Palaeolithic Material Research Articles

Initial Upper Palaeolithic material culture by 45,000 years ago at Shiyu in northern China.

The geographic expansion of Homo sapiens populations into southeastern Europe occurred by ∼47,000 years ago (∼47 ka), marked by Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) technology. H. sapiens was present in western Siberia by ∼45 ka, and IUP industries indicate early entries by ∼50 ka in the Russian Altai and 46-45 ka in northern Mongolia. H. sapiens was in northeastern Asia by ∼40 ka, with a single IUP site in China dating to 43-41 ka. Here we describe an IUP assemblage from Shiyu in northern China, dating to ∼45 ka. Shiyu contains a stone tool assemblage produced by Levallois and Volumetric Blade Reduction methods, the long-distance transfer of obsidian from sources in China and the Russian Far East (800-1,000 km away), increased hunting skills denoted by the selective culling of adult equids and the recovery of tanged and hafted projectile points with evidence of impact fractures, and the presence of a worked bone tool and a shaped graphite disc. Shiyu exhibits a set of advanced cultural behaviours, and together with the recovery of a now-lost human cranial bone, the record supports an expansion of H. sapiens into eastern Asia by about 45 ka.

Identification and tentative removal of collagen glue in Palaeolithic worked bone objects: implications for ZooMS and radiocarbon dating

Collagen glue has been used for nearly two centuries to consolidate bone material, although its prevalence in museum collections is only now becoming visible. Identifying and removing collagen glue is crucial before the execution of any geochemical or molecular analyses. Palaeolithic bone objects from old excavations intended for radiocarbon dating were first analysed using ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) to identify the animal species, however peaks characteristic of both cattle and whale were discovered. Two extraction methods for ZooMS were tested to identify the authentic animal species of these objects, which revealed that these were originally whale bone objects that had been consolidated with cattle collagen glue. This is the first time animal collagen glue has been identified in archaeological remains with ZooMS, illustrating again the incredible versatility of this technique. Another technique, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Attenuated Total Reflectance mode (FTIR-ATR), was also tested if it could rapidly identify the presence of collagen glue in archaeological bone material, which was not the case. Two other cleaning methods were tested to remove bone glue contamination prior to radiocarbon dating, along with two modified collagen extraction methods for ZooMS. These methods were applied to bone blank samples (FmC = 0.0031 ± 0.0002, (n = 219), 47 336 ± 277 yr BP) that were experimentally consolidated with collagen glue and to the Palaeolithic bone material (ca. 15 000 and 12 000 yr BP). The experimental bone blanks produced excellent 14C ages, suggesting the cleaning methods were successful, however the 14C ages for some of the Palaeolithic material remained too young considering their contextual age, suggesting that the collagen glue contamination had most likely cross-linked to the authentic collagen molecule. More research is needed in order to gain a deeper understanding of the occurrence and elimination of cross-linked collagen-based glues in material from museum collections.

Core-Shaped Tools from the Early Pleistocene Deposits at Bairaki, Moldova

This a rticle deals with a series of core-shaped tools from Early Pleistocene deposits (layers 5 and 6) of the stratifi ed site of Bairaki, located on high above-fl oodplain terrace VII of the Dniester, in the outskirts of Dubăsari, Moldova. The site was discovered in 2010 by the joint Russian-Moldovan archaeological expedition and excavated in 2011– 2014. The interdisciplinary studies revealed six layers with Early Paleolithic artifacts. Two lowest layers (5 and 6) are associated with the channel alluvium of terrace VII. The paleomagnetic studies have shown that these deposits correspond to the Jaramillo episode of the Matuyama epoch. The lithic industry of layers 5 and 6 are comparable to the Late Oldowan. Most artifacts are made of poor quality fl int; there are also pebble tools made of non-silicic rocks. Most lithics are small. A distinct series of core-shaped end-scrapers and side-scrapers made on residual cores (9 spec.), fragments (1 spec.), and fl akes (5 spec.) is identifi ed. All these tools are robust and had been processed in a similar way. They are made of pebbles no larger than 6 сm. The steep working edges of all implements in this series are heavily retouched. Similar items have been recorded from the Early Paleolithic materials of the region. Such tools were widespread in the Early Paleolithic of Africa and Eurasia. The earliest pieces were found in the Bed I assemblage of the Olduvai Gorge.

