The Earliest Modern Human Colonization of Europe

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Earliest Modern Human Colonization of Europe COMMENTARY The earliest modern human colonization of Europe Jean-Jacques Hublin1 Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany he expansion of modern humans over the planet is one of the most T spectacular events in the course of human evolution. During mil- lions of years, distinctive forms of homi- nins evolved in parallel and sometimes coexisted in the same regions. Between 60,000 and 40,000 y ago, one species ex- panded out of its African birthplace and replaced all others. The Neanderthals are the best-known archaic humans to go ex- tinct at this time. In PNAS, Lowe et al. (1) resolve pending issues surrounding the mechanism of this evolutionary drama. Their study also fuels an increasing num- ber of questions on the antiquity of the modern human colonization of Eurasia. Scenarios accounting for the demise of the Neanderthals are much debated. For some, their replacement resulted from intrinsic biological and behavioral differ- ences with our species (2). For others, external causes precipitated their decline at the time of modern human expansion. Fig. 1. The Bohunician and other initial Upper Paleolithic assemblages of Eurasia display the retention Of these, climatic disasters are most often of Levallois blank production (Middle) and a large use of various types of points (Top). This pattern is envisioned (3) but a mega-volcanic erup- reminiscent of North African assemblages predating the out-of-Africa exodus of modern humans. Upper tion (4), and even an inversion of the Paleolithic-style tools such as end-scrapers and burins (Bottom) complete this toolkit. Unfortunately, at magnetic field resulting in a brutal in- most Bohunician sites, sediments do not allow the preservation of human remains, bone tools or body crease of deleterious radiation (5), have ornaments. (Scale bar: 5 cm.) [Reprinted with permission from ref. 20 (Copyright 2008, Elsevier).] also been proposed. Epidemics devastat- ing Neanderthal populations represent an nature of these ash deposits allows this Rather, it suggests that the main threat intermediate category of explanations (6). event to be very accurately dated. It also to indigenous populations were the mod- Crucial to demonstrating any of these has a distinctive chemical signature that ern human invaders themselves and not scenarios is the establishment of accurate can be recognized, even when the ashes environmental hazards. chronologies for each region and their themselves are invisible to the naked eye Several recent studies based on 14C synchronization on a continental scale. in sediments. This has allowed Lowe et al. dating also support this conclusion. They For this time period, archeologists (1) to accurately synchronize the chronol- 14 assign diagnostically modern human re- mostly use the decay of the radioactive C ogies of deposits between very distant mains (11), as well as early Aurignacian isotopes in organic matter to assess the areas and to compare archeological se- assemblages (9), to a period predating ages of sites and human remains. Other quences in caves with more detailed geo- the CI and Heinrich event 4. This raises methods are less precise or are not easily logical sections in open air sites, lake, or the question of when exactly the first applied in archeological contexts. How- even sea deposits. This method provides modern humans reached Europe. A major ever, 14C isotopes virtually disappear from a precise chronological marker to relate difficulty in answering this question bones and charcoal more than 50,000 y cultural changes and human occupations comes from the extreme scarcity of hu- old, which makes the application of this to well-recorded environmental changes. man remains from this time period. The technique increasingly delicate beyond This large-scale study demonstrates that makers of most lithic assemblages dated 40,000 y. Only recently have some im- lithic assemblages of the Upper Paleolithic to between 50,000 and 40,000 y ago provements in the pretreatment of the associated with the spread of modern remain unknown. dating samples (7), and in the conversion humans predate the CI eruption in several Long have archeologists recognized the to calendar dates (8), started to produce European sites. This applies in particular 14 Aurignacian as a proxy for the first ex- reliable C dates for this crucial to some forms of the Aurignacian, a lithic time period. industry with sophisticated art objects pansion of modern humans into Europe. A dramatic volcanic eruption surpassing and musical instruments (9) and associ- Thus, discussions of a possible chronolog- anything known in the historical record ated with modern human remains (10). ical overlap between these modern invad- took place in central Italy 39,300 y ago. It This observation falsifies the hypothesis ers and late Neanderthal populations have is known as the Campanian Ignimbrite proposing that the CI eruption itself, (CI) eruption. Atmospheric circulation and/or the short but intense cooling epi- carried clouds of ash all over the eastern sode known as Heinrich event 4, which Author contributions: J.