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Shemer M, Barzilai O, Marder O. Cultural Dynamics in the Levantine Upper Paleolithic, ca. 40-33 ky BP: Insights Based on Recent Advances in the Study of the Levantine Aurignacian, the Arkov-Divshon, and the Atlitian. JOURNAL OF PALEOLITHIC ARCHAEOLOGY 2024; 7:10. [PMID: 38694615 PMCID: PMC11058049 DOI: 10.1007/s41982-024-00176-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
The chrono-cultural sequence of the Levantine Upper Paleolithic went through several major revisions during approximately a century of focused research, each revision contributing to shedding light on the mosaic of cultural entities and the complex social and cultural dynamics composing the Levantine Upper Paleolithic. The current state of research suggests the co-inhabitance of two cultural groups: the Early Ahmarian and the Levantine Aurignacian. Two other cultural entities, the Arkov-Divshon and the Atlitian, are regarded as younger manifestations and were tentatively suggested to relate to the Levantine Aurignacian. This paper presents a research synthesis of two case studies: Manot Cave, located in western Galilee, Israel, and Nahal Rahaf 2 Rockshelter in the Judean Desert. The application of high-resolution excavation methods, alongside detailed documentation of the stratigraphy and site-formation processes and wide-scale radiocarbon-based absolute dating, marked these sites as ideal for chrono-cultural study through the analyses of flint industries. The results indicate a clear distinction between the Levantine Aurignacian and the Arkov-Divshon/Atlitian industries and a chronological overlap between the Arkov-Divshon, Levantine Aurignacian, and possibly with the Early Ahmarian. Subsequently, we suggest another revision of the currently accepted chrono-cultural model: not two, but at least three cultural entities co-inhabited the Levant at ca. 40-30 ky cal BP. This study further suggests an evolvement of the Atlitian flint industries from the Arkov-Divshon and stresses the foreign cultural features of the Levantine Aurignacian. These results were used to construct an updated model of migration and possible interaction patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maayan Shemer
- Department of Archaeology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, 84105 Beer Sheva, Israel
- Archaeological Research Department, Israel Antiquities Authority, The National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, 1 Nahman Avigad Street, 9370726 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Omry Barzilai
- The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Ofer Marder
- Department of Archaeology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, 84105 Beer Sheva, Israel
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Tobler R, Souilmi Y, Huber CD, Bean N, Turney CSM, Grey ST, Cooper A. The role of genetic selection and climatic factors in the dispersal of anatomically modern humans out of Africa. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2213061120. [PMID: 37220274 PMCID: PMC10235988 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2213061120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolutionarily recent dispersal of anatomically modern humans (AMH) out of Africa (OoA) and across Eurasia provides a unique opportunity to examine the impacts of genetic selection as humans adapted to multiple new environments. Analysis of ancient Eurasian genomic datasets (~1,000 to 45,000 y old) reveals signatures of strong selection, including at least 57 hard sweeps after the initial AMH movement OoA, which have been obscured in modern populations by extensive admixture during the Holocene. The spatiotemporal patterns of these hard sweeps provide a means to reconstruct early AMH population dispersals OoA. We identify a previously unsuspected extended period of genetic adaptation lasting ~30,000 y, potentially in the Arabian Peninsula area, prior to a major Neandertal genetic introgression and subsequent rapid dispersal across Eurasia as far as Australia. Consistent functional targets of selection initiated during this period, which we term the Arabian Standstill, include loci involved in the regulation of fat storage, neural development, skin physiology, and cilia function. Similar adaptive signatures are also evident in introgressed archaic hominin loci and modern Arctic human groups, and we suggest that this signal represents selection for cold adaptation. Surprisingly, many of the candidate selected loci across these groups appear to directly interact and coordinately regulate biological processes, with a number associated with major modern diseases including the ciliopathies, metabolic syndrome, and neurodegenerative disorders. This expands the potential for ancestral human adaptation to directly impact modern diseases, providing a platform for evolutionary medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond Tobler
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA5005, Australia
| | - Yassine Souilmi
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA5005, Australia
- Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA5005, Australia
| | - Christian D. Huber
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA5005, Australia
| | - Nigel Bean
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA5005, Australia
- School of Mathematical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA5005, Australia
| | - Chris S. M. Turney
