Geochronology, paleogeography, and archaeology of the Acheulian locality of ‘Evron Landfill in the western Galilee, Israel

2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 729-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maayan Shemer ◽  
Onn Crouvi ◽  
Ron Shaar ◽  
Yael Ebert ◽  
Ari Matmon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Faunal Assemblage ◽  
Important Data ◽  
Cosmogenic Isotope ◽  
Lower Paleolithic ◽  
Multidisciplinary Study ◽  
Minimum Age ◽  
Lithic Artifacts

AbstractA multidisciplinary study was conducted in a newly discovered Paleolithic locality, named ‘Evron Landfill. This locality is a part of the Lower Paleolithic complex of ‘Evron located at the western Galilee, Israel. Examination of artifacts has enabled the cultural attribution of ‘Evron Landfill to the Early Acheulian, while detailed paleomagnetic stratigraphy places the hominin occupations near the Brunhes–Matuyama transition ~0.77 Ma. This age is constrained by cosmogenic isotope burial dating of the sediments overlying the Paleolithic finds, providing a minimum age of ~0.66±0.11 Ma for hominin activity at the site. These results are further supported by the biochronological information derived from the faunal assemblage. Comparative analyses of faunal remains and lithic artifacts from ‘Evron Landfill demonstrate similarities to the assemblages from the Early Acheulian site of Evron Quarry, located ~300 m to the south. Pedo-sedimentological analyses indicate that hominin activity took place in a marsh environment in proximity to the Mediterranean coast, which probably fluctuated in both space and time with a fluvial environment. In addition, this study provides important data about ancient coastal activity during the early to middle Pleistocene.

Faunal remains from recent excavations at Shishan Marsh 1 (SM1), a Late Lower Paleolithic open-air site in the Azraq Basin, Jordan

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 768-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
James T. Pokines ◽  
Adrian M. Lister ◽  
Christopher J. H. Ames ◽  
April Nowell ◽  
Carlos E. Cordova
Keyword(s):  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Panthera Leo ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Lower Paleolithic ◽  
Lithic Assemblages ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Azraq Basin

AbstractExcavations from 2013 to 2015 at the site of Shishan Marsh 1 (SM1) in the Azraq Basin of eastern Jordan have yielded substantial late middle Pleistocene lithic assemblages in association with faunal remains. Faunal preservation is poor, but multiple taxa have been identified, including cf. Panthera leo, Gazella sp., Bos cf. primigenius, Camelus sp., Equus spp., cf. Stephanorhinus hemitoechus, Palaeoloxodon cf. recki, and Elephas cf. hysudricus. The overall Azraq habitat may have been most similar to a savanna ecosystem, with a mixture of open grassland/shrub habitats and more closed vegetation along the wetlands margins. These taxa were drawn to the relatively lush oasis environment, where they were a dietary resource of the hominin groups exploiting the wetlands resources.

Lithic technological responses to environmental change during the penultimate glacial cycle (MIS 7–6) at the Yangshang site, western Chinese Loess Plateau

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Yuchao Zhao ◽  
Jing Zhou ◽  
Fuyou Chen ◽  
Xiaomin Wang ◽  
Junyi Ge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Glacial Cycle ◽  
Glacial Cycles ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Lithic Assemblages ◽  
Early Paleolithic ◽  
Lithic Artifacts

Abstract A multidisciplinary fieldwork and research project was recently begun at the Yangshang site (220–140 ka), a late Early Paleolithic locale in the western Chinese Loess Plateau. 1696 lithic artifacts and 337 faunal remains were recovered during the excavation. Sedimentological and paleoenvironmental investigations indicate the site preserves a relatively long and minimally disturbed archaeological sequence associated with paleoenvironmental changes during MIS 7–6. A detailed techno-typological analysis of Yangshang's lithic assemblages was undertaken to examine the influence of glacial cycles on late Middle Pleistocene hominin technological strategies in the western Chinese Loess Plateau. The results show that while the Yangshang site is dominated by quartz-based core/flake assemblages typical of most Early Paleolithic sites in North China, the lithic assemblages provide evidence that different provisioning systems existed during the penultimate glaciation. We argue that these shifts reflect changes in land use and mobility that were tied to climate change. Our results suggest that theoretically informed statistical analyses of so-called unchanging and crude lithic technology can yield meaningful evidence for behavioral shifts.