A long-term perspective on Neanderthal environment and subsistence: Insights from the dental microwear texture analysis of hunted ungulates at Combe-Grenal (Dordogne, France).

Large bovids and cervids constituted major components of the European Middle Palaeolithic faunas and hence a key resource for Neanderthal populations. In paleoenvironmental reconstructions, red deer (Cervus elaphus) occurrence is classically considered as a tree-cover indicator while Bovinae (Bison priscus and Bos primigenius) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) occurrences are typically associated with open landscapes. However, insights into the ecology of extant ungulate populations show a more complex reality. Exploring the diet of past ungulates allows to better comprehend the hunting strategies of Palaeolithic populations and to reconstruct the modifications through time of past landscapes. By reflecting what animals have eaten during the last days or weeks of their life, dental microwear textures of herbivores link a population and its environment. Here we analyzed, via Dental Microwear Texture Analysis (DMTA), the diet of 50 Bos/Bison, 202 R. tarandus and 116 C. elaphus preyed upon by the Neanderthals that occupied Combe-Grenal rock-shelter, one of the most important Mousterian archaeo-sequences in southwestern France considering its long stratigraphy, abundance of faunal remains and the variations perceptible in Palaeolithic material culture. Grazers and mixed-feeders are the most represented dietary categories among Combe-Grenal's guild of herbivores, highlighting the availability, along the sequence, of open landscapes. The absence of clear changes in the use of plant resources by hunted ungulates through time, even though palaeoenvironmental changes were well-documented by previous studies along the sequence, is interpreted as resulting from the hunting of non-randomly selected prey by Neanderthals, preferentially in open environments. Thus, these results provide further insight into the hunting strategies of Neanderthals and modify our perception of potential links between subsistence and material culture. Combe-Grenal hunters "stayed in the open" through millennia, and were not forced to switch to hunting tactics and material technology adapted to close encounters in forested environments.

A geophysical insight of the lithostratigraphic subsurface of Rodafnidia area (Lesbos Isl., Greece)

<abstract> <p>The study area of Rodafnidia on the island of Lesbos (Greece) is considered of archaeological interest, as Paleolithic stone tools have been recovered through excavation and collected from the ground surface in recent years. Geologically, the area is mostly covered by Quaternary post-alpine deposits and volcanic rocks. This paper presents the application of a local geophysical survey to determine the volume of the upper Quaternary deposits in which the Paleolithic artefacts can be found and the identification of their ignimbrite substrates. For this reason, the geoelectrical method was selected as the most appropriate for determining the lithostratigraphic subsurface layers. More specifically, a grid of twenty-one (21) Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES) along with an Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) was carried out. The interpretation of the results of these surveys, in conjunction with the results of older excavation trenches, revealed that the Quaternary deposits have been investigated at depths ranging from 0.5 up to 28.5 meters. Furthermore, the lithological boundary of these post-alpine deposits and their underlying pyroclastic ignimbrite flow (with resistivity 24.0–58.0 Ohm.m) seem to dip to the north. The volume of the Quaternary layer is proposed as the maximum depth for archaeological investigation with high chances to recover more Paleolithic material.</p> </abstract>

Нижнепалеолитическая стоянка-мастерская Кусимово-8 (Южное Зауралье)

Introduction. Comprehensive and efficient investigations of the earliest peopling of the Southern Urals became possible after the discovery of Mysovaya site in Abzelilovsky District of Bashkortostan (Russia). The Paleolithic materials from this site were considered mixed — Acheulean/Mousterian — or Mousterian proper. In recent years, the Lower and Middle Paleolithic site of Kusimovo-8 has been discovered nearby. This is a scattered workshop site on pebble flint outcrops within the terrace surface of the Bannoe-Sabakty paleolake. Goals. The study attempts an insight into the earliest peopling of the Southern Urals, describes and analyzes the Lower Paleolithic collection. Results. The finds were identified on the basis of technical and typological characteristics and preservation parameters. The collection comprises a total of 121 items, most of the objects made of flint pebbles and only two bifaces made of diabase. Nucleuses with patinated surfaces (19 items) are diverse enough: mainly flat cores of parallel and sub-parallel shearing are available to be quantitatively followed by radial, fan-shaped, and orthogonal cores. The tools are represented by oval and almond-shaped hand axes, cleavers, piked tools, a chopper, biface blanks, and various side-scrapers. The stratigraphy of test pits shows the presence of two cultural horizons: flint chips were found under the Middle Paleolithic cultural layer (grayish-brown loam with dolomite gravel) — 0.5 m lower in yellowish-brown loam. Paleoecological analyses of the pits attest to that yellowish-brown loam deposits can be dated to the Middle Pleistocene. Similar conditions were identified for Lower Paleolithic finds discovered at Mysovaya site. Similarity of both the sites makes it possible to conclude as to comparable ages of these collections and that they may cluster together within one Karyshkino-type industry which unites a majority of Lower Paleolithic sites across the Southern Transurals, all of them to form a specific variant of the Tayacian.

