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Hussain ST, Baumann C. The human side of biodiversity: coevolution of the human niche, palaeo-synanthropy and ecosystem complexity in the deep human past. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230021. [PMID: 38583478 PMCID: PMC10999276 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0021] [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: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Today's biodiversity crisis fundamentally threatens the habitability of the planet, thus ranking among the primary human challenges of our time. Much emphasis is currently placed on the loss of biodiversity in the Anthropocene, yet these debates often portray biodiversity as a purely natural phenomenon without much consideration of its human dimensions and frequently lack long-term vistas. This paper offers a deep-time perspective on the key role of the evolving human niche in ecosystem functioning and biodiversity dynamics. We summarize research on past hunter-gatherer ecosystem contributions and argue that human-environment feedback systems with important biodiversity consequences are probably a recurrent feature of the Late Pleistocene, perhaps with even deeper roots. We update current understandings of the human niche in this light and suggest that the formation of palaeo-synanthropic niches in other animals proffers a powerful model system to investigate recursive interactions of foragers and ecosystems. Archaeology holds important knowledge here and shows that ecosystem contributions vary greatly in relation to different human lifeways, some of which are lost today. We therefore recommend paying more attention to the intricate relationship between biodiversity and cultural diversity, contending that promotion of the former depends on fostering the latter. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shumon T. Hussain
- MESH – Center for Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities & Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne, Weyertal 59, 50937 Cologne, Germany
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Moesgård Allé 20, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark
- BIOCHANGE – Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Chris Baumann
- Biogeology Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, PL 64 (Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2), 00014 Helsinki, Finland
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Yeshurun R, Doyon L, Tejero JM, Walter R, Huber H, Andrews R, Kitagawa K. Identification and quantification of projectile impact marks on bone: new experimental insights using osseous points. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2024; 16:43. [PMID: 38404950 PMCID: PMC10884158 DOI: 10.1007/s12520-024-01944-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Shifts in projectile technology potentially document human evolutionary milestones, such as adaptations for different environments and settlement dynamics. A relatively direct proxy for projectile technology is projectile impact marks (PIM) on archaeological bones. Increasing awareness and publication of experimental data sets have recently led to more identifications of PIM in various contexts, but diagnosing PIM from other types of bone-surface modifications, quantifying them, and inferring point size and material from the bone lesions need more substantiation. Here, we focus on PIM created by osseous projectiles, asking whether these could be effectively identified and separated from lithic-tipped weapons. We further discuss the basic question raised by recent PIM research in zooarchaeology: why PIM evidence is so rare in archaeofaunal assemblages (compared to other human-induced marks), even when they are explicitly sought. We present the experimental results of shooting two ungulate carcasses with bone and antler points, replicating those used in the early Upper Paleolithic of western Eurasia. Half of our hits resulted in PIM, confirming that this modification may have been originally abundant. However, we found that the probability of a skeletal element to be modified with PIM negatively correlates with its preservation potential, and that much of the produced bone damage would not be identifiable in a typical Paleolithic faunal assemblage. This quantification problem still leaves room for an insightful qualitative study of PIM. We complement previous research in presenting several diagnostic marks that retain preservation potential and may be used to suggest osseous, rather than lithic, projectile technology. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-024-01944-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reuven Yeshurun
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology and School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, 3103301 Haifa, Israel
| | - Luc Doyon
