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Bradshaw CJA, Reepmeyer C, Saltré F, Agapiou A, Kassianidou V, Demesticha S, Zomeni Z, Polidorou M, Moutsiou T. Demographic models predict end-Pleistocene arrival and rapid expansion of pre-agropastoralist humans in Cyprus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318293121. [PMID: 38753504 PMCID: PMC11126943 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318293121] [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: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The antiquity of human dispersal into Mediterranean islands and ensuing coastal adaptation have remained largely unexplored due to the prevailing assumption that the sea was a barrier to movement and that islands were hostile environments to early hunter-gatherers [J. F. Cherry, T. P. Leppard, J. Isl. Coast. Archaeol. 13, 191-205 (2018), 10.1080/15564894.2016.1276489]. Using the latest archaeological data, hindcasted climate projections, and age-structured demographic models, we demonstrate evidence for early arrival (14,257 to 13,182 calendar years ago) to Cyprus and predicted that large groups of people (~1,000 to 1,375) arrived in 2 to 3 main events occurring within <100 y to ensure low extinction risk. These results indicate that the postglacial settlement of Cyprus involved only a few large-scale, organized events requiring advanced watercraft technology. Our spatially debiased and Signor-Lipps-corrected estimates indicate rapid settlement of the island within <200 y, and expansion to a median of 4,000 to 5,000 people (0.36 to 0.46 km-2) in <11 human generations (<300 y). Our results do not support the hypothesis of inaccessible and inhospitable islands in the Mediterranean for pre-agropastoralists, agreeing with analogous conclusions for other parts of the world [M. I. Bird et al., Sci. Rep. 9, 8220 (2019), 10.1038/s41598-019-42946-9]. Our results also highlight the need to revisit these questions in the Mediterranean and test their validity with new technologies, field methods, and data. By applying stochastic models to the Mediterranean region, we can place Cyprus and large islands in general as attractive and favorable destinations for paleolithic peoples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey J. A. Bradshaw
- Global Ecology | Partuyarta Ngadluku Wardli Kuu, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA5001, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW2522, Australia
| | - Christian Reepmeyer
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW2522, Australia
- Commission for Archaeology of Non-European Cultures, German Archaeological Institute, Bonn53173, Germany
- College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University Cairns, Cairns, QLD4870, Australia
| | - Frédérik Saltré
- Global Ecology | Partuyarta Ngadluku Wardli Kuu, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA5001, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW2522, Australia
| | - Athos Agapiou
- Cyprus University of Technology, Lemesos3036, Cyprus
| | | | - Stella Demesticha
- Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, Nicosia1095, Cyprus
| | - Zomenia Zomeni
- Geological Survey Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicosia1301, Cyprus
| | | | - Theodora Moutsiou
- College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University Cairns, Cairns, QLD4870, Australia
- Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, Nicosia1095, Cyprus
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Muttoni G, Kent DV. Hominin population bottleneck coincided with migration from Africa during the Early Pleistocene ice age transition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318903121. [PMID: 38466876 PMCID: PMC10990135 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318903121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Two recently published analyses make cases for severe bottlenecking of human populations occurring in the late Early Pleistocene, one case at about 0.9 Mya based on a genomic analysis of modern human populations and the low number of hominin sites of this age in Africa and the other at about 1.1 Mya based on an age inventory of sites of hominin presence in Eurasia. Both models point to climate change as the bottleneck trigger, albeit manifested at very different times, and have implications for human migrations as a mechanism to elude extinction at bottlenecking. Here, we assess the climatic and chronologic components of these models and suggest that the several hundred-thousand-year difference is largely an artifact of biases in the chronostratigraphic record of Eurasian hominin sites. We suggest that the best available data are consistent with the Galerian hypothesis expanded from Europe to Eurasia as a major migration pulse of fauna including hominins in the late Early Pleistocene as a consequence of the opening of land routes from Africa facilitated by a large sea level drop associated with the first major ice age of the Pleistocene and concurrent with widespread aridity across Africa that occurred during marine isotope stage 22 at ~0.9 Mya. This timing agrees with the independently dated bottleneck from genomic analysis of modern human populations and allows speculations about the relative roles of climate forcing on the survival of hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Muttoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra ‘Ardito Desio’, University of Milan, MilanI-20133, Italy
| | - Dennis V. Kent
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY10964
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ08854
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3
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Ma DD, Pei SW, Xie F, Ye Z, Wang FG, Xu JY, Deng CL, de la Torre I. Earliest Prepared core technology in Eurasia from Nihewan (China): Implications for early human abilities and dispersals in East Asia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313123121. [PMID: 38437546 PMCID: PMC10945746 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313123121] [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: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Organized flaking techniques to obtain predetermined stone tools have been traced back to the early Acheulean (also known as mode 2) in Africa and are seen as indicative of the emergence of advanced technical abilities and in-depth planning skills among early humans. Here, we report one of the earliest known examples of prepared core technology in the archaeological record, at the Cenjiawan (CJW) site in the Nihewan basin of China, dated 1.1 Mya. The operational schemes reconstructed from the CJW refit sets, together with shaping patterns observed in the retouched tools, suggest that Nihewan basin toolmakers had the technical abilities of mode 2 hominins, and developed different survival strategies to adapt to local raw materials and environments. This finding predates the previously earliest known prepared core technology from Eurasia by 0.3 My, and the earliest known mode 2 sites in East Asia by a similar amount of time, thus suggesting that hominins with advanced technologies may have migrated into high latitude East Asia as early as 1.1 Mya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Dong Ma
- Department of Archaeology, Institute of History, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid28037, Spain
| | - Shu-Wen Pei
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100044, China
| | - Fei Xie
- Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Shijiazhuang050033, China
| | - Zhi Ye
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100044, China
- School of Humanities, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Fa-Gang Wang
- Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Shijiazhuang050033, China
| | - Jing-Yue Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100044, China
