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.

scholarly journals Stratigraphy, sedimentology, and archaeology of Middle Pleistocene localities near Ceprano, Campogrande area, Italy

2019 ◽  
Vol 93 ◽  
pp. 155-171
Author(s):  
Italo Biddittu ◽  
Marie-Hélène Moncel ◽  
Salvatore Milli ◽  
Luca Bellucci ◽  
Massimo Ruffo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Italy ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Homo Heidelbergensis ◽  
Oxygen Isotope Stage ◽  
Meandering Channel ◽  
Human Fossil ◽  
Fossil Specimen ◽  
Lithic Assemblages ◽  
Archaeological Materials ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

AbstractThe Ceprano human calvarium, dated around 400,000 yr, is a well-known fossil specimen. It represents significant evidence of hominin presence in the Italian peninsula during the Middle Pleistocene and may be considered representative of an archaic variant of the widespread and polymorphic species Homo heidelbergensis. Since its discovery (March 1994), systematic surveys in the Campogrande area near Ceprano, central Italy, identified 12 localities (CG1-12) with archaeological and/or paleontological assemblages. On this basis, fieldwork was carried out at Campogrande between 2001 and 2006, including drilled cores and excavations, allowing a detailed description of the stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental context associated with the human fossil specimen and the archaeological materials. In the present paper we focus on the stratigraphy and sedimentological features of the uppermost deposits, coupled with a detailed appraisal of the available lithic assemblages that mostly belongs to overlying sediments (CG9 and CG10 localities). We conclude that the Ceprano hominin died in a floodplain environment with a low topographic gradient, where a fluvial meandering channel occurred. The archaeological materials describe a network of sites that document common behavioural features of human groups of the mid-to-late Middle Pleistocene, representing evidence of the regionalization observed across Europe after Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 12.

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.

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.

Late Acheulean Lithic Assemblages From Locality 010 at Gürgürbaba Hill (Eastern Anatolia)

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
İsmail Baykara ◽  
M. Akif Sarıkaya ◽  
Serkan Şahin ◽  
Berkay Dinçer ◽  
Esin Ünal
Keyword(s):  
Cosmogenic Nuclides ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Interglacial Period ◽  
Land Bridge ◽  
Local Adaptations ◽  
Lithic Assemblages ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Southern Caucasus ◽  
The Village ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

The province of Van in north-eastern Turkey served as a land bridge between Africa and Eurasia during the Palaeolithic. The region is of particular relevance for understanding the movement of hominins between these continents. This study concerns the lithic remains from a locality at Gürgürbaba Hill, named Locality 010, north of the village of Ulupamir (Erciş district). Locality 010 was dated to 311±32 kya by terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides method, which coincides with Marine Isotope Stage 9 (MIS 9), a Middle Pleistocene interglacial period. The assemblage from this site is attributed to the Late Acheulean and resembles that of the southern Caucasus. This similarity indicates that the artefacts from Locality 010 were probably produced by late Lower Palaeolithic technology in a broad sense. These findings suggest local adaptations of late Middle Pleistocene hominins to high plateau environments.

scholarly journals Changes in Paleovegetation and Paleoclimate in China Since the Late Middle Pleistocene: A Case Study of the Dajiuhu Basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4848
Author(s):  
Liwei Wu ◽  
Xinling Li ◽  
Qinghai Xu ◽  
Manyue Li ◽  
Qiufeng Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
East Asian Monsoon ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Central China ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

The East Asian monsoon system is an important part of global atmospheric circulation; however, records of the East Asian monsoon from different regions exhibit different evolutionary rhythms. Here, we show a high-resolution record of grain size and pollen data from a lacustrine sediment core of Dajiuhu Lake in Shennongjia, Hubei Province, China, in order to reconstruct the paleovegetation and paleoeclimate evolution of the Dajiuhu Basin since the late Middle Pleistocene (~237.9 ka to the present). The results show that grain size and pollen record of the core DJH-2 are consistent with the δ18O record of stalagmites from Sanbao Cave in the same area, which is closely related to the changes of insolation at the precessional (~20-kyr) scale in the Northern Hemisphere. This is different from the records of the Asian summer monsoon recorded in the Loess Plateau of North China, which exhibited dominant 100-kyr change cyclicities. We suggest that the difference between paleoclimatic records from North and South China is closely related to the east–west-oriented mountain ranges of the Qinling Mountains in central China that blocked weakened East Asia summer monsoons across the mountains during glacial periods.

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 Luminescence dating of a late Middle Pleistocene glacial advance in eastern England

2021 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip L. Gibbard ◽  
Mark D. Bateman ◽  
Jane Leathard ◽  
R.G. West
Keyword(s):  
Previous Investigation ◽  
Alluvial Fan ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Marine Isotope Stage ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Eastern Margin ◽  
First Time ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Glacial Advance

Abstract Previous investigation of isolated landforms, on the eastern margin of the East Anglian Fenland, England, has demonstrated that they represent an ice-marginal delta and alluvial fan complex deposited at the margin of an ice lobe that entered the Fenland during the ‘Tottenhill glaciation’ (termed the ‘Skertchly Line’). They have been attributed, based on regional correlations, to a glaciation during the Late Wolstonian (i.e. Late Saalian) Substage (Drenthe Stadial, early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6). This paper aimed to test this correlation by directly optically luminescence dating, for the first time, sediments found within the Skertchly Line at Shouldham Thorpe, Norfolk, and Maidscross Hill, Suffolk, together with those in associated kame terrace deposits at Watlington, Norfolk. Ages ranged from 244 ± 10 ka to 12.8 ± 0.46 ka, all the results being younger than MIS 8 with some clearly showing the landforms have been subsequently subjected to periglacial processes, particularly during the Late Devensian Substage (∼MIS 2). Most of the remainder fall within the range 169–212 ka and could be assigned to MIS 6, thus confirming the previously proposed age of the glaciation. The local and regional implications of these conclusions are discussed, the maximum ice limit being linked to that of the Amersfoort–Nijmegen glaciotectonic ridge limit in the central Netherlands.

scholarly journals For our world without sound. The opportunistic debitage in the Italian context: a methodological evaluation of the lithic assemblages of Pirro Nord, Cà Belvedere di Montepoggiolo, Ciota Ciara cave and Riparo Tagliente.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Carpentieri ◽  
Marta Arzarello
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Lithic Assemblages ◽  
Core Technology ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Lower Pleistocene ◽  
Great Heterogeneity ◽  
Italian Context ◽  
Methodological Evaluation

Abstract The opportunistic debitage, originally adapted from Forestier’s S.S.D.A. definition, is characterized by a strong adaptability to local raw material morphology and its physical characteristics and it is oriented towards flake production. Its most ancient evidence is related to the first European peopling by Homo sp. during Lower Pleistocene starting from 1.6 Ma and gradually increasing around 1 Ma. In these sites a great heterogeneity of the reduction sequences and raw materials employed is highlighted, bringing to the identification of multiple technical behaviours. However, the scientific community does not always agree on associating the concepts of opportunism and method to describe these lithic complexes. The same methodological issues remain for the Middle Pleistocene where, simultaneously to an increase of the archaeological evidence and the persistence of the opportunistic debitage, the first bifacial complexes are attested. Further implications concerning the increasing complexity highlighted in core technology management are now at the centre of an important debate regarding the genesis of more specialized method (Levallois and Discoid) especially during MIS 12 and MIS 9. We suggest that the opportunistic debitage could be the starting point for this process, carrying within itself a great methodological and cultural potential.

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