- UMR5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux, MCC, CNRS, 33615 Pessac CEDEX, France
| | - José-Miguel Tejero
- Seminari d’Estudis I Recerques Prehistòriques (SERP), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Human Evolution and Archeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Walter
- Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Ice Age Studio Hohle Fels, Schelklingen, Germany
| | - Hannah Huber
- Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Robin Andrews
- Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Keiko Kitagawa
- Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP), Tübingen, Germany
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3
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Coppe J, Taipale N, Rots V. Terminal ballistic analysis of impact fractures reveals the use of spearthrower 31 ky ago at Maisières-Canal, Belgium. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18305. [PMID: 37880379 PMCID: PMC10600151 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45554-w] [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: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of hunting technology in the deep past fundamentally shaped the subsistence strategies of early human populations. Hence knowing when different weapons were first introduced is important for understanding our evolutionary trajectory. The timing of the adoption of long-range weaponry remains heavily debated because preserved organic weapon components are extremely rare in the Paleolithic record and stone points are difficult to attribute reliably to weapon delivery methods without supporting organic evidence. Here, we use a refined use-wear approach to demonstrate that spearthrower was used for launching projectiles armed with tanged flint points at Maisières-Canal (Belgium) 31,000 years ago. The novelty of our approach lies in the combination of impact fracture data with terminal ballistic analysis of the mechanical stress suffered by a stone armature on impact. This stress is distinct for each weapon and visible archaeologically as fracture proportions on assemblage scale. Our reference dataset derives from a sequential experimental program that addressed individually each key parameter affecting fracture formation and successfully reproduced the archaeological fracture signal. The close match between the archaeological sample and the experimental spearthrower set extends the timeline of spearthrower use by over 10,000 years and represents the earliest reliable trace-based evidence for the utilization of long-distance weaponry in prehistoric hunting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Coppe
- TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Place du 20-Août 7 (Bât. A4), 4000, Liège, Belgium.
| | - Noora Taipale
- TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Place du 20-Août 7 (Bât. A4), 4000, Liège, Belgium
- F.R.S.-FNRS, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Veerle Rots
- TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Place du 20-Août 7 (Bât. A4), 4000, Liège, Belgium
- F.R.S.-FNRS, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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4
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Russo G, Milks A, Leder D, Koddenberg T, Starkovich BM, Duval M, Zhao JX, Darga R, Rosendahl W, Terberger T. First direct evidence of lion hunting and the early use of a lion pelt by Neanderthals. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16405. [PMID: 37828055 PMCID: PMC10570355 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42764-0] [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: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
During the Upper Paleolithic, lions become an important theme in Paleolithic art and are more frequent in anthropogenic faunal assemblages. However, the relationship between hominins and lions in earlier periods is poorly known and primarily interpreted as interspecies competition. Here we present new evidence for Neanderthal-cave lion interactions during the Middle Paleolithic. We report new evidence of hunting lesions on the 48,000 old cave lion skeleton found at Siegsdorf (Germany) that attest to the earliest direct instance of a large predator kill in human history. A comparative analysis of a partial puncture to a rib suggests that the fatal stab was delivered with a wooden thrusting spear. We also present the discovery of distal lion phalanges at least 190,000 old from Einhornhöhle (Germany), representing the earliest example of the use of cave lion skin by Neanderthals in Central Europe. Our study provides novel evidence on a new dimension of Neanderthal behavioral complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Russo
- Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72070, Tübingen, Germany.
- Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage, Niedersächsisches Landesamt Für Denkmalpflege, 30175, Hanover, Germany.
