scholarly journals To be or not to be: reassessing the origins of portable art in the Cantabrian Region (Northern Spain)

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Rivero ◽  
Sergio Salazar ◽  
Ana María Mateo-Pellitero ◽  
Paula García Bustos ◽  
Diego Garate ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Use Wear ◽  
Graphic Representations ◽  
Early Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Cantabrian Region ◽  
Functional Actions ◽  
Portable Art

AbstractThe characterization of the first portable artistic depictions in Cantabrian Spain is crucial for comprehension of the symbolic development of Neandertals and Homo sapiens in the context of the passage from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic. However, despite the importance of these first graphic representations, their study has tended to lack the application of suitable methodologies to be able to discriminate between graphic activity and other kind of alterations (use-wear, taphonomic, or post-depositional). The present study has examined a significant sample of Middle and Upper Paleolithic lithic and osseous objects from Cantabrian Spain that have been cited as evidence of graphic activity in the literature. The contexts in which the objects were found have been considered, and the objects have been analyzed through the microscopic observation of the marks to distinguish between incisions, pecking, and engraving made for a non-functional purpose (graphic activity) and those generated by diverse functional actions or taphonomic processes (cutmarks, trampling, root marks, percussion scars, and use-wear). The results show that some regional Middle Paleolithic osseous objects display incisions that are neither functional nor taphonomic and whose characteristics are similar to graphic evidence attributed to Neandertals in Europe and the Near East. In turn, the first portable art produced by Homo sapiens in the Cantabrian Spain seems to be limited mostly to linear signs, and no figurative representation can be recognized until the Gravettian. This appears to indicate a particular idiosyncrasy of the region in the Early Upper Paleolithic, which, in comparison with other regions such as south-west France and the Swabian Jura, shows a later and less abundant production of portable art.

scholarly journals Structural Characterization of Charcoal Exposed to High and Low Ph: Implications for 14C Sample Preparation and Charcoal Preservation

Radiocarbon ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
N R Rebollo ◽  
I Cohen-Ofri ◽  
R Popovitz-Biro ◽  
O Bar-Yosef ◽  
L Meignen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alkali Treatment ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Salt Bridges ◽  
Weight Losses ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Early Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Early Upper

Chemical and structural similarities between poorly preserved charcoal and its contaminants, as well as low radiocarbon concentrations in old samples, complicate 14C age determinations. Here, we characterize 4 fossil charcoal samples from the late Middle Paleolithic and early Upper Paleolithic strata of Kebara Cave, Israel, with respect to the structural and chemical changes that occur when they are subjected to the acid-base-acid (ABA) treatment. Differential thermal analysis and TEM show that acid treatment disrupts the structure, whereas alkali treatment results in the reformation of molecular aggregates. The major changes are ascribed to the formation of salt bridges at high pH and the disruption of the graphite-like crystallites at low pH. Weight losses during the treatments are consistently greater for older samples, implying that they are less well preserved. Based on the changes observed in vitro due to pH fluctuations, various methods for removing contamination, as well as a mechanism for preferential preservation of charcoal in nature, are proposed.

scholarly journals El Mirón Cave and the 14C Chronology of Cantabrian Spain

Radiocarbon ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Guy Straus ◽  
Manuel González Morales
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Roof Fall ◽  
Early Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Early Upper

Excavations since 1996 in the large El Mirón Cave in the Cantabrian Cordillera of northern Spain have revealed a cultural sequence of late Mousterian, early Upper Paleolithic, Solutrean, Magdalenian, Azilian, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, and Medieval occupations. These components have been dated by 51 generally coherent radiocarbon determinations, all run by the Geochron labs, in association with the Lawrence Livermore labs for AMS. This series is one of the largest for a single prehistoric site in Iberia or even Europe. The series is consistent with the record from Cantabrian Spain and provides new detail on the age of the Middle–Upper Paleolithic transition, on the various phases of the Magdalenian culture, on the appearance of the Neolithic in the Atlantic zone of Spain, and on the origins of the socioeconomic complexity in the metal ages. The stratigraphic relationship of 14C-dated levels to a roof-fall block and adjacent cave walls (both with engravings) provides rare terminus post and ante quem ages for execution of the rupestral art in El Mirón during the early to mid Magdalenian. The 14C record has also been instrumental in revealing the existence of depositional hiati during the early Holocene.

scholarly journals Earliest occupation of the Central Aegean (Naxos), Greece: Implications for hominin and Homo sapiens’ behavior and dispersals

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. eaax0997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Carter ◽  
Daniel A. Contreras ◽  
Justin Holcomb ◽  
Danica D. Mihailović ◽  
Panagiotis Karkanas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Southeast Europe ◽  
Stratigraphic Sequence ◽  
Early Upper Paleolithic ◽  
History Of ◽  
Alternative Routes ◽  
Early Upper

We present evidence of Middle Pleistocene activity in the central Aegean Basin at the chert extraction and reduction complex of Stelida (Naxos, Greece). Luminescence dating places ~9000 artifacts in a stratigraphic sequence from ~13 to 200 thousand years ago (ka ago). These artifacts include Mousterian products, which arguably provide first evidence for Neanderthals in the region. This dated material attests to a much earlier history of regional exploration than previously believed, opening the possibility of alternative routes into Southeast Europe from Anatolia (and Africa) for (i) hominins, potentially during sea level lowstands (e.g., Marine Isotope Stage 8) permitting terrestrial crossings across the Aegean, and (ii) Homo sapiens of the Early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian), conceivably by sea.

