Palaeolithic archaeology: a review of recent research

In contrast to a relatively long history of Palaeolithic investigations in western Europe, research on the Palaeolithic period in Greece has lagged behind considerably. This article reviews the last decade of Palaeolithic research in Greece, with the aim of highlighting key aspects of recent developments in the field. Newly discovered Lower Palaeolithic sites, such as Marathousa 1 in Megalopolis, have offered rare, high-resolution windows into hunter-gatherer adaptations during the earliest-known peopling of the Greek peninsula. Palaeolithic sites in insular settings, exemplified by the latest discoveries in Crete and Naxos, have stirred up intriguing discussions about early seafaring but, most importantly, provide support to a revised view of the role of the Aegean in early human dispersals. Zooarchaeological, palaeoenvironmental and dating analyses of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic materials from new and older assemblages have provided valuable insights that help contextualize the information distilled from lithic industries. In sum, recent excavations, surveys and assessments of new and older collections have together contributed to the compilation of an important corpus of novel and significant data. Palaeolithic Greece is no longer a terra incognita, and it carries the potential to become a key player in understanding early human societies in southern Europe.

Book review: “Neanderthal Language: Demystifying the Linguistic Powers of Our Extinct Cousins” by Rudolf Botha

Recently, we have witnessed an explosion of studies and discussions claiming that Neanderthals engaged in a range of “symbolic” behaviors, including personal ornament use (Radovčić et al. 2015), funerary practices (Balzeau et al. 2020), visual arts (Hoffmann et al. 2018), body aesthetics (Roebroeks et al. 2012), etc. In Palaeolithic archaeology, it has become mainstream to axiomatically infer from these putative behaviors that Neanderthals engaged in symbol use and that Neanderthals thus possessed some form of language. Rudolf Botha’s bombastic title Neanderthal Language: Demystifying the Linguistic Powers of Our Extinct Cousins provides a detailed and very critical overview of the archaeological hypotheses and speculations about Neanderthal language.

Beyond Tools and Function: The Selection of Materials and the Ontology of Hunter-Gatherers. Ethnographic Evidences and Implications for Palaeolithic Archaeology

In this paper we discuss the universal selection of exceptional materials for tool making in prehistory. The interpretation suggested in the literature for these non-standard materials is usually limited to a general statement, considering possible aesthetic values or a general, mostly unexplained, symbolic meaning. We discuss the implications of viewing these materials as active agents and living vital beings in Palaeolithic archaeology as attested in indigenous hunter-gatherer communities all around the world. We suggest that the use of specific materials in the Palaeolithic was meaningful, and beyond its possible ‘symbolic’ meaning, it reflects deep familiarity and complex relations of early humans with the world surrounding them—humans and other-than-human persons (animals, plants, water and stones)—on which they were dependent. We discuss the perception of tools and the materials from which they are made as reflecting relationships, respectful behaviour and functionality from an ontological point of view. In this spirit, we suggest re-viewing materials as reflecting social, cosmological and ontological world-views of Palaeolithic humans, and looking beyond their economic, functional aspects, as did, perhaps, our ancestors themselves.

Palaeoenvironmental expression of humid phases in the western Nefud Desert over the past c. 500,000 years

<p>Orbitally-driven humid phases in arid regions such as the Arabian and Saharan Deserts have played an important biogeographic role in ancient human dispersals, range expansions/contractions and population structure. The timing and regional climatic pattern of humid phases has been shown by multiple long-term continuous palaeoenvironmental records from both marine and terrestrial (speleothems and long palaeolake cores) archives. These attest to episodic humid phases across this region in line with peak interglacial periods over the Pleistocene. However, these records lack detailed information at the scale at which humans interact with the environment, meaning these interactions are poorly understood. To address this, we apply multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental analysis to interdunal carbonate/siliceous sediment beds that formed during episodic humid phases over the past c. 500,000 years in the western Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia. While such deposits are short relative to many marine, speleothem and palaeolake records, they provide “snapshots” of the palaeoenvironmental conditions experienced by ancient humans. Importantly, these deposits are often directly associated with Lower and Middle Palaeolithic archaeology, demonstrating they were an important locus for ancient human activity during humid phases.</p><p>Our analysis demonstrates that humid intervals related to MIS 11, 9, 5e and 5a follow a simple environmental pattern where relatively stable interdunal lake bodies existed through a single humid phase. In contrast, MIS 7 is climatically complex as the sediment record demonstrates a dynamic hydrological system fluctuating between lacustrine and palustrine conditions within a single humid interval. Where available, diatom or invertebrate palaeoecology data consistently indicate predominantly fresh waters across multiple humid intervals, and this is supported by a lack of evaporitic minerals (i.e. gypsum and halite) through all sequences. We therefore argue that the western Nefud Desert has repeatedly provided vital freshwater resources for ancient humans and other fauna over the past c. 500,000 years.</p>