- Division of Research, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW2007, Australia
| | - Shane T. Grey
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia
- Transplantation Immunology Group, Translation Science Pillar, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW2010, Australia
| | - Alan Cooper
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA5005, Australia
- Blue Sky Genetics, Ashton, SA5137, Australia
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3
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Spindler L, Comeskey D, Chabai V, Uthmeier T, Buckley M, Devièse T, Higham T. Dating the last Middle Palaeolithic of the Crimean Peninsula: New hydroxyproline AMS dates from the site of Kabazi II. J Hum Evol 2021; 156:102996. [PMID: 34020296 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Radiocarbon dating of bone and charcoal from sites dating to the Middle and Upper Paleolithic is challenging due to low residual levels of radiocarbon. This means that small amounts of contaminating carbon can wield a great influence over accuracy unless they are fully removed. The site of Kabazi II in the Crimea is important because radiocarbon dates previously obtained from bones in archaeological horizons that date to the Western Crimean Mousterian (WCM) are surprisingly young. We redated the same samples using a single compound dating method that focuses on extracting and dating the amino acid hydroxyproline. We show that single amino acid dates produce significantly older determinations than those that use bulk collagen pretreatment procedures. Our results suggest that instead of dating to 35,000-40,000 cal BP, the bones actually date to >50,000 cal BP. This implies that the WCM at this site is much older than previously thought. In light of these current findings, we considered the dates of other key Crimean sites and concluded that in the absence of reliable pretreatment methods, it would be wise to consider many of them minimum ages. We conclude that there is little robust evidence to suggest Neanderthals were present in the Crimea after 40,000 cal BP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Spindler
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, Dyson Perrins Building, University of Oxford, OX13QY, Oxford, UK
| | - Daniel Comeskey
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, Dyson Perrins Building, University of Oxford, OX13QY, Oxford, UK; Syft Technologies Ltd, 3 Craft Place, Middleton, PO Box 28 149, Christchurch 8242, New Zealand
| | - Victor Chabai
- National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Institute of Archaeology, Heroes of Stalingrad Avenue 12, 04210, Kiev, Ukraine
| | - Thorsten Uthmeier
- Institute for Pre- and Protohistory, Department for Classical World an Asian Studies, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Kochstrasse 4/18, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Michael Buckley
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Thibaut Devièse
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, Dyson Perrins Building, University of Oxford, OX13QY, Oxford, UK
| | - Thomas Higham
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, Dyson Perrins Building, University of Oxford, OX13QY, Oxford, UK.
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Ruff CB, Squyres N, Junno J. Body mass estimation in hominins from humeral articular dimensions. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 173:480-499. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B. Ruff
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland USA
| | - Nicole Squyres
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland USA
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A refined chronology for the Gravettian sequence of Abri Pataud. J Hum Evol 2020; 141:102730. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Radiocarbon chronology and environmental context of Last Glacial Maximum human occupation in Switzerland. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4694. [PMID: 32170159 PMCID: PMC7070022 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61448-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Central Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was dominated by polar desert and steppe-tundra biomes. Despite this, a human presence during this time period is evident at several locations across the region, including in Switzerland, less than 50 km from the Alpine ice sheet margin. It has been hypothesised that such human activity may have been restricted to brief periods of climatic warming within the LGM, but chronological information from many of these sites are currently too poorly resolved to corroborate this. Here we present a revised chronology of LGM human occupation in Switzerland. AMS radiocarbon dating of cut-marked reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) bones from the sites of Kastelhöhle-Nord and Y-Höhle indicates human occupation of Switzerland was most likely restricted to between 23,400 and 22,800 cal. BP. This timeframe corresponds to Greenland Interstadial 2, a brief warming phase, supporting the hypothesis that human presence was facilitated by favourable climatic episodes. Carbon, nitrogen and sulphur stable isotope analysis of the fauna provides palaeoenvironmental information for this time period. These findings contribute to our understanding of human activity in ice-marginal environments and have implications for understanding cultural connections across central Europe during the LGM.