| | - Annemieke Milks
- Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6DW, UK
| | - Dirk Leder
- Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage, Niedersächsisches Landesamt Für Denkmalpflege, 30175, Hanover, Germany
| | - Tim Koddenberg
- Department of Wood Biology and Wood Products, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Britt M Starkovich
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, 72070, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - M Duval
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), 09002, Burgos, Spain
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE), Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, 4111, Australia
- Palaeoscience Labs, Department Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Melbourne Campus, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia
| | - J-X Zhao
- Radiogenic Isotope Facility, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Robert Darga
- Südostbayerisches Naturkunde- Und Mammut-Museum, Siegsdorf, Germany
| | - Wilfried Rosendahl
- Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Zeughaus C5, 68159, Manssnheim, Germany
- Curt-Engelhorn-Center of Archaeometrie, C4,8, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Thomas Terberger
- Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage, Niedersächsisches Landesamt Für Denkmalpflege, 30175, Hanover, Germany
- Seminar of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
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Milks A, Lehmann J, Leder D, Sietz M, Koddenberg T, Böhner U, Wachtendorf V, Terberger T. A double-pointed wooden throwing stick from Schöningen, Germany: Results and new insights from a multianalytical study. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287719. [PMID: 37467169 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The site of Schöningen (Germany), dated to ca. 300,000 years ago, yielded the earliest large-scale record of humanly-made wooden tools. These include wooden spears and shorter double-pointed sticks, discovered in association with herbivores that were hunted and butchered along a lakeshore. Wooden tools have not been systematically analysed to the same standard as other Palaeolithic technologies, such as lithic or bone tools. Our multianalytical study includes micro-CT scanning, 3-dimensional microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, supporting a systematic technological and taphonomic analysis, thus setting a new standard for wooden tool analysis. In illustrating the biography of one of Schöningen's double-pointed sticks, we demonstrate new human behaviours for this time period, including sophisticated woodworking techniques. The hominins selected a spruce branch which they then debarked and shaped into an aerodynamic and ergonomic tool. They likely seasoned the wood to avoid cracking and warping. After a long period of use, it was probably lost while hunting, and was then rapidly buried in mud. Taphonomic alterations include damage from trampling, fungal attack, root damage and compression. Through our detailed analysis we show that Middle Pleistocene humans had a rich awareness of raw material properties, and possessed sophisticated woodworking skills. Alongside new detailed morphometrics of the object, an ethnographic review supports a primary function as a throwing stick for hunting, indicating potential hunting strategies and social contexts including for communal hunts involving children. The Schöningen throwing sticks may have been used to strategically disadvantage larger ungulates, potentially from distances of up to 30 metres. They also demonstrate that the hominins were technologically capable of capturing smaller fast prey and avian fauna, a behaviour evidenced at contemporaneous Middle Pleistocene archaeological sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemieke Milks
- Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Jens Lehmann
- Department of Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage), Hannover, Germany
| | - Dirk Leder
- Department of Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage), Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael Sietz
- Archaeological Conservation Department, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage), Hannover, Germany
| | - Tim Koddenberg
- Wood Biology and Wood Products, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Utz Böhner
- Inventory and Heritage Atlas, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage), Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Terberger
- Department of Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage), Hannover, Germany
- Department of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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6
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Pomeroy E. Review: The different adaptive trajectories in Neanderthals and Homo sapiens and their implications for contemporary human physiological variation. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2023; 280:111420. [PMID: 37001690 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Neanderthals are our one of our closest evolutionary cousins, but while they evolved in Eurasia, we (anatomically modern humans, AMH) originated in Africa. This contrasting evolutionary history has led to morphological and genetic distinctions between our species. Neanderthals are characterised by a relatively stocky build, high body mass, proportionally wide bodies and shorter limbs, a bell-shaped ribcage with a wide pelvis, and a long, low cranial vault compared with AMH. Classic readings of Neanderthal morphology link many of these traits to cold climate adaptations, however these interpretations have been questioned and alternative hypotheses including behavioural factors, dietary adaptations, locomotor specialisations, evolutionary history and neutral evolutionary processes have been invoked. Compared with AMH, Neanderthals may have been adapted for strength and power rather than endurance and may have consumed a diet high in animal products. However, reviewing these hypotheses highlights a number of limitations in our understanding of contemporary human physiology and metabolism, including the relationship between climate and morphology in AMH and Neanderthals, physiological limits on protein consumption, and the relationship between gut morphology and diet. As various relevant factors are clearly linked (e.g. diet, behaviour, metabolism, morphology, activity), ultimately a more integrated approach may be needed to fully understand Neanderthal biology. Variation among contemporary AMHs may offer, with caveats, a useful model for understanding the evolution of both Neanderthal and modern human characteristics, which in turn may further deepen our understanding of variability within and between contemporary humans. Neanderthals; Anatomically modern humans; morphology; climate adaptation; power adaptations; metabolism; diet; physiology; endurance running.
