alii, "Quaternary
International", Volume 614, 20 March 2022, Pages
126-145
In 2018, we
initiated renewed excavation of the Later Stone
Age (LSA) deposits at Wonderwerk Cave. Here we
describe the goals and initial results of the
first two seasons of excavation, including the
first micromorphological description of these
deposits. We employed a small-scale excavation
technique to emphasize precision recording and
limit the destruction of sensitive deposits. Our
preliminary results indicate that meaningful
patterns in material culture records and
paleoecological proxy materials can be derived
from such investigations. (...) |
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Middle Stone Age wood use in Rose Cottage Cave
South Africa: Evidence from charcoal
identifications,
di S. Lennox, L. Wadley, "Quaternary
International", Volumes 611–612, 20 February
2022, Pages 102-114
Here we present
charcoal identifications for Rose Cottage Cave,
Eastern Free State, from layers dated between
about 96,000 and 35,000 years ago (~96 and ~35
ka ago). We then suggest plant community types
that might have been established in the area in
warm Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS5) versus cooler
MIS4/MIS3 phases. The hypothesis is that
frost-tender plants should occur in warm phases
while hardy Leucosidea sericea, Protea spp. and
Erica spp. should be more common during cooler
phases more recent than ~74 ka ago. (...) |
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The MIS 5a (~80 ka) Middle Stone Age lithic
assemblages from Melikane Rockshelter, Lesotho:
Highland adaptation and social fragmentation,
di K. R. Pazana, G. Dewar, B. A. Stewart, "Quaternary
International", Volumes 611–612, 20 February
2022, Pages 115-133
Multidisciplinary
research suggests that Marine Isotope Stage 5
(~130–74 ka) was an important evolutionary stage
in African deep history. Population expansion
and growth spurred changes in material culture
as well as the exploration of previously
unoccupied regions and ecosystems. The
archaeological sequence at Melikane Rockshelter
(1860 masl) in the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains
of highland Lesotho, southern Africa, stretches
from the late Holocene back to sub-stage 5a, ~80
ka. The site's earliest strata represent one of
the earliest known examples of a sustained human
presence in high mountain systems worldwide.
(...) |
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Moshebi's shelter at fifty: Reinvestigating the
Later Stone Age of the Sehlabathebe Basin,
Lesotho, di
P. Mitchell, C. Arthur, H. Pinto, C. Capelli, "Quaternary
International", Volumes 611–612, 20 February
2022, Pages 163-176
Professional
archaeology in Lesotho was initiated 50 years
ago when Pat Carter, working with Patricia
Vinnicombe, excavated the site of Moshebi's
Shelter in the Sehlabathebe Basin. His
excavations there identified a sequence of both
Middle and Later Stone Age (LSA) industries, the
latter falling within the last 2200 years.
However, the site was never fully published and
Carter's use of 10-cm-thick spits to excavate
its deposits raises questions about the precise
stratigraphic (...) |
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Regional heterogeneity of
environmental stressors for the Early, Middle
and Late Palaeolithic European human populations
related to the evolutionary lineage of
Neanderthals,
di A. J. Trájer, "Quaternary Science Reviews",
Volume 278, 15 February 2022, 107365
Pleistocene
climatic fluctuations could play an important
role in the development of the human
phylogenetic line of Neanderthals. The aim of
this study was to model how the climate-based
physiological, cognitive, and vector-borne
disease risk stressors for humans could vary in
Europe by area and time from the Lower
Palaeolithic era to the extinction of
Neanderthals. For this purpose, the climatic
requirements of the ancient humans were
reconstructed based on the Early, Middle and
Upper Palaeolithic occurrences of humans in
Europe and its wider geographical environment
for 8 Palaeolithic times and further six health
and cold adaptation-related factors were also
modelled. The adaptation of European human
populations to the cool and volatile Pleistocene
climate of Europe could gradually happen. While
the Middle Palaeolithic humans in Europe lived
in areas with long and medium-long vegetation
periods and low or middle January mortality risk,
in the late Palaeolithic the Neanderthal
populations may have settled in areas with short
ones. (...) |
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Modern human incursion into Neanderthal
territories 54,000 years ago at Mandrin, France,
di L. Slimak et alii, Volume 8, Issue 6,
11 feb 2022 - open
access -
Determining the
extent of overlap between modern humans and
other hominins in Eurasia, such as Neanderthals
and Denisovans, is fundamental to understanding
the nature of their interactions and what led to
the disappearance of archaic hominins. Apart
from a possible sporadic pulse recorded in
Greece during the Middle Pleistocene, the first
settlements of modern humans in Europe have been
constrained to ~45,000 to 43,000 years ago. Here,
we report hominin fossils from Grotte Mandrin in
France that reveal the earliest known presence
of modern humans in Europe between 56,800 and
51,700 years ago. This early modern human
incursion in the Rhône Valley is associated with
technologies unknown in any industry of that age
outside Africa or the Levant. Mandrin documents
the first alternating occupation of Neanderthals
and modern humans, with a modern human fossil
and associated Neronian lithic industry found
stratigraphically between layers containing
Neanderthal remains associated with Mousterian
industries. (...)