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Hafting of Middle Paleolithic tools in Latium (central Italy): New data from Fossellone and Sant'Agostino caves. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213473. [PMID: 31220106 PMCID: PMC6586293 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Hafting of stone tools was an important advance in the technology of the Paleolithic. Evidence of hafting in the Middle Paleolithic is growing and is not limited to points hafted on spears for thrusting or throwing. This article describes the identification of adhesive used for hafting on a variety of stone tools from two Middle Paleolithic caves in Latium, Fossellone Cave and Sant’Agostino Cave. Analysis of the organic residue by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry shows that a conifer resin adhesive was used, in one case mixed with beeswax. Contrary to previous suggestions that the small Middle Paleolithic tools of Latium could be used by hand and that hafting was not needed since it did not improve their functionality, our evidence shows that hafting was used by Neandertals in central Italy. Ethnographic evidence indicates that resin, which dries when exposed to air, is generally warmed by exposure to a small fire thus softened to be molded and pushed in position in the haft. The use of resin at both sites suggests regular fire use, as confirmed by moderate frequencies of burnt lithics in both assemblages. Lithic analysis shows that hafting was applied to a variety of artifacts, irrespective of type, size and technology. Prior to our study evidence of hafting in the Middle Paleolithic of Italy was limited to one case only.
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Dinnis R, Bessudnov A, Reynolds N, Devièse T, Pate A, Sablin M, Sinitsyn A, Higham T. New data for the Early Upper Paleolithic of Kostenki (Russia). J Hum Evol 2019; 127:21-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Tejero JM, Belfer-Cohen A, Bar-Yosef O, Gutkin V, Rabinovich R. Symbolic emblems of the Levantine Aurignacians as a regional entity identifier (Hayonim Cave, Lower Galilee, Israel). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:5145-5150. [PMID: 29712867 PMCID: PMC5960287 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1717145115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Levantine Aurignacian is a unique phenomenon in the local Upper Paleolithic sequence, showing greater similarity to the West European classic Aurignacian than to the local Levantine archaeological entities preceding and following it. Herewith we highlight another unique characteristic of this entity, namely, the presence of symbolic objects in the form of notched bones (mostly gazelle scapulae) from the Aurignacian levels of Hayonim Cave, Lower Galilee, Israel. Through both macroscopic and microscopic analyses of the items, we suggest that they are not mere cut marks but rather are intentional (decorative?) human-made markings. The significance of this evidence for symbolic behavior is discussed in its chrono-cultural and geographical contexts. Notched bones are among the oldest symbolic expressions of anatomically modern humans. However, unlike other Paleolithic sites where such findings were reported in single numbers, the number of these items recovered at Hayonim Cave is sufficient to assume they possibly served as an emblem of the Levantine Aurignacian.
