Palaeolithic Archaeological Sites Research Articles

The Late Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic in Crimea (Ukraine)—A Review of the Neanderthal Refugium Hypothesis

The Crimean Peninsula contains numerous important Palaeolithic sites. It has been considered a potential Neanderthal refugium in Eurasia prior to their disappearance or assimilation, and subsequent replacement by Homo sapiens. This understanding is primarily drawn from lithic technological analysis and radiocarbon dating. However, recent developments in the latter suggest that many of the previously obtained radiocarbon dates from Crimean sites may be too young. The chronological sequence from the site of Kabazi II is a case in point, where differences between dates of bulk collagen and those of single amino acids range up to 10,000 radiocarbon years. These discrepancies are argued to arise from sample contamination and its lack of removal in bulk collagen dating. In this paper, we undertake a critical re-evaluation of results from seven Palaeolithic archaeological sites in the Crimean Peninsula: Kabazi II, Siuren I, Buran-Kaya III, Zaskalnaya V and Zaskalnaya VI, Kabazi V and Starosel’e. Our analysis of radiocarbon results from various sites supports the view that radiocarbon dates obtained so far tend to be too young, which has been indicated in the stratigraphy and lithic assemblages. By harnessing robust radiocarbon protocols in future chronometric work, such as the extraction of hydroxyproline, ninhydrin derivatisation or the purification of amino acids using XAD-2 resin, there is potential for constructing accurate chronologies. Furthermore, improved dating accuracy holds the promise of significant additional insights into the prehistoric sequence of the Crimean Peninsula and its potential role as a refugium for Neanderthals prior to their disappearance.

Regional insights into Upper Palaeolithic territorial strategies and the factors of habitat choice in the territory of the Hungarian Central Mountains

The investigation into regional occurrence patterns contributes to a deeper understanding of Palaeolithic habitat exploitation. To explore this, geological, spatial, and environmental factors influencing the distribution of Upper Palaeolithic archaeological sites are studied in the Hungarian Central Mountains, focusing on Szeletian, Aurignacian, Gravettian, and Epigravettian cultures. The study employs a combination of spatial, statistical, classification analyses, and decision tests, including Kernel Density Estimation, Voronoi tessellation, the Dunn-Bonferroni test, Principal Component and Coordinate Analyses, Linear Discriminant Analysis, Random Forest Analysis, to examine the reasons behind the spatial distributions of archaeological sites by cultures. It was found that Szeletians inhabited higher elevation regions in the North Hungarian Mountains than Aurignacians. Voronoi tessellation shows that Gravettian and Epigravettian cultures exhibit a broader spread, with concentrations around the Danube Bend and southern foothills of the Mátra Mountains. Raw material distributions revealed that Szeletian sites are the closest to siliceous raw materials, while Aurignacian sites are the farthest. Principal component analysis reveals moderate separation in habitat selection and indicates that Aurignacians inhabited relatively warmer, less precipitous regions than Szeletians. Linear Discriminant Analysis indicates somewhat overlapping paleoenvironmental conditions in the case of Szeletian and Aurignacian sites; however, it shows the complete separation between Aurignacian and Gravettian sites. Random Forest Analysis results indicate that key separator factors between Szeletian and Aurignacian sites included topographical roughness, while daily energy expenditure and the mean temperature of the coldest quarter played the most crucial roles in separating Aurignacian and Gravettian, as well as Gravettian and Epigravettian sites.

Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherer societies in the Basque Country (Iberian Peninsula) in the light of palaeoenvironmental dynamics in the last Glacial Period: cultural adaptations and the use of biotic resources

Abstract Upper Palaeolithic archaeological sites in the Basque Country have been excavated for over a century. They have yielded a rich palaeoenvironmental record with zoological and botanical remains that have been obtained in stratigraphic series dated precisely by radiocarbon. This information reveals cyclical environmental changes from climates similar to today to drier and extremely cold conditions, when species in current boreal biomes and others now extinct but with similar ecological preferences were present in the region. Moreover, the archaeological sites have provided high-resolution information about the resilience mechanisms of the communities of our own human species. This information allows us to increase the corpus of palaeoclimate data regarding the Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 2 and MIS 3 for a critical region within the human population of Eurasia. The aim of this paper is to show how an extraordinary capacity for adaptation to drastic climate changes Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherer societies displayed, even though their subsistence depended on biotic resources that alter rapidly.

