Direct Radiocarbon Dating of Late Pleistocene Hominids in Eurasia: Current Status, Problems, and Perspectives

Radiocarbon ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (02) ◽  
pp. 753-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaroslav V Kuzmin ◽  
Susan G Keates
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
C:N Ratio ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Selection Of

The corpus of radiocarbon dates run directly on Pleistocene-age human remains in Eurasia (∼120 values, with ∼80 of them found to be reliable) is analyzed and interpreted. The latest Neanderthals are dated to ∼34,000–30,500 BP (∼38,800–35,400 cal BP). They probably coexisted with the first modern humans at ∼36,200–30,200 BP (∼42,500–32,800 cal BP) in the western and central parts of Europe. The earliest direct14C dates on modern humans in Eurasia are ∼34,950–33,300 BP (∼40,400–37,800 cal BP). A paucity of14C dates corresponding to the LGM is evident for Europe, but Asia perhaps had larger populations during this timespan. The main criteria for the selection of bone/tooth material for direct14C dating as now widely accepted are (1) the collagen yield (generally, 1% or more) and (2) the C:N ratio (within the 2.9–3.4 range).

Direct Radiocarbon Dating of Late Pleistocene Hominids in Eurasia: Current Status, Problems, and Perspectives

Radiocarbon ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 753-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaroslav V Kuzmin ◽  
Susan G Keates
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
C:N Ratio ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Selection Of

The corpus of radiocarbon dates run directly on Pleistocene-age human remains in Eurasia (∼120 values, with ∼80 of them found to be reliable) is analyzed and interpreted. The latest Neanderthals are dated to ∼34,000–30,500 BP (∼38,800–35,400 cal BP). They probably coexisted with the first modern humans at ∼36,200–30,200 BP (∼42,500–32,800 cal BP) in the western and central parts of Europe. The earliest direct 14C dates on modern humans in Eurasia are ∼34,950–33,300 BP (∼40,400–37,800 cal BP). A paucity of 14C dates corresponding to the LGM is evident for Europe, but Asia perhaps had larger populations during this timespan. The main criteria for the selection of bone/tooth material for direct 14C dating as now widely accepted are (1) the collagen yield (generally, 1% or more) and (2) the C:N ratio (within the 2.9–3.4 range).

Late Pleistocene Human Friction Skin Prints from Pendejo Cave, New Mexico

1996 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Chrisman ◽  
Richard S. MacNeish ◽  
Jamshed Mavalwala ◽  
Howard Savage
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
New World ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
Human Origin ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Human Construction ◽  
Botanical Remains

In the excavation of Pendejo Cave (FB 9366) near Orogrande, New Mexico, 16 friction skin imprints were found in five stratified zones on clay nodules, baked at over 120°C. After careful analysis, expert dermatoglyphologists determined that these imprints had positive primate characteristics. The imprints are probably of human origin, since no other primates are known to have existed in prehistoric New Mexico. Eight of the imprints occurred in three well-dated zones falling in the late Pleistocene. These zones have direct radiocarbon dates between 12,000 and 37,000 B.P. In addition to their association with radiocarbon determinations, the prints come from three of 24 stratified zones, intensively studied by geologists and pedologists, that are dated in sequence by 34 other radiocarbon determinations acquired from four different laboratories. The imprints are associated with a column of over 35,000 paleontological specimens and more than 15,000 botanical remains. These specimens indicate Pleistocene changes and supply evidence of human transportation and modification of various materials. The prints are also associated with artifacts, ecofacts, features of human construction, and human remains. The imprint specimens therefore provide evidence of Pleistocene human occupation in the New World.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Dates from Neolithic and Bronze Age Hunter-Gatherer Cemeteries in the Cis-Baikal Region of Siberia

Radiocarbon ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej W Weber ◽  
Roelf P Beukens ◽  
Vladimir I Bazaliiskii ◽  
Olga I Goriunova ◽  
Nikolai A Savel'ev
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Baikal Region ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Entire Data

