Palaeolithic archaeology of the Bytham River: human occupation of Britain during the early Middle Pleistocene and its European context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Davis ◽  
Nick Ashton ◽  
Marcus Hatch ◽  
Peter G. Hoare ◽  
Simon G. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
European Context ◽  
Palaeolithic Archaeology

scholarly journals Middle Pleistocene human occupation in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula during cold climate conditions: Zooarchaeology and taphonomy of ETB-H02 site in the Manzanares valley (Madrid, Spain)

2019 ◽  
Vol 520 ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Yravedra ◽  
Joaquín Panera ◽  
Susana Rubio-Jara ◽  
Alfredo Pérez-González ◽  
Nuria Gallego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Climate Conditions

Hominid colonisation and the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic of the West Midlands

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 63-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.T.O. Lang ◽  
D.H. Keen
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
The West ◽  
Oxygen Isotope Record ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
Early Humans ◽  
Isotope Record ◽  
The University ◽  
Palaeolithic Archaeology ◽  
New Time

The recognition over the last 20 years that the Quaternary deposits of the West Midlands cover a longer period of time than previously envisaged has led to a re-analysis of their contained Palaeolithic archaeology. Stone tools have been found in the region for over a hundred years and cover most periods of hominid colonisation from the time of the earliest occupants of the country over half a million years ago. Twentieth century research in the West Midlands, often led by Professor F. W. Shotton at the University of Birmingham, correlated the Palaeolithic of the region with the Quaternary geological sequence as it was then understood. Shotton identified the ‘Wolstonian’ glaciation as the key event of the Midlands Pleistocene, around which a chronology for the Palaeolithic could be built and gave an age of less than 250 kyr for this episode. Work since 1985 has compared the Midlands sequence with the oxygen isotope record of the ocean basins and shown that the concept of a relatively recent ‘Wolstonian’ is now untenable and that the former chronology built around it is too short for the observed events in the area. This new time paradigm, with the earliest occupation of the area thought to be c. 500 kyr, has made necessary a reconsideration of the chronology of the Palaeolithic and Middle Pleistocene of the area. This new time framework brings into critical focus the issue of reworking of the archaeology and its true age. The tools themselves present complications of analysis compared to many other areas containing a Palaeolithic record, perhaps most notably through the use of largely non-flint raw materials, some which may have been introduced into the area by early humans or an hither-to unidentified glacial event. This opportunity to present a new chronology of occupation comes out of the work carried out by the ‘Shotton Project’ based at the University of Birmingham, and by the University of Liverpool.

scholarly journals Mortality profiles of Castor and Trogontherium (Mammalia: Rodentia, Castoridae), with notes on the site formation of the Mid-Pleistocene hominin locality Bilzingsleben II (Thuringia, Central Germany)

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-58
Author(s):  
Wolf-Dieter Heinrich ◽  
Lutz C. Maul
Keyword(s):  
Homo Erectus ◽  
Gravitational Mass ◽  
Site Formation ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Mortality Pattern ◽  
Mass Flows ◽  
The Difference

The Middle Pleistocene site Bilzingsleben II is well-known for its wealth of vertebrate and archaeological remains. Of particular importance is the record of Homo erectus bilzingslebenensis. Most palaeontologists consider the find horizon as a primary vertebrate deposit formed during human occupation, while some archaeologists attribute its formation to turbulent gravitational mass flows, inundation or a combination of both. Here we present mortality profiles of the beavers Castor and Trogontherium to provide further arguments to this controversial discussion. The mortality profiles of Castor from Bilzingsleben II, Weimar-Ehringsdorf and Weimar-Taubach are largely identical indicating similar taphonomic filters that were effective in the formation of the find layers. Individuals, which were tentatively classified as suspected ±2–2½ year old beavers dominate by far in all three sites. The structure of these mortality profiles shows similarities to Stiner’s (1990) “prime dominated mortality pattern”, which is indicative of human hunting. This consideration is supported by the difference of the mortality profile of Trogontherium from Bilzingsleben II (dominance of older individuals) in relation to the profiles of non-hominin generated assemblages of Tegelen and Mosbach 2 (dominance of younger individuals). Thus, our data support the interpretation of the Palaeolithic find horizon of Bilzingsleben II as a primary vertebrate deposit, but not the gravitational mass flow and inundation hypotheses.

