Neanderthal-Modern Human Interactions in the Southern Caucasus Daniel S. Adler University of Connecticut [email protected] Major Research Questions What was the palaeoenvironmental & temporal context of the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition? Were Neanderthals & Modern Humans sympatric or allopatric? If sympatric, what niches & resources were exploited & what kinds of interactions occurred? If allopatric, what were the main differences in niche & resource exploitation? What rifts or continuities in material culture & behavior can be identified between the LMP & EUP? What is the relevance? Sareki Klde Specific Hypotheses HUNTING ABILITIES DISTINGUISH MODERN HUMANS FROM NEANDERTHALS TESTS: species representation, mortality, sex ratios, life history characteristics ARTIFACT DIVERSITY & “SOPHISTICATION” DISTINGUISH MODERN HUMANS FROM NEANDERTHALS TESTS: core reduction, blank production, tool manufacture, use, recycling, & discard SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS & INTERACTIONS DISTINGUISH MODERN HUMANS FROM NEANDERTHALS TESTS: mobility, land-use, & raw material exploitation Dmanisi Sources of Data Archaeological Excavation Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction: D. Lordkipanidze (palynology), S. Weiner (mineralogy), C. Mallol & P. Goldberg (micromorphology), E. Allue (palaeobotany), & J. Agusti (microfauna) Chronometric Dating: T. Jull & E. Boaretto (AMS), J. Rink (ESR), & N. Mercier & H. Valladas (TL) Zooarchaeology & Taphonomy: G. Bar-Oz Lithic Analysis Mobility & Land-use Studies Human Behavioral Ecology Djruchula Cave GGeeooggrraapphhyy ooff tthhee LLaattee MMoouusstteerriiaann After Bar-Yosef and Pilbeam 2000 Eastern 40 Micoquian Eastern Micoquian/ para-Micoquian Chatelperronian 29 Szeletian 38/33 Uluzzian Levalloiso- 30 Charentian Mousterian 44 36 40/36 30 34- 36.5 30 30 30 40 Taurus-Zagros 30/28? Late Aterian Late Levantine 40 Mousterian Levalloiso- Mousterian 48/47 Lower Nile Valley Complex 50/45? Elbrus - --- 5642m >1 00 Kazbegi 0m - 5033m --- Black Caspian <100m - Sea ----3000m---- --- Sea 36 00 --- Tbilisi m -3 * -- 60 -- 0m --- Aragac - 4090m - - Sevan - - * Baku 3 6 Yere*van 0 0 m - - - - Ararat 5165m Van Urmia TERRA Satellite 2001 cold, dry airflow TEMPERATE ZONE warm I humid SUBTROPICAL M A E airflow ZONE R G m U ID 0 S 0 R 0 2 ar a id irf low CONTINENTAL ZONE • Diversity in elevation & numerous river valleys draining Caucasus form a patchwork of rich & diverse ecological niches • Environments: open broad-leaved & coniferous woodlands interspersed with grasslands • Little evidence for dramatic environmental shifts during climatic oscillations of OIS 3 NORTH North Profile 11 Chronology & Stratigraphy BP Weighted Method Mean AMS=37; TL=21; ESR=5; Total=63 19325 ± 89 2 AMS 2 21664 ± 159 2 AMS 3 27000 ± 260 2 AMS 4b 30600 ± 160 8 AMS 4c 33433 ± 249 6 AMS 4c 34314 ± 447 3 AMS 4d 5 BOUNDARY 36482 ± 517 3 AMS 6 44111 ± 2137 4 TL 42763 ± 806 7 AMS 7 46050 ± 2215 3 TL 41992 ± 846 4 AMS 42490 ± 1479 8 TL Layer 9: 48862 ± 3814 2 TL 42468 ± 2532 ESR (EU) Layer 10: 49910 ± 2587 4 TL North 45802 ± 2757 ESR (LU) GISP2 δ18O with Greenland Interstadials (G.I.) & Heinrich Events (H) Middle Palaeolithic Upper Palaeolithic WARM 9 7&6 4d 4b-a 2 4c 10 8 5 3 1 14 12 8 3 1716 δ G.I. 15 5 1 10 7 4 8 13 11 6 2 O 9 ( 0 / 0 0 ) H6 H5a H5 H4 H3 H2 H1 H0 COLD Stable warm Trans Early cold LGM cold OIS 3 OIS 2 OIS 1 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 Cal ka BP Capra caucasica Layers 2–4 Layer 5 Layer 6 Layer 7 Total NISP 376 191 1408 1098 3073 MNI 5 4 14 12 35 MNE 162 70 458 384 1074 NISP:MNE 2.00 2.73 3.07 2.86 2.86 %Total NISP 89.74 92.7 95.65 96.57 95.02 Bison priscus Layers 2–4 Layer 5 Layer 6 Layer 7 Total NISP 26 15 57 30 128 MNI 3 1 1 1 6 MNE 17 10 23 18 68 NISP:MNE 1.53 1.50 2.48 1.67 1.88 %Total NISP 6.21 7.28 3.87 2.64 3.96 (Total: NISP = 3234, MNI = 53) Capra caucasica Bison priscus Dr. K. Mikhailov Mortality vs. Lifespan for LMP Caucasian Tur 25 Prime Based on wear of Young 19.30 lower deciduous 20 4th premolar & 17.54 17.54 lower 3rd molar 14.03 (Stiner 1994) 15 12.28 10.53 Old 10 7.02 % Mortality n = 18 n = 38 n = 1 5 1.75 0 0 0 0-10 10-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90 90-100 Layers 6–7 (N=57) % Lifespan (12 years) Young: 31.6% total sample Prime Age: 66.7% total sample Old: 1.7% total sample Survivorship and Mortality Modified