Extensive radiocarbon dating of human remains from Neolithic and Bronze Age hunter-gatherer cemeteries in the Cis-Baikal region of Siberia has been undertaken as a part of the multidisciplinary examination of this material conducted by the Baikal Archaeology Project (BAP; http://baikal.arts.ualberta.ca). Due to the large number of analyzed samples, this paper reports the 14C results only in the context of the basic archaeological information about each of the cemeteries. Comprehensive evaluation, analysis, and interpretation of this entire data set will be undertaken in separate publications. In fact, the dates for one such cemetery have already been examined on 2 recent occasions (Weber et al. 2004, 2005).

scholarly journals Temple University Radiocarbon Dates I

Radiocarbon ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 472-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koneta Eldridge
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Main Campus ◽  
Temple University ◽  
Support Research

Temple's radiocarbon dating facility is housed in the Department of Geology on the Main Campus. The laboratory was established to support research in late Pleistocene and Holocene Geology, Archaeology, and Anthropology.

New Radiocarbon Dates from Nasera Rockshelter (Tanzania): Implications for Studying Spatial Patterns in Late Pleistocene Technology

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Ranhorn ◽  
Christian A. Tryon
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Lithic Technology ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Regional Pattern ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
North Central ◽  
Dating Methods ◽  
Site Variability

AbstractLate Pleistocene and Holocene evidence from multiple rockshelters in north-central Tanzania suggests a regional pattern of changing technological behaviors through time. We use independent chronological evidence to test if the proposed technological patterns across space were also temporally equivalent. We applied AMS radiocarbon dating methods to the carbonate fraction of five ostrich eggshell fragments from Mehlman’s 1975-1976 excavations at Nasera rockshelter and compared our results to recent re-dating efforts of Mumba rockshelter. We document radiocarbon results >46 ka at Nasera in Level 5, indicating that associated and underlying technologies (including what Mehlman termed the ‘Nasera Industry’) are older than previously documented. Backed pieces first appear >46 ka at Nasera, which is in accordance with recent evidence from nearby rockshelters like Enkapune ya Muto, Panga ya Saidi, and potentially Kisese II. We also provide an age of 11,260-11,710 calBP for the ‘Silale Industry’ of Level 3B. Overall, the shifts in lithic technology previously considered to be shared between Mumba and Nasera rockshelters are not temporally aligned, emphasizing the possibility that intra-site variability was the norm throughout the Late Pleistocene in eastern Africa.

DIRECT DATING OF THE HUMAN NAVICULAR FROM THE CUEVA DE LOS TORREJONES (GUADALAJARA, SPAIN)

Radiocarbon ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Adrián Pablos ◽  
Nohemi Sala ◽  
Alfonso Arribas
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Human Bones ◽  
Human Fossils

ABSTRACT Pleistocene human remains are rare inland on the Iberian Peninsula. Most are considered Neandertals, but anthropological analyses and direct dating are rare. Recently, we published a study of a navicular from this region found in the Torrejones Cave. The results showed it differed from that of Neandertals and it was re-identified as Homo sapiens. Following the previous stratigraphic and biochronologic descriptions, we suggested that it could correspond to an Upper Paleolithic human, since the navicular was apparently recovered in the Late Pleistocene from an in situ unit. Direct radiocarbon dating from this fossil (4855–5036 cal BP), believed to be the only Paleolithic Homo sapiens from inland Iberia, as well as other hominin and faunal remains from the site, show that the human bones actually date to the Chalcolithic. The unexpectedly recent chronology for the navicular implies that there is no evidence of human fossils from the Upper Paleolithic in Torrejones Cave. Thus, any date from the Middle/Upper Paleolithic human record should be taken with caution until in-depth paleoanthropological, stratigraphical and/or direct dating studies are conducted. Extraordinary caution is recommended when human remains are recovered from apparently Paleolithic units in contexts bearing Holocene sepulchral units on the uppermost levels and/or some evidence of bioturbation.

scholarly journals Reference sections of late‒middle neopleistocene friable sediments in Kamchatka: Present-day state and issue of age, and perspectives of study