Нижнепалеолитическая стоянка-мастерская Кусимово-8 (Южное Зауралье)

Introduction. Comprehensive and efficient investigations of the earliest peopling of the Southern Urals became possible after the discovery of Mysovaya site in Abzelilovsky District of Bashkortostan (Russia). The Paleolithic materials from this site were considered mixed — Acheulean/Mousterian — or Mousterian proper. In recent years, the Lower and Middle Paleolithic site of Kusimovo-8 has been discovered nearby. This is a scattered workshop site on pebble flint outcrops within the terrace surface of the Bannoe-Sabakty paleolake. Goals. The study attempts an insight into the earliest peopling of the Southern Urals, describes and analyzes the Lower Paleolithic collection. Results. The finds were identified on the basis of technical and typological characteristics and preservation parameters. The collection comprises a total of 121 items, most of the objects made of flint pebbles and only two bifaces made of diabase. Nucleuses with patinated surfaces (19 items) are diverse enough: mainly flat cores of parallel and sub-parallel shearing are available to be quantitatively followed by radial, fan-shaped, and orthogonal cores. The tools are represented by oval and almond-shaped hand axes, cleavers, piked tools, a chopper, biface blanks, and various side-scrapers. The stratigraphy of test pits shows the presence of two cultural horizons: flint chips were found under the Middle Paleolithic cultural layer (grayish-brown loam with dolomite gravel) — 0.5 m lower in yellowish-brown loam. Paleoecological analyses of the pits attest to that yellowish-brown loam deposits can be dated to the Middle Pleistocene. Similar conditions were identified for Lower Paleolithic finds discovered at Mysovaya site. Similarity of both the sites makes it possible to conclude as to comparable ages of these collections and that they may cluster together within one Karyshkino-type industry which unites a majority of Lower Paleolithic sites across the Southern Transurals, all of them to form a specific variant of the Tayacian.

PALAEOLITHIC SITES NEAR THE BALAMUTIVKA VILLAGE

The paper deals with the Palaeolithic materials found on the right bank of the Dniester River, in the vicinity of the Balamutivka Village, Chernivtsi Oblast, since the 1950s. Several sites, which have been recently discovered here, are published in detail for the first time. Particular attention is paid to the finds of Palaeolithic flint artefacts from caves located near the village.
 Within the Balamutivka and further to the northeast, there are many Palaeolithic sites associated with Quaternary sediments of high (10—12) terraces. Because of the destruction of terraces and their slopes by landslides, the Palaeolithic flint artefacts lie on the surface there. An attribute analysis of the respective assemblages indicates a mixing of defining forms of different techno-complexes of the Middle — the end of the Upper Palaeolithic. In particular, the series includes convergent and sub-cross cores; carinated end-scraper, nosed end-scrapers; uni- and bidirectional sub-cylindrical cores, wide blades, combination tools — mostly burin + scraper; small-sized cores with one or two platforms, sub-cylindrical and narrow working surface, from which thin bladelet and microblade were knapped; microliths (including «Dufour», counter-retouch backing microliths), a Lacan-type burin (?).
 In the caves, the knapped flints also did not occur in situ but got there from the surface of the terraces together with the loose terrace sediments due to water erosion and landslides. The caves are not suitable for habitation by humans or large predators because of their small size and hydrogeological regime (periodic flooding).
 The area of Balamutivka Village is interesting and promising for further investigation of the Palaeolithic of the Middle Dniester region. The typological diversity of the finds from the studied locations evidences the presence of multilayer sites.