The quantification of surface abrasion on flint stone tools

AbstractLithic artifacts are some of the most common and numerous remains recovered from paleolithic archaeological sites. However, these materials can undergo multiple post‐depositional alterations after their introduction into the archaeological record. Due to the high quantity of lithic remains recovered, a quick, flexible, and effective method for identifying degrees of alteration on the surface of lithic implements is highly desirable. The present study examines the use of gray level images to obtain quantitative data from the surface of flint artifacts and determine whether these images can detect the presence of post‐depositional alterations. An experimental collection of flints was subjected to sequential episodes of rounding in a tumbling machine. After each episode, photographs were taken with a microscope, resulting in quantitative surface values using gray level values. The quantitative surface values were used as variables in machine learning models to determine time of exposure and the most salient variables for discrimination. Our results indicate that the extraction of metrics from gray level images successfully capture changes in the surface of flint artifacts caused by post‐depositional processes. Additional results provide insight into which areas to sample when seeking post‐depositional alterations and underscore the importance of particle size in the generation of alterations.

Defining paleoclimatic routes and opportunities for hominin dispersals across Iran.

Fossil and archaeological evidence indicates that hominin dispersals into Southwest Asia occurred throughout the Pleistocene, including the expansion of Homo sapiens populations out of Africa. While there is evidence for hominin occupations in the Pleistocene in Iran, as evidenced by the presence of Lower to Upper Paleolithic archaeological sites, the extent to which humid periods facilitated population expansions into western Asia has remained unclear. To test the role of humid periods on hominin dispersals here we assess Paleolithic site distributions and paleoenvironmental records across Iran. We developed the first spatially comprehensive, high-resolution paleohydrological model for Iran in order to assess water availability and its influence on hominin dispersals. We highlight environmentally mediated routes which likely played a key role in Late Pleistocene hominin dispersals, including the expansion of H. sapiens and Neanderthals eastwards into Asia. Our combined analyses indicate that, during MIS 5, there were opportunities for hominins to traverse a northern route through the Alborz and Kopet Dagh Mountains and the Dasht-I Kavir desert owing to the presence of activated fresh water sources. We recognize a new southern route along the Zagros Mountains and extending eastwards towards Pakistan and Afghanistan. We find evidence for a potential northern route during MIS 3, which would have permitted hominin movements and species interactions in Southwest Asia. Between humid periods, these interconnections would have waned, isolating populations in the Zagros and Alborz Mountains, where hominins may have continued to have had access to water.

Étude taphonomique et spatiale des associations de grands mammifères non analogues du Pléistocène supérieur de la Grotte XVI (Dordogne, France)

The study of fossil bone assemblages has brought up evidence of the existence in the Pleistocene of faunal communities with no modern analogues. This is notably the case for Palaeolithic archaeological sites that have yielded, in the same stratigraphic layers, remains of species that are rarely sympatric in present-day ecosystems. The Mousterian – layer C – and Châtelperronian – layer B – of Grotte XVI (Dordogne, France) provide examples of such “composite” faunas: high proportions of Red deer (21 % and 34 % of the total number of identifiable remains of ungulates, respectively), Roe deer (17 % and 14 %) and Reindeer (42 % and 26 %) have been described in the same assemblages. In order to better interpret these no-analog communities, large mammal remains from layers B and C of Grotte XVI are reanalysed here. Taxonomic identifications, taphonomic data (cortical surface states, anthropic marks, evidences of carnivore activity, etc.), season-of-death estimates and bone refits (intra- and inter-layers) are combined and analysed as part of a three-dimensional spatial study of the faunal assemblages.