scholarly journals Über die komplexe Genese mittelpleistozäner archäologischer Fundstellen am Beispiel des Platzes Kärlich-Seeufer (Mittelrhein)

1997 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Sabine Gaudzinski
Keyword(s):  
Cervus Elaphus ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Site Formation ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Site Formation Processes ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Faunal Assemblage ◽  
Faunal Assemblages ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Quaternary Stratigraphy

Abstract. The Middle Pleistocene site Kärlich-Seeufer is the youngest archaeological site in the Kärlich clay pit which, since the beginning of this century, has been the most important exposure for Quaternary stratigraphy in the Central Rhineland. The site was discovered in 1980 and excavated during the following years. Together with an Acheulean lithic assemblage and faunal remains, numerous macroscopic plant remains were recovered in an outstanding state of preservation. Wood of Abies and Quercus dominates the botanical assemblage in the form of trunks and branches. The faunal assemblage comprises: Panthera leo ssp., Elephas antiquus, Equus sp., Sus scrofa, Cervus elaphus, Rangifer sp. as well as Bos vel Bison. Elephas antiquus dominates the faunal assemblage and the molars of this species show a certain robustness in comparison to teeth of other Middle- and Upper Pleistocene Elephas antiquus populations. The results of the palynological analysis show that the sediments containing the archaeological assemblage were deposited during the second half of an interglacial phase, the Kärlich Interglacial. Moreover, these results allow detailed reconstruction of palaeoecological conditions during the Middle Pleistocene. Analysis of site formation processes, taking into account the sedimentology of the archaeological layers, the lithic and faunal assemblages and the numerous macroscopic palaeobotanical remains, shows that the Seeufer site functioned as a sediment trap in which evidence for hominid activity has been re-bedded together with wood and faunal remains. At Kärlich-Seeufer, as at other European Lower Palaeolithic sites, claims for hominid activity are very difficult to assess and can only be demonstrated for the lithic assemblage. The contribution of hominids to the presence of other categories of finds remains obscure.

Pleistocene Terraces of the Alto Henares (Guadalajara), Spain

1972 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce G. Gladfelter
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Ebro Basin ◽  
Lower Paleolithic ◽  
Lower Pleistocene

A suite of four terraces in the upper Rio Henares drainage system (Rio Tajo basin) now provides a partial geomorphological link between the Middle Pleistocene, Lower Paleolithic archeological sites at Ambrona and Torralba (upper Ebro basin) and those in the vicinity of Madrid. The Campiña and Low Terrace features are shown by radiocarbon dating to be of Holocene and Würm ages, respectively, while the Middle and High Terraces are best designated as being Middle and Lower Pleistocene ages, respectively. Stratigraphic relationships between the upper and lower Rio Henares segments need to be established.

scholarly journals A 115,000-year-old expedient bone technology at Lingjing, Henan, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Doyon ◽  
Li Zhanyang ◽  
Wang Hua ◽  
Lila Geis ◽  
Francesco d'Errico
Keyword(s):  
Long Bone ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Faunal Assemblage ◽  
Bone Tools ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Lithic Assemblages ◽  
Technological Potential ◽  
Bone Fragments ◽  
Anthropogenic Processes ◽  
Stone Knapping