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.

An investigation of the flake-based lithic tool morphology using 3D geometric morphometrics: A case study from the Mirak Paleolithic Site, Iran

Today archaeologists are increasingly seeking more objective methods for analyzing archaeological remains to obtain the most reliable results possible. To achieve this goal, methods developed in other disciplines are being introduced gradually into archaeology and their effectiveness is being tested; this is particularly the case for archaeological analysis of lithic artifacts. One such method, borrowed from evolutionary biology that has become increasingly widespread in stone tool archaeology is geometric morphometrics. This method can be used to generate information regarding inter- and intra-assemblage morphological variability in lithic artifacts and to inspect the mechanisms and causes driving this variation. In this paper, 3D landmark-based geometric morphometrics is used to study diachronic changes in the morphology of lithic tools. This study concerns an assemblage of flaked lithic tools from the open-air Paleolithic site of Mirak, located along the northern fringe of the Iranian Central Desert. These lithics belong to two archaeological layers. Layer 2, which features a combination of Middle and Upper Paleolithic lithic materials (ca. 33–26 kya), and Layer 3, which consists mainly of late Middle Paleolithic materials (ca. 55–43 kya). These layers belong to Marine Isotope Stage 3, a time of rapid fluctuation in climatic and environmental conditions at the global and regional scales. The aim here is to investigate whether there are any significant morphological differences between the two sets of aforementioned lithic assemblages, and subsequently, to suggest possible causes of the stability or variability in this morphology. The results of the analysis indicate that the general morphology of the flake-based lithic tools is not significantly different between the two layers. To inspect the rationale for such diachronic stability, the morphology of the original lithic raw materials and population dynamics are studied. It seems that at least part of the answer lies in the flow of information and cultural transmission related to the presence of metapopulations in the Iranian Central Plateau during Marine Isotope Stage 3.

Динамика природной среды в позднем плейстоцене – голоцене на Западе Тугнуйско-Сухаринской долины (на примере археологического местонахождения Три Скалы в Западном Забайкалье)

The article presents results of the multidisciplinary studies conducted at the multilayered archaeological site of Tri Skaly in the Tugnui-Suhara valley (Western Trans-Baikal) in 2021. Recognition of the paleoecological conditions of human habitation in this area makes it possible to reconstruct the interconnections between humans and nature at various chronological periods in the Pleistocene - Holocene. The conducted nature-science analyses were based on the derived data on soil pH, soil granulometric structure, calcareousness, and cation-exchange capacity (CEC). The derived results together with the data on the morphology of a particular stratigraphic unit allow revealing noticeable variations of the strata characteristics, which reflect the specific conditions of deposition. Based on cumulative data of archeology and natural sciences, environmental fluctuations have been defined for several chronological periods in Tugnui-Suhara Valley. The upper part of the profile bearing materials of the medieval period and the underlying strata with the Neolithic materials have been dated to the Holocene represented by the soils of dry intermountain depressions. The middle part of the profile demonstrates alternation of short cold / warm periods characteristic for the second part of the terminal Pleistocene. The lower part of the stratigraphic sequence revealed the most abundant archaeological material. The Upper Palaeolithic materials of the Tolbaga blade-based culture have been recovered from this part of deposits. Abundant Palaeolithic artifacts are associated with two lithological layers (4a and 5) representing the Karginian interglacial deposits. The upper part (4a) was considerably redeposied during the Sartanian, the lower part contained buried soil of the Karginian interglacial. Structural elements of the cultural horizon in the form of fire places and artifact and bone concentrations were associated with the lower Karginian layer. The environmental conditions of human habitation at Tri Skaly during the Karginian interglacial have been defined as temperate, landscapes -predominantly steppe.