·
Did Neanderthals and modern humans take turns
living in a French cave?
di P. Michael, "Science", 9 feb 2022
·
Homo sapiens dans
la grotte Mandrin il y a 54 000 ans?
"Hominidés",
10/02/2022 |
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An
improved chronology for the Middle Stone Age at
El Mnasra cave, Morocco,
di E. B. Arous et alii, 11 February 2022,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261282
- open access -
North African
coastal Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites are key to
study the development and expansion of early H.
sapiens. El Mnasra cave on the Atlantic coast of
Morocco (Témara region) is a crucial site
associated with MSA archaeological materials
considered advanced cognitive hallmarks of
behavioural innovation, such as numerous
Nassariidae perforated shells, hematite pigments,
bones industry and coastal resources
exploitation. We provide new trapped-charges
dates (OSL and combined US-ESR ages). Our
Bayesian modelling strengthens the new
lithostratigraphic interpretation of the cave
stratigraphic units (US) and we propose an
updated chronostratigraphic model for the Middle
Stone Age archaeo-sequence of El Mnasra Cave.
(...) |
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Neanderthal settlement of the Central Balkans
during MIS 5: Evidence from Pešturina Cave,
Serbia, di
D. Mihailović et alii, "Quaternary
International", Volume 610, 10 February 2022,
Pages 1-19
Recent research in
the southern Central Balkans has resulted in the
discovery of the first Middle Paleolithic sites
in this region. Systematic excavations of Velika
and Mala Balanica, and Pešturina (southern
Serbia) revealed assemblages of Middle
Paleolithic artifacts associated with hominin
fossils and animal bones. This paper focuses on
Pešturina Layer 4, radiometrically and
biostratigraphically dated to Marine Isotope
Stage (MIS) 5, which yielded traces of temporary
hunting camps. The remains of large ungulate
prey are associated with predominantly
Quina-type artifacts made of quartz. (...) |
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‘We hunt to share’: social dynamics and very
large mammal butchery during the Oldowan–Acheulean
transition,
di G. J. Linares Matás, J. Yravedra, "World
Archaeology", 07 Feb 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2022.2030793
- open access -
The Early
Pleistocene (2.58–0.78 Ma) was a period of major
evolutionary changes in the hominin lineage. The
progressive consolidation of bipedal locomotion,
alongside increases in cranial capacity and
behavioural flexibility, allowed early Homo to
exploit an increasing diversity of resources and
environmental settings within the changing
landscapes of East Africa and beyond. These
complex processes were not necessarily linear or
spatially uniform, given the technological
diversity documented, particularly during the
Oldowan–Acheulean transition. In this paper, we
argue that human populations experienced a
considerable demographic expansion from
c.1.7–1.5 (...) |
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Richard Leakey (1944–2022),
di M. Mirazón Lahr, "Nature", Volume 602, Issue
7895, 3 February 2022
Richard Leakey
made palaeontological discoveries of lasting
significance, and brought animal poaching to the
world’s attention. His fossil finds at Koobi
Fora on the shores of Lake Turkana, Kenya,
transformed our understanding of the diversity
of human ancestors. He directed Kenya’s national
museum, reorganized the country’s wildlife
services and headed Kenya’s civil service. He
died aged 77, at home in the Ngong Hills, Kenya.