История изучения среднего палеолита Северо-Восточного Приазовья и нижнего течения р. Северский Донец

The article is devoted to the history of the study of Middle Paleolithic archaeological sites on the territory of the Lower Donbasin, within the limits of the modern Rostov oblast. The author identifies and characterizes the main stages of the study of Paleolithic sites located in the North-Eastern Azov Sea region and in the lower reaches of the Seversky Donets River. Special attemntion is paid to the history of works carried out at the key sites of the region, including Nosovo, Rozhok 1, Biryuchia Balka 2, etc.

Phytolith analysis of Naminan archaeological site in Jinghong City, Yunnan Province

<sec>The global climate underwent tremendous changes during the transition from the Last Glacial Period to the Holocene. At almost the same time, human society transitioned from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic. Therefore, the relationship between climate change and human activity during this period has become a research hotspot.</sec><sec>Yunnan Province is a region with a great abundance of Paleolithic archaeological sites in China; however, Neolithic sites are relatively few. There has also been relatively little research on paleoclimatic conditions during the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition in Yunnan. Phytoliths, as a highly durable and long-lasting form of plant microfossils, can be an important means for reconstructing paleoclimates. In this study, we examined the Naminan site in Jinghong, which was occupied during the transitional period from the Paleolithic to Neolithic. Based on our analysis of the phytolith record at Naminan, we reconstructed the climatic conditions for each of the archaeological strata and discussed possible human activities. The results show that Naminan experienced a sequence of warming followed by cooling and warming, which is consistent with previous paleoclimate research in other areas of Yunnan Province.</sec>

The Early Neolithic–Middle Bronze Age environmental history of the Mamakan archaeological area, Eastern Siberia

This study presents the first radiocarbon-dated palynological record from a peat section (57°49′10.03"N; 114°03′31.37"E, 251 m above sea level) in the Mamakan area located in the lower Vitim River valley, about 350 km northeast of Lake Baikal. While the area is particularly renowned for its numerous multi-layered Upper Palaeolithic (ca. 50,000–14,000/10,000 cal yr BP) archaeological sites with rich cultural assemblages, there is also evidence for human occupation during the Mesolithic–Neolithic–Bronze Age period (ca. 14,000/10,000–3000 cal yr BP). However, the absence of accurately dated palaeoenvironmental records does not allow discussion of prehistoric human–environment interactions in this area. The records of pollen, spores and other non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) from the Mamakan site presented in this article document changes in the vegetation and climate of the study area between 6570 and 3630 cal yr BP. From 6570 to 6200 cal yr BP the vegetation around the site was dominated by sparse forests of mainly spruce and larch, indicating that the permafrost layer was located relatively close to the surface. Fir was part of the forest communities in habitats with a milder microclimate and a deeper permafrost layer. Around 6200 cal yr BP Scots pine started to spread across the study area. Until 4670 cal yr BP it dominated the pollen spectra of the Mamakan record, indicating warmer conditions. Climate cooling and higher soil moisture is indicated by the spread of Siberian pine and Siberian dwarf pine at the expense of Scots pine between 4670 and 3840 cal yr BP. From 3840 cal yr BP the Mamakan record suggests a landscape opening associated with the spread of Sphagnum-dominated bog vegetation and an increase in the occurrence of wildfires (3870–3820 cal yr BP), which were either natural in origin or caused by human activities. The spread of Scots pine paralleled by a decline in dark conifers (spruce and fir) and larch in the Lake Baikal Region (LBR) has been linked to a ‘hiatus’ in the Cis-Baikal archaeological records of the Middle Neolithic (6660–6060 cal yr BP). Around the Mamakan site this vegetation change occurred comparatively late, about 600 years later than in the regions around and east (e.g. Lake Baunt area) of Lake Baikal. The Mamakan pollen and NPP records, together with the available archaeological data, suggest that the environmental conditions in the lower Vitim River area may have sustained the hunter-gatherer lifestyle also during the ‘hiatus’ interval.