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Affiliation(s)
- José-Miguel Tejero
- CNRS, UMR 7041, ArScAn Équipe Ethnologie Préhistorique, 92023 Nanterre, France;
- Seminari d'Estudis I Recerques Prehistòriques, Universitat de Barcelona, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Belfer-Cohen
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91905 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ofer Bar-Yosef
- Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Vitaly Gutkin
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91094 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Rivka Rabinovich
- Institute of Earth Sciences, National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel;
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91905 Jerusalem, Israel
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10
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Zilhão J, Anesin D, Aubry T, Badal E, Cabanes D, Kehl M, Klasen N, Lucena A, Martín-Lerma I, Martínez S, Matias H, Susini D, Steier P, Wild EM, Angelucci DE, Villaverde V, Zapata J. Precise dating of the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in Murcia (Spain) supports late Neandertal persistence in Iberia. Heliyon 2017; 3:e00435. [PMID: 29188235 PMCID: PMC5696381 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Revised: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The late persistence in Southern Iberia of a Neandertal-associated Middle Paleolithic is supported by the archeological stratigraphy and the radiocarbon and luminescence dating of three newly excavated localities in the Mula basin of Murcia (Spain). At Cueva Antón, Mousterian layer I-k can be no more than 37,100 years-old. At La Boja, the basal Aurignacian can be no less than 36,500 years-old. The regional Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition process is thereby bounded to the first half of the 37th millennium Before Present, in agreement with evidence from Andalusia, Gibraltar and Portugal. This chronology represents a lag of minimally 3000 years with the rest of Europe, where that transition and the associated process of Neandertal/modern human admixture took place between 40,000 and 42,000 years ago. The lag implies the presence of an effective barrier to migration and diffusion across the Ebro river depression, which, based on available paleoenvironmental indicators, would at that time have represented a major biogeographical divide. In addition, (a) the Phlegraean Fields caldera explosion, which occurred 39,850 years ago, would have stalled the Neandertal/modern human admixture front because of the population sink it generated in Central and Eastern Europe, and (b) the long period of ameliorated climate that came soon after (Greenland Interstadial 8, during which forests underwent a marked expansion in Iberian regions south of 40°N) would have enhanced the “Ebro Frontier” effect. These findings have two broader paleoanthropological implications: firstly, that, below the Ebro, the archeological record made prior to 37,000 years ago must be attributed, in all its aspects and components, to the Neandertals (or their ancestors); secondly, that modern human emergence is best seen as an uneven, punctuated process during which long-lasting barriers to gene flow and cultural diffusion could have existed across rather short distances, with attendant consequences for ancient genetics and models of human population history.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Zilhão
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat de Barcelona, Departament d'Història i Arqueologia, Facultat de Geografia i Història, c/Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, Spain.,UNIARQ - Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1600-214 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Daniela Anesin
- Università degli Studi di Trento, Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia, via Tommaso Gar 14, 38122 Trento, Italy
| | - Thierry Aubry
- Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa, Fundação Côa Parque, Rua do Museu, 5150-610 Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portugal
| | - Ernestina Badal
- Universitat de València, Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia i Història Antiga, Av. Blasco Ibañez 28, 46010 València, Spain, Av. Blasco Ibañez 28, 46010 València, Spain
| | - Dan Cabanes
- Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, Biological Sciences Building, 32 Bishop Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Martin Kehl
- University of Cologne, Institute of Geography, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Cologne, Germany
| | - Nicole Klasen
- University of Cologne, Institute of Geography, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Cologne, Germany
| | - Armando Lucena
- UNIARQ - Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1600-214 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ignacio Martín-Lerma
- Universidad de Murcia, Área de Prehistoria, Facultad de Letras, Campus de La Merced, 30071 Murcia, Spain
| | - Susana Martínez
- UNIARQ - Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1600-214 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Henrique Matias
- UNIARQ - Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1600-214 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Davide Susini
- Università degli Studi di Trento, Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia, via Tommaso Gar 14, 38122 Trento, Italy.,Università di Siena, Dipartimento di Scienze fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Strada Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Peter Steier
- VERA (Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator) Laboratory, Faculty of Physics - Isotope Research and Nuclear Physics, University of Vienna, Währingerstraße 17, 1090 Wien, Austria
| | - Eva Maria Wild
- VERA (Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator) Laboratory, Faculty of Physics - Isotope Research and Nuclear Physics, University of Vienna, Währingerstraße 17, 1090 Wien, Austria
| | - Diego E Angelucci
- Università degli Studi di Trento, Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia, via Tommaso Gar 14, 38122 Trento, Italy
| | - Valentín Villaverde
- Universitat de València, Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia i Història Antiga, Av. Blasco Ibañez 28, 46010 València, Spain, Av. Blasco Ibañez 28, 46010 València, Spain
| | - Josefina Zapata
- Universidad de Murcia, Área de Antropología Física, Facultad de Biología, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
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Bicho N, Cascalheira J, Gonçalves C. Early Upper Paleolithic colonization across Europe: Time and mode of the Gravettian diffusion. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0178506. [PMID: 28542642 PMCID: PMC5443572 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