Разведочные работы на правобережье Большой Оби в 2021 году

The article describes the results of exploration works in the lower reaches of the Ob (Shuryshkarsky district of the YNAO) in 2021. The coastline of the right bank of the Ob was studied in three main areas: near the villages of Khashgort, Kushevat and the Sormas channel. In total, 13 pits and 2 excavation trenches were made with a total area of 70 sq. m. The coastline near the village of Khashgort revealed paleofaunal materials and stone artifacts of the Paleolithic type. The main excavations were carried out at the Kushevat Paleolithic site discovered in 2020. Archaeological and paleofaunal materials were recorded in the alluvial deposits of two excavation trenches with a total area of 44 sq.m at an unnamed inflow of the Ob. The excavations revealed tree bone-bearing layers; stone artifacts, charcoal pieces, and non-utilitarian items were recovered from the lowermost layer. Archaeological materials (2 specimens) are represented by a small spall and an exhausted core of the parallel reduction pattern. The paleofaunal material numbering 110 units (bones, horns, teeth, and fragments) is mainly represented by the remains of a reindeer.Thus, in the field season of 2021, a new locus of the surface occurrence of the Paleolithic materials was identified supporting previous identification of a cultural layer at Kushevat. As a result, taking into account the stratigraphic situation at the site and the preliminary results of radiocarbon dating, the Kushevat site is currently the northernmost and most ancient of the known Paleolithic sites known in the Ob valley. Apparently, the derived data indicate the earliest, pioneering stage of Homo sapiens sapiens habitation of the subarctic zone during MIS3 in the range of 45-30 ka BP.

О критериях выделения археологических культур в палеолите Забайкалья

An archaeological culture is one of the base terms of archaeology. The content of this term was discussed from the time of its introduction into scientific discourse. During the investigations in Transbaikalia, researchers asserted about Stone Age archaeological cultures for the first time at the beginning of the 1930s. Till the beginning of the 1890s, A. P. Okladnikov’s opinion has prevailed. According to him, Transbaikalia Paleolithic represented a monocultural phenomenon. This point of view is developed by some archaeologists in the present day. Additionally beginning from the 1960s the idea about existing of several archaeological cultures in the Transbaikalia Paleolithic has been generated. In the 1930s the distinguishing archaeological cultures in Transbaikalia Stone Age was based on morphology and typology of stone artifacts. In this sense, the technology of stone tools production was considered to a lesser degree. At the end of the 20th century, the main emphasis has been given to the tools’ production technology as the key component of the stone industry. Therefore, while a theoretical base of Transbaikalia Paleolithic developed stone industry was in the base of identifying archaeological cultures with the shift of some accents from morphology and typology to the technology of production. Gradually together with stone industry data of cultural horizons spatial organization becomes involved as supporting elements in distinguishing archaeological cultures in Transbaikalia. At the same time often the only stone industry is accessible for the investigations, and it demonstrates the main trend of Paleolithic material culture development. Using the complex of different criteria for distinguishing archaeological culture corresponds to the system approach which is recently developed intensively. As a result of the assessment of the synchronous stone industries of Transbaikalia, we concluded that the archaeological culture is the tool of the interpretational level and reflects phenomena that really existed in the past. It is proposed to use as criteria not only typology, morphology, and technology, reconstructed on the base of the stone industry but also life subsistent strategies reconstructed with the taking into consideration all available data. Such strategies could be conditioned by the environment, but also are the reflection of the development of the technological traditions inherent to the given culture.

The archaeology of the social brain revisited: rethinking mind and material culture from a material engagement perspective

The social brain hypothesis (SBH) has played a prominent role in interpreting the relationship between human social, cognitive and technological evolution in archaeology and beyond. This article examines how the SBH has been applied to the Palaeolithic material record, and puts forward a critique of the approach. Informed by Material Engagement Theory (MET) and its understanding of material agency, it is argued that the SBH has an inherently cognitivist understanding of mind and matter at its core. This Cartesian basis has not been fully resolved by archaeological attempts to integrate the SBH with relational models of cognition. At the heart of the issue has been a lack of meaningful consideration of the cognitive agency of things and the evolutionary efficacy of material engagement. This article proposes MET as a useful starting point for rethinking future approaches to human social cognitive becoming in a way that appreciates the co-constitution of brains, bodies and worlds. It also suggests how MET may bridge archaeological and 4E approaches to reconsider concepts such as the ‘mental template’ and Theory of Mind.