-J.H. wrote the paper. Mediterranean, and the products of the started 40,000 y ago, could have triggered The author declares no conflict of interest. eruption reached regions as distant as the cultural changes or population re- See companion article 10.1073/pnas.1204579109. southwestern Russia. The mineralogical placements witnessed around this time. 1E-mail: [email protected]. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1211082109 PNAS Early Edition | 1of2 Downloaded by guest on September 29, 2021 mostly focused on the age of the first tions, either under the influence of the assemblages spread from the Levant Aurignacian (12). An early form of this modern newcomers (14) or independently (Emirian) to Bulgaria (Bacho-Kirian) and assemblage, the Protoaurignacian, spread (15). Indeed, in western Europe, one Moravia (Bohunician). This may well over southern Europe from Ukraine to of these transitional assemblages, the document an early episode of modern southwestern France. Among other nov- colonization of Europe as old as 50,000 y elties, Protoaurignacian people produced Lithic assemblages of (19, 20). flint bladelets that armed light projectile Such an early arrival of modern humans weapons. This assemblage is rooted in the Upper Paleolithic in western Eurasia better matches what a broader group of lithic industries known we know of the dispersal of modern all over central and western Eurasia and associated with the humans to the east, into Asia and toward characterized by an explosion in the use Australia. It also implies a patchy pattern of these artifacts. In the Levant, this group spread of modern of colonization. Modern humans would is represented by the early Ahmarian, have initially been unsuccessful in replac- beginning 47,000 y ago. Although virtually humans predate the CI ing the Neanderthals throughout the no human remains have been discovered entire extension of their geographical do- in the European Protoaurignacian, the eruption in several main. On a continental scale, there was Ahmarian yielded a fully modern imma- likely some overlap in time between the ture human skeleton at the site of Ksar European sites. two groups. Thus, any innovation observed Akil (Lebanon) (13). The limit between the Middle Paleo- in the Neandertal world around or after lithic, produced in Europe by Neander- Châtelperronian, has yielded Neandertal 50,000 y ago may have resulted from thals, and the genuine Upper Paleolithic, remains (14, 16), and a Neandertal origin cultural diffusion triggered by modern fl produced by modern humans, is not always is also suspected for others (17). population in uxes into western Eurasia clear-cut. So-called “transitional assem- However, modern humans might also (14, 21). blages” separate the Middle and Upper have produced transitional assemblages. Although modern human expansions Paleolithic in many sites. These assem- Before they left Africa, they indeed used out of their African cradle were irresist- blages display tools reminiscent of those technologies such as Levallois. Assem- ible, a full understanding of the complex found in the later Upper Paleolithic, and blages identified in southwestern Asia as processes that drove indigenous humans often technological features inherited “initial” Upper Paleolithic display this and portions of the local fauna to extinc- from the Middle Paleolithic, e.g., the combination of older methods to produce tion still stands ahead of us. Confirming Levallois technique of blank production blades alongside remarkable novelties. the biological identity of the makers (Fig. 1). This mix has suggested to many At the Üçag˘ızlı I cave (Turkey), these of the initial Upper Paleolithic in eastern that a local evolution of late Neanderthals include shell beads and bone artifacts and central Europe is crucial to this took place and resulted in these innova- (18). A series of initial Upper Paleolithic understanding. 1. Lowe J, et al. (2012) Volcanic ash layers illuminate the 8. Reimer PJ, et al. (2009) Intcal09 and marine09 radio- 15. d’Errico F (2003) The invisible frontier. A multiple spe- resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans carbon age calibration curves, 0–50,000 years cal BP. cies model for the origin of behavioral modernity. Evol to natural hazards. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 10.1073/ Radiocarbon 51:1111–1150. Anthropol 12:188–202. pnas.1204579109. 9. Higham T, et al. (2012) Testing models for the begin- 16. Lévêque F, Vandermeersch B (1980) Découverte de 2. Klein RG (2009) The Human Career: Human Biological nings of the Aurignacian and the advent of figurative restes humains dans un niveau castelperronien à and Cultural Origins (Univ Chicago Press, Chicago), 3rd art and music: The radiocarbon chronology of Gei- Saint-Césaire (Charente-Maritime). C.R. Acad Sc Paris Ed. ßenklösterle. J Hum Evol 62:664–676. 291:187–189. 3. Tzedakis PC, Hughen KA, Cacho I, Harvati K (2007) Plac- 10. Wild EM, et al.