Neanderthal and Homo sapiens subsistence strategies in the Cantabrian region of northern Spain

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 779-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Yravedra-Sainz de los Terreros ◽  
Alberto Gómez-Castanedo ◽  
Julia Aramendi-Picado ◽  
Ramón Montes-Barquín ◽  
Juan Sanguino-González
Keyword(s):  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Subsistence Strategies ◽  
Cantabrian Region

scholarly journals Scraping hide in the early Upper Paleolithic: Insights into the life and function of the Protoaurignacian endscrapers at Fumane Cave

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Aleo ◽  
Rossella Duches ◽  
Armando Falcucci ◽  
Veerle Rots ◽  
Marco Peresani
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Variability ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Functional Study ◽  
Transverse Motion ◽  
Middle Paleolithic ◽  
Paleolithic Site ◽  
Time Investment ◽  
Use Wear ◽  
Early Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Early Upper

AbstractEndscrapers are specialized tools that are usually recovered in great quantities in every Upper Paleolithic site in Europe. Although they make their first ephemeral appearance in the Middle–late Middle Paleolithic transitional technocomplexes, endscrapers commonly appear in toolkits from initial and early Upper Paleolithic traditions onwards. Nevertheless, endscrapers and, in general, domestic tools have attracted relatively little attention in debates revolving around the significance of technological change, tool function, and tool specialization after the end of the Middle Paleolithic. With the aim to overcome this paucity of information, here, we present the results of a techno-functional study performed on the large endscraper assemblage recovered from the early and late Protoaurignacian layers at Fumane Cave in northeastern Italy. We analyzed these artifacts using technological, morpho-metrical, typological, and functional approaches. Despite the large morphological variability, use-wear traces reveal functional consistency and high levels of specialization for these tools. Almost all the use-wear traces we recorded developed from hide working with transverse motion. Moreover, we find no evidence that endscrapers were involved in the production of bone and antler tools during the late Protoaurignacian. Macroscopic and microscopic wear on the lateral edges of tools point to a considerable number of hafted endscrapers, which implies systematic time investment and planning depth. Comparison with the few endscrapers from transitional industries that have been analyzed highlights marked differences in the production, morphology, and use of these tools and reinforces our view of the Aurignacian as a complex not directly related with preceding European traditions.

scholarly journals 3D enamel profilometry reveals faster growth but similar stress severity in Neanderthal versus Homo sapiens teeth

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate McGrath ◽  
Laura Sophia Limmer ◽  
Annabelle-Louise Lockey ◽  
Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg ◽  
Donald J. Reid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Normal Growth ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Tooth Surface ◽  
Growth Increments ◽  
Anterior Teeth

AbstractEarly life stress disrupts growth and creates horizontal grooves on the tooth surface in humans and other mammals, yet there is no consensus for their quantitative analysis. Linear defects are considered to be nonspecific stress indicators, but evidence suggests that intermittent, severe stressors create deeper defects than chronic, low-level stressors. However, species-specific growth patterns also influence defect morphology, with faster-growing teeth having shallower defects at the population level. Here we describe a method to measure the depth of linear enamel defects and normal growth increments (i.e., perikymata) from high-resolution 3D topographies using confocal profilometry and apply it to a diverse sample of Homo neanderthalensis and H. sapiens anterior teeth. Debate surrounds whether Neanderthals exhibited modern human-like growth patterns in their teeth and other systems, with some researchers suggesting that they experienced more severe childhood stress. Our results suggest that Neanderthals have shallower features than H. sapiens from the Upper Paleolithic, Neolithic, and medieval eras, mirroring the faster growth rates in Neanderthal anterior teeth. However, when defect depth is scaled by perikymata depth to assess their severity, Neolithic humans have less severe defects, while Neanderthals and the other H. sapiens groups show evidence of more severe early life growth disruptions.

Early Upper Paleolithic in Eastern Europe and Implications for the Dispersal of Modern Humans

Science ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 315 (5809) ◽  
pp. 223-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. V. Anikovich ◽  
A. A. Sinitsyn ◽  
John F. Hoffecker ◽  
Vance T. Holliday ◽  
V. V. Popov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Northern Eurasia ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating ◽  
Figurative Art ◽  
Early Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Don River

Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating and magnetic stratigraphy indicate Upper Paleolithic occupation—probably representing modern humans—at archaeological sites on the Don River in Russia 45,000 to 42,000 years ago. The oldest levels at Kostenki underlie a volcanic ash horizon identified as the Campanian Ignimbrite Y5 tephra that is dated elsewhere to about 40,000 years ago. The occupation layers contain bone and ivory artifacts, including possible figurative art, and fossil shells imported more than 500 kilometers. Thus, modern humans appeared on the central plain of Eastern Europe as early as anywhere else in northern Eurasia.

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