Timing of the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition in the Iberian inland (Cardina-Salto do Boi, Côa Valley, Portugal)

AbstractThe timing of the Neanderthal-associated Middle Palaeolithic demise and a possible overlap with anatomically modern humans (AMH) in some regions of Eurasia continues to be debated. The Iberian Peninsula is considered a possible refuge zone for the last Neanderthals, but the chronology of the later Middle Palaeolithic record has undergone revision and has increased the debate on the timing of Neanderthal extinction. Here we report on a study of the 5-m-thick archaeological stratigraphy of the Cardina-Salto do Boi, an open-air site located in inland Iberia, from which optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages were obtained for Middle and Upper Palaeolithic occupations preserved in overbank alluvial deposits. Geomorphology, archaeostratigraphy, stone-tool evolution, and OSL dating support the persistence of Neanderthals after 41 ka in central Iberia; the transition between the Middle Palaeolithic material culture and the AMH-associated Aurignacian blade and bladelet production is estimated to lie between 34.0 ± 2.0 ka and 38.4 ± 1.9 ka. Our results demonstrate that investigations focusing on different geomorphological situations are necessary to overcome the current limitations of the evidence and to establish more consistent models for Neanderthal disappearance and AMH expansion in the Iberian Peninsula.

Lithic artifact assemblage transport and microwear modification in a fluvial setting: A radio frequency identification tag experiment

AbstractRiver processes are widely assumed to have impacted the integrity of lithic assemblages when artifacts are found in fluvial sediments, but the specifics of these influences remain largely unknown. We conducted a real‐world experiment to determine how the initial stages of fluvial entrainment affected lithic artifact assemblages. We inserted replica artifacts with radio frequency identification tags into a gravel‐bedded river in Wales (UK) for seven months and related their transport distances to their morphology and the recorded streamflow. In addition, nine artifacts were recovered at the end of the experiment and analyzed for microwear traces. In sum, our results show that in a gravel‐bedded river with a mean discharge of 5.1 m3/s, artifact length and width were the main variables influencing artifact transport distances. The experiment also resulted in characteristic microwear traces developing on the artifacts over distances of 485 m or less. These results emphasize the multifaceted nature of alluvial site formation processes in a repeatable experiment and highlight new ways to identify the transport of replica Paleolithic material.

Small mammal taxonomy, taphonomy, and the paleoenvironmental record during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic at Geißenklösterle Cave (Ach Valley, southwestern Germany)

Geißenklösterle Cave, located in the Ach Valley of the Swabian Alb and one of six Swabian cave sites recently named as a UNESCO World Heritage site, has a long history of archaeological research resulting in a detailed record of human occupation. Sometime around 45,000 years ago Neanderthals seemingly vanished from the Swabian landscape, and after a period of mostly geogenic deposit at Geißenklösterle Cave we find deposits containing characteristically Aurignacian artifacts dating to as early as 42,500 years ago. These Aurignacian groups brought with them complex symbolic expression and communication including bone and ivory beads, musical instruments, and animal and human figurines. This study examines the climatic context of this depopulation through a taxonomic and taphonomic analysis of the rodent and insectivore remains associated with these periods and provides a relatively unbiased climatic record for the period of ∼45,000–36,000 years ago in this region. Taphonomic analysis indicates that primarily the European eagle owl (Bubo bubo) and the kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) were responsible for accumulating the material, and allows us to quantify the potential taxonomic bias resulting from predator behaviour which includes a preference for voles, particularly the water vole (Arvicola terrestris). Additionally, rare taxa (which include species of murids and soricids) may have been present in greater quantities than our sample implies. The assemblage from Geißenklösterle Cave is dominated by the field and common vole (Microtus arvalis/agrestis), the narrow-headed vole (Microtus gregalis), and the root/tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus). Overall, the Middle Paleolithic landscape included significant woodland and forested areas while a high proportion of species restricted to cold tundra environments likely indicate punctuated cold and arid periods. The signal from the nearly geogenic layer overlying the Middle Paleolithic material includes a moderate shift in the proportion of cold tundra adapted species, suggesting that the tundra expanded leading up to the Neanderthal depopulation, but no period of drastic climatic change is recognizable. The Aurignacian was significantly colder and drier than the preceding period, with cold tundra expansion reaching its apex (for the time period studied). Based on these results the Swabian landscape first encountered by Aurignacian groups was significantly less hospitable than that known to the earlier Middle Paleolithic populations. These results correlate well with past paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on sedimentary, botanical, and faunal assemblages. There is no evidence in the small mammal record that climatic pressure drove Neanderthals from the Ach Valley, instead it seems likely they enjoyed a more