Recommended publications
  • Rock Art (Part-1)
    Rock Art (Part-1) drishtiias.com/printpdf/rock-art-part-1 About Rock Arts are ancient, human-made markings/paintings/sculptures made on natural stone. Rock art consists of paintings, drawings, engravings, stencils, prints, bas-relief carvings and figures in rock shelters and caves, on boulders and platforms. India houses one of the largest, richest and most diverse repositories of rock art. Prehistoric rock paintings, rock-cut architectures of caves & temples and sculptures carved out of rock are some examples of rock art in India. It is often divided into three forms: Petroglyphs: These are carved into the rock surface Pictographs: These are painted onto the surface Earth figures: These are formed on the ground Significance of Rock Art Spiritual and cultural heritage: Rock art reflects humankind’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage and has great significance to its creators and their descendants. It also has great significance to humanity generally. Its beauty, its symbolism, and its rich narrative means that it is widely appreciated and treasured internationally, regionally, and locally. Diverse cultural traditions: Its continued existence is important to help global communities recognize and learn about the diverse cultural traditions, their ancient origins and relationships to the landscapes they have inhabited. Tribal communities rely on the rock arts for deriving their cultural connections by following the customs engraved in the rock art. Source of history: The rock arts serve, as a “historical record”, detailing the hunting habits and ways of life of the local communities. 1/5 Prehistoric Rock Paintings Prehistoric: It can be defined as events that occurred before the existence of written records in a given culture or society.
    [Show full text]
  • The Aurignacian Viewed from Africa
    Aurignacian Genius: Art, Technology and Society of the First Modern Humans in Europe Proceedings of the International Symposium, April 08-10 2013, New York University THE AURIGNACIAN VIEWED FROM AFRICA Christian A. TRYON Introduction 20 The African archeological record of 43-28 ka as a comparison 21 A - The Aurignacian has no direct equivalent in Africa 21 B - Archaic hominins persist in Africa through much of the Late Pleistocene 24 C - High modification symbolic artifacts in Africa and Eurasia 24 Conclusions 26 Acknowledgements 26 References cited 27 To cite this article Tryon C. A. , 2015 - The Aurignacian Viewed from Africa, in White R., Bourrillon R. (eds.) with the collaboration of Bon F., Aurignacian Genius: Art, Technology and Society of the First Modern Humans in Europe, Proceedings of the International Symposium, April 08-10 2013, New York University, P@lethnology, 7, 19-33. http://www.palethnologie.org 19 P@lethnology | 2015 | 19-33 Aurignacian Genius: Art, Technology and Society of the First Modern Humans in Europe Proceedings of the International Symposium, April 08-10 2013, New York University THE AURIGNACIAN VIEWED FROM AFRICA Christian A. TRYON Abstract The Aurignacian technocomplex in Eurasia, dated to ~43-28 ka, has no direct archeological taxonomic equivalent in Africa during the same time interval, which may reflect differences in inter-group communication or differences in archeological definitions currently in use. Extinct hominin taxa are present in both Eurasia and Africa during this interval, but the African archeological record has played little role in discussions of the demographic expansion of Homo sapiens, unlike the Aurignacian. Sites in Eurasia and Africa by 42 ka show the earliest examples of personal ornaments that result from extensive modification of raw materials, a greater investment of time that may reflect increased their use in increasingly diverse and complex social networks.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Nature of Transitions: the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution
    On the Nature of Transitions: the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Bar-Yosef, Ofer. 1998. “On the Nature of Transitions: The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution.” Cam. Arch. Jnl 8 (02) (October): 141. Published Version doi:10.1017/S0959774300000986 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:12211496 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Cambridge Archaeological Journal 8:2 (1998), 141-63 On the Nature of Transitions: the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution Ofer Bar-Yosef This article discusses two major revolutions in the history of humankind, namely, the Neolithic and the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic revolutions. The course of the first one is used as a general analogy to study the second, and the older one. This approach puts aside the issue of biological differences among the human fossils, and concentrates solely on the cultural and technological innovations. It also demonstrates that issues that are common- place to the study of the trajisition from foraging to cultivation and animal husbandry can be employed as an overarching model for the study of the transition from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic. The advantage of this approach is that it focuses on the core areas where each of these revolutions began, the ensuing dispersals and their geographic contexts.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing Relationships Between Human Adaptive Responses and Ecology Via Eco-Cultural Niche Modeling William E
