scholarly journals The châtelperronian Neandertals of Cova Foradada (Calafell, Spain) used Iberian imperial eagle phalanges for symbolic purposes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo ◽  
Juan Ignacio Morales ◽  
Artur Cebriá ◽  
Lloyd A. Courtenay ◽  
Juan L. Fernández-Marchena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Scale ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Middle Paleolithic ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
Mediterranean Europe ◽  
Anatomically Modern Humans ◽  
Imperial Eagle

The use of personal ornaments by Neandertals is one of the scarce evidence of their symbolic behaviour. Among them stand up the eagle talons used presumably as pendants, in an analogous way than anatomically Modern Humans (Homo sapiens) did. Considering the broad range and time scale of Neandertals distribution across Eurasia, this phenomenon seems to be concentrated in a very specific area of Southwestern-Mediterranean Europe during a span of ca. 80 ka. Here we present the analysis of one pedal phalange of a large eagle recovered in Foradada cave site, Spain. Our research confirms the use of eagle talons as symbolic elements in Iberia, expanding geographically and temporally one of the most common evidence of symbolic behaviour among western European Neandertals. The convergence in use of large raptor talons as symbolic elements by one of the last Neandertal populations raises the survival of some cultural elements of the Middle Paleolithic into beginnings of the Upper Paleolithic.

scholarly journals The Châtelperronian Neanderthals of Cova Foradada (Calafell, Spain) used imperial eagle phalanges for symbolic purposes

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. eaax1984 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Rodríguez-Hidalgo ◽  
J. I. Morales ◽  
A. Cebrià ◽  
L. A. Courtenay ◽  
J. L. Fernández-Marchena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Specific Area ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Middle Paleolithic ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
Imperial Eagle

Evidence for the symbolic behavior of Neanderthals in the use of personal ornaments is relatively scarce. Among the few ornaments documented, eagle talons, which were presumably used as pendants, are the most frequently recorded. This phenomenon appears concentrated in a specific area of southern Europe during a span of 80 thousand years. Here, we present the analysis of one eagle pedal phalange recovered from the Châtelperronian layer of Foradada Cave (Spain). Our research broadens the known geographical and temporal range of this symbolic behavior, providing the first documentation of its use among the Iberian populations, as well as of its oldest use in the peninsula. The recurrent appearance of large raptor talons throughout the Middle Paleolithic time frame, including their presence among the last Neanderthal populations, raises the question of the survival of some cultural elements of the Middle Paleolithic into the transitional Middle to Upper Paleolithic assemblages and beyond.

scholarly journals The châtelperronian Neandertals of Cova Foradada (Calafell, Spain) used Iberian imperial eagle phalanges for symbolic purposes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo ◽  
Juan Ignacio Morales ◽  
Artur Cebriá ◽  
Lloyd A. Courtenay ◽  
Juan L. Fernández-Marchena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Specific Area ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Middle Paleolithic ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
Imperial Eagle

Evidence for the symbolic behavior of Neandertals in the use of personal ornaments is relatively scarce. Eagle talons, which were presumably used as pendants, stand out due to their abundance. This phenomenon seems to appear concentrated in a specific area of Southwestern Europe during a span of ca. 80 Ka. Here we present the analysis of one eagle pedal phalange recovered from the Châtelperronian layer of Foradada Cave (Spain). Our research broadens the known geographical and temporal range of this aspect of Neandertal symbolic behavior, by providing the first documentation of its use among Neandertals in Iberia, as well as of its oldest use in the peninsula. The recurrent appearance of large raptor talons throughout the Neandertal timeframe, including their presence among the last Neandertal populations, raises the question of the survival of some cultural elements of the Middle Paleolithic into the transitional Middle to Upper Paleolithic assemblages.

scholarly journals Bones of Contention: Assorted Hypotheses on the Fate of the Neanderthals

1986 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Heilingbrunner
Keyword(s):  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Near East ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Middle Paleolithic ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Anatomically Modern Humans

The disappearance of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis at the end of the Middle Paleolithic has evoked a plethora of explanations, ranging from carefully supported theories to bizarre or romantic speculation. The processes by which the Neanderthals were replaced by anatomically modern humans occurred in a relatively short interval of time, and have been obscured by a wide variety of disturbances. A review of some of the inferences drawn by various researchers tentatively suggests a combination of in situ technological and morphological evolution in the Near East with movement of Upper Paleolithic genes and technology into Europe.