This study presents new models on the origin, speed and mode of the wave-of-advance leading to the definitive occupation of Europe's outskirts by Anatomically Modern Humans, during the Gravettian, between c. 37 and 30 ka ago. These models provide the estimation for possible demic dispersal routes for AMH at a stable spread rate of c. 0.7 km/year, with the likely origin in Central Europe at the site of Geissenklosterle in Germany and reaching all areas of the European landscape. The results imply that: 1. The arrival of the Gravettian populations into the far eastern European plains and to southern Iberia found regions with very low human occupation or even devoid of hominins; 2. Human demography was likely lower than previous estimates for the Upper Paleolithic; 3. The likely early AMH paths across Europe followed the European central plains and the Mediterranean coast to reach to the ends of the Italian and Iberian peninsulas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Bicho
- ICArEHB (Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behavior), Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - João Cascalheira
- ICArEHB (Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behavior), Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - Célia Gonçalves
- ICArEHB (Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behavior), Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
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12
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Abstract
The diminutive middle ear ossicles (malleus, incus, stapes) housed in the tympanic cavity of the temporal bone play an important role in audition. The few known ossicles of Neandertals are distinctly different from those of anatomically modern humans (AMHs), despite the close relationship between both human species. Although not mutually exclusive, these differences may affect hearing capacity or could reflect covariation with the surrounding temporal bone. Until now, detailed comparisons were hampered by the small sample of Neandertal ossicles and the unavailability of methods combining analyses of ossicles with surrounding structures. Here, we present an analysis of the largest sample of Neandertal ossicles to date, including many previously unknown specimens, covering a wide geographic and temporal range. Microcomputed tomography scans and 3D geometric morphometrics were used to quantify shape and functional properties of the ossicles and the tympanic cavity and make comparisons with recent and extinct AMHs as well as African apes. We find striking morphological differences between ossicles of AMHs and Neandertals. Ossicles of both Neandertals and AMHs appear derived compared with the inferred ancestral morphology, albeit in different ways. Brain size increase evolved separately in AMHs and Neandertals, leading to differences in the tympanic cavity and, consequently, the shape and spatial configuration of the ossicles. Despite these different evolutionary trajectories, functional properties of the middle ear of AMHs and Neandertals are largely similar. The relevance of these functionally equivalent solutions is likely to conserve a similar auditory sensitivity level inherited from their last common ancestor.
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On the Chronological Structure of the Solutrean in Southern Iberia. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137308. [PMID: 26355459 PMCID: PMC4565679 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Solutrean techno-complex has gained particular significance over time for representing a clear demographic and techno-typological deviation from the developments occurred during the course of the Upper Paleolithic in Western Europe. Some of Solutrean’s most relevant features are the diversity and techno-typological characteristics of the lithic armatures. These have been recurrently used as pivotal elements in numerous Solutrean-related debates, including the chronological organization of the techno-complex across Iberia and Southwestern France. In Southern Iberia, patterns of presence and/or absence of specific point types in stratified sequences tend to validate the classical ordering of the techno-complex into Lower, Middle and Upper phases, although some evidence, namely radiocarbon determinations, have not always been corroborative. Here we present the first comprehensive analysis of the currently available radiocarbon data for the Solutrean in Southern Iberia. We use a Bayesian statistical approach from 13 stratified sequences to compare the duration, and the start and end moments of each classic Solutrean phase across sites. We conclude that, based on the current data, the traditional organization of the Solutrean cannot be unquestionably confirmed for Southern Iberia, calling into doubt the status of the classically-defined type-fossils as precise temporal markers.
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14
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von Petzinger G, Nowell A. A place in time: situating Chauvet within the long chronology of symbolic behavioral development. J Hum Evol 2014; 74:37-54. [PMID: 25087087 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Revised: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Since the discovery of the Grotte Chauvet (Ardèche, France) in the mid-1990s, there has been a debate regarding the accuracy of assigning this site to the Aurignacian period. The main argument stems from a perceived lack of agreement between the radiocarbon age of the imagery (>32,000 years BP [before present]) and its stylistic complexity and technical sophistication, which some believe are more typical of the later Upper Paleolithic. In this paper we first review the evidence for symbolic behavior among modern humans during the Aurignacian in order to explore the question of whether Chauvet's images are anachronistic. Then, using a database of non-figurative signs found in Paleolithic parietal art, we undertake a detailed comparison between Chauvet's corpus of signs and those found in other French Upper Paleolithic caves. While we conclude that there is substantial evidence to support an Aurignacian date for Grotte Chauvet, we also suggest that it may be time to revisit some of the cultural boundaries that are currently in use in Paleolithic archaeology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genevieve von Petzinger
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 3050, STN CSC, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 3P5.
| | - April Nowell
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 3050, STN CSC, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 3P5.