    Assessing relationships between human adaptive responses and ecology via eco-cultural niche modeling William E. Banks To cite this version: William E. Banks. Assessing relationships between human adaptive responses and ecology via eco- cultural niche modeling. Archaeology and Prehistory. Universite Bordeaux 1, 2013. hal-01840898 HAL Id: hal-01840898 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01840898 Submitted on 11 Nov 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Thèse d'Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches Université de Bordeaux 1 William E. BANKS UMR 5199 PACEA – De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie Assessing Relationships between Human Adaptive Responses and Ecology via Eco-Cultural Niche Modeling Soutenue le 14 novembre 2013 devant un jury composé de: Michel CRUCIFIX, Chargé de Cours à l'Université catholique de Louvain, Belgique Francesco D'ERRICO, Directeur de Recherche au CRNS, Talence Jacques JAUBERT, Professeur à l'Université de Bordeaux 1, Talence Rémy PETIT, Directeur de Recherche à l'INRA, Cestas Pierre SEPULCHRE, Chargé de Recherche au CNRS, Gif-sur-Yvette Jean-Denis VIGNE, Directeur de Recherche au CNRS, Paris Table of Contents Summary of Past Research Introduction ..................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring the Concept of Home at Hunter-Gatherer Sites in Upper Paleolithic Europe and Epipaleolithic Southwest Asia
    UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Previously Published Works Title Homes for hunters?: Exploring the concept of home at hunter-gatherer sites in upper paleolithic Europe and epipaleolithic Southwest Asia Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9nt6f73n Journal Current Anthropology, 60(1) ISSN 0011-3204 Authors Maher, LA Conkey, M Publication Date 2019-02-01 DOI 10.1086/701523 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Current Anthropology Volume 60, Number 1, February 2019 91 Homes for Hunters? Exploring the Concept of Home at Hunter-Gatherer Sites in Upper Paleolithic Europe and Epipaleolithic Southwest Asia by Lisa A. Maher and Margaret Conkey In both Southwest Asia and Europe, only a handful of known Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic sites attest to aggregation or gatherings of hunter-gatherer groups, sometimes including evidence of hut structures and highly structured use of space. Interpretation of these structures ranges greatly, from mere ephemeral shelters to places “built” into a landscape with meanings beyond refuge from the elements. One might argue that this ambiguity stems from a largely functional interpretation of shelters that is embodied in the very terminology we use to describe them in comparison to the homes of later farming communities: mobile hunter-gatherers build and occupy huts that can form campsites, whereas sedentary farmers occupy houses or homes that form communities. Here we examine some of the evidence for Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic structures in Europe and Southwest Asia, offering insights into their complex “functions” and examining perceptions of space among hunter-gatherer communities. We do this through examination of two contemporary, yet geographically and culturally distinct, examples: Upper Paleolithic (especially Magdalenian) evidence in Western Europe and the Epipaleolithic record (especially Early and Middle phases) in Southwest Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • Initial Upper Paleolithic Bladelet Production: Bladelets in Moravian Bohunician Produkce Čepelek V Iniciálním Mladém Paleolitu: Čepelky V Moravském Bohunicienu
    Přehled výzkumů 61/1, 2020 X 21–29 Initial Upper Paleolithic bladelet production: Bladelets in Moravian Bohunician Produkce čepelek v iniciálním mladém paleolitu: čepelky v moravském bohunicienu – Yuri E. Demidenko*, Petr Škrdla, Tereza Rychtaříková – “What about the bladelets?” J. Tixier, 1987 (Williams, Bergman 2010, 117) Introduction KEYWORDS: The “bladelet issue” continues to be central to continuing discussions on the recognition of various Early Upper Palaeo- Initial Upper Palaeolithic – Bohunician – bladelets – Boker Tachtit – lithic (UP) techno-complexes and industry types in the Levant, Kara-Bom – Ořechov especially concerning the identifi cation of the so-called true Au- rignacian in the region (for the latest discussions, see Williams, Bergman 2010; Demidenko, Hauck 2017; Goring-Morris, ABSTRACT Belfer-Cohen 2018). The present paper touches on the bladelet issue for the chronologically earlier Initial UP techno-complexes Bladelets are a common Upper Palaeolithic technological category, often in Eurasia (Fig. 1) and particularly its Central European Bohu- described as a proxy for the Early Upper Palaeolithic. However, bladelet pro- nician “representative”. duction has already been documented within preceding Initial Upper Palae- Nowadays it can be surely said that the bladelet issue is in- olithic techno-complexes, e.g. at Boker Tachtit (Negev Desert, Israel) and deed one of the most discussed subjects in Eurasian Palaeolithic Kara-Bom (Altai Republic, Russian Federation). Only isolated bladelets have Archaeology (e.g. Le Brun-Ricalens et al. eds. 2005). From our been reported from the Central European Bohunician. However, a recently point of view, this is mostly due to the recognition of the impor- discovered and excavated site, Ořechov IV – Kabáty has yielded a large series tant role of bladelets in the hunting projectile weaponry of UP (over 1,000 items) of micro-blades and bladelets, documenting a higher de- humans.
