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Zaidner Y, Prévost M, Shahack-Gross R, Weissbrod L, Yeshurun R, Porat N, Guérin G, Mercier N, Galy A, Pécheyran C, Barbotin G, Tribolo C, Valladas H, White D, Timms R, Blockley S, Frumkin A, Gaitero-Santos D, Ilani S, Ben-Haim S, Pedergnana A, Pietraszek AV, García P, Nicosia C, Lagle S, Varoner O, Zeigen C, Langgut D, Crouvi O, Borgel S, Sarig R, May H, Hershkovitz I. Evidence from Tinshemet Cave in Israel suggests behavioural uniformity across Homo groups in the Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic circa 130,000-80,000 years ago. Nat Hum Behav 2025; 9:886-901. [PMID: 40069367 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-025-02110-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2025] [Indexed: 05/28/2025]
Abstract
The south Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic (mid-MP; ~130-80 thousand years ago (ka)) is remarkable for its exceptional evidence of human morphological variability, with contemporaneous fossils of Homo sapiens and Neanderthal-like hominins. Yet, it remains unclear whether these hominins adhered to discrete behavioural sets or whether regional-scale intergroup interactions could have homogenized mid-MP behaviour. Here we report on our discoveries at Tinshemet Cave, Israel. The site yielded articulated Homo remains in association with rich assemblages of ochre, fauna and stone tools dated to ~100 ka. Viewed from the perspective of other key regional sites of this period, our findings indicate consolidation of a uniform behavioural set in the Levantine mid-MP, consisting of similar lithic technology, an increased reliance on large-game hunting and a range of socially elaborated behaviours, comprising intentional human burial and the use of ochre in burial contexts. We suggest that the development of this behavioural uniformity is due to intensified inter-population interactions and admixture between Homo groups ~130-80 ka.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yossi Zaidner
- Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Marion Prévost
- Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ruth Shahack-Gross
- Department of Maritime Civilizations, Department of Archaeological Sciences, School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, Recanati Institute of Maritime Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Reuven Yeshurun
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology and School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Naomi Porat
- Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gilles Guérin
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, UMR CEA-CNRS-UVSQ 8212 CEA Saclay, Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Norbert Mercier
- Archéosciences Bordeaux, UMR 6034 CNRS-Université Bordeaux Montaigne, Pessac Cedex, France
| | - Asmodée Galy
- Archéosciences Bordeaux, UMR 6034 CNRS-Université Bordeaux Montaigne, Pessac Cedex, France
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau Cedex, France
| | - Christophe Pécheyran
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau Cedex, France
| | - Gaëlle Barbotin
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau Cedex, France
| | - Chantal Tribolo
- Archéosciences Bordeaux, UMR 6034 CNRS-Université Bordeaux Montaigne, Pessac Cedex, France
| | - Hélène Valladas
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, UMR CEA-CNRS-UVSQ 8212 CEA Saclay, Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Dustin White
- Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Rhys Timms
- Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Simon Blockley
- Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Amos Frumkin
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | | | - Sapir Ben-Haim
- Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Alyssa V Pietraszek
- Department of Maritime Civilizations, School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Pedro García
- Department of Maritime Civilizations, School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Università di Padova, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Susan Lagle
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology and School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Oz Varoner
- Department of Bible, Archaeology and the Ancient Near East, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Chen Zeigen
- Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Dafna Langgut
- Steinhardt Museum of Natural History and Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Ancient Environments, Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Onn Crouvi
- Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Sarah Borgel
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Rachel Sarig
- Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Oral Biology, Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hila May
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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2
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Barzilai O, Oron M, Porat N, White D, Timms R, Blockley S, Zular A, Avni Y, Faershtein G, Weiner S, Boaretto E. Expansion of eastern Mediterranean Middle Paleolithic into the desert region in early marine isotopic stage 5. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4466. [PMID: 35296701 PMCID: PMC8927120 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08296-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine Isotopic Stage 5 is associated with wetter climatic conditions in the Saharo-Arabian deserts. This stage also corresponds to the establishment of Middle Paleolithic hominins and their associated material culture in two geographical provinces in southwest Asia—the Eastern Mediterranean woodland and the Arabian Peninsula desert. The lithic industry of the Eastern Mediterranean is characterized by the centripetal Levallois method, whereas the Nubian Levallois method characterizes the populations of the Arabian desert. The Negev Desert, situated between these regions is a key area to comprehend population movement in correlation to climatic zones. This investigation addresses the nature of the Middle Paleolithic settlement in the Negev Desert during MIS 5 by studying the site of Nahal Aqev. High resolution chronological results based on luminescence dating and cryptotephra show the site was occupied from MIS 5e to MIS 5d. The lithic industries at Nahal Aqev are dominated by centripetal Levallois core method. These data demonstrate that Nahal Aqev is much closer in its cultural attributes to the Eastern Mediterranean Middle Paleolithic than to the Arabian Desert entity. We conclude that Nahal Aqev represents an expansion of Middle Paleolithic groups from the Mediterranean woodland into the desert, triggered by better climatic conditions. These groups possibly interacted with hominin groups bearing the Nubian core tradition from the vast region of Arabia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omry Barzilai