Activities attested since at least 2.6 Myr, such as stone knapping, marrow extraction, and woodworking may have allowed early hominins to recognize the technological potential of discarded skeletal remains and equipped them with a transferable skillset fit for the marginal modification and utilization of bone flakes. Identifying precisely when and where expedient bone tools were used in prehistory nonetheless remains a challenging task owing to the multiple natural and anthropogenic processes that can mimic deliberately knapped bones. Here, we compare a large sample of the faunal remains from Lingjing, a 115 ka-old site from China which has yielded important hominin remains and rich faunal and lithic assemblages, with bone fragments produced by experimentally fracturing Equus caballus long bones. Our results provide a set of qualitative and quantitative criteria that can help zooarchaeologists and bone technologists distinguish faunal remains with intentional flake removal scars from those resulting from carcass processing activities. Experimental data shows marrow extraction seldom generates diaphyseal fragments bearing more than six flake scars arranged contiguously or in interspersed series. Long bone fragments presenting such characteristics can, therefore, be interpreted as being purposefully knapped to be used as expediency tools. The identification, based on the above experimental criteria, of 56 bone tools in the Lingjing faunal assemblage is consistent with the smaller size of the lithics found in the same layer. The continuity gradient observed in the size of lithics and knapped bones suggest the latter were used for tasks in which the former were less or not effective.

scholarly journals Hominin responses to environmental changes during the Middle Pleistocene in central and southern Italy

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 687-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Orain ◽  
V. Lebreton ◽  
E. Russo Ermolli ◽  
A.-M. Sémah ◽  
S. Nomade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Vegetation Dynamic ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Global Climate Changes

Abstract. The palaeobotanical record of early Palaeolithic sites from Western Europe indicates that hominins settled in different kinds of environments. During the "mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT)", from about 1 to 0.6 Ma, the transition from 41- to 100-ka dominant climatic oscillations, occurring within a long-term cooling trend, was associated with an aridity crisis which strongly modified the ecosystems. Starting from the MPT the more favourable climate of central and southern Italy provided propitious environmental conditions for long-term human occupations even during the glacial times. In fact, the human strategy of territory occupation was certainly driven by the availabilities of resources. Prehistoric sites such as Notarchirico (ca. 680–600 ka), La Pineta (ca. 600–620 ka), Guado San Nicola (ca. 380–350 ka) or Ceprano (ca. 345–355 ka) testify to a preferential occupation of the central and southern Apennines valleys during interglacial phases, while later interglacial occupations were oriented towards the coastal plains, as attested by the numerous settlements of the Roma Basin (ca. 300 ka). Faunal remains indicate that human subsistence behaviours benefited from a diversity of exploitable ecosystems, from semi-open to closed environments. In central and southern Italy, several palynological records have already illustrated the regional- and local-scale vegetation dynamic trends. During the Middle Pleistocene climate cycles, mixed mesophytic forests developed during the interglacial periods and withdrew in response to increasing aridity during the glacial episodes. New pollen data from the Boiano Basin (Molise, Italy) attest to the evolution of vegetation and climate between MIS 13 and 9 (ca. 500 to 300 ka). In this basin the persistence of high edaphic humidity, even during the glacial phases, could have favoured the establishment of a refuge area for the arboreal flora and provided subsistence resources for the animal and hominin communities during the Middle Pleistocene. This could have constrained human groups to migrate into such a propitious area. Regarding the local climate evolution during the glacial episodes, the supposed displacement from these sites could be linked to the environmental dynamics solely due to the aridity increase, rather than directly to the global climate changes.

The Faunal Remains from Evron Quarry in Relation to Other Lower Paleolithic Hominid Sites in the Southern Levant

1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 328-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eitan Tchernov ◽  
Liora Kolska Horwitz ◽  
Avraham Ronen ◽  
Adrian Lister
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Southern Levant ◽  
Jordan Valley ◽  
Faunal Composition ◽  
Lower Paleolithic ◽  
Oriental Region ◽  
Lower Palaeolithic