    [Show full text]
  • Paleoanthropology Society Meeting Abstracts, St. Louis, Mo, 13-14 April 2010
    PALEOANTHROPOLOGY SOCIETY MEETING ABSTRACTS, ST. LOUIS, MO, 13-14 APRIL 2010 New Data on the Transition from the Gravettian to the Solutrean in Portuguese Estremadura Francisco Almeida , DIED DEPA, Igespar, IP, PORTUGAL Henrique Matias, Department of Geology, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, PORTUGAL Rui Carvalho, Department of Geology, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, PORTUGAL Telmo Pereira, FCHS - Departamento de História, Arqueologia e Património, Universidade do Algarve, PORTUGAL Adelaide Pinto, Crivarque. Lda., PORTUGAL From an anthropological perspective, the passage from the Gravettian to the Solutrean is one of the most interesting transition peri- ods in Old World Prehistory. Between 22 kyr BP and 21 kyr BP, during the beginning stages of the Last Glacial Maximum, Iberia and Southwest France witness a process of substitution of a Pan-European Technocomplex—the Gravettian—to one of the first examples of regionalism by Anatomically Modern Humans in the European continent—the Solutrean. While the question of the origins of the Solutrean is almost as old as its first definition, the process under which it substituted the Gravettian started to be readdressed, both in Portugal and in France, after the mid 1990’s. Two chronological models for the transition have been advanced, but until very recently the lack of new archaeological contexts of the period, and the fact that the many of the sequences have been drastically affected by post depositional disturbances during the Lascaux event, prevented their systematic evaluation. Between 2007 and 2009, and in the scope of mitigation projects, archaeological fieldwork has been carried in three open air sites—Terra do Manuel (Rio Maior), Portela 2 (Leiria), and Calvaria 2 (Porto de Mós) whose stratigraphic sequences date precisely to the beginning stages of the LGM.
    [Show full text]
  • “Politics” and “Religion” in the Upper Paleolithic: a Voegelinian Analysis of Some Selected Problems
    “Politics” and “Religion” in the Upper Paleolithic: A Voegelinian Analysis of Some Selected Problems DRAFT ONLY Barry Cooper University of Calgary Paper prepared for APSA Annual Meeting Seattle WA September, 201 2 Outline 1. Introduction 2. Philosophy of consciousness 3. “Politics” 4. “Religion 5. Conclusions 3 “Politics” and “Religion” in the Upper Paleolithic 1. Introduction The Voegelinian analysis referred to in the title refers primarily to two elements of the political science of Eric Voegelin. The first is his philosophy of consciousness, systematically developed first in Anamnesis.1 The second is his concept of compactness and differentiation of experience and symbolization. It will be necessary to touch upon a few other Voegelinian concepts, notably his understanding of “equivalence,” but for reasons of space only a summary presentation is possible. A second preliminary remark: the terms “Religion” and “Politics” are in quotation marks because their usage in the context of the Upper Paleolithic is anachronistic, though not entirely misleading. The meaning of these terms is commonsensical, not technical, and is meant to indicate what Clifford Geertz once called “oblique family-resemblance connections” among phenomena.2 Third, as a matter of chronology the Upper Paleolithic conventionally refers to the period between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago (50KYBP- 1 Voegelin refined his analysis of consciousness in the last two volumes of Order and History. These changes are ignored on this occasion. 2 Geertz, Life Among the Anthros, ed. Fred Inglis (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010), 224. 4 10KYBP). It corresponds in Eurasian periodization approximately to the Later Stone Age in Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia
    World Heritage papers41 HEADWORLD HERITAGES 4 Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia VOLUME I In support of UNESCO’s 70th Anniversary Celebrations United Nations [ Cultural Organization Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia Nuria Sanz, Editor General Coordinator of HEADS Programme on Human Evolution HEADS 4 VOLUME I Published in 2015 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France and the UNESCO Office in Mexico, Presidente Masaryk 526, Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, 11550 Ciudad de Mexico, D.F., Mexico. © UNESCO 2015 ISBN 978-92-3-100107-9 This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Cover Photos: Top: Hohle Fels excavation. © Harry Vetter bottom (from left to right): Petroglyphs from Sikachi-Alyan rock art site.