- School of Humanities, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Cheng-Long Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China
| | - Ignacio de la Torre
- Department of Archaeology, Institute of History, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid28037, Spain
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4
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Barazani O, Dag A, Dunseth Z. The history of olive cultivation in the southern Levant. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1131557. [PMID: 36909452 PMCID: PMC9996078 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1131557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The olive tree (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea var. europaea) is one of the most important crops across the Mediterranean, particularly the southern Levant. Its regional economic importance dates at least to the Early Bronze Age (~3600 BCE) and its cultivation contributed significantly to the culture and heritage of ancient civilizations in the region. In the southern Levant, pollen, pits and wood remains of wild olives (O. europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris) has been found in Middle Pleistocene sediments dating to approximately 780 kya, and are present in numerous palynological sequences throughout the Pleistocene and into the Holocene. Archeological evidence indicates the olive oil production from at least the Pottery Neolithic to Chalcolithic transition (~7600-7000 BP), and clear evidence for cultivation by, 7000 BP. It is hypothesized that olive cultivation began through the selection of local genotypes of the wild var. sylvestris. Local populations of naturally growing trees today have thus been considered wild relatives of the olive. However, millennia of cultivation raises questions about whether genuine populations of var. sylvestris remain in the region. Ancient olive landraces might thus represent an ancient genetic stock closer to the ancestor gene pool. This review summarizes the evidence supporting the theory that olives were first cultivated in the southern Levant and reviews our genetic work characterizing local ancient cultivars. The significance and importance of old cultivars and wild populations are discussed, given the immediate need to adapt agricultural practices and crops to environmental degradation and global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oz Barazani
- Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Plant Sciences, Department of Vegetables and Field Crops, Rishon LeZion, Israel
| | - Arnon Dag
- Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Plant Sciences, Department of Fruit Tree Sciences, Gilat Research Center, Gilat, Israel
| | - Zachary Dunseth
- Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
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5
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Domestic spaces as crucibles of Paleolithic culture: An archaeological perspective. J Hum Evol 2022; 172:103266. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Marom N, Lazagabaster IA, Shafir R, Natalio F, Eisenmann V, Horwitz LK. The Late Middle Pleistocene mammalian fauna of Oumm Qatafa Cave, Judean Desert: taxonomy, taphonomy and palaeoenvironment. JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE 2022; 37:612-638. [PMID: 35915614 PMCID: PMC9314136 DOI: 10.1002/jqs.3414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The Middle Pleistocene archaeological record of the southern Levant has proven key to understanding human evolution and intercontinental faunal biogeography. Knowledge of archaeological sites of that period in the southern Levant is biased, with most Middle Pleistocene localities in the Mediterranean areas in the north, despite the mosaic of environments that mark the entire region. A key Middle Pleistocene location in the Judean Desert - on the eastern margin of the Mediterranean zone - is the site of Oumm Qatafa, excavated in the early 1900s, which yielded a faunal collection spanning an estimated time period of 600-200 kya. Here, we present a revised taxonomy of the macromammalian fauna from the site, discuss the palaeoenvironmental implications of this assemblage, and relate the finds to other Pleistocene sites from the Levant. These data enable a more precise palaeoenvironmental reconstruction which attests to an open landscape, but with the addition of a mesic Mediterranean component close by. In addition, detailed taphonomic observations on butchery marks and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of burnt bone link the fauna for the first time to anthropogenic activities in the cave.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimrod Marom
- School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures & the Recanati Institute for Maritime StudiesUniversity of Haifa, HaifaIsrael
| | - Ignacio A. Lazagabaster
- School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures & the Recanati Institute for Maritime StudiesUniversity of Haifa, HaifaIsrael
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Roee Shafir
- School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures & the Recanati Institute for Maritime StudiesUniversity of Haifa, HaifaIsrael
| | | | - Vera Eisenmann
- Unité Mixte de Recherche 5143 du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CP 38, Département Histoire de la TerreParisFrance
| | - Liora Kolska Horwitz
- National Natural History CollectionsThe Hebrew University of JerusalemJerusalemIsrael
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Palmqvist P, Rodríguez-Gómez G, Bermúdez de Castro JM, García-Aguilar JM, Espigares MP, Figueirido B, Ros-Montoya S, Granados A, Serrano FJ, Martínez-Navarro B, Guerra-Merchán A. Insights on the Early Pleistocene Hominin Population of the Guadix-Baza Depression (SE Spain) and a Review on the Ecology of the First Peopling of Europe. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.881651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The chronology and environmental context of the first hominin dispersal in Europe have been subject to debate and controversy. The oldest settlements in Eurasia (e.g., Dmanisi, ∼1.8 Ma) suggest a scenario in which the Caucasus and southern Asia were occupied ∼0.4 Ma before the first peopling of Europe. Barranco León (BL) and Fuente Nueva 3 (FN3), two Early Pleistocene archeological localities dated to ∼1.4 Ma in Orce (Guadix-Baza Depression, SE Spain), provide the oldest evidence of hominin presence in Western Europe. At these sites, huge assemblages of large mammals with evidence of butchery and marrow processing have been unearthed associated to abundant Oldowan tools and a deciduous tooth of Homo sp. in the case of BL. Here, we: (i) review the Early Pleistocene archeological sites of Europe; (ii) discuss on the subsistence strategies of these hominins, including new estimates of resource abundance for the populations of Atapuerca and Orce; (iii) use cartographic data of the sedimentary deposits for reconstructing the landscape habitable in Guadix-Baza; and (iv) calculate the size of the hominin population using an estimate of population density based on resource abundance. Our results indicate that Guadix-Baza could be home for a small hominin population of 350–280 individuals. This basin is surrounded by the highest mountainous reliefs of the Alpine-Betic orogen and shows a limited number of connecting corridors with the surrounding areas, which could have limited gene flow with other hominin populations. Isolation would eventually lead to bottlenecks, genetic drift and inbreeding depression, conditions documented in the wild dog population of the basin, which probably compromised the viability of the hominin population in the medium to long term. This explains the discontinuous nature of the archeological record in Guadix-Baza, a situation that can also be extrapolated to the scarcity of hominin settlements for these ancient chronologies in Europe.