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Gaudzinski-Windheuser S, Kindler L, MacDonald K, Roebroeks W. Hunting and processing of straight-tusked elephants 125.000 years ago: Implications for Neanderthal behavior. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd8186. [PMID: 36724231 PMCID: PMC9891704 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add8186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) were the largest terrestrial mammals of the Pleistocene, present in Eurasian landscapes between 800,000 and 100,000 years ago. The occasional co-occurrence of their skeletal remains with stone tools has generated rich speculation about the nature of interactions between these elephants and Pleistocene humans: Did hominins scavenge on elephants that died a natural death or maybe even hunt some individuals? Our archaeozoological study of the largest P. antiquus assemblage known, excavated from 125,000-year-old lake deposits in Germany, shows that hunting of elephants weighing up to 13 metric tons was part of the cultural repertoire of Last Interglacial Neanderthals there, over >2000 years, many dozens of generations. The intensity and nutritional yields of these well-documented butchering activities, combined with previously reported data from this Neumark-Nord site complex, suggest that Neanderthals were less mobile and operated within social units substantially larger than commonly envisaged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Human Behavioral Evolution, Schloss Monrepos, Neuwied 56567, Germany (LEIZA)
- Institute of Ancient Studies, Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Schönborner Hof, Schillerstraße 11, Mainz 55116, Germany
| | - Lutz Kindler
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Human Behavioral Evolution, Schloss Monrepos, Neuwied 56567, Germany (LEIZA)
- Institute of Ancient Studies, Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Schönborner Hof, Schillerstraße 11, Mainz 55116, Germany
| | - Katharine MacDonald
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Wil Roebroeks
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
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Baughan K, Balolia KL, Oxenham MF, Mcfadden C. Comparisons of Age-at-Death Distributions among Extinct Hominins and Extant Nonhuman Primates Indicate Normal Mortality. JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1086/720701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kieran Baughan
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, and School of Geosciences, Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, 44 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Katharine L. Balolia
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, and School of Geosciences, Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, 44 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Marc F. Oxenham
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, and School of Geosciences, Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, 44 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Clare Mcfadden
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, and School of Geosciences, Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, 44 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
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9
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Daujeard C, Prat S. What Are the “Costs and Benefits” of Meat-Eating in Human Evolution? The Challenging Contribution of Behavioral Ecology to Archeology. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.834638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the omnivorous diet of most human populations, meat foraging gradually increased during the Paleolithic, in parallel with the development of hunting capacities. There is evidence of regular meat consumption by extinct hominins from 2 Ma onward, with the first occurrence prior to 3 Ma in Eastern Africa. The number of sites with cut-marked animal remains and stone tools increased after 2 Ma. In addition, toolkits became increasingly complex, and various, facilitating carcass defleshing and marrow recovery, the removal of quarters of meat to avoid carnivore competition, and allowing the emergence of cooperative (i.e., social) hunting of large herbivores. How can we assess the energy costs and benefits of meat and fat acquisition and consumption for hunter-gatherers in the past, and is it possible to accurately evaluate them? Answering this question would provide a better understanding of extinct hominin land use, food resource management, foraging strategies, and cognitive abilities related to meat and fat acquisition, processing, and consumption. According to the Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT), resources may be chosen primarily on the basis of their efficiency rank in term of calories. But, could other factors, and not only calorific return, prevail in the choice of prey, such as the acquisition of non-food products, like pelts, bone tools or ornaments, or symbolic or traditional uses? Our main goal here is to question the direct application of behavioral ecology data to archeology. For this purpose, we focus on the issue of animal meat and fat consumption in human evolution. We propose a short review of available data from energetics and ethnographic records, and provide examples of several various-sized extant animals, such as elephants, reindeer, or lagomorphs, which were some of the most common preys of Paleolithic hominins.