DMP III: Pleistocene and Holocene palaeonvironments and prehistoric occupation of Fazzan, Libyan Sahara

2008 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 263-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Mirazón Lahr ◽  
Robert Foley ◽  
Simon Armitage ◽  
Huw Barton ◽  
Federica Crivellaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Middle Stone Age ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
Lake Formation ◽  
Mode 2 ◽  
Field Season ◽  
Mode 3

AbstractThe palaeoanthropological and geomorphological sub-projects of the Desert Migrations Project (DMP) focus on the Pleistocene and early Holocene environment and prehistory of Fazzan so as to assess the timing and extent of hominin and human movement across the Sahara through time. This paper reports on the findings of the 2008 field season, with a focus on the prehistoric evidence along the northern margin of the Ubari sand sea.The geomorphological record of the area preserves evidence of at least five past episodes of lake formation. The exact chronology of these, as well as the spatial extent of these lakes, remains the focus of further study.The archaeological record of hominin and human occupation of Fazzan prior to the establishment of the Garamantian civilisation is extraordinarily rich. Between 2007 and 2008, the DMP palaeoanthropological project surveyed thirty-five localities along the northern margin of the Ubari sand sea, recording a range of assemblages spanning all Palaeolithic industries. Most of the archaeological remains found consisted of stone-tools, while grinding stones were comparatively restricted geographically. Mode 1/Oldowan tools were found at two localities, contrasting with the widespread presence of Mode 2/Acheulean, Mode 3/Middle Stone Age and Mode 5/microlithic artefacts. This indicates that, although hominin presence in the area is probably earlier than previously thought, populations were comparatively sparse until the Middle Pleistocene. Twenty-one localities within the Ubari sand sea, as well as seven south of the Messak Settafet were also surveyed between 2007 and 2008. The detailed study of the lithics from these areas will be carried out next year, but preliminary results stress the different nature of the assemblages found within interdune corridors — very low frequency of cores, no Mode 1 and extremely rare Mode 2 lithics (found at a single locality).The 2009 field season will focus on obtaining further samples of palaeolake sediments for dating, on the evidence of Mode 1 assemblages south of the Messak, as well as on the refining of the archaeological indicators that may distinguish the different phases of hominin and human occupation of Fazzan during the Later Pleistocene and Holocene.

Technology and Society during the Middle Pleistocene: Hominid Group Size, Social Learning and Industrial Variability

1994 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Mithen
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Stone Tools ◽  
Homo Erectus ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Lower Palaeolithic ◽  
Palaeolithic Archaeology

A model is developed for the relationship between the tool behaviour and social behaviour ofHomo erectus.This explores the role of social learning as the link between social organization and techniques—the methods used to manufacture stone tools. Predictions are made as to how techniques should vary with increasing group size and these are evaluated through a case study from the Middle Pleistocene of southeast England. The case study suggests that inter-assemblage variability in the Lower Palaeolithic can partly be attributed to different relative intensities of individual and social learning arising from varying hominid group size and social interaction in open and closed (i.e. wooded) environments. As such, the paper seeks to integrate material from three fields—comparative socioecology, primate social learning and Palaeolithic archaeology—to explore the relationship between society and technology.

scholarly journals The History and Driving Force for Prehistoric Human Expansion Upward to the Hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau Post–Last Glacial Maximum

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7065
Author(s):  
Guangliang Hou ◽  
Weimiao Dong ◽  
Linhai Cai ◽  
Qingbo Wang ◽  
Menghan Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Glacial Maximum ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Spatio Temporal

The timing and motivation of prehistoric human expansion into the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a widely debated scientific issue. Recent archaeological studies have brought forward predictions of the earliest human occupation of the TP to the late–Middle Pleistocene. However, massive human occupation of the TP did not appear until the termination of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The spatio-temporal distribution of prehistoric hunter-gatherers on the TP varies significantly before the permanent occupation after 3600 BP (before present). Here, we report on environmental-archaeological evidence from the Canxionggashuo (CXGS) site in Yushu Prefecture, which provides information that is key to understanding the dynamics of post-LGM human occupation on the TP. Radiocarbon dating has revealed two occupation periods of the CXGS site at 8600–7100 cal (calibrated years) BP and 2400–2100 cal BP. The charcoal concentration in cultural layers correlates well with paleo–human activities. Hunter-gatherers expanded westwards from the northeastern margin of the TP to the hinterland of the TP during the warming period of the early–middle Holocene (~11,500–6000 BP). However, these groups retreated during the middle–late Holocene (~6000–3600 BP) under a cooling-drying climate. Prehistoric humans finally occupied the hinterland of the TP permanently after 3600 BP, with an enhanced cold-adaptive lifestyle, although the climate was still deteriorating.

