Paleoanthropology Society's Eighth Annual Meeting

162 Evolutionary Anthropology NEWS Paleoanthropology Society’s Eighth Annual Meeting he Paleoanthropology Society the ecomorphology and community old was a hybrid between Neander- held its eighth annual meeting structure of bovids and some suids. thals and modern humans. The late Tin Columbus, Ohio, April 27 to Both sources of ␦13C indicated that date, younger by 3,000 to 4,000 years 28, 1999, during the two days preced- Bed I sites were intermediate between than any dated Neanderthal, was taken ing the meeting of the American Asso- expected values for ‘‘pure’’ C3 or C4 to imply a lengthy period of such ciation of Physical Anthropology. As plants, suggesting that both open and hybridization. Members of the audi- usual, there was only a plenary ses- closed habitats were present. Previous ence questioned both the meaning of sion, with 39 talks scheduled over the work interpreted alcelaphine and ante- tibial robusticity and the likelihood two days. Abstracts for these talks lopine bovids as indicators of strongly that individuals beyond the first few were published in the April 1999 issue open environments, but ecomorpho- hybrid generations would continue to of the Journal of Human Evolution logical analysis revealed greater diver- preserve such clearly diagnostic char- (vol. 36, no. 4). The topics ranged sity in the adaptations of these groups. acter states without showing interme- widely, from early australopiths to late Olduvai Bed I assemblages suggest diate conditions. The description of Neanderthals, covering human paleon- greatest similarity to moister west- this specimen has now been formally tology, Paleolithic archaeology, tapho- central African environments. Similar published,1 accompanied by a com- nomy, biochronology, and paleoenvi- studies at Kanjera South indicate more mentary that questions the interpreta- ronments. Not all of the presentations open habitats that were analogous to tion provided.2 can be summarized here, so I will those of the modern Serengeti, with Gilliane Monnier (University of concentrate on points not covered in more zebra but fewer suids than were Pennsylvania) evaluated the reality of the abstracts. present at Olduvai. the distinction between Lower and Three groups of researchers re- At Olorgesailie, Richard Potts Middle Paleolithic phases in Europe ported on new studies at Olduvai (Smithsonian Institution) and col- by seeking evidence of increased ‘‘mod- Gorge, where a long-term project is leagues found that Member 7 deposits ernization’’ of selected lithic compo- currently directed by Robert Blumen- yielded several large concentrations of nents across the putative boundary schine (Rutgers) and Fidelis Masao bone and stone but almost no ‘‘back- between these intervals. Her study was (Open University of Tanzania). Niko- ground’’ scatter, suggesting that sites carried out on a series of reasonably laas van der Merwe (Harvard) and there were not natural but of human well-dated stratified site units ranging colleagues examined stable isotope ra- origin. Perhaps the primates (both in age from 400 to 50 Ka. So far, this tios in fossil fauna in order to assess Homo and Theropithecus) were at- work has been restricted to France paleoenvironments. They reported that tracted to a local resource such as and Britain, but the database will be modern C3 plants vary greatly in their water. By comparison, there was far expanded to include other regions. ␦13C content, while C4 plants generally greater scatter in Member 1, probably are less variable. However, different indicating natural origin. The frequencies of both bifaces and grazers may prefer plants that empha- Erik Trinkaus (Washington Univer- ‘‘choppers’’ varied randomly rather size alternative enzyme composition sity) was scheduled to give a paper on than decreasing through time as would and height, so that alcelaphines eat paleopathology of Dolni Veˇstonice Pav- be predicted from theory. The fre- NADP plants and show ␦13C ca. Ϫ11.5, lovian skeletons but, under pressure quency of Levallois technology did while zebras, which prefer NAD plants, from colleagues, he agreed to give an increase after 300 Ka, but not system- appear more negative at Ϫ13. Speci- informal talk on the new Portuguese atically. There were always some as- mens of Paranthropus boisei in Oldu- find, which had just hit the news. The semblages with a low frequency of vai Beds I and II have ␦13C levels Lagar Velho 1 child skeleton was asso- artifacts, but the occurrence of samples comparable to that of pigs, suggesting ciated with a typical Gravettian burial with higher frequency was restricted that they probably ate neither grass and dated to about 24,500 BP. The to later intervals. Thus, the range of nor meat, but that perhaps tubers combination of anatomically modern variation increased