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Galván B, Hernández CM, Mallol C, Mercier N, Sistiaga A, Soler V. New evidence of early Neanderthal disappearance in the Iberian Peninsula. J Hum Evol 2014; 75:16-27. [PMID: 25016565 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2013] [Revised: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The timing of the end of the Middle Palaeolithic and the disappearance of Neanderthals continue to be strongly debated. Current chronometric evidence from different European sites pushes the end of the Middle Palaeolithic throughout the continent back to around 42 thousand years ago (ka). This has called into question some of the dates from the Iberian Peninsula, previously considered as one of the last refuge zones of the Neanderthals. Evidence of Neanderthal occupation in Iberia after 42 ka is now very scarce and open to debate on chronological and technological grounds. Here we report thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates from El Salt, a Middle Palaeolithic site in Alicante, Spain, the archaeological sequence of which shows a transition from recurrent to sporadic human occupation culminating in the abandonment of the site. The new dates place this sequence within MIS 3, between ca. 60 and 45 ka. An abrupt sedimentary change towards the top of the sequence suggests a strong aridification episode coinciding with the last Neanderthal occupation of the site. These results are in agreement with current chronometric data from other sites in the Iberian Peninsula and point towards possible breakdown and disappearance of the Neanderthal local population around the time of the Heinrich 5 event. Iberian sites with recent dates (<40 ka) attributed to the Middle Palaeolithic should be revised in the light of these data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertila Galván
- U.D.I. de Prehistoria, Arqueología e Historia Antigua, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de La Laguna, Campus de Guajara, 38071 La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Cristo M Hernández
- U.D.I. de Prehistoria, Arqueología e Historia Antigua, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de La Laguna, Campus de Guajara, 38071 La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
| | - Carolina Mallol
- U.D.I. de Prehistoria, Arqueología e Historia Antigua, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de La Laguna, Campus de Guajara, 38071 La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Biorgánica Antonio González, Av. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez n.° 2, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Norbert Mercier
- Institut de Recherche sur les Archéomatériaux, UMR 5060 CNRS-Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche en PhysiqueAppliquée à l'Archéologie (CRP2A), Maison de l'Archéologie, 33607 PESSAC Cedex, France
| | - Ainara Sistiaga
- U.D.I. de Prehistoria, Arqueología e Historia Antigua, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de La Laguna, Campus de Guajara, 38071 La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Biorgánica Antonio González, Av. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez n.° 2, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Vicente Soler
- Estación Volcanológica de Canarias, IPNA-CSIC, Av. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez n.° 3, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
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16
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Talamo S, Peresani M, Romandini M, Duches R, Jéquier C, Nannini N, Pastoors A, Picin A, Vaquero M, Weniger GC, Hublin JJ. Detecting human presence at the border of the Northeastern Italian Pre-Alps. 14C dating at Rio Secco cave as expression of the first Gravettian and the late mousterian in the Northern Adriatic Region. PLoS One 2014; 9:e95376. [PMID: 24759802 PMCID: PMC3997387 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the northern Adriatic regions, which include the Venetian region and the Dalmatian coast, late Neanderthal settlements are recorded in few sites and even more ephemeral are remains of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic occupations. A contribution to reconstruct the human presence during this time range has been produced from a recently investigated cave, Rio Secco, located in the northern Adriatic region at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps. Chronometric data make Rio Secco a key site in the context of recording occupation by late Neanderthals and regarding the diffusion of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic culture in a particular district at the border of the alpine region. As for the Gravettian, its diffusion in Italy is a subject of on-going research and the aim of this paper is to provide new information on the timing of this process in Italy. In the southern end of the Peninsula the first occupation dates to around 28,000 14C BP, whereas our results on Gravettian layer range from 29,390 to 28,995 14C years BP. At the present state of knowledge, the emergence of the Gravettian in eastern Italy is contemporaneous with several sites in Central Europe and the chronological dates support the hypothesis that the Swabian Gravettian probably dispersed from eastern Austria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahra Talamo
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Marco Peresani