    [Show full text]
  • Tool Industries of the European Paleolithic: Insights Into Hominid Evolution and Shifts in Archaeological Theory and Practice from the James B
    TOOL INDUSTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN PALEOLITHIC: INSIGHTS INTO HOMINID EVOLUTION AND SHIFTS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL THEORY AND PRACTICE FROM THE JAMES B. BULLITT COLLECTION by Sophie K. Joseph Honors Thesis Department of Anthropology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2020 Approved: ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– R. P. Stephen Davis, PhD (Advisor) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Laurie C. Steponaitis, PhD –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Silvia Tomášková, PhD ABSTRACT From early archaeological excavation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to modern conceptions of Paleolithic stone tool evolution, radiometric dating techniques and studies of paleoenvironment have revolutionized the study of relationships and divisions between these different lithic industries. In addition, there has been a shift from the formal to the functional approach when categorizing lithic industries through time. This project aims to examine how lithic industries in France changed through the Paleolithic and early Neolithic using a curated sample from Dr. James B. Bullitt’s contribution to the North Carolina Archaeological Collection. Early and contemporary archaeological literature about early stone tools are compared and connected to broad theoretical shifts in the field since the 1800s. Because many artifacts in the Collection are used as teaching aids, it is hoped that this project provides insight into the value of the Collection to the study of about Paleolithic hominid evolution. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my advisor and thesis committee chair Dr. Davis: without his diligent guidance and investment of time, this project truly would not have been possible. Furthermore, the James B. Bullitt Collection and larger North Carolina Archeological Collection would not be in the incredibly organized and accessible state they are today without Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • 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
    Open Archaeology 2018; 4: 185–205 Original Study Sibylle Wolf*, Rimtautas Dapschauskas, Elizabeth Velliky, Harald Floss, Andrew W. Kandel, Nicholas J. Conard 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 https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2018-0012 Received June 8, 2017; accepted December 13, 2017 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. Keywords: ochre use, Middle Stone Age, Swabian Jura, Upper Paleolithic, Magdalenian painting 1 The Earliest Use of Ochre in the Homo Lineage Modern humans have three types of cone cells in the retina of the eye. These cells are a requirement for trichromatic vision and hence, a requirement for the perception of the color red. The capacity for trichromatic vision dates back about 35 million years, within our shared evolutionary lineage in the Catarrhini subdivision of the higher primates (Jacobs, 2013, 2015). Trichromatic vision may have evolved as a result of the benefits for recognizing ripe yellow, orange, and red fruits in front of a background of green foliage (Regan et al., Article note: This article is a part of Topical Issue on From Line to Colour: Social Context and Visual Communication of Prehistoric Art edited by Liliana Janik and Simon Kaner.
    [Show full text]
  • The Early Upper Palaeolithic of Kostenki: Chronology, Taxonomy, and Cultural Affiliation
    27 THE EARLY UPPER PALAEOLITHIC OF KOSTENKI: CHRONOLOGY, TAXONOMY, AND CULTURAL AFFILIATION A. A. Sinitsyn Abstract represents a distinct regional pattern comparable to much larg- er geographic areas of Europe. This paper deals with the structure, composition, and chro- Nine major geographic areas or zones of cultural evolu- nology of the early stage of the Upper Palaeolithic in the tion are identified for the European Upper Palaeolithic (Fig. Kostenki-Borshchevo area, from the earliest manifestation of 1). There seems to be consensus that each of these areas, such Upper Palaeolithic technocomplexes to the appearance of the as the Aquitanian, western Mediterranean, Central Europe, local Gravettian. This is a principal unit of Upper Palaeolithic Balkans, eastern Mediterranean, and others, represents distinct classification showing a fundamental change in the organiza- zones of local cultural development during the Upper Palaeo- tion of the Upper Palaeolithic European world at 28–30 ka. lithic. During some time periods, one or more areas reflect The Kostenki model provides evidence of both general Eu- common developments (see DJINDJIAN 2006): ropean evolutional trends and particular local features, which a) the Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) exhibits a binary pat- appear to be the basis for its distinction as a separate period of tern, one component of which is the Aurignacian with a con- Upper Palaeolithic classification. tinental distribution, while the other is represented by series of local “transitional” cultures: Castelperronean for Western Eu- Keywords rope; Uluzzo for a limited part of the Western Mediterranean, Upper Palaeolithic, Kostenki’ model of evolution, EUP-MUP Szeletian and Bohunician traditions for Central Europe; and boundary.
    [Show full text]