through time. A were an option. tooth size and proportions, chin struc- series of tests for greater ‘‘standardiza- Complementary research by Tom ture, and morphology of the radius tion’’ of flake shape in a limited subset Plummer (University of California at and pubic ramus with the claimed of collections failed to demonstrate Los Angeles) and others on Bed I Neanderthal-like inclination of the any consistent pattern. Monnier’s in- material collected by Mary Leakey ex- mandibular symphysis and tibial pla- terim conclusion was that there is no amined ␦13C from soil carbonates and teau and, especially, tibial robusticity clear evidence of a significant break in mammalian tooth enamel, as well as suggests to Trinkaus that this four-year- lithic technology across the Lower- NEWS Evolutionary Anthropology 163 Middle Paleolithic transition in west- asian cold-adapted taxa in the later, ings implied a diffusion model. But ern Europe. Neanderthal levels. when Tostevin combined several Euro- Paola Villa and Francisco d’Errico In contrast, Osbjorn Pearson pean assemblages into a ‘‘Bohunician (University of Bordeaux) examined the (George Washington University) found behavioral package,’’ he determined a evidence of nonlithic technology (bone few similarities between Skhul-Qafzeh pattern of change from Boker (47 Ka, or ivory points) in the same interval. postcranial fossils and any modern Israel) through Temnata (45 Ka, Bul- They rejected essentially all claimed group. He suggested that patterns of garia), and to Stranska´ Ska´la´ (42 Ka, bone and ivory hafted points prior stature, activity, and, perhaps, cli- Central Europe) and Khorolevo (38 to the final Middle Paleolithic (Uluz- matic adaptation, rather than histori- Ka, Eastern Europe). A comparable zian and Chaˆtelperronian) as natural cal connections, might explain the dif- but unrelated pattern suggested that occurrences. In conclusion, d’Errico ferences observed. by 38 Ka an ‘‘Aurignacian behavioral reiterated his interpretation of the P. Nehoroshev and L. Vishnyatsky package’’ had arrived in Central Eu- Chaˆtelperronian as an independent de- (Institute of the History of Material rope, as well as France and northern velopment from the Mousterian rather Culture, St. Petersburg) discussed sev- Spain, perhaps also from the Levant. than an example of acculturation. This eral seasons of research at the Middle Another talk about European lithic view was criticized from the floor by Paleolithic workshop site of Shlyakh, technology, by Zachary Davis (State Paul Mellars. in the Middle Don region. Oxford Ac- University of New York, Stony Brook), Stanley Ambrose (University of Illi- celerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) examined the costs and benefits of 14 nois, Urbana) gave a fill-in talk (no C dates of about 46 Ka contrast with lithic reduction and curation patterns abstract) in which he argued that the Moscow thermoluminescence (TL) es- based on a model of logistic versus Ϯ development of language was con- timates of 160 to 175 35 Ka. In residential mobility in Mt. Carmel comitant with that of compound, addition to a variety of typical Middle Mousterian site units. hafted lithic tools, basing his argu- Paleolithic forms, the site yielded a Mike Black (Duke University) sug- few blades that were suggested to gested a trunk torsion hypothesis to ment on the analogy of their shared presage the local Upper Paleolithic. explain unique aspects of Neanderthal complexity. Although the authors suggested that pubic ramus morphology as part of an Alan Morris (University of Cape perhaps other blades had been re- adaptation to powerful manual thrust- Town) and Frederick Grine (State Uni- moved for use, audience members ing of stabbing spears while hunting. versity of New York, Stony Brook) noted that various Middle Paleolithic Thus, males would be expected to re-examined the Hofmeyr skull, which assemblages contained similar blades. show the traits involved to a greater was found in southeastern South Af- Marvin Kay (Miami University, degree than would females if, indeed, rica in the 1950s without significant Ohio) and Bruce Hardy (University of male Neanderthals hunted with spears context, but probably is of Late Pleis- Arkansas) reported on their respective more often than did their female coun- tocene age. This skull has a high, analyses of organic residues and lithic terparts. The torque generated by turn- rounded vault but a rather large brow use-wear in Mousterian assemblages ing the body to deliver a thrust would ridge and an ‘‘archaic’’ mid-face; in from Crimea. At Staroselie and Kiik- in turn lead to torsion requiring coun- multivariate analyses, it approaches Koba, several points showed evidence terforce from the thigh adductor the skulls of modern South African of hafting

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