In science, he liked exploration, big-picture
problems and building institutions. He made huge
strides in conservation, empowering
organizations and deploying shock tactics. He
entered politics, creating an opposition party,
then worked in government, finally becoming its
corruption watchdog. He mentored young Kenyan
scholars, conservationists and artists who are
now leaders in their field. (...) |
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The earliest Pleistocene record of a
large-bodied hominin from the Levant supports
two out-of-Africa dispersal events,
di A. Barash et alii, "Scientific Reports",
volume 12, article number: 1721, 02 february
2022 - open access -
The paucity of
early Pleistocene hominin fossils in Eurasia
hinders an in-depth discussion on their
paleobiology and paleoecology. Here we report on
the earliest large-bodied hominin remains from
the Levantine corridor: a juvenile vertebra (UB
10749) from the early Pleistocene site of
‘Ubeidiya, Israel, discovered during a
reanalysis of the faunal remains. UB 10749 is a
complete lower lumbar vertebral body, with
morphological characteristics consistent with
Homo sp. Our analysis indicates that UB-10749
was a 6- to 12-year-old child at death,
displaying delayed ossification pattern compared
with modern humans. Its predicted adult size is
comparable to other early Pleistocene
large-bodied hominins from Africa.
Paleobiological differences between UB 10749 and
other early Eurasian hominins supports at least
two distinct out-of-Africa dispersal events.
This observation corresponds with variants of
lithic traditions (Oldowan; Acheulian) as well
as various ecological niches across early
Pleistocene sites in Eurasia. (...) |
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No
sustained increase in zooarchaeological evidence
for carnivory after the appearance of Homo
erectus, di
W. A. Barr, B. Pobiner, J. Rowan, A. Du, J. T.
Faith, "Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences", 01 February 2022; vol. 119 no. 5,
e2115540119
The appearance of
Homo erectus shortly after 2.0 Ma is widely
considered a turning point in human dietary
evolution, with increased consumption of animal
tissues driving the evolution of larger brain
and body size and a reorganization of the gut.
An increase in the size and number of
zooarchaeological assemblages after the
appearance of H. erectus is often offered as a
central piece of archaeological evidence for
increased carnivory in this species, but this
characterization has yet to be subject to
detailed scrutiny. Any widespread dietary shift
leading to the acquisition of key traits in H.
erectus should be persistent in the
zooarchaeological record through time and can
only be convincingly demonstrated by a
broad-scale analysis that transcends individual
sites or localities. (...) |
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Les comportements
symboliques de Néandertal,
01/02/2020
Depuis les années
2010, un être préhistorique ne cesse de faire
parler de lui : Néandertal. Cet hominidé est
devenu une star de la préhistoire. La génétique
déjà a permis de démontrer que notre espèce
avait à plusieurs reprises eu des contacts plus
que proches avec des Néandertaliens. Nous avons
même quelques pourcentages d’ADN en commun comme
avec d’autres espèces d’ailleurs… Il devenait de
plus en plus difficile de reléguer cette espèce
proche au rang de cousin éloigné un peu fruste,
voire primitif.
Pour le paléoanthropologue Antoine Balzeau, «
Chose certaine, il faut cesser de hiérarchiser
les espèces humaines : notre anthropocentrisme
biaise tout ce que nous faisons ! Ils n’étaient
ni inférieurs ni égaux, juste différents. Et
avec un cerveau très différent du nôtre, ces
gens avaient des comportements tout aussi
complexes ».
Il apparaît maintenant que Néandertal avait une
culture, des pratiques, un savoir-faire bien à
lui. Il ne faut pas essayer de comparer
perpétuellement les aptitudes de Néandertal par
rapport à celles de Sapiens (ou des autres
espèces…). (...) |
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Meat on the menu: GIS spatial distribution
analysis of bone surface damage indicates that
Oldowan hominins at Kanjera South, Kenya had
early access to carcasses,
di J. A.Parkinson, T. W. Plummer, J. S. Oliver,
L. C. Bishop, "Quaternary Science Reviews",
Volume 277, 1 February 2022, 107314
The shift to
increased meat consumption is one of the major
adaptive changes in hominin dietary evolution.
Although meat eating by Oldowan hominins is well
evidenced at Pleistocene archaeological sites in
eastern Africa by butchery marks on bones, the
methods through which carcasses were acquired
(i.e., hunting vs. scavenging) and extent of
their completeness (fleshed vs. defleshed) is
less certain. This study addresses these issues
through a geographic information systems (GIS)
comparative analysis of bone modification
patterns created by hominins and carnivores
observed in the ca. 2.0 Ma assemblage from
Kanjera South, Kenya and those of several modern,
experimentally modified bone assemblages.