scholarly journals The châtelperronian Neandertals of Cova Foradada (Calafell, Spain) used Iberian imperial eagle phalanges for symbolic purposes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo ◽  
Juan Ignacio Morales ◽  
Artur Cebriá ◽  
Lloyd A. Courtenay ◽  
Juan L. Fernández-Marchena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Specific Area ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Middle Paleolithic ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
Imperial Eagle

Evidence for the symbolic behavior of Neandertals in the use of personal ornaments is relatively scarce. Eagle talons, which were presumably used as pendants, stand out due to their abundance. This phenomenon seems to appear concentrated in a specific area of Southwestern Europe during a span of ca. 80 Ka. Here we present the analysis of one eagle pedal phalange recovered from the Châtelperronian layer of Foradada Cave (Spain). Our research broadens the known geographical and temporal range of this aspect of Neandertal symbolic behavior, by providing the first documentation of its use among Neandertals in Iberia, as well as of its oldest use in the peninsula. The recurrent appearance of large raptor talons throughout the Neandertal timeframe, including their presence among the last Neandertal populations, raises the question of the survival of some cultural elements of the Middle Paleolithic into the transitional Middle to Upper Paleolithic assemblages.

scholarly journals The Use of Ochre and Painting During the Upper Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura in the Context of the Development of Ochre Use in Africa and Europe

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibylle Wolf ◽  
Nicholas J. Conard ◽  
Harald Floss ◽  
Rimtautas Dapschauskas ◽  
Elizabeth Velliky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Anatomically Modern Humans

Abstract While the earliest evidence for ochre use is very sparse, the habitual use of ochre by hominins appeared about 140,000 years ago and accompanied them ever since. Here, we present an overview of archaeological sites in southwestern Germany, which yielded remains of ochre. We focus on the artifacts belonging exclusively to anatomically modern humans who were the inhabitants of the cave sites in the Swabian Jura during the Upper Paleolithic. The painted limestones from the Magdalenian layers of Hohle Fels Cave are a particular focus. We present these artifacts in detail and argue that they represent the beginning of a tradition of painting in Central Europe.

scholarly journals Evolution, revolution or saltation scenario for the emergence of modern cultures?

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1567) ◽  
pp. 1060-1069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco d'Errico ◽  
Chris B. Stringer
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Genetic Mutation ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
The Third ◽  
Anatomically Modern Humans ◽  
Modern Cognition ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
The Relationship

Crucial questions in the debate on the origin of quintessential human behaviours are whether modern cognition and associated innovations are unique to our species and whether they emerged abruptly, gradually or as the result of a discontinuous process. Three scenarios have been proposed to account for the origin of cultural modernity. The first argues that modern cognition is unique to our species and the consequence of a genetic mutation that took place approximately 50 ka in Africa among already evolved anatomically modern humans. The second posits that cultural modernity emerged gradually in Africa starting at least 200 ka in concert with the origin of our species on that continent. The third states that innovations indicative of modern cognition are not restricted to our species and appear and disappear in Africa and Eurasia between 200 and 40 ka before becoming fully consolidated. We evaluate these scenarios in the light of new evidence from Africa, Asia and Europe and explore the mechanisms that may have led to modern cultures. Such reflections will demonstrate the need for further inquiry into the relationship between climate and demographic/cultural change in order to better understand the mechanisms of cultural transmission at work in Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens populations.