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Roebroeks W, MacDonald K, Scherjon F, Bakels C, Kindler L, Nikulina A, Pop E, Gaudzinski-Windheuser S. Landscape modification by Last Interglacial Neanderthals. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabj5567. [PMID: 34910514 PMCID: PMC8673775 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj5567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the antiquity, nature, and scale of Pleistocene hunter-gatherer impact on their ecosystems, despite the importance for studies of conservation and human evolution. Such impact is likely to be limited, mainly because of low population densities, and challenging to detect and interpret in terms of cause-effect dynamics. We present high-resolution paleoenvironmental and archaeological data from the Last Interglacial locality of Neumark-Nord (Germany). Among the factors that shaped vegetation structure and succession in this lake landscape, we identify a distinct ecological footprint of hominin activities, including fire use. We compare these data with evidence from archaeological and baseline sites from the same region. At Neumark-Nord, notably open vegetation coincides with a virtually continuous c. 2000-year-long hominin presence, and the comparative data strongly suggest that hominins were a contributing factor. With an age of c. 125,000 years, Neumark-Nord provides an early example of a hominin role in vegetation transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wil Roebroeks
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Katharine MacDonald
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Fulco Scherjon
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Corrie Bakels
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lutz Kindler
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Schloss Monrepos, 56567 Neuwied, Germany
- Institute of Ancient Studies, Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Schönborner Hof, Schillerstraße 11, 55116 Mainz, Germany
| | - Anastasia Nikulina
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Eduard Pop
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
- Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Schloss Monrepos, 56567 Neuwied, Germany
- Institute of Ancient Studies, Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Schönborner Hof, Schillerstraße 11, 55116 Mainz, Germany
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11
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Smith GM, Spasov R, Martisius NL, Sinet-Mathiot V, Aldeias V, Rezek Z, Ruebens K, Pederzani S, McPherron SP, Sirakova S, Sirakov N, Tsanova T, Hublin JJ. Subsistence behavior during the Initial Upper Paleolithic in Europe: Site use, dietary practice, and carnivore exploitation at Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria). J Hum Evol 2021; 161:103074. [PMID: 34628301 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The behavioral dynamics underlying the expansion of Homo sapiens into Europe remains a crucial topic in human evolution. Owing to poor bone preservation, past studies have strongly focused on the Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) stone tool record. Recent excavations and extensive radiocarbon dating at Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria) pushed back the arrival of IUP H. sapiens into Europe to ca. 45,000 years ago. This site has exceptional bone preservation, and we present the study of 7431 faunal remains from across two IUP layers (I and J) and one Middle Paleolithic layer (K). We identified a shift in site use and occupation intensity through time, marked by increased find density and human modifications in Layer I. Alongside a decrease in carnivore presence and seasonality data demonstrating human presence in all seasons, this indicates a more frequent or prolonged occupation of the site by IUP groups. Contrarily, the dietary focus across the IUP and Middle Paleolithic layers is similar, centered on the exploitation of species from a range of habitats including Bos/Bison, Cervidae, Equidae, and Caprinae. While body parts of large herbivores were selectively transported into the site, the bear remains suggest that these animals died in the cave itself. A distinct aspect of the IUP occupation is an increase in carnivore remains with human modifications, including these cave bears but also smaller taxa (e.g., Canis lupus, Vulpes vulpes). This can be correlated with their exploitation for pendants, and potentially for skins and furs. At a broader scale, we identified similarities in subsistence behavior across IUP sites in Europe and western Asia. It appears that the first IUP occupations were less intense with find densities and human modifications increasing in succeeding IUP layers. Moreover, the exploitation of small game appears to be limited across IUP sites, while carnivore exploitation seems a recurrent strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoff M Smith
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Rosen Spasov
- Archaeology Department, New Bulgarian University, 21 Montevideo Str., 1618 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Naomi L Martisius
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, 74104, Tulsa, USA; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Virginie Sinet-Mathiot
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Vera Aldeias
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behaviour, Universidade do Algarve, FCHS, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Zeljko Rezek
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany; University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Karen Ruebens
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sarah Pederzani
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, UK
| | - Shannon P McPherron
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svoboda Sirakova
- National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Saborna Str., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Nikolay Sirakov
- National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Saborna Str., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Tsenka Tsanova
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany; Collège de France, 11, place Marcelin Berthelot, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France
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12
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Agar DA. Spear study misses the point: a critique of the Ennos and Chan fire-hardening study, concerning wood material representation in archaeological finds and generalized conclusions. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20200832. [PMID: 33592153 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David A Agar
- Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 90183 Umeå, Sweden
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Pereira-Pedro AS, Bruner E, Gunz P, Neubauer S. A morphometric comparison of the parietal lobe in modern humans and Neanderthals. J Hum Evol 2020; 142:102770. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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14
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Aranguren B, Grimaldi S, Benvenuti M, Capalbo C, Cavanna F, Cavulli F, Ciani F, Comencini G, Giuliani C, Grandinetti G, Mariotti Lippi M, Masini F, Mazza PPA, Pallecchi P, Santaniello F, Savorelli A, Revedin A. Poggetti Vecchi (Tuscany, Italy): A late Middle Pleistocene case of human-elephant interaction. J Hum Evol 2019; 133:32-60. [PMID: 31358183 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2018] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
A paleosurface with a concentration of wooden-, bone-, and stone-tools interspersed among an accumulation of fossil bones, largely belonging to the straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus, was found at the bottom of a pool, fed by hot springs, that was excavated at Poggetti Vecchi, near Grosseto (Tuscany, Italy). The site is radiometrically dated to the late Middle Pleistocene, around 171,000 years BP. Notable is the association of the artifacts with the elephant bones, and in particular the presence of digging sticks made from boxwood (Buxus sp.). Although stone tools show evidence of use mainly on animal tissues, indicating some form of interaction between hominins and animals, the precise use of the sticks is unclear. Here we discuss about the role played by the hominins at the site: paleobiological and taphonomic evidence indicates that the elephants died by a natural cause and were butchered soon after their death. The associated paleontological and archeological evidence from this site provides fresh insights into the behavior of early Neanderthals in Central Italy. The discovery of Poggetti Vecchi shows how opportunistically flexible Neanderthals were in response to environmental contingencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biancamaria Aranguren
- Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Siena Grosseto e Arezzo, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Stefano Grimaldi
- Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia, Università degli Studi di Trento, 38122, Trento, Italy
| | - Marco Benvenuti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, 50121, Florence, Italy
| | - Chiara Capalbo
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, 50121, Florence, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare (DISTEM), Università di Palermo, 90123, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Cavulli
- Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia, Università degli Studi di Trento, 38122, Trento, Italy
| | - Francesco Ciani
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Giacomo Comencini
- Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia, Università degli Studi di Trento, 38122, Trento, Italy
| | - Claudia Giuliani
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, 50019, Florence, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università di Milano, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | | | | | - Federico Masini
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare (DISTEM), Università di Palermo, 90123, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Pasquino Pallecchi
- Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Firenze, Prato e Pistoia, 50100, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Savorelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, 50121, Florence, Italy
| | - Anna Revedin
- Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria, 50121, Florence, Italy
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15
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Vyshedskiy A. Language evolution to revolution: the leap from rich-vocabulary non-recursive communication system to recursive language 70,000 years ago was associated with acquisition of a novel component of imagination, called Prefrontal Synthesis, enabled by a mutation that slowed down the prefrontal cortex maturation simultaneously in two or more children – the Romulus and Remus hypothesis. RESEARCH IDEAS AND OUTCOMES 2019. [DOI: 10.3897/rio.5.e38546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an overwhelming archeological and genetic evidence that modern speech apparatus was acquired by hominins by 600,000 years ago. On the other hand, artifacts signifying modern imagination, such as (1) composite figurative arts, (2) bone needles with an eye, (3) construction of dwellings, and (4) elaborate burials arose not earlier than 70,000 years ago. It remains unclear (1) why there was a long gap between acquisition of modern speech apparatus and modern imagination, (2) what triggered the acquisition of modern imagination 70,000 years ago, and (3) what role language might have played in this process. Our research into evolutionary origin of modern imagination has been driven by the observation of a temporal limit for the development of a particular component of imagination. Modern children not exposed to recursive language in early childhood never acquire the type of active constructive imagination called Prefrontal Synthesis (PFS). Unlike vocabulary and grammar acquisition, which can be learned throughout one’s lifetime, there is a strong critical period for the development of PFS and individuals not exposed to recursive language in early childhood can never acquire PFS as adults. Their language will always lack understanding of spatial prepositions and recursion that depend on the PFS ability. In a similar manner, early hominins would not have been able to learn recursive language as adults and, therefore, would not be able to teach recursive language to their children. Thus, the existence of a strong critical period for PFS acquisition creates an evolutionary barrier for behavioral modernity. An evolutionary mathematical model suggests that a synergistic confluence of three events (1) a genetic mutation that extended the critical period by slowing down the prefrontal cortex development simultaneously in two or more children, (2) invention of recursive elements of language, such as spatial prepositions, by these children and (3) their dialogic communications using these recursive elements, resulted in concurrent conversion of a non-recursive communication system of their parents to recursive language and acquisition of PFS around 70,000 years ago.