(...) |
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Marmot hunting during the Upper Palaeolithic:
The specialized exploitation at Grotte di Pradis
(Italian pre-Alps),
di N. Nannini et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 277, 1 February 2022,
107364
In the last few
years several studies have reassessed the
attraction and the role of small game in the
subsistence economy of hunter-gatherers across
Europe and the Mediterranean region since the
Middle Paleolithic. The exploitation of small
mammals intensified during the
Pleistocene-Holocene transition, when some
unusual faunal assemblages were recorded in the
Alpine arch and the Prealpine belt. In this
region marmot became a relevant resource during
the Late Glacial, albeit the relative foraging
systems were mostly focused on the exploitation
of medium and large size herbivores. In this
report we present zooarchaeological data from
Grotte di Pradis (northeastern Italy) which
displays a faunal assemblage composed of at
least 637 marmot individuals, representing about
the 99% of the total remains. (...) |
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Middle Stone Age mineral pigment procurement at
Pinnacle Point 5–6 North, Western Cape province,
South Africa,
di J. R. McGrath, B. L. MacDonald, D. Stalla, "Archaeometry",
February 2022, Volume 64, Issue 1, Pages 193-217
- open access -
We report on a
multi-method sourcing study of 35 mineral
pigment artefacts from the Middle Stone Age site
of Pinnacle Point 5-6 North (PP5-6 N), dating
from about 90-50 ka The artefacts were analysed
and compared with geological samples from seven
sources using neutron activation analysis (NAA),
and supplemented by data from X-ray diffraction
(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Our preliminary results suggest that the
occupants of PP5-6 N likely used at least two
local and one currently unidentified and
possibly non-local Fe oxide mineral pigment
sources. The mineral pigment artefacts derived
from the latter source(s) exhibited manganese
(Mn) enrichment with concentrations well above
those observed in all sampled source deposits in
the study area, suggesting a distinctive
formation process. (...) |
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Special Issue:
Peninsular southern Europe refugia during the
Middle Palaeolithic,
Volume 37, Issue 2, Pages: i-iii, 133-393,
February 2022, Issue Edited by: Nuno Bicho,
Milena Carvalho:
- Peninsular
southern Europe refugia during the Middle
Palaeolithic: an introduction,
di N. Bicho, M. Carvalho
- What is a
refugium? Questions for the Middle–Upper
Palaeolithic transition in peninsular southern
Europe, di
E. Lena Jones
- Neanderthals
on the Lower Danube: Middle Palaeolithic
evidence in the Danube Gorges of the Balkans,
di D. Borić et alii
- Investigating
Middle Palaeolithic subsistence:
zooarchaeological perspectives on the potential
character of hominin climate refugia in Greece,
di E. Roditi, B. M. Starkovich
- A
palaeoecological view of the last Neanderthals
at the crossroads of south-central Europe and
the central Mediterranean: long-term stability
or pronounced environmental change with human
responses,
di I. Karavanić, M. Banda, S. Radović, S. Miko,
N. Vukosavljević, I. Razum, F. H. Smith
- Human
occupation continuity in southern Italy towards
the end of the Middle Palaeolithic: a
palaeoenvironmental perspective from Apulia,
di F. Boschin et alii
- Back to
Uluzzo – archaeological, palaeoenvironmental and
chronological context of the Mid–Upper
Palaeolithic sequence at Uluzzo C Rock Shelter (Apulia,
southern Italy),
di E. E. Spinapolice et alii
- Integrated
multidisciplinary ecological analysis from the
Uluzzian settlement at the Uluzzo C Rock Shelter,
south-eastern Italy,
di S. Silvestrini et alii
- Neanderthals
of Porto Selvaggio in southern Italy: lithic
industry of Grotta Torre dell'Alto (Nardò,
Lecce), di
F. Ranaldo, D. Massafra, K. Kitagawa
- The
‘Semi-Sterile Mousterian’ of Riparo Bombrini:
evidence of a late-lasting Neanderthal refugium
in Liguria,
di J. Riel-Salvatore, F. Negrino, G. Pothier
Bouchard, A. Vallerand, S. Costa, S. Benazzi
- Neanderthal
last stand? Thoughts on Iberian refugia in late
MIS 3, di
L. Guy Straus
- The spatial
patterning of Middle Palaeolithic human
settlement in westernmost Iberia,
di J. Cascalheira, C. Gonçalves, D. Maio