- Universitá di Ferrara, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Matteo Romandini
- Universitá di Ferrara, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Rossella Duches
- Universitá di Ferrara, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Ferrara, Italy
- Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy
| | - Camille Jéquier
- Universitá di Ferrara, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Nicola Nannini
- Universitá di Ferrara, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Ferrara, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Picin
- Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann, Germany
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Tarragona, Spain
- Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Area de Prehistòria, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Manuel Vaquero
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Tarragona, Spain
- Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Area de Prehistòria, Tarragona, Spain
| | | | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Wood R, Arrizabalaga A, Camps M, Fallon S, Iriarte-Chiapusso MJ, Jones R, Maroto J, de la Rasilla M, Santamaría D, Soler J, Soler N, Villaluenga A, Higham T. The chronology of the earliest Upper Palaeolithic in northern Iberia: New insights from L'Arbreda, Labeko Koba and La Viña. J Hum Evol 2014; 69:91-109. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2013] [Revised: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 12/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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18
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Bocherens H, Drucker DG, Madelaine S. Evidence for a (15)N positive excursion in terrestrial foodwebs at the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in south-western France: Implications for early modern human palaeodiet and palaeoenvironment. J Hum Evol 2014; 69:31-43. [PMID: 24630359 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2011] [Revised: 09/30/2013] [Accepted: 12/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition around 35,000 years ago coincides with the replacement of Neanderthals by anatomically modern humans in Europe. Several hypotheses have been suggested to explain this replacement, one of them being the ability of anatomically modern humans to broaden their dietary spectrum beyond the large ungulate prey that Neanderthals consumed exclusively. This scenario is notably based on higher nitrogen-15 amounts in early Upper Palaeolithic anatomically modern human bone collagen compared with late Neanderthals. In this paper, we document a clear increase of nitrogen-15 in bone collagen of terrestrial herbivores during the early Aurignacian associated with anatomically modern humans compared with the stratigraphically older Châtelperronian and late Mousterian fauna associated with Neanderthals. Carnivores such as wolves also exhibit a significant increase in nitrogen-15, which is similar to that documented for early anatomically modern humans compared with Neanderthals in Europe. A shift in nitrogen-15 at the base of the terrestrial foodweb is responsible for such a pattern, with a preserved foodweb structure before and after the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in south-western France. Such an isotopic shift in the terrestrial ecosystem may be due to an increase in aridity during the time of deposition of the early Aurignacian layers. If it occurred across Europe, such a shift in nitrogen-15 in terrestrial foodwebs would be enough to explain the observed isotopic trend between late Neanderthals and early anatomically modern humans, without any significant change in the diet composition at the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hervé Bocherens
- Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Paläobiologie (Biogeologie), Universität Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, D-72074 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Dorothée G Drucker
- Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Paläobiologie (Biogeologie), Universität Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, D-72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stéphane Madelaine
- Musée National de Préhistoire, UMR 5199, 1 rue du musée, F-24620 Les Eyzies de Tayac, France; UMR 5199 PACEA/PPP, Université Bordeaux 1, av. des Facultés, Bât B18, 33405 Talence, France
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Banks WE, d'Errico F, Zilhão J. Revisiting the chronology of the Proto-Aurignacian and the Early Aurignacian in Europe: A reply to Higham et al.'s comments on. J Hum Evol 2013; 65:810-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2013] [Revised: 07/27/2013] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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20
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Radiocarbon dating casts doubt on the late chronology of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in southern Iberia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:2781-6. [PMID: 23382220 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1207656110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