The Creative Explosion

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Douglas Price
Keyword(s):  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Iron Mineral ◽  
Cape Of Good Hope ◽  
Pinnacle Point ◽  
Anatomically Modern Humans ◽  
Small Stone ◽  
Almost All

Two related phenomena characterize the last 30,000 years or so of the Pleistocene and the Old Stone Age in Europe, a period known as the Upper Paleolithic. The first of these is the arrival of a version of ourselves, Homo sapiens, around 40,000 years ago. The second is the creative explosion in technology, equipment, raw materials, art, and decoration that took place in this period. There appears to have been a substantial upgrade in human abilities and the variety of activities taking place. The first part of this chapter examines some of the sites and places that tell this story. At the end of the Pleistocene and the Paleolithic, 10,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers continued to thrive in a warmer, “postglacial” Europe, but their time was coming to an end. Agriculture had been invented in the Near East and was spreading toward the continent, arriving in the southeast by 7000 BC and reaching the northeast by 4000 BC. This period of post-Pleistocene hunter-gatherers in Europe is known as the Mesolithic and is the focus of the second part of this chapter. By the end of the Pleistocene, Homo sapiens had created art, invented many new tools, made tailored clothing, started counting, and spread to almost all parts of the world. As noted earlier, the oldest known representatives of anatomically modern humans have been found in East Africa, from almost 200,000 years ago. Further evidence of the activities of these individuals comes from caves around Pinnacle Point on the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and dates to 165,000 years ago. This evidence is not in the form of fossil skeletons, but artifacts. Several finds—small stone blades, pieces of red ochre (an iron mineral used as a pigment), the earliest known collection and consumption of shellfish—point to new kinds of food, new tools that probably required hafting, and the use of powdered mineral as a pigment or preservative. These are firsts in the archaeological record and likely document the beginnings ative explosion witnessed more fully after 50,000 years ago.

8. Modern Homo

2019 ◽  
pp. 105-119
Author(s):  
Bernard Wood
Keyword(s):  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Fossil Evidence ◽  
The World ◽  
Anatomically Modern Humans

‘Modern Homo’ considers evidence about the origin and subsequent migrations of anatomically modern humans, or Homo sapiens. What features of the skeleton are only found in modern humans? When and where do we find the earliest fossil evidence of modern humans? Did the change from pre-modern Homo to modern humans happen several times and in several different regions of the world? Or did anatomically modern humans emerge just once, in one place, and then spread out, either by migration or by interbreeding, so that modern humans eventually replaced regional populations of pre-modern Homo across the world?

scholarly journals Quantifying the potential causes of Neanderthal extinction: abrupt climate change versus competition and interbreeding

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Timmermann
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Homo Erectus ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Abrupt Climate Change ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Climatic Environment ◽  
Anatomically Modern Humans ◽  
Last Ice Age

Anatomically Modern Humans are the sole survivor of a group of hominins that inhabited our planet during the last ice age and that included, among others, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo denisova, and Homo erectus. Whether previous hominin extinctions were triggered by external factors, such as abrupt climate change, volcanic eruptions or whether competition and interbreeding played major roles in their demise still remains unresolved. Here I present a spatially resolved numerical hominin dispersal model (HDM) with empirically constrained key parameters that simulates the migration and interaction of Anatomically Modern Humans and Neanderthals in the rapidly varying climatic environment of the last ice age. The model simulations document that rapid temperature and vegetation changes associated with Dansgaard-Oeschger events were not major drivers of global Neanderthal extinction between 50-35 thousand years ago, but played important roles regionally, in particular over northern Europe. According to a series of parameter sensitivity experiments conducted with the HDM, a realistic extinction of the Neanderthal population can only be simulated when Homo sapiens is chosen to be considerably more effective in exploiting scarce glacial food resources as compared to Neanderthals.

Ecosystem Impact of the Campanian Ignimbrite Eruption in Late Pleistocene Europe

2002 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco G. Fedele ◽  
Biagio Giaccio ◽  
Roberto Isaia ◽  
Giovanni Orsi
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Cultural Transition ◽  
Campanian Ignimbrite ◽  
Mediterranean Europe ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Significant Interference

AbstractThe dating of the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) eruption to ∼37,000 cal yr B.P. draws attention to the coincidence of this volcanic catastrophe and the suite of coeval, Late Pleistocene biocultural changes that occurred within and outside the Mediterranean region. These included the Middle to Upper Paleolithic cultural transition and the supposed change from Neanderthal to “modern” Homo sapiens anatomy, a subject of sustained debate. No less than 150 km3 of magma were extruded in the CI eruption, the signal of which can be detected in Greenland ice cores. As widespread discontinuities in archaeological sequences are observed at or following the CI event, a significant interference with ongoing human processes in Mediterranean Europe is hypothesized.

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