scholarly journals Seasonal availability of edible underground and aboveground carbohydrate resources to human foragers on the Cape south coast, South Africa

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan C. De Vynck ◽  
Richard M. Cowling ◽  
Alastair J. Potts ◽  
Curtis W. Marean
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Cape Floristic Region ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Edible Plant

The coastal environments of South Africa’s Cape Floristic Region (CFR) provide some of the earliest and most abundant evidence for the emergence of cognitively modern humans. In particular, the south coast of the CFR provided a uniquely diverse resource base for hunter-gatherers, which included marine shellfish, game, and carbohydrate-bearing plants, especially those with Underground Storage Organs (USOs). It has been hypothesized that these resources underpinned the continuity of human occupation in the region since the Middle Pleistocene. Very little research has been conducted on the foraging potential of carbohydrate resources in the CFR. This study focuses on the seasonal availability of plants with edible carbohydrates at six-weekly intervals over a two-year period in four vegetation types on South Africa’s Cape south coast. Different plant species were considered available to foragers if the edible carbohydrate was directly (i.e. above-ground edible portions) or indirectly (above-ground indications to below-ground edible portions) visible to an expert botanist familiar with this landscape. A total of 52 edible plant species were recorded across all vegetation types. Of these, 33 species were geophytes with edible USOs and 21 species had aboveground edible carbohydrates. Limestone Fynbos had the richest flora, followed by Strandveld, Renosterveld and lastly, Sand Fynbos. The availability of plant species differed across vegetation types and between survey years. The number of available USO species was highest for a six-month period from winter to early summer (Jul–Dec) across all vegetation types. Months of lowest species’ availability were in mid-summer to early autumn (Jan–Apr); the early winter (May–Jun) values were variable, being highest in Limestone Fynbos. However, even during the late summer carbohydrate “crunch,” 25 carbohydrate bearing species were visible across the four vegetation types. To establish a robust resource landscape will require additional spatial mapping of plant species abundances. Nonetheless, our results demonstrate that plant-based carbohydrate resources available to Stone Age foragers of the Cape south coast, especially USOs belonging to the Iridaceae family, are likely to have comprised a reliable and nutritious source of calories over most of the year.

Short Paper: Reevaluating the tectonic uplift of western Mount Carmel, Israel, since the middle Pleistocene

2009 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dov Zviely ◽  
Ehud Galili ◽  
Avraham Ronen ◽  
Amos Salamon ◽  
Zvi Ben-Avraham
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Fine Sand ◽  
Tectonic Uplift ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Short Paper ◽  
Before Present ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Marine Deposits ◽  
Maximal Average

AbstractReevaluation of geological and archaeological evidence from western Mount Carmel constrains its maximal tectonic uplift since the Middle Pleistocene. Tabun Cave, presently 45 m above sea level (asl), revealed human occupation from about 600 ka to 90 ka before present. The 25 m thick archaeological strata at Tabun are composed of laminated fine sand, silt and clays. Moreover, no marine deposits were found in Tabun or nearby caves. Since sea level in the last 600 ka reached a maximal of 5 to 10 m asl, Tabun Cave could not have been uplifted since then by more than 35 to 40 m, that is a maximal average rate of 58 to 67 mm/ka.

scholarly journals A ocupação paleolítica da margem esquerda do Baixo Minho: a indústria lítica do sítio de Pedreiras 2 (Monção, Portugal) e a sua integração no contexto regional

2020 ◽  
pp. 677-691
Author(s):  
Carlos Ferreira ◽  
João Pedro Cunha-Ribeiro ◽  
Sérgio Monteiro-Rodrigues ◽  
Eduardo Méndez‑Quintas ◽  
Pedro Xavier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Archaeological Survey ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Recent Increase ◽  
Definition Of

The recent increase of archaeological survey has allowed a better definition of the Acheulean techno-complex in the Iberian Peninsula, and its integration in the African and Eurasian context. This paper aims to extend the discussion around the technological features of the peninsular lithic industries of the second half of the Middle Pleistocene, through the presentation of the data from Pedreiras 2 (Monção, Alto Minho). The site excavation, on the scope of the Miño-Minho Project, allowed to recover lithic artefacts associated with the Acheulean techno-complex, testifying human occupation in a region where, until recently, only isolated remains were known, and whose chronological data fits its chronology into the second half of the Middle Pleistocene

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