It is commonly accepted that some of the latest dates for Neanderthal fossils and Mousterian industries are found south of the Ebro valley in Iberia at ca. 36 ka calBP (calibrated radiocarbon date ranges). In contrast, to the north of the valley the Mousterian disappears shortly before the Proto-Aurignacian appears at ca. 42 ka calBP. The latter is most likely produced by anatomically modern humans. However, two-thirds of dates from the south are radiocarbon dates, a technique that is particularly sensitive to carbon contaminants of a younger age that can be difficult to remove using routine pretreatment protocols. We have attempted to test the reliability of chronologies of 11 southern Iberian Middle and early Upper Paleolithic sites. Only two, Jarama VI and Zafarraya, were found to contain material that could be reliably dated. In both sites, Middle Paleolithic contexts were previously dated by radiocarbon to less than 42 ka calBP. Using ultrafiltration to purify faunal bone collagen before radiocarbon dating, we obtain ages at least 10 ka (14)C years older, close to or beyond the limit of the radiocarbon method for the Mousterian at Jarama VI and Neanderthal fossils at Zafarraya. Unless rigorous pretreatment protocols have been used, radiocarbon dates should be assumed to be inaccurate until proven otherwise in this region. Evidence for the late survival of Neanderthals in southern Iberia is limited to one possible site, Cueva Antón, and alternative models of human occupation of the region should be considered.
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Human–climate interaction during the Early Upper Paleolithic: testing the hypothesis of an adaptive shift between the Proto-Aurignacian and the Early Aurignacian. J Hum Evol 2013; 64:39-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2012] [Revised: 06/04/2012] [Accepted: 10/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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22
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Higham T, Basell L, Jacobi R, Wood R, Ramsey CB, Conard NJ. Τesting models for the beginnings of the Aurignacian and the advent of figurative art and music: the radiocarbon chronology of Geißenklösterle. J Hum Evol 2012; 62:664-76. [PMID: 22575323 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2011] [Revised: 03/07/2012] [Accepted: 03/14/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The German site of Geißenklösterle is crucial to debates concerning the European Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition and the origins of the Aurignacian in Europe. Previous dates from the site are central to an important hypothesis, the Kulturpumpe model, which posits that the Swabian Jura was an area where crucial behavioural developments took place and then spread to other parts of Europe. The previous chronology (critical to the model), is based mainly on radiocarbon dating, but remains poorly constrained due to the dating resolution and the variability of dates. The cause of these problems is disputed, but two principal explanations have been proposed: a) larger than expected variations in the production of atmospheric radiocarbon, and b) taphonomic influences in the site mixing the bones that were dated into different parts of the site. We reinvestigate the chronology using a new series of radiocarbon determinations obtained from the Mousterian, Aurignacian and Gravettian levels. The results strongly imply that the previous dates were affected by insufficient decontamination of the bone collagen prior to dating. Using an ultrafiltration protocol the chronometric picture becomes much clearer. Comparison of the results against other recently dated sites in other parts of Europe suggests the Early Aurignacian levels are earlier than other sites in the south of France and Italy, but not as early as recently dated sites which suggest a pre-Aurignacian dispersal of modern humans to Italy by ∼45000 cal BP. They are consistent with the importance of the Danube Corridor as a key route for the movement of people and ideas. The new dates fail to refute the Kulturpumpe model and suggest that Swabian Jura is a region that contributed significantly to the evolution of symbolic behaviour as indicated by early evidence for figurative art, music and mythical imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Higham
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK.
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23
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The Early Aurignacian human remains from La Quina-Aval (France). J Hum Evol 2012; 62:605-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2011] [Revised: 11/03/2011] [Accepted: 02/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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24
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Stewart JR, Stringer CB. Human Evolution Out of Africa: The Role of Refugia and Climate Change. Science 2012; 335:1317-21. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1215627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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25
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Douka K, Grimaldi S, Boschian G, del Lucchese A, Higham TF. A new chronostratigraphic framework for the Upper Palaeolithic of Riparo Mochi (Italy). J Hum Evol 2012; 62:286-99. [PMID: 22189428 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2011] [Accepted: 11/23/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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