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-89
Author(s):  
M. M. Pevzner ◽  
O. V. Yashina ◽  
O. I. Smyshlyaeva ◽  
R. I. Nechushkin ◽  
T. D. Karimov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Organic Material ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Russian Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Reference Sections ◽  
Quality Check ◽  
New Interpretation ◽  
Academy Of Sciences

Reference sections of friable sediments in central Kamchatka are studied and their present-day state is described. Previous concepts of the Middle Pleistocene age of these sediments are critically examined. Radiocarbon dates performed in the 1980s‒1990s by researchers at the Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, are revised. It is shown that some (oldest) part of dates did not pass the quality check. Results of the new (2016‒2017) radiocarbon dating agree well with the data accomplished previously and supported later by revision. Based on the combined databank with 65 determinations of different species of the buried organic material and mammal bones, the Late Pleistocene age of sediments is suggested. A new interpretation is proposed for the formation setting of some sequences in the studied sections.

scholarly journals Chronology of Late Pleistocene Humans in Eurasia: Results and Perspectives

Radiocarbon ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 54 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 339-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan G Keates ◽  
Yaroslav V Kuzmin ◽  
George S Burr
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Urgent Task ◽  
Human Fossils ◽  
Age Determinations

A compilation of direct age determinations for Late Pleistocene human fossils in eastern Europe and Asia is presented in this paper, and current problems with the dating of hominids in these regions are discussed. Only 25 human finds (4 Neanderthals and 21 modern humans) have been directly dated from Pleistocene eastern Europe and Asia. Indirect dating of human remains (using presumably associated organics) often is insecure, especially when information about the exact provenance of human fossils is lacking. Continuation of direct dating of Late Pleistocene humans in Eurasia, primarily with the help of the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C method, is therefore an urgent task.

scholarly journals New chronology for Ksâr ‘Akil (Lebanon) supports Levantine route of modern human dispersal into Europe

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (25) ◽  
pp. 7683-7688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolein D. Bosch ◽  
Marcello A. Mannino ◽  
Amy L. Prendergast ◽  
Tamsin C. O’Connell ◽  
Beatrice Demarchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Remains ◽  
Stone Tools ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Individual Sample ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Marine Gastropod ◽  
Human Dispersal ◽  
Human Fossils

Modern human dispersal into Europe is thought to have occurred with the start of the Upper Paleolithic around 50,000–40,000 y ago. The Levantine corridor hypothesis suggests that modern humans from Africa spread into Europe via the Levant. Ksâr ‘Akil (Lebanon), with its deeply stratified Initial (IUP) and Early (EUP) Upper Paleolithic sequence containing modern human remains, has played an important part in the debate. The latest chronology for the site, based on AMS radiocarbon dates of shell ornaments, suggests that the appearance of the Levantine IUP is later than the start of the first Upper Paleolithic in Europe, thus questioning the Levantine corridor hypothesis. Here we report a series of AMS radiocarbon dates on the marine gastropodPhorcus turbinatusassociated with modern human remains and IUP and EUP stone tools from Ksâr ‘Akil. Our results, supported by an evaluation of individual sample integrity, place the EUP layer containing the skeleton known as “Egbert” between 43,200 and 42,900 cal B.P. and the IUP-associated modern human maxilla known as “Ethelruda” before ∼45,900 cal B.P. This chronology is in line with those of other Levantine IUP and EUP sites and demonstrates that the presence of modern humans associated with Upper Paleolithic toolkits in the Levant predates all modern human fossils from Europe. The age of the IUP-associated Ethelruda fossil is significant for the spread of modern humans carrying the IUP into Europe and suggests a rapid initial colonization of Europe by our species.

European Middle and Upper Palaeolithic radiocarbon dates are often older than they look: problems with previous dates and some remedies

Antiquity ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 85 (327) ◽  
pp. 235-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Higham
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Upper Palaeolithic ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Pre Treatment

Few events of European prehistory are more important than the transition from ancient to modern humans around 40 000 years ago, a period that unfortunately lies near the limit of radiocarbon dating. This paper shows that as many as 70 per cent of the oldest radiocarbon dates in the literature may be too young, due to contamination by modern carbon. Future dates can be made more secure — and previous dates revised — using more refined methods of pre-treatment described here.

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