- Neanderthal
palaeoecology in the late Middle Palaeolithic of
western Iberia: a stable isotope analysis of
ungulate teeth from Lapa do Picareiro (Portugal),
di M. Carvalho et alii
- What
Neanderthals and AMH ate: reassessment of the
subsistence across the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic
transition in the Vasco-Cantabrian region of SW
Europe, di
A. B. MarÍN-Arroyo, A. Sanz-Royo
- Iberian
Neanderthals in forests and savannahs,
di J. Ochando et alii
- Could the
central-eastern Iberian Mediterranean region be
defined as a refugium? Fauna and flora in MIS
5–3 and their implications for Palaeolithic
human behaviour,
di C. Real et alii
- Complexity in
the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition in
Peninsular Southern Europe and application of
refugium concepts,
di M. Carvalho, N. Bicho |
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Further analyses of the structural organization
of Homo luzonensis teeth: Evolutionary
implications,
di C. Zanolli et alii, "Journal of Human
Evolution", Volume 163, February 2022, 103124
The species Homo
luzonensis has recently been described based on
a set of dental and postcranial elements found
at Callao Cave (Northern Luzon, Philippines) and
dated to at least 50–67 ka. Seven postcanine
maxillary teeth are attributed to this taxon,
five of them belonging to the same individual
(CCH6) and representing the holotype of H.
luzonensis, whereas the isolated upper premolar
CCH8 and the upper third molar CCH9 are
paratypes of the species. The teeth are
characterized by their small dimensions
associated with primitive features, as also
found in Homo floresiensis, another hominin
having evolved in an insular environment of
Southeast Asia. (...) |
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Mosaic habitats at Woranso-Mille (Ethiopia)
during the Pliocene and implications for
Australopithecus paleoecology and taxonomic
diversity,
di D. F. Su, Y. Haile-Selassie, "Journal of
Human Evolution", Volume 163, February 2022,
103076
Many important
Pliocene hominin specimens have been recovered
from Woranso-Mille, a paleontological research
area in the Afar region of Ethiopia, including
the complete cranium of Australopithecus
anamensis, a partial skeleton of
Australopithecus afarensis, mandibular and
maxillary elements representing a new species,
Australopithecus deyiremeda, and a partial foot
of an as-yet-unnamed species. Woranso-Mille is
the only site, so far, to have reported the
co-existence of more than one early hominin
species between 3.8 and 3.3 Ma and the temporal
overlap between A. anamensis and A. afarensis.
(...) |
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Connections between the Levant and the Balkans
in the late Middle Pleistocene: Archaeological
findings from Velika and Mala Balanica Caves
(Serbia),
di D. Mihailović et alii, "Journal of
Human Evolution", Volume 163, February 2022,
103138
Major changes in
the technological, economic, and social behavior
of Middle Pleistocene hominins occurred at the
onset of the Middle Paleolithic, 400–200 ka.
However, until recently it was not possible to
establish when, where, and how certain forms of
Middle Paleolithic behavior appeared and spread
into Southeastern Europe, mainly owing to gaps
in the Paleolithic record. Here we report new
results of dating, material culture, and the
archaeological context of finds from the
Balanica Cave Complex in Sićevo (Serbia). Two
methods—thermoluminescence and electron spin
resonance—were used to date the sequence.
(...) |
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Resolving the “muddle in
the middle”: The case for Homo bodoensis sp.
nov.,
di M. Roksandic, P. Radović, X. J. Wu, C. J. Bae,
"Evolutionary Anthropology", volume 31, issue 1,
January/February 2022, pages 20-29
- open access -
Recent
developments in the field of palaeoanthropology
necessitate the suppression of two hominin taxa
and the introduction of a new species of
hominins to help resolve the current nebulous
state of Middle Pleistocene (Chibanian) hominin
taxonomy. In particular, the poorly defined and
variably understood hominin taxa Homo
heidelbergensis (both sensu stricto and sensu
lato) and Homo rhodesiensis need to be abandoned
as they fail to reflect the full range of
hominin variability in the Middle Pleistocene.