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Late Quaternary Proboscidean Sites in Africa and Eurasia with Possible or Probable Evidence for Hominin Involvement. QUATERNARY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/quat5010018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a list of >100 publicly known late Quaternary proboscidean sites that have certain or possible traces of hominin utilization in Africa, Europe, and Asia, along with a sample of references, chronometric or estimated ages, and brief descriptions of the associated materials and bone modifications. Summary discussions of important sites are also presented. Lower Palaeolithic/Early Stone Age hominins created far fewer proboscidean site assemblages than hominins in later Palaeolithic phases, in spite of the time span being many times longer. Middle Palaeolithic/Middle Stone Age hominins created assemblages at eight times the earlier hominin rate. Upper Palaeolithic/Later Stone Age hominins created site assemblages at >90 times the rate of Lower Palaeolithic hominins. Palaeoloxodon spp. occur in nearly one third of the sites with an identified or probable proboscidean taxon and Mammuthus species are in nearly one half of the sites with identified or probable taxon. Other identified proboscidean genera, such as Elephas, Loxodonta, and Stegodon, occur in few sites. The sites show variability in the intensity of carcass utilization, the quantity of lithics bedded with bones, the extent of bone surface modifications, such as cut marks, the diversity of associated fauna, and mortality profiles.
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Pontzer H. Hotter and sicker: External energy expenditure and the tangled evolutionary roots of anthropogenic climate change and chronic disease. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 33:e23579. [PMID: 33629785 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The dual crises of climate change and chronic, or non-communicable, disease (NCD) have emerged worldwide as the global economy has industrialized over the past two centuries. AIMS In this synthesis I examine humans' dependence on external (non-metabolic) energy expenditure (e.g., fire, fossil fuels) as a common, root cause in these modern crises. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using fossil, archeological, and historical evidence I show that the human lineage has been dependent on external energy sources since the control of fire in the Paleolithic. This reliance has grown with the development of agriculture, the use of wind- and water-power, and the most recently with industrialization and the transition to fossil fuels. To place industrialization in context I develop a Rule of 50, whereby individuals in industrialized economies consume roughly 50-times more external energy and manufacture roughly 50-times more material than do hunter-gatherers. RESULTS Industrialization and mechanization, powered by fossil fuels, have promoted centralization and processing in food production, reduced physical activity, and increased air pollution (including greenhouse gas emissions). These developments have led in turn to NCD and climate change. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Climate change and NCD are connected both to one another and to our species' deep evolutionary dependence on external energy. Transitioning to carbon-free energy is essential to reduce the existential risks of climate change, but will likely have only modest effects on NCD. With the impending exhaustion of oil, coal, and natural gas reserves, developing replacements for fossil fuels is also critical to maintaining our species' external energy portfolio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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10
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Arroyo A, de la Torre I. Pitted stones in the Acheulean from Olduvai Gorge Beds III and IV (Tanzania): A use-wear and 3D approach. J Hum Evol 2020; 145:102837. [PMID: 32652256 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The archaeological sequence of Olduvai Gorge Beds III and IV is essential for the study of the evolution of the African Acheulean between ∼1.3 Ma and 0.6 Ma. However, no further reexaminations of the lithic assemblages have been published after Mary Leakey's original work. In this article, we present an analysis of a part of these collections, with an emphasis on the microscopic and spatial analysis of percussive marks in the so-called pitted stones. To investigate the function of pitted stones and understand the formation process of depressions on lava cobbles, archaeological pitted stones were compared with experimental tools used in bipolar knapping, nut-cracking, and flake-splitting activities. Our results demonstrate that features of pitted stones remained homogeneous across Beds III and IV assemblages, with depressions preferentially located on the central areas of the tools and similar use-wear traces inside such depressions. Comparisons with the experimental collection demonstrate that these depressions are rapidly formed when splitting flakes, resulting in elongated morphologies similar to those documented in the archaeological tools. Our results are discussed within the context of other archaeological and nonhuman primate assemblages to further explore the function of pounding activities in which pitted stones could have potentially been involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrián Arroyo
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, 43007, Spain; Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Àrea de Prehistòria, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, Tarragona, 43002, Spain.
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Does the geometric and linear morphometry of the brain reflect the divergence in the "guentheri" group (Arvicolinae, Sumeriomys)? RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF THERIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.19.1.04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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12
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Yang S, Deng C, Zhu R, Petraglia MD. The Paleolithic in the Nihewan Basin, China: Evolutionary history of an Early to Late Pleistocene record in Eastern Asia. Evol Anthropol 2019; 29:125-142. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shi‐Xia Yang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and PaleoanthropologyChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Department of ArchaeologyMax Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Jena Germany
- Chinese Academy of SciencesCenter for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment Beijing China
| | - Cheng‐Long Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and GeophysicsChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Innovation Academy for Earth ScienceChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Earth and Planetary SciencesUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Ri‐Xiang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and GeophysicsChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Innovation Academy for Earth ScienceChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Earth and Planetary SciencesUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Michael D. Petraglia
- Department of ArchaeologyMax Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Jena Germany
- Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian Institution Washington District of Columbia
- School of Social ScienceUniversity of Queensland St Lucia Queensland Australia
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The earliest evidence of Acheulian occupation in Northwest Europe and the rediscovery of the Moulin Quignon site, Somme valley, France. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13091. [PMID: 31511611 PMCID: PMC6739401 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49400-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The dispersal of hominin groups with an Acheulian technology and associated bifacial tools into northern latitudes is central to the debate over the timing of the oldest human occupation of Europe. New evidence resulting from the rediscovery and the dating of the historic site of Moulin Quignon demonstrates that the first Acheulian occupation north of 50°N occurred around 670–650 ka ago. The new archaeological assemblage was discovered in a sequence of fluvial sands and gravels overlying the chalk bedrock at a relative height of 40 m above the present-day maximal incision of the Somme River and dated by ESR on quartz to early MIS 16. More than 260 flint artefacts were recovered, including large flakes, cores and five bifaces. This discovery pushes back the age of the oldest Acheulian occupation of north-western Europe by more than 100 ka and bridges the gap between the archaeological records of northern France and England. It also challenges hominin dispersal models in Europe showing that hominins using bifacial technology, such as Homo heidelbergensis, were probably able to overcome cold climate conditions as early as 670–650 ka ago and reasserts the importance of the Somme valley, where Prehistory was born at the end of the 19th century.