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Allen PJ, Wiener JM, Gatzidis C, Stringer CB, Stewart JR. Investigating the Effect of the Environment on Prey Detection Ability in Humans. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7445. [PMID: 31092865 PMCID: PMC6520383 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43797-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual search experiments used in the field of psychology may be applied to investigate the relationship between environments and prey detection rates that could influence hunting behaviours in ancient humans. Two lab-based experiments were designed to examine the effects of differing virtual environments, representing Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3) in Europe, on participants’ ability to locate prey. The results show that prey detection performance is highly influenced by vegetation structure, both in terms of the biome type (wooded vs. grassland environments) and the density of the vegetation (trees in wooded and shrubs in grassland environments). However, the density of vegetation has a greater relative effect in grassland than in wooded biomes. Closer examination of the transition between biomes (relative percentages of trees vs. shrubs) at the same vegetative density shows a non-linear relationship between prey detection performance and the relative tree to shrub percentages. Changes in the distribution of biomes occurred throughout the Quaternary. The composition of those biomes will have likely affected hominin hunting behaviours because of their intermediary effects on prey detection performance. This may, therefore, have played a role in the turn-overs of hunter-gatherer hominin populations during MIS3 and at other times in the Quaternary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Allen
- Department of Creative Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK.
| | - Jan M Wiener
- Department of Psychology, Ageing and Dementia Research Centre, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, BH12 5BB, Poole, UK
| | - Christos Gatzidis
- Department of Creative Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK
| | - Chris B Stringer
- CHER, Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, SW7 5BD, London, UK
| | - John R Stewart
- Department of Life and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, BH12 5BB, Poole, UK
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External ballistics of Pleistocene hand-thrown spears: experimental performance data and implications for human evolution. Sci Rep 2019; 9:820. [PMID: 30683877 PMCID: PMC6347593 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37904-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The appearance of weaponry - technology designed to kill - is a critical but poorly established threshold in human evolution. It is an important behavioural marker representing evolutionary changes in ecology, cognition, language and social behaviours. While the earliest weapons are often considered to be hand-held and consequently short-ranged, the subsequent appearance of distance weapons is a crucial development. Projectiles are seen as an improvement over contact weapons, and are considered by some to have originated only with our own species in the Middle Stone Age and Upper Palaeolithic. Despite the importance of distance weapons in the emergence of full behavioral modernity, systematic experimentation using trained throwers to evaluate the ballistics of thrown spears during flight and at impact is lacking. This paper addresses this by presenting results from a trial of trained javelin athletes, providing new estimates for key performance parameters. Overlaps in distances and impact energies between hand-thrown spears and spearthrowers are evidenced, and skill emerges as a significant factor in successful use. The results show that distance hunting was likely within the repertoire of hunting strategies of Neanderthals, and the resulting behavioural flexibility closely mirrors that of our own species.
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