Instead, we propose: (1) introduction of a new
taxon, Homo bodoensis sp. nov., as an early
Middle Pleistocene ancestor of the Homo sapiens
lineage, with a pan-African distribution that
extends into the eastern Mediterranean (Southeast
Europe and the Levant); (...) |
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Age of the oldest known Homo sapiens from
eastern Africa,
di C. M. Vidal et alii, "Nature", Volume
601, Issue, 7894, 27 January 2022, pages 579–583
- open access -
Efforts to date
the oldest modern human fossils in eastern
Africa, from Omo-Kibish and Herto in Ethiopia,
have drawn on a variety of chronometric evidence,
including 40Ar/39Ar ages of stratigraphically
associated tuffs. The ages that are generally
reported for these fossils are around 197 thousand
years (kyr) for the Kibish Omo I, and around
160–155 kyr for the Herto hominins. However, the
stratigraphic relationships and tephra
correlations that underpin these estimates have
been challenged. Here we report geochemical
analyses that link the Kamoya’s Hominid Site (KHS)
Tuff, which conclusively overlies the member of
the Omo-Kibish Formation that contains Omo I,
with a major explosive eruption of Shala volcano
in the Main Ethiopian Rift. (...) |
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The influence of smoke density on hearth
location and activity areas at Lower Paleolithic
Lazaret Cave, France,
di Y. Kedar, G. Kedar, R. Barkai, "Scientific
Reports", volume 12, article number: 1469, 27
January 2022 - open
access -
We analyze the
influence of hearth location and smoke dispersal
on potential activity areas at Lower Paleolithic
Lazaret Cave, France, focusing on
archaeostratigraphic unit UA25, where a single
hearth was unearthed, and GIS and activity area
analysis were performed by the excavators. We
simulated smoke dispersal from 16 hypothetical
hearth locations and analyzed their effect on
potential working spaces. Four activity zones
were defined, according to the average smoke
exposure recommendations from the World Health
Organization (WHO) and Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). We found that the size of the low
smoke density area and its distance from the
hearth are the main parameters for choosing
hearth location. (...) |
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Upper Paleolithic ceramic figurines and
similarities to some late Pleistocene pigment
and pottery materials and technologies of
Eurasia, di
P. B. Vandiver, "Quaternary International",
Volumes 608–609, 20 January 2022, Pages 8-32
Three soft stone
technologies that characterize the Upper
Paleolithic period are fired ceramic figurines,
pigments prepared from colored minerals that
often consist of or include clay, and, lastly,
pottery vessels. The earliest synthetic material
of which we have a permanent artifactual record
was made at 26,000 cal BP (Klima 1959b, 1963),
marking the beginnings of chemical technology
and pyrotechnology and is the concern of the
first part of this paper. A review is presented
of Upper Paleolithic ceramic figurines at the
group of habitation sites in Moravia that
includes Dolní Věstonice, Pavlov, Předmosti and
Petřkovice. Dolní Věstonice, the only proven
production site with the largest collection of
ceramics, was the focus of the study because of
the possibility of analyzing figurine fragments,
kiln remains and raw materials that enabled
reverse engineering of the technology. (...) |
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Mid and Late Upper Palaeolithic in the Adriatic
Basin: Chronology, transitions and human
adaptations to a changing landscape,
di A. Ruiz-Redondo et alii, "Quaternary
Science Reviews", Volume 276, 15 January 2022,
107319 - open access -
This paper
presents the first attempt to establish a Mid
and Late Upper Palaeolithic absolute chronology
of the Adriatic basin, including both eastern
and western Adriatic coasts and their
hinterlands. The proposed chronology for
Gravettian, Early and Late Epigravettian
techno-complexes is based on statistical
analysis of 278 14C dates from 66 archaeological
sites. Our analyses are directed towards 1)
identifying whether major climatic episodes and
corresponding transformations in the local
environments are correlated with long-term
demographic trends, and potential changes in
spatial patterning of human occupation, and 2)
identifying robust absolute chronological
estimates of techno-complexes to establish the
timing of their succession, including their
possible overlaps. (...) |