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Buchholtz EK, Redmore L, Fitzgerald LA, Stronza A, Songhurst A, McCulloch G. Temporal Partitioning and Overlapping Use of a Shared Natural Resource by People and Elephants. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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15
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The expansion of later Acheulean hominins into the Arabian Peninsula. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17165. [PMID: 30498259 PMCID: PMC6265249 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35242-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The Acheulean is the longest lasting cultural–technological tradition in human evolutionary history. However, considerable gaps remain in understanding the chronology and geographical distribution of Acheulean hominins. We present the first chronometrically dated Acheulean site from the Arabian Peninsula, a vast and poorly known region that forms more than half of Southwest Asia. Results show that Acheulean hominin occupation expanded along hydrological networks into the heart of Arabia from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 7 until at least ~190 ka – the youngest documented Acheulean in Southwest Asia. The site of Saffaqah features Acheulean technology, characterized by large flakes, handaxes and cleavers, similar to Acheulean assemblages in Africa. These findings reveal a climatically-mediated later Acheulean expansion into a poorly known region, amplifying the documented diversity of Middle Pleistocene hominin behaviour across the Old World and elaborating the terminal archaic landscape encountered by our species as they dispersed out of Africa.
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16
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Shipton C, Blinkhorn J, Breeze PS, Cuthbertson P, Drake N, Groucutt HS, Jennings RP, Parton A, Scerri EML, Alsharekh A, Petraglia MD. Acheulean technology and landscape use at Dawadmi, central Arabia. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200497. [PMID: 30052630 PMCID: PMC6063418 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite occupying a central geographic position, investigations of hominin populations in the Arabian Peninsula during the Lower Palaeolithic period are rare. The colonization of Eurasia below 55 degrees latitude indicates the success of the genus Homo in the Early and Middle Pleistocene, but the extent to which these hominins were capable of innovative and novel behavioural adaptations to engage with mid-latitude environments is unclear. Here we describe new field investigations at the Saffaqah locality (206–76) near Dawadmi, in central Arabia that aim to establish how hominins adapted to this region. The site is located in the interior of Arabia over 500 km from both the Red Sea and the Gulf, and at the headwaters of two major extinct river systems that were likely used by Acheulean hominins to cross the Peninsula. Saffaqah is one of the largest Acheulean sites in Arabia with nearly a million artefacts estimated to occur on the surface, and it is also the first to yield stratified deposits containing abundant artefacts. It is situated in the unusual setting of a dense and well-preserved landscape of Acheulean localities, with sites and isolated artefacts occurring regularly for tens of kilometres in every direction. We describe both previous and recent excavations at Saffaqah and its large lithic assemblage. We analyse thousands of artefacts from excavated and surface contexts, including giant andesite cores and flakes, smaller cores and retouched artefacts, as well as handaxes and cleavers. Technological assessment of stratified lithics and those from systematic survey, enable the reconstruction of stone tool life histories. The Acheulean hominins at Dawadmi were strong and skilful, with their adaptation evidently successful for some time. However, these biface-makers were also technologically conservative, and used least-effort strategies of resource procurement and tool transport. Ultimately, central Arabia was depopulated, likely in the face of environmental deterioration in the form of increasing aridity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ceri Shipton
- Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - James Blinkhorn
- Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Paul S. Breeze
- Department of Geography, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nick Drake
- Department of Geography, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Huw S. Groucutt
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Richard P. Jennings
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Ash Parton
- Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Mansfield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Eleanor M. L. Scerri
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Michael D. Petraglia
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
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Moncel MH, Ashton N. From 800 to 500 ka in Western Europe. The Oldest Evidence of Acheuleans in Their Technological, Chronological, and Geographical Framework. VERTEBRATE PALEOBIOLOGY AND PALEOANTHROPOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-75985-2_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Alperson-Afil N, Richter D, Goren-Inbar N. Evaluating the intensity of fire at the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov-Spatial and thermoluminescence analyses. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0188091. [PMID: 29145432 PMCID: PMC5690626 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This manuscript presents an attempt to evaluate the intensity of fire through spatial patterning and thermoluminescence methodology. Previous studies of Layer II-6 Level 2 at the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov suggested that hominins differentiated their activities across space, including multiple activities around a hearth reconstructed on the basis of the distribution of burned flint artifacts. A transect of ~4 m was extended from the center of the reconstructed hearth of Level 2 to its periphery in order to examine the intensity of fire. Burned and unburned flint microartifacts were sampled along this transect. The results of earlier and current thermoluminescence (TL) analysis demonstrate a general agreement with the macroscopic determination of burning, indicating that the possibility of misinterpretation based on macroscopic observations is negligible. The TL signal from flint microartifacts close to the hearth’s center shows unambiguous signs of strong heating, whereas with increasing distance from the hearth the TL signal can be interpreted as a result of decreasing temperatures and/or shorter durations of exposure to fire in addition to a decreasing number of flints showing fire damage. Our study shows that TL analysis can identify some variation in fire intensity, which allows a more precise classification of burned flint microartifacts with respect to their heating history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nira Alperson-Afil
- Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
- * E-mail:
| | - Daniel Richter
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Freiberg Instruments GmbH, Freiberg, Germany
| | - Naama Goren-Inbar
- Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Li H, Kuman K, Lotter MG, Leader GM, Gibbon RJ. The Victoria West: earliest prepared core technology in the Acheulean at Canteen Kopje and implications for the cognitive evolution of early hominids. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170288. [PMID: 28680682 PMCID: PMC5493924 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Prepared core technology illustrates in-depth planning and the presence of a mental template during the core reduction process. This technology is, therefore, a significant indicator in studying the evolution of abstract thought and the cognitive abilities of hominids. Here, we report on Victoria West cores excavated from the Canteen Kopje site in central South Africa, with a preliminary age estimate of approximately 1 Ma (million years ago) for these cores. Technological analysis shows that the Victoria West cores bear similarities to the 'Volumetric Concept' as defined for the Levallois, a popular and widely distributed prepared core technology from at least 200 ka (thousand years ago). Although these similarities are present, several notable differences also occur that make the Victoria West a unique and distinctive prepared core technology; these are: elongated and convergent core shapes, consistent blow directions for flake removal, a predominance of large side-struck flakes, and the use of these flakes to make Acheulean large cutting tools. This innovative core reduction strategy at Canteen Kopje extends the roots of prepared core technology to the latter part of the Early Acheulean and clearly demonstrates an increase in the cognitive abilities and complexities of hominids in this time period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
| | - Kathleen Kuman
- School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa
| | - Matt G. Lotter
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria 0083, South Africa
| | - George M. Leader
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ryan J. Gibbon
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
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The plant component of an Acheulian diet at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:14674-14679. [PMID: 27930293 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1607872113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Diet is central for understanding hominin evolution, adaptation, and environmental exploitation, but Paleolithic plant remains are scarce. A unique macrobotanical assemblage of 55 food plant taxa from the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel includes seeds, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and plants producing underground storage organs. The food plant remains were part of a diet that also included aquatic and terrestrial fauna. This diverse assemblage, 780,000 y old, reflects a varied plant diet, staple plant foods, environmental knowledge, seasonality, and the use of fire in food processing. It provides insight into the wide spectrum of the diet of mid-Pleistocene hominins, enhancing our understanding of their adaptation from the perspective of subsistence. Our results shed light on hominin abilities to adjust to new environments, facilitating population diffusion and colonization beyond Africa. We reconstruct the major vegetal foodstuffs, while considering the possibility of some detoxification by fire. The site, located in the Levantine Corridor through which several hominin waves dispersed out of Africa, provides a unique opportunity to study mid-Pleistocene vegetal diet and is crucial for understanding subsistence aspects of hominin dispersal and the transition from an African-based to a Eurasian diet.