triangular plot (after Steele & Weaver 2002) : LMP Ortvale Klde OAld axi10s0% : MP Italy Prime-age : UP Italy Adults : MP Kebara gazelle : MP Kebara fallow deer : MP Kebara red deer : MP Gabasa 1 “ambush” hunting Juvenile B10 axi0%s C axiPrims e 100% Data after: Adler et al. (2005, 2006), Blasco Sancho (1995), Speth & Tchernov (1998), Stiner (1994, 2002) 1 y = -0.0004x + 0.5159 R2 = 0.0012, P=0.66 0.8 0.6 %MNI 0.4 0.2 y = -0.0011x + 0.5233 R2 = 0.0114, P=0.37 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 FUI K. Mikhailov Layer 6 % Survivorship Layer 7 % Survivorship mm NO Correlation 60 114/224 50 91/192 40 Full 30 15/56 Representation OBS./EXP. 20 5/28 9/48 3/24 11/84 30/266 26/228 7/72 10 NO selective 0 Head Trunk Forelimb Hindlimb Toes transport by Layer 6 (NISP=1408, MNE=458) Layer 7 (NISP=1098, MNE=384) hominins 30 25 20 Bd 15 10 t=5.34, P<0.001 5 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 GLpe Weinstock 2000 Female (n=4), Male (n=9), UP (n=2), MP (n=11) Breadth (BD) vs length of 2nd phalange (GLpe) Mean size of LMP 40 35 30 sample > modern 25 Bd 20 15 t=4.42, P<0.001 sample 10 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 GL1 Female (n=4), Male (n=11), UP (n=3), MP (n=13) Two adult size Breadth (BD) vs length of astragalus (GL1) 30 groups = sexual 25 20 dimorphism HDH 15 t=2.79, P<0.01 10 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 BT DFA suggests ratio: Female (n=5), Male (n=11), MP (n=4) Height distal humerus (HDH) vs breadth trochlea (BT) ~66% females NO CULLING %Male %Female BY SEX 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 SUMMER 50 50 Alpine Meadow WINTER 28 72 Forest Ortvale Klde LMP 32 68 EUP 33 67 4500 Caucasian Tur SUMMER 4000 Migration 4200m 3500 CURRENT 3000 MIGRATORY RANGE 2500 Current 2000 sub-alpine zone 1500 WINTER 1000 800m CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS 500 *Ortvale 0 masl Klde AGGREGATION DISPERSAL WINTER SUMMER Births in (Oct–May) May–June (May–Oct) Estrus/breeding Maternal groups of 12 late Nov–early Jan Solitary males 4500 Caucasian Tur SUMMER 4000 Migration 3500 OIS 3 3200m 3000 MIGRATORY 2500 RANGE 2000 1500 WINTER OIS 3 CAUCASUSsub-al pMOUNTAINSine 1000 800m zone 500 *Ortvale 0 masl Klde AGGREGATION DISPERSAL WINTER SUMMER Births in (Oct–May) May–June (May–Oct) Estrus/breeding Maternal groups of 12 late Nov–early Jan Solitary males Cenomanian-Turonian Flint Kazkhi Region, Imeretia Local: ≤ 25 km LMP: Full Reduction N= 22,051 99.6 % total (<5000/m3) Chikiani Obsidian, Lake Paravani, Djavakheti Region Non-local: ≥ 100 km LMP: Curated Tools 0.4% total (<15/m3) Local/m3:Non-local/m3 = 236:1 100 Y 80 l C l l Core Reduction a N a a t t E n l e 60 e U o a i p p Q t n i i r r E Récurrent c o t t i R e t d n 40 n r F i c e e e unidirectional e d s % c c i r s i b n e o 20 d u u Levallois i u r s r b c t 0 DORSAL SCAR PATTERNS Flake n=1597 Core n=234 Χ2= 357.26, df= 13, p≤0.001 2 Χ = 366.97, df= 4, p≤0.001 70 Mean Mean 18.8 40.9 50 n MLS Core 30 n=237 n=254 10 0 5cm 1-5 11-15 21-25 31-35 41-45 51-55 61-65 6-10 16-20 26-30 36-40 46-50 56-60 >65 LENGTH INTERVALS (mm) Core Management Techniques Débordants Outrepassé Flakes 0 5cm Blank Production: Χ2=36.55, df=6, p≤0.001 100 Y 80 C N E 60 U Q E R 40 F Unidirectional elongated % blanks 20 0 10-19 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 >70 LENGTH INTERVALS (mm) Faceted n=416 Plain n=769 0 5cm Tool Manufacture, Use, & Resharpening 0 5cm Statistical analyses indicate that typological forms are due to resharpening and recycling rather than intentional production. 4500 RADIATING MOBILITY 4000 raw material WINTER (Oct–May) lower elevations acquisition 3500 3000 2500 OK 2000 BBC 1500 Ortvale CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS 1000 Klde ambush & floral 500 * butchery stations resources? 1. Neanderthal aggregation 2. Meat & fat procurement 3. <Diet Breadth: <resource availability not specialization 4. Coordinated group hunts 5. Intimate knowledge of landscape & animal behavior 6. Provisioning of places & individuals 7. Full reduction sequences & intensive, repeated occupations 4500 CIRCULATING MOBILITY 4000 SUMMER (May–Oct) multiple elevations 3500 * * 3000 * 2500 * * Numerous 2000 BBC * short-term, 1500 * ephemeral * CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS camps 1000 * * 500 * * 1. Neanderthal dispersal 2. Refocus foraging on plant resources? 3.