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Levantine overkill: 1.5 million years of hunting
down the body size distribution,
di J. Dembitzer, R. Barkai, M. Ben-Dor, S. Meiri,
"Quaternary Science Reviews", Volume 276, 15
January 2022, 107316
Multiple
large-bodied species went extinct during the
Pleistocene. Changing climates and/or human
hunting are the main hypotheses used to explain
these extinctions. We studied the causes of
Pleistocene extinctions in the Southern Levant,
and their subsequent effect on local hominin
food spectra, by examining faunal remains in
archaeological sites across the last 1.5 million
years. We examined whether climate and climate
changes, and/or human cultures, are associated
with these declines. We recorded animal
abundances published in the literature from 133
stratigraphic layers, across 58 Pleistocene and
Early Holocene archaeological sites, in the
Southern Levant. We used linear regressions and
mixed models to assess the weighted mean mass of
faunal assemblages through time and whether it
was associated with temperature (...) |
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Why did hunting weapon design change at Abri
Pataud? Lithic use-wear data on armature use and
hafting around 24,000–22,000 BP,
di N. Taipale, L. Chiotti, V. Rots, 14 January
2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262185
- open access -
Projectile
technology is commonly viewed as a significant
contributor to past human subsistence and,
consequently, to our evolution. Due to the
allegedly central role of projectile weapons in
the food-getting strategies of Upper
Palaeolithic people, typo-technological changes
in the European lithic record have often been
linked to supposed developments in hunting
weaponry. Yet, relatively little reliable
functional data is currently available that
would aid the detailed reconstruction of past
weapon designs. In this paper, we take a
use-wear approach to the backed tool assemblages
from the Recent and Final Gravettian layers (Levels
3 and 2) of Abri Pataud (Dordogne, France). Our
use of strict projectile identification criteria
relying on combinations of low and high
magnification features and our critical view of
the overlap between production and use-related
fractures permitted us to confidently identify a
large number of used armatures in both
collections. By isolating lithic projectiles
with the strongest evidence of impact and by
recording wear attributes on them in detail, we
could establish that the hunting equipment used
during the Level 3 occupations involved both
lithic weapon tips and composite points armed
with lithic inserts. (...) |
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Ostrich eggshell beads reveal 50,000-year-old
social network in Africa,
di J. M. Miller, Y. V. Wang, "Nature", Volume
601, Issue 7892, 13 January 2022, pages 234–239
- open access -
Humans evolved in
a patchwork of semi-connected populations across
Africa1,2; understanding when and how these
groups connected is critical to interpreting our
present-day biological and cultural diversity.
Genetic analyses reveal that eastern and
southern African lineages diverged sometime in
the Pleistocene epoch, approximately 350–70
thousand years ago (ka)3,4; however, little is
known about the exact timing of these
interactions, the cultural context of these
exchanges or the mechanisms that drove their
separation. Here we compare ostrich eggshell
bead variations between eastern and southern
Africa to explore population dynamics over the
past 50,000 years. (...) |
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45,000 year-old jewellery found in Denisova Cave,
2 January 2022
A second stone
bracelet has been discovered in the Southern
Gallery of the Denisova cave, resembling the
first one found in 2008 near the entrance of the
cave's Eastern Gallery. Found in three pieces,
this second bracelet is fashioned from white
marble. The first is made of a dark-green
mineral called chloritolite. Since 2017 a
variety of rings, pendants, and beads, and now
the one bracelet have been found in the Southern
Gallery, totalling more than 70 personal
adornments. Also found are two sharp pins made
from the smaller lower leg bones of marmots - a
type of large ground squirrel. Widely known in
the Palaeolithic of Western Europe, (...) |
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Plant bedding construction between 60,000 and
40,000 years ago at Border Cave, South Africa,
di C. Sievers, L. Backwell, F. d’Errico, L.