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Abstract
Archaeologists generally agree that high-power computer technology constitutes the most efficient venue for addressing many issues in archaeological research. Digital techniques have become indispensable components of archaeological surveys, fieldwork, lab work, and communication between researchers. One of the greatest advantages of the digital approach is its ability to examine large assemblages of items using advanced statistical methods. Digital documentation has reached the point of no return in archaeological research, and reverting to traditional methods is highly improbable. However, digital data may also contain additional information that has yet to be extracted by computer analysis. In this arena, new computer algorithms can be triggered by research questions that cannot be addressed without digital models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leore Grosman
- The Computerized Archaeology Laboratory, Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus 91905, Jerusalem, Israel
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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22
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Goren-Inbar N, Sharon G, Alperson-Afil N, Herzlinger G. A new type of anvil in the Acheulian of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2014.0353. [PMID: 26483531 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We report here on the identification and characterization of thin basalt anvils, a newly discovered component of the Acheulian lithic inventory of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (GBY). These tools are an addition to the array of percussive tools (percussors, pitted stones and anvils) made of basalt, flint and limestone. The thin anvils were selected from particularly compact, horizontally fissured zones of basalt flows. This type of fissuring produces a natural geometry of thick and thin slabs. Hominins at GBY had multiple acquisition strategies, including the selection of thick slabs for the production of giant cores and cobbles for percussors. The selection of thin slabs was carried out according to yet another independent and targeted plan. The thinness of the anvils dictated a particular range of functions. The use of the anvils is well documented on their surfaces and edges. Two main types of damage are identified: those resulting from activities carried out on the surfaces of the anvils and those resulting from unintentional forceful blows (accidents de travaille). Percussive activities that may have been associated with the thin anvils include nut cracking and the processing of meat and bones, as well as plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naama Goren-Inbar
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
| | - Gonen Sharon
- Prehistory Laboratory, Multidisciplinary Studies, East Campus, Tel Hai College, Upper Galilee 12208, Israel
| | - Nira Alperson-Afil
- The Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Gadi Herzlinger
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
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Árnason Ú. The Out of Africa hypothesis and the ancestry of recent humans: Cherchez la femme (et l'homme). Gene 2016; 585:9-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2016.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2015] [Revised: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Biton R, Boistel R, Rabinovich R, Gafny S, Brumfeld V, Bailon S. Osteological Observations on the Alytid AnuraLatonia nigriventerwith Comments on Functional Morphology, Biogeography, and Evolutionary History. J Morphol 2016; 277:1131-45. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Revised: 03/20/2016] [Accepted: 04/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Biton
- National Natural History Collections, Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Renaud Boistel
- IPHEP, UMR CNRS 7562, Université de Poitiers, UFR SFA; Poitiers France
| | - Rivka Rabinovich
- National Natural History Collections, Institute of Earth Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Sarig Gafny
- Ruppin Academic Center, School of Marine Sciences; Michmoret Israel
| | - Vlad Brumfeld
- Department of Chemical Research Support; Weizmann Institute of Science; Rehovot Israel
| | - Salvador Bailon
- UMR 7209 Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, pratiques et environnements; Sorbonne Universités, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS; Paris France
- UMR 7194 Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique; Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UPVD, CNRS; Paris France
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25
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Bräuer J, Call J. Apes produce tools for future use. Am J Primatol 2014; 77:254-63. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 08/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Bräuer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | - Josep Call
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience; University of St Andrews; St Andrews United Kingdom
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Moncel MH, Despriée J, Voinchet P, Tissoux H, Moreno D, Bahain JJ, Courcimault G, Falguères C. Early evidence of Acheulean settlement in northwestern Europe--la Noira site, a 700,000 year-old occupation in the center of France. PLoS One 2013; 8:e75529. [PMID: 24278105 PMCID: PMC3835824 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 08/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The human settlement of Europe during Pleistocene times was sporadic and several stages have been recognized, both from paleaoanthropological and archaeological records. If the first phase of hominin occupation (as early as 1.4 Ma) seems mainly restricted to the southern part of the continent, the second phase, characterized by specific lithic tools (handaxes), is linked to Acheulean settlements and to the emergence of Homo heidelbergensis, the ancestor of Neanderthals. This phase reached northwestern Europe and is documented in numerous sites in Germany, Great Britain and northern France, generally after 600 ka. At la Noira (Brinay, Central France), the Middle Pleistocene alluvial formation of the Cher River covers an archaeological level associated with a slope deposit (diamicton). The lithic assemblage from this level includes Large Cutting Tools (LCTs), flakes and cores, associated with numerous millstone slabs. The lithic series is classified as Acheulean on the basis of both technological and typological analyses. Cryoturbation features indicate that the slope deposits and associated archaeological level were strongly frozen and disturbed after hominin occupation and before fluvial deposition. Eight sediment samples were dated by the electron spin resonance (ESR) method and the weighted average age obtained for the fluvial sands overlying the slope deposits is 665±55 ka. This age is older than previous chronological data placing the first European Acheulean assemblages north of 45(th) parallel north at around 500 ka and modifies our current vision of the initial peopling of northern Europe. Acheulean settlements are older than previously assumed and the oldest evidences are not only located in southern Europe. La Noira is the oldest evidence of Acheulean presence in north-western Europe and attests to the possibility of pioneering phases of Acheulean settlement which would have taken place on a Mode 1-type substratum as early as 700 ka. The lithic assemblage from la Noira thus provides behavioral and technological data on early Acheulean occupation in Europe and contributes to our understanding of the diffusion of this tradition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Hélène Moncel