OSL Chronology of the Siling Co Paleolithic Site in Central Tibetan Plateau

When and how was the Tibetan Plateau (TP), one of the least habitable regions on Earth, occupied by humans are important questions in the research of human evolution. Among tens of Paleolithic archaeological sites discovered over the past decades, only five are considered coeval with or older than the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ∼27–19 ka). As one of them, the Siling Co site in the central TP was previously announced to be ∼40–30 ka based on radiocarbon dating and stratigraphic correlation. Given the loose chronological constraint in previous studies, we here re-examined the chronology of the Siling Co site with the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating technique. Four sections from the paleo-shoreline at an elevation of ∼4,600 m in southeastern Siling Co were investigated, with stone artifacts found from the ground surface. Dating results of nine samples delineated the age of ∼4,600 m paleo-shoreline to be ∼10–7 ka (∼8.54 ± 0.21 ka in average). This age indicates that the Siling Co site is not earlier than the early Holocene, much younger than the former age. The revised age of the Siling Co site is consistent with the wet and humid climate conditions on the TP during the early Holocene.

The value of English geoconservation sites in understanding historical collections of lower and middle palaeolithic artefacts

Lower and Middle Paleolithic archaeological sites in England risk falling through the cracks between different types of heritage conservation, since they lack recognisable structures; these sites have often benefitted from protection under geoconservation, particularly through selection as Geological Conservation Review sites, and subsequent designation as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). The geoconservation of key sites, particularly in the formative years of British geoconservation, has allowed combined geological and archaeological reinvestigation. This is of particular benefit to understanding Lower and Middle Paleolithic artefact assemblages, which were often collected in the later 19th–earlier 20th century and consequently lacked both detailed spatial or stratigraphic provenance and contextual geological information. As such, the ‘fine grained’ data which could be gleaned from such artefact collections was limited. Here we review the benefit of geoconservation in allowing the contextualisation of historical archaeological collections, focussing on six key English sites where geological and archaeological reinvestigation has led to important archaeological findings. In particular, the emerging evidence of chronological patterning in Lower and Middle Paleolithic artefacts makes the preservation of such deposits valuable to Quaternary science in general.

Gravettian hand stencils as sign language formatives.

Several Upper Palaeolithic archaeological sites from the Gravettian period display hand stencils with missing fingers. On the basis of the stencils that Leroi-Gourhan identified in the cave of Gargas (France) in the late 1960s, we explore the hypothesis that those stencils represent hand signs with deliberate folding of fingers, intentionally projected as a negative figure onto the wall. Through a study of the biomechanics of handshapes, we analyse the articulatory effort required for producing the handshapes under the stencils in the Gargas cave, and show that only handshapes that are articulable in the air can be found among the existing stencils. In other words, handshape configurations that would have required using the cave wall as a support for the fingers are not attested. We argue that the stencils correspond to the type of handshape that one ordinarily finds in sign language phonology. More concretely, we claim that they correspond to signs of an 'alternate' or 'non-primary' sign language, like those still employed by a number of bimodal (speaking and signing) human groups in hunter-gatherer populations, like the Australian first nations or the Plains Indians. In those groups, signing is used for hunting and for a rich array of ritual purposes, including mourning and traditional story-telling. We discuss further evidence, based on typological generalizations about the phonology of non-primary sign languages and comparative ethnographic work, that points to such a parallelism. This evidence includes the fact that for some of those groups, stencil and petroglyph art has independently been linked to their sign language expressions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Reconstructing prehistoric languages'.