- Archaeological Research Department, Israel Antiquities Authority, POB 586, 91004, Jerusalem, Israel. .,Max Planck-Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, DANGOOR Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Maya Oron
- Archaeological Research Department, Israel Antiquities Authority, POB 586, 91004, Jerusalem, Israel.,Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, 91905, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Naomi Porat
- Geological Survey of Israel, 32 Yesha'ayahu Leibowitz St., 9692100, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Dustin White
- Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, University of London, Egham, UK.,Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, UK
| | - Rhys Timms
- Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Simon Blockley
- Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - André Zular
- Max Planck-Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, DANGOOR Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yoav Avni
- Geological Survey of Israel, 32 Yesha'ayahu Leibowitz St., 9692100, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Galina Faershtein
- Geological Survey of Israel, 32 Yesha'ayahu Leibowitz St., 9692100, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Steve Weiner
- Max Planck-Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, DANGOOR Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Elisabetta Boaretto
- Max Planck-Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, DANGOOR Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel.
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Kuhn S, Moncel MH, Weinstein-Evron M, Zaidner Y. Introduction to special issue The Lower to Middle Paleolithic boundaries: Evolutionary threshold or continuum? J Hum Evol 2021; 159:103054. [PMID: 34418756 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Steven Kuhn
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0030, USA.
| | - Marie-Hélène Moncel
- UMR 7194 CNRS e Département Hommes et Environnement, Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Mina Weinstein-Evron
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, 199 Aba-Hushi Avenue, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Yossi Zaidner
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel
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Abstract
Archaic hominins in the Middle East underscore local demographic diversity in the last half million years
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Hershkovitz I, May H, Sarig R, Pokhojaev A, Grimaud-Hervé D, Bruner E, Fornai C, Quam R, Arsuaga JL, Krenn VA, Martinón-Torres M, de Castro JMB, Martín-Francés L, Slon V, Albessard-Ball L, Vialet A, Schüler T, Manzi G, Profico A, Di Vincenzo F, Weber GW, Zaidner Y. A Middle Pleistocene
Homo
from Nesher Ramla, Israel. Science 2021. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abh3169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hila May
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Rachel Sarig
- The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Oral Biology, the Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ariel Pokhojaev
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Oral Biology, the Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dominique Grimaud-Hervé
- UMR7194, HNHP, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, UPVD, Paris, France
| | - Emiliano Bruner
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution), Burgos, Spain
| | - Cinzia Fornai
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rolf Quam
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY, USA
- Centro UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Centro UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Geodináica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Viktoria A. Krenn
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Martinón-Torres
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution), Burgos, Spain
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution), Burgos, Spain
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution), Burgos, Spain
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Viviane Slon
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lou Albessard-Ball
- UMR7194, HNHP, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, UPVD, Paris, France
- PalaeoHub, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Amélie Vialet
- UMR7194, HNHP, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, UPVD, Paris, France
| | - Tim Schüler
- Thuringian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and Archaeology Weimar, Germany
| | - Giorgio Manzi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Profico
- PalaeoHub, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Fabio Di Vincenzo
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Gerhard W. Weber
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Core Facility for Micro-Computed Tomography, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yossi Zaidner
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Mount Carmel, Israel
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