- Department of Prehistory-UMR 7194 CNRS, National Museum of Natural History, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris, France
| | - Jackie Despriée
- Department of Prehistory-UMR 7194 CNRS, National Museum of Natural History, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Voinchet
- Department of Prehistory-UMR 7194 CNRS, National Museum of Natural History, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris, France
| | - Hélène Tissoux
- Department of Prehistory-UMR 7194 CNRS, National Museum of Natural History, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris, France
- Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières, GEO/G2R, BP 36009, Orléans, France
| | - Davinia Moreno
- Department of Prehistory-UMR 7194 CNRS, National Museum of Natural History, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Bahain
- Department of Prehistory-UMR 7194 CNRS, National Museum of Natural History, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris, France
| | - Gilles Courcimault
- Department of Prehistory-UMR 7194 CNRS, National Museum of Natural History, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris, France
| | - Christophe Falguères
- Department of Prehistory-UMR 7194 CNRS, National Museum of Natural History, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris, France
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Biton R, Geffen E, Vences M, Cohen O, Bailon S, Rabinovich R, Malka Y, Oron T, Boistel R, Brumfeld V, Gafny S. The rediscovered Hula painted frog is a living fossil. Nat Commun 2013; 4:1959. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2012] [Accepted: 04/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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Ben-Dor M, Gopher A, Hershkovitz I, Barkai R. Man the fat hunter: the demise of Homo erectus and the emergence of a new hominin lineage in the Middle Pleistocene (ca. 400 kyr) Levant. PLoS One 2011; 6:e28689. [PMID: 22174868 PMCID: PMC3235142 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2011] [Accepted: 11/14/2011] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The worldwide association of H. erectus with elephants is well documented and so is the preference of humans for fat as a source of energy. We show that rather than a matter of preference, H. erectus in the Levant was dependent on both elephants and fat for his survival. The disappearance of elephants from the Levant some 400 kyr ago coincides with the appearance of a new and innovative local cultural complex--the Levantine Acheulo-Yabrudian and, as is evident from teeth recently found in the Acheulo-Yabrudian 400-200 kyr site of Qesem Cave, the replacement of H. erectus by a new hominin. We employ a bio-energetic model to present a hypothesis that the disappearance of the elephants, which created a need to hunt an increased number of smaller and faster animals while maintaining an adequate fat content in the diet, was the evolutionary drive behind the emergence of the lighter, more agile, and cognitively capable hominins. Qesem Cave thus provides a rare opportunity to study the mechanisms that underlie the emergence of our post-erectus ancestors, the fat hunters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miki Ben-Dor
- Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Avi Gopher
- Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Dan David Laboratory for the Search and Study of Modern Humans, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ran Barkai
- Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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30
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31
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Goren-Inbar N. Culture and cognition in the Acheulian industry: a case study from Gesher Benot Ya'aqov. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2011; 366:1038-49. [PMID: 21357226 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Acheulian presence in the Dead Sea Rift and its environs is characterized by the discontinuity of its cultural manifestations. Nevertheless, the long stratigraphic sequences of the Acheulian Technocomplex provide a unique opportunity for synergetic examination along a temporal trajectory. Hominin cognitive and cultural behaviour are studied at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov through analyses of lithic, palaeontological and palaeobotanical assemblages, as well as the Early-Middle Pleistocene environment, ecology and climate. The study attempts to reconstruct reduction sequences of some major artefact groups at the site, which include raw material acquisition, production, technology, typology, usage and discard. Experimental archaeology illustrates artefact mobility on the palaeo-landscape. Strategies of biomass-exploitation are studied in detail, with other aspects yielding additional information on hominin subsistence and adaptive responses to their environment. The cultural marker of fire and the spatial association of selected categories of finds are integrated in the general synthesis, allowing reconstruction of the cultural and cognitive realm of Acheulian hominins. The synthesis attempts to reassess the abilities, social structure, subsistence and adaptability to the changing environment of hominins in the Levantine Corridor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naama Goren-Inbar
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
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33
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Maul L, Smith K, Barkai R, Barash A, Karkanas P, Shahack-Gross R, Gopher A. Microfaunal remains at Middle Pleistocene Qesem Cave, Israel: Preliminary results on small vertebrates, environment and biostratigraphy. J Hum Evol 2011; 60:464-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2009] [Revised: 03/17/2010] [Accepted: 03/22/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Pappu S, Gunnell Y, Akhilesh K, Braucher R, Taieb M, Demory F, Thouveny N. Early Pleistocene Presence of Acheulian Hominins in South India. Science 2011; 331:1596-9. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1200183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shanti Pappu
- Sharma Centre for Heritage Education, 28, I Main Road, C.I.T. Colony, Mylapore, Chennai 600004, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Yanni Gunnell
- Department of Geography, Université Lumière-Lyon 2, CNRS-UMR 5600, 5 Avenue. P. Mendès-France, 69676 Bron cedex, France
| | - Kumar Akhilesh
- Sharma Centre for Heritage Education, 28, I Main Road, C.I.T. Colony, Mylapore, Chennai 600004, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Régis Braucher
- Centre Européen de Recherche et d’Enseignement en Géosciences de l’Environnement (CEREGE), Europôle de l’Arbois, BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 04, France
| | - Maurice Taieb
- Centre Européen de Recherche et d’Enseignement en Géosciences de l’Environnement (CEREGE), Europôle de l’Arbois, BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 04, France
| | - François Demory
- Centre Européen de Recherche et d’Enseignement en Géosciences de l’Environnement (CEREGE), Europôle de l’Arbois, BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 04, France
| | - Nicolas Thouveny
- Centre Européen de Recherche et d’Enseignement en Géosciences de l’Environnement (CEREGE), Europôle de l’Arbois, BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 04, France
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Dennell