Sedimentation and environmental dynamics of the Tunka rift valley (Baikal region) in the Late Pleistocene-Holocene based on the analysis of lithological and rock magnetic properties of the deposits from Upper Paleolithic sites

The Tunka depression is a valley in the Baikal rift system. It contains several Paleolithic archaeological sites, however, the number of finds varies sharply across the different sections of the valley. The purpose of this study is to reconstruct the natural environment and sedimentation conditions of Upper Paleolithic deposits in the Tunka valley and to explore the effects of these conditions on the prehistoric humans that peopled the landscape. A total of 923 samples from 6 section sites (with different geological structure, thickness of layers, and geomorphological position) were evaluated for grain size and rock magnetic properties. The age of all sections is supported by 14C and TL dates. Sedimentation at Belyi Yar 1 and Belyi Yar 2 is characterized by high deposition rates and a large influx of loose sedimentary material due to catastrophic floods that prevented soil formation and resulted in unsuitable conditions for the habitation of prehistoric humans. Sedimentation rates at the Shimki site (which has not yet yielded archaeological finds) were also high but the presence of paleosol horizons indicates milder environmental conditions. The numerous archaeological finds at the Tuyana site, located at the highest geographical altitude, are explained by the features of the sedimentary environment: low sedimentary input, well-developed buried soils and a lack of signs indicating catastrophic flood. The Zaktui site, with its lower altitude, is characterized by less suitable conditions for human habitation which also explains the restricted number of archaeological finds in the section. An intermediate position is occupied by the Slavin Yar section, where sedimentation rates were higher than at Zaktui or Tuyana and paleosol horizons are quite well developed, but poor archaeological finds are explained by the influence of catastrophic floods. The integration of the studied parameters helps to reconstruct different sedimentary conditions in the explored sites of the Tunka depression and to estimate their suitability for prehistoric human habitation.

Sounds from a Paleolithic seashell horn

Archaeology Although flutes and whistles made of bone have been found at Upper Paleolithic archaeological sites in Europe, musical instruments made of other materials are uncommon. Fritz et al. have identified the earliest known conch shell in the world, dating from about 17,000 years ago, which was used as a wind instrument at the French Magdalenian site of Marsoulas Cave. Careful removal of the apex of the shell in ancient times allowed air to flow through it to produce sound. Experiments revealed that playing the shell produces three notes similar to C, C-sharp, and D. Image enhancement of the exterior of the shell revealed dots of red pigment similar to paintings found on the cave walls. Sci. Adv. 10.1126/sciadv.abe9510 (2021).

Sampling Plants and Malacofauna in 87Sr/86Sr Bioavailability Studies: Implications for Isoscape Mapping and Reconstructing of Past Mobility Patterns

Establishing strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) geographical variability is a key component of any study that seeks to utilize strontium isotopes as tracers of provenance or mobility. Although lithological maps can provide a guideline, estimations of bioavailable87Sr/86Sr are often necessary, both in qualitative estimates of local strontium isotope “catchments” and for informing/refining isoscape models. Local soils, plants and/or animal remains are commonly included in bioavailability studies, although consensus on what (and how extensively) to sample is lacking. In this study, 96 biological samples (plants and snails) were collected at 17 locations spanning 6 lithological units, within a region of south-west France and an area with a high concentration of Paleolithic archaeological sites. Sampling sites aligned with those from a previous study on soil bioavailable strontium, and comparison with these values, and the influence of environmental and anthropogenic variables, was explored. Data confirm a broad correspondence of plant and snail87Sr/86Sr values with lithological unit/soil values, although the correlation between expected87Sr/86Sr values from lithology and bioavailable87Sr/86Sr ratios from biological samples was higher for plants than for snails. Grass, shrub and tree87Sr/86Sr values were similar but grasses had a stronger relationship with topsoil values than trees, reflecting differences in root architecture. Variability in87Sr/86Sr ratios from all plant samples was lower for sites located on homogeneous geological substrates than for those on heterogeneous substrates, such as granite. Among environmental and anthropogenic variables, only an effect of proximity to water was detected, with increased87Sr/86Sr values in plants from sites close to rivers originating from radiogenic bedrock. The results highlight the importance of analyzing biological samples to complement, inform and refine strontium isoscape models. The sampling of plants rather than snails is recommended, including plants of varying root depth, and (if sample size is a limitation) to collect a greater number of samples from areas with heterogeneous geological substrates to improve the characterizations of those regions. Finally, we call for new experimental studies on the mineralized tissues of grazers, browsers, frugivores and/or tree leaf feeders to explore the influence of87Sr/86Sr variability with soil profile/root architecture on87Sr/86Sr values of locally-feeding fauna.