Wadley, "Quaternary Science Reviews", Volume
275, 1 January 2022, 107280
Extraordinary
preservation of plant remains provides an
insight into the construction and materials of
bedding at Border Cave, South Africa. Towards
the back of the cave there are particularly
thick layers of desiccated and charred grass and
our botanical study is from bulk samples of
these approximately 60,000 to 40,000 year-old
layers (Members 3 BS, 2 WA, 2 BS and 1 BS Lower
C). More than one type of panicoid grass was
identified, sedge nutlets were present in the
older layers and in Member 2 WA particularly,
eudicotyledon leaves were preserved. (...) |
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New human fossil from the latest Pleistocene
levels of Grotta Romanelli (Apulia, southern
Italy), di
B. Mecozzi et alii, "Archaeological and
Anthropological Sciences", volume 14, issue 1,
January 2022, article number: 27
Grotta Romanelli
can be counted among the most interesting sites
for the late Upper Palaeolithic of the
Mediterranean area, since returned a consistent
record of lithic artefacts, faunal remains,
mobiliary and parietal art, and human fossils
which represent the least-known materials from
the context. The resumption of the
investigations in 2015, after 40 years of
inactivity in the cave, provided relevant
results. During the 2019 campaign, a distal
phalanx of the hand was recovered in the
so-called terre brune levels (...) |
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How Neanderthals gripped retouchers:
experimental reconstruction of the manipulation
of bone retouchers by Neanderthal stone knappers,
di K. Kolobova et alii, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", volume 14, issue
1, January 2022, article number: 26
When studying bone
retouchers, researchers pay close attention to
the morphological characteristics of the tool’s
active zone, and the lithic raw material
processed. In our research, we found that the
orientation of the bone retoucher in the hand
and the grip employed to retain and manipulate
it are crucial factors that affect the
morphological characteristics of the retoucher’s
active zone. By examining two alternative grips
for manipulating bone retouchers ((1) Using all
the fingers of one hand in a power grip; (2)
Using only the first three digits of one hand in
a pinch grip), we found that when the retoucher
is held in the first manner, the active area is
larger, as is the amount of bone removed by the
retoucher. (...) |
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Raw material selectivity in Lower Paleolithic
shaped stone ball production: experimental
research,
di E. Assaf, J. Baena Preysler, "Archaeological
and Anthropological Sciences", volume 14, issue
1, January 2022, article number: 24
Shaped stone balls
are ubiquitous in Oldowan and Acheulian sites
worldwide. Despite years of research, very
little is known about the shaping process of
these items. A comprehensive literary review
indicates variability in the types of rocks from
which these items were shaped. At a number of
sites, however, selectivity in the choice of
materials used to make the balls is of note,
with carbonate rocks (usually limestone) being
preferred over flint and quartz. Do certain
qualities of limestone affect the production
process of stone balls? Is this selectivity
related to their function? And do different rock
types affect the development of macro
detachments visible on the archaeological items?
We explored these questions through a series of
experiments, during which stone balls were
shaped from different materials and then used
for bone breaking. (...) |
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Reconstructing
Middle Stone Age mobility patterns from raw
material transfers in South Africa’s Still Bay
(77–70 ka) technocomplex,
di A. Mackay, C. J. H. Ames, J. L. McNeil, M.
Shaw, "Archaeological and Anthropological
Sciences", volume 14, issue 1, January 2022,
article number: 14
South Africa’s
Still Bay technocomplex (77–70 ka) is an early
example of a technological system organised
around the production of bifacial points. Noting
the diversity of raw materials used and the
frequency of non-local raw materials found among
excavated bifacial point assemblages, numerous
researchers have argued that Still Bay foragers
were highly mobile. This pattern, however, is in
contrast to that observed in some open-air
surface Still Bay assemblages, where raw
material diversity among bifacial points is low
and local rocks dominate. (...) |
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Journal of Human
Evolution,
Volume 162, January 2022:
-
Reappraisal of the
chronology of Orgnac 3 Lower-to-Middle
Paleolithic site (Ardèche, France), a regional
key sequence for the Middle Pleistocene of
southern France,
di Jean-Jacques Bahain et alii
-
Geometric morphometric
variability in the supraorbital and orbital
region of Middle Pleistocene hominins:
Implications for the taxonomy and evolution of
later Homo,
di S. White, M. Pope, S. Hillson, C. Soligo
-
Acheulean variability in
Western Europe: The case of Menez-Dregan I (Plouhinec,
Finistère, France),
di A. L. Ravon, P. García-Medrano, M. H. Moncel,
N. Ashton
-
Reconstructing Neanderthal
diet: The case for carbohydrates,
di K. Hardy, H. Bocherens, J. Brand Miller, L.
Copeland
-Reconstruction
and analysis of the DAN5/P1 and BSN12/P1 Gona
Early Pleistocene Homo fossils,
di K. L. Baab, M. Rogers, E. Bruner, S. Semaw
-
Early Pleistocene hominin
subsistence behaviors in South Africa: Evidence
from the hominin-bearing deposit of Cooper's D (Bloubank
Valley, South Africa),
di R. Hanon et alii |
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Index
di antiqui |
Sommario
bacheca |
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