- Department of Archaeology, Sheffield University, Sheffield S1 4ET, UK
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Hearth-side socioeconomics, hunting and paleoecology during the late Lower Paleolithic at Qesem Cave, Israel. J Hum Evol 2011; 60:213-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2010] [Revised: 10/13/2010] [Accepted: 10/25/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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White M, Ashton N, Scott B. The Emergence, Diversity and Significance of Mode 3 (Prepared Core) Technologies. DEVELOPMENTS IN QUATERNARY SCIENCES 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-53597-9.00005-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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38
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Spiro B, Ashkenazi S, Starinsky A, Katz A. Strontium isotopes in Melanopsis sp. as indicators of variation in hydrology and climate in the Upper Jordan Valley during the Early-Middle Pleistocene, and wider implications. J Hum Evol 2010; 60:407-16. [PMID: 21036385 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2009] [Revised: 06/28/2010] [Accepted: 07/06/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Aquifers dominated by Pleistocene basalts and Jurassic to Cretaceous calcareous rocks feed the Hula basin which is drained by the Jordan River into Lake Kinneret. The sedimentary sequence of Lower-Middle Pleistocene Benot Ya'akov Formation (BYF) exposed by excavations of the 0.78 Ma lake-side site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (GBY) consists of six cycles representing ca. 100 ka history of the Hula basin. This study characterizes the types of water sources in the catchment, tests the use of the Strontium (Sr) isotopes in the common extant snail Melanopsis sp. as a tracer for water in its habitat, and uses this tracer in the fossil specimens from GBY to investigate the palaeohydrology of the Hula paleolake during the corresponding period. The Sr isotope composition ((87)Sr/(86)Sr) of extant Melanopsis shells in the Hula catchment range widely (0.7046-0.7079). These analyses define distinct groups of water sources and aquifers, while the Jordan River at the GBY site has values around 0.70685. The values for fossil Melanopsis from GBY vary along stratigraphy; they are highest around 0.70710 in Cycles 1 and 2, decrease to around 0.70685 in Cycle 3, and exhibit upward trending fluctuations in the subsequent cycles to 0.70703 in Cycle 6. This trend reveals the dominance of the Hermon Jurassic aquifer during the earlier, colder periods before the Matuyama-Brunhes Boundary (MBB) and enhanced influence of the Golan basaltic aquifers, in subsequent warmer periods, indicating that the MBB coincides with climate warming as supported by other indicators. Hence, this global geochronological indicator of 0.78 Ma is also potentially a global palaeoclimatic marker. The similarity between the Sr isotope composition of the Jordan River waters and Melanopsis and those from Cycle 3 suggests that the current climate corresponds to that of the warmest period within the record of GBY, clarifying the comparative interpretation of this 100 k.yr. climate record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baruch Spiro
- Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
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Alperson-Afil N, Sharon G, Kislev M, Melamed Y, Zohar I, Ashkenazi S, Rabinovich R, Biton R, Werker E, Hartman G, Feibel C, Goren-Inbar N. Spatial organization of hominin activities at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel. Science 2010; 326:1677-80. [PMID: 20019284 DOI: 10.1126/science.1180695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The spatial designation of discrete areas for different activities reflects formalized conceptualization of a living space. The results of spatial analyses of a Middle Pleistocene Acheulian archaeological horizon (about 750,000 years ago) at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel, indicate that hominins differentiated their activities (stone knapping, tool use, floral and faunal processing and consumption) across space. These were organized in two main areas, including multiple activities around a hearth. The diversity of human activities and the distinctive patterning with which they are organized implies advanced organizational skills of the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nira Alperson-Afil
- Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel.
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Acheulean Landscapes and Large Cutting Tools Assemblages in the Arabian peninsula. THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN POPULATIONS IN ARABIA 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-2719-1_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
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41
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Bayesian Coalescent Inference from Mitochondrial DNA Variation of the Colonization Time of Arabia by the Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas hamadryas). THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN POPULATIONS IN ARABIA 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-2719-1_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Shea JJ. Stone Age Visiting Cards Revisited: A Strategic Perspective on the Lithic Technology of Early Hominin Dispersal. OUT OF AFRICA I 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-9036-2_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Lycett SJ. Understanding ancient hominin dispersals using artefactual data: a phylogeographic analysis of Acheulean handaxes. PLoS One 2009; 4:e7404. [PMID: 19826473 PMCID: PMC2756619 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2009] [Accepted: 09/16/2009] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reconstructing the dispersal patterns of extinct hominins remains a challenging but essential goal. One means of supplementing fossil evidence is to utilize archaeological evidence in the form of stone tools. Based on broad dating patterns, it has long been thought that the appearance of Acheulean handaxe technologies outside of Africa was the result of hominin dispersals, yet independent tests of this hypothesis remain rare. Cultural transmission theory leads to a prediction of a strong African versus non-African phylogeographic pattern in handaxe datasets, if the African Acheulean hypothesis is to be supported. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here, this prediction is tested using an intercontinental dataset of Acheulean handaxes and a biological phylogenetic method (maximum parsimony). The analyses produce a tree consistent with the phylogeographic prediction. Moreover, a bootstrap analysis provides evidence that this pattern is robust, and the maximum parsimony tree is also shown to be statistically different from a tree constrained by stone raw materials. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE These results demonstrate that nested analyses of behavioural data, utilizing methods drawn from biology, have the potential to shed light on ancient hominin dispersals. This is an encouraging prospect for human palaeobiology since sample sizes for lithic artefacts are many orders of magnitude higher than those of fossil data. These analyses also suggest that the sustained occurrence of Acheulean handaxe technologies in regions such as Europe and the Indian subcontinent resulted from dispersals by African hominin populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Lycett
- Department of Anthropology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.