The potential impacts of climate factors and malaria on the Middle Palaeolithic population patterns of ancient humans

Previous studies that observed the fact that Middle Palaeolithic sites mainly were concentrated in arid and semi-arid areas in Africa and Southwest Asia, concluded that climate factors determined the distribution patterns. We argue that biological factors could have been equally important. In present-day sub-Saharan Africa, mosquito-borne diseases and especially falciparum malaria have a serious impact on human populations. This study was aimed to investigate the possible former effect of falciparum malaria on Middle Palaeolithic site distribution patterns and explain why ancient humans avoided the humid areas in the tropical and subtropical regions. It was found that the early human settlements situated in those regions of Africa and Southwest Asia where the potential annual development period of falciparum parasites was short in the mosquitoes, the area was not too humid, and the potential falciparum malaria incidence values were low or moderate. In the Indian Peninsula, precipitation played a less significant role in determining human settlements. The number of the months when the extrinsic development of Plasmodium falciparum parasites was possible showed the strongest structural overlap with the modelled malaria incidences according to the spatial occurrence of the Middle Paleolithic archaeological sites in the case of Africa and in Southwest Asia. In the Indian Peninsula, climatic factors showed the strongest structural overlap with the modelled malaria incidences according to the occurrence patterns of the Middle Palaeolithic archaeological sites.

Upper Paleolithic Sites of the Tunka Rift Valley (Southwestern Cis-Baikal Area, Siberia): A Short Review

Here we present a brief description of Paleolithic archaeological sites in Tunka rift valley in Baikal region, Siberia, Russia. Among ten sites of Paleolithic age currently known in the Tunka valley only 5 sites are stratified while all the others are represented by picking archaeological material. The most representative sections with rich archaeological complexes in the Tunka rift are the sections of the subaerial deposits of Tuyana and Bol’shoi Zangisan. The industry of Tuyana site contains products and technologies that can be identified as Aurignacoid.

Comparing lower and middle Palaeolithic lithic procurement behaviors within the Hrazdan basin of central Armenia

The Hrazdan River valley in Armenia contains Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic archaeological sites and offers access to the Gutansar Volcanic Complex, a large and important source of obsidian. The sites’ occupants primarily acquired lithic material from this obsidian source, which is manifested throughout the local landscape, but its obsidian exposures, produced during a single eruptive phase, exhibit the same geochemical signature. This situation inspired the development of rock magnetic characterization as a means to recognize obsidian from different spots across the volcanic complex (i.e., intra-source, not inter-source, characterization). This intra-source approach was first applied to the Middle Palaeolithic site of Lusakert Cave 1, where the data revealed that the occupants collected obsidian throughout the river valley, rather than a preferred outcrop, quarrying area, or secondary deposit. Such a finding implied that the toolstone procurement spatially coincided with the valley and was embedded in subsistence activities. In this new study, the same approach to intra-source magnetic characterization is applied to the Lower Palaeolithic site of Nor Geghi 1 – specifically, to obsidian debris dated between 440 and 335 millennia ago. The magnetic measurements show that, like at Lusakert Cave 1, toolstone acquisition occurred within the valley. If, as we propose, obsidian procurement reflects the spatial distribution of subsistence activities, it attests that archaic hominins at both sites and in both periods were able to effectively exploit a resource-rich riparian ecosystem. Consequently, this study provides an example of behaviors shared by Middle and Lower Palaeolithic hominins whereby, placed within the same landscape, their resource exploitation behaviors appear indistinguishable.