AbstractThe mammalian assemblage and archaeological finds from the Lower Palaeolithic hominid site of Evron Quarry, situated on the northern coastal plain of Israel, are described and discussed. In their lithic and faunal composition, the sites of Latamne (QfIII) (Latamne Formation, Orontes, Syria) and Sitt Markho (Nahr elKebir, Syria) resemble Evron and are probably contemporaneous. It is suggested here, based on their lithic and faunal composition, that these sites may be chronologically closer to the site of Ubeidiya ('Ubeidiya Formation, Jordan Valley, Israel; 1.4 myr) than to the sites of Gesher Benot Ya'akov (dated as <800,000 yr B.P.), which differs in both aspects from Evron. The mammalian faunule from Evron comprises a biogeographical mixture, a result of biotic exchanges with Africa, the Oriental region, and the Palaearctic. This exchange may have been associated with a post-'Ubeidiya hominid dispersal, either from Africa or south Asia via the Levantine "corridor."

Chlorine-36 and 14C chronology support a limited last glacial maximum across central Chukotka, northeastern Siberia, and no Beringian ice sheet

2003 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 386-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Brigham-Grette ◽  
Lyn M. Gualtieri ◽  
Olga Yu Glushkova ◽  
Thomas D. Hamilton ◽  
David Mostoller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Glacial Maximum ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Northeast Russia ◽  
Cosmogenic Isotope ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Valley Slope ◽  
Field Evidence ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

AbstractThe Pekulney Mountains and adjacent Tanyurer River valley are key regions for examining the nature of glaciation across much of northeast Russia. Twelve new cosmogenic isotope ages and 14 new radiocarbon ages in concert with morphometric analyses and terrace stratigraphy constrain the timing of glaciation in this region of central Chukotka. The Sartan Glaciation (Last Glacial Maximum) was limited in extent in the Pekulney Mountains and dates to ∼20,000 yr ago. Cosmogenic isotope ages > 30,000 yr as well as non-finite radiocarbon ages imply an estimated age no younger than the Zyryan Glaciation (early Wisconsinan) for large sets of moraines found in the central Tanyurer Valley. Slope angles on these loess-mantled ridges are less than a few degrees and crest widths are an order of magnitude greater than those found on the younger Sartan moraines. The most extensive moraines in the lower Tanyurer Valley are most subdued implying an even older, probable middle Pleistocene age. This research provides direct field evidence against Grosswald’s Beringian ice-sheet hypothesis.

scholarly journals Extended range luminescence dating of quartz and alkali-feldspar from aeolian sediments in the eastern Mediterranean

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galina Faershtein ◽  
Naomi Porat ◽  
Ari Matmon
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Alkali Feldspar ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Infrared Stimulated Luminescence ◽  
Aeolian Sediments ◽  
Extended Range ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Minimum Age

Abstract. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) on quartz is an established technique for dating late Pleistocene to late Holocene sediments. Unfortunately, this method is often limited to up to 100 ka (thousands of years). Recent developments in new extended range luminescence techniques show great potential for dating older sediments of middle and even early Pleistocene age. These methods include thermally transferred OSL (TT-OSL) and violet stimulated luminescence (VSL) for quartz and post infrared-infrared stimulated luminescence (pIRIR) for feldspar. Here we investigate the luminescence behavior of the TT-OSL, VSL and pIRIR signals of quartz and feldspar minerals of aeolian sediments of Nilotic origin from the eastern Mediterranean. We sampled a 15 m thick sequence (Kerem Shalom) comprising sandy calcic paleosols, which is part of a sand sheet that covers an extensive region in south-western Israel. Dose recovery and bleaching experiments under natural conditions indicated that the pIRIR250 signal is the most suitable for dating the Nilotic feldspar. Luminescence intensity profiles revealed natural saturation of the three signals at the same depth of ~6 m, indicating that ages of samples below that depth are minimum ages. Using TT-OSL and pIRIR250, a minimum age of 715 ka, for the base of the section was obtained, suggesting aeolian sand accumulation along the eastern Mediterranean coastal plain already since the early Pleistocene. Our results indicate that both TT-OSL and pIRIR250 can accurately date middle Pleistocene aeolian sediments of Nilotic origin and that minimum ages can be provided for early Pleistocene samples.

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