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Scott GR, Gibert L. The oldest hand-axes in Europe. Nature 2009; 461:82-5. [DOI: 10.1038/nature08214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2008] [Accepted: 06/16/2009] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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46
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Antón SC. Natural history of Homo erectus. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2008; Suppl 37:126-70. [PMID: 14666536 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.10399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 351] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Our view of H. erectus is vastly different today than when Pithecanthropus erectus was described in 1894. Since its synonimization into Homo, views of the species and its distribution have varied from a single, widely dispersed, polytypic species ultimately ancestral to all later Homo, to a derived, regional isolate ultimately marginal to later hominin evolution. A revised chronostratigraphic framework and recent work bearing either directly or indirectly on reconstructions of life-history patterns are reviewed here and, together with a review of the cranial and postcranial anatomy of H. erectus, are used to generate a natural history of the species. Here I argue that H. erectus is a hominin, notable for its increased body size, that originates in the latest Pliocene/earliest Pleistocene of Africa and quickly disperses into Western and Eastern Asia. It is also an increasingly derived hominin with several regional morphs sustained by intermittent isolation, particularly in Southeast Asia. This view differs from several current views, most especially that which recognizes only a single hominin species in the Pleistocene, H. sapiens, and those which would atomize H. erectus into a multiplicity of taxa. Following Jolly ([2001] Yrbk Phys Anthropol 44:177-204), the regional morphs of H. erectus may be productively viewed as geographically replacing allotaxa, rather than as the focus of unresolvable species debates. Such a view allows us to focus on the adaptations and biology of local groups, including questions of biogeographic isolation and local adaptation. A number of issues remain unresolved, including the significance of diversity in size and shape in the early African and Georgian records.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan C Antón
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.
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Systematic butchering of fallow deer (Dama) at the early middle Pleistocene Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (Israel). J Hum Evol 2007; 54:134-49. [PMID: 17868780 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2007.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2006] [Revised: 06/25/2007] [Accepted: 07/13/2007] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Three assemblages of fallow deer (Dama sp.) bones excavated from the early middle Pleistocene (oxygen isotope stage 18) layers of the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel, furnish evidence of systematic and repeated exploitation of complete carcasses by hominins. The excellent state of preservation of the bones and the presence of only minimal signs of carnivore involvement permit an investigation of the role of hominins as the primary agents responsible for the damage to these bones. Hominin expertise in dealing with fallow deer carcasses is manifested by cut marks, percussion marks, and hack marks on the bones. The archaeozoological analysis of the anatomical position and frequency of these marks suggests that carcass processing followed systematic practices that reflect an in-depth knowledge of fallow deer anatomy and a consistent behavioral strategy. These assemblages represent one of the earliest examples of methodological butchering practices in Eurasia. The evidence of carcass processing observed at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov resembles that seen in late Pleistocene sites in Israel, which were inhabited by modern humans. We interpret the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov data as indicating that the Acheulian hunters at the site (1) were proficient communicators and learners and (2) possessed anatomical knowledge, considerable manual skill, impressive technological abilities, and foresight.
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Alperson-Afil N, Goren-Inbar N. Out of Africa and into Eurasia with controlled use of fire: Evidence from Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, Israel. ARCHAEOLOGY ETHNOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY OF EURASIA 2006. [DOI: 10.1134/s1563011006040086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Bruner E, Manzi G. CT-based description and phyletic evaluation of the archaic human calvarium from Ceprano, Italy. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 285:643-58. [PMID: 15957189 DOI: 10.1002/ar.a.20205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The discovery in 1994, of a fossilized human calvarium near Ceprano, Italy, dated about 800-900 thousand years before present, opened a new page for the study of human evolution in Europe. It extended the continental fossil record over the boundary between Early and Middle Pleistocene for the first time and revealed the cranial morphology of humans that where probably ancestral to both Neanderthals and modern Homo sapiens. A tomographic analysis of the Italian specimen is reported here in order to describe size and shape, vascular traces, and other features of the endocranium, as well as some relevant ectocranial traits (particularly of the frontal region). Our results show that the Ceprano calvarium displays plesiomorphies shared by early Homo taxa, involving a general archaic phenotype. At the same time, the presence of some derived features suggests a phylogenetic relationship with the populations referred to the subsequent polymorphic species H. heidelbergensis. The morphology of the supraorbital structures is different from the double-arched browridge of the African H. ergaster, while its superior shape shows similarities with African Middle Pleistocene specimens (Bodo, Kabwe). In contrast, the relationship between supraorbital torus and frontal squama points to an archaic pattern of the relationship between face and vault, associated to moderately narrow frontal lobes and limited development of the upper parietal areas. Despite a nonderived endocranial shape, the increase of cranial capacity (related to a general endocranial widening) and the probable absence of a clear occipital projection also suggest an evolutionary independence from the Asian H. erectus lineage. This analysis therefore supports the conclusion that the Ceprano calvarium represents the best available candidate for the ancestral phenotype of the cranial variation observed among Middle Pleistocene fossil samples in Africa and Europe. Nevertheless, a proper taxonomic interpretation of this crucial specimen remains puzzling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiliano Bruner
- Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo, Università La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
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Surovell T, Waguespack N, Brantingham PJ. Global archaeological evidence for proboscidean overkill. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102:6231-6. [PMID: 15829581 PMCID: PMC1087946 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0501947102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2004] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
One million years ago, proboscideans occupied most of Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Today, wild elephants are only found in portions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Although the causes of global Pleistocene extinctions in the order Proboscidea remain unresolved, the most common explanations involve climatic change and/or human hunting. In this report, we test the overkill and climate-change hypotheses by using global archaeological spatiotemporal patterning in proboscidean kill/scavenge sites. Spanning approximately 1.8 million years, the archaeological record of human subsistence exploitation of proboscideans is preferentially located on the edges of the human geographic range. This finding is commensurate with global overkill, suggesting that prehistoric human range expansion resulted in localized extinction events. In the present and the past, proboscideans have survived in refugia that are largely inaccessible to human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd Surovell
- Department of Anthropology, P.O. Box 3431, 1000 East University Avenue, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
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