Deposit-centered archaeological survey and the search for the Aegean Palaeolithic: A geoarchaeological perspective

Recent archaeological discoveries from the Greek islands of Crete and Naxos point to the presence of hominins in the Aegean Basin beginning at least in the Middle Pleistocene (~200 ka), indicating that the region may have been an important dispersal route for hominins (including humans) entering southeastern Europe. Currently, archaeologists lack a clear understanding about where Palaeolithic sites should exist throughout the region. Consequently, archaeologists are hindered in their ability to construct the chronostratigraphic frameworks necessary to place the Aegean Palaeolithic into broader narratives of human biogeography until more buried and scientifically dated sites are found. Addressing this issue, we review one successful survey strategy that has proven effective in increasing the likelihood of discovering archaeological sites of Pleistocene age – namely, systematic geoarchaeologically informed research frameworks centered on targeting Pleistocene geologic deposits (soils and sediments). Such an approach has worked well on mainland Greece (and elsewhere) but has yet to be operationalized for application in the Greek islands. Here we review the approach and suggest that deposit-centered surveys can function in four phases of varying degrees of complexity and scale and can be implemented either independently or in tandem with traditional archaeological pedestrian surveys. We also review Quaternary deposits and their associated geomorphic settings that are likely to contain Palaeolithic artifacts to aid future deposit-centered surveys in the Greek islands. We conclude that future archaeologists should implement the approach to target depositional settings in near-shore coastal areas (e.g., alluvial fans with stratified Pleistocene-aged paleosols), sometimes identified by paleo-sea-level-indicators (sea notches, marine terraces, and aeolianites), such as those seen on, Antiparos, Kythera, Crete (northern and southern coasts), Karpathos, and Rhodes. Further, we argue that non-coastal geomorphic settings like internally-drained basins on Crete and Rhodes, similar to those on the mainland, should be systematically searched for Palaeolithic sites. The deposit-centered survey strategies reviewed here provide a means for archaeologists working in the Aegean Basin to predict high probability locations for Palaeolithic archaeological sites. This geoarchaeological approach can be used in similar geomorphic settings around the world and therefore has implications for filling geographic gaps in our understanding of hominin dispersals in the Pleistocene.

A multidisciplinary overview of the lower Miño River terrace system (NW Iberian Peninsula)

The Miño River basin represents one of the main fluvial catchments draining the Atlantic side of the Iberian Peninsula. The extensive sedimentary deposits of this basin have been documented since the 19th century, but limited research has been undertaken on these features historically, and the Quaternary record of the basin has remained understudied until recently. Research carried out over the last decade on the Spanish margin of the Miño River has enabled more detailed classification and mapping of the main fluvial landforms, as well as numerical (luminescence, electron spin resonance, cosmogenic) dating of some of the deposits associated with Palaeolithic archaeological sites. Here we synthesise the existing Quaternary fluvial record for the basin, and present new geospatial and chronological analyses for the lower catchment area. Our latest examination has enabled the identification of nine fluvial terrace levels and other regionally significant sedimentary features (e.g., alluvial fans) formed in response to tectonics, eustatic changes and associated global climate changes. The chronological data and calculated incision rates indicate that the various fluvial terraces were formed during the Early to Late Pleistocene. Numerous Palaeolithic sites have been found in association with the middle terrace levels (between +40 and +13 m above present-day river level). Primarily, these archaeological sites preserve assemblages that feature large flake Acheulean (LFA) tools, though a number of Middle Palaeolithic sites have also been documented. Direct dating of these sites, together with morphostratigraphic correlations across the terrace system, suggest that the basin has been extensively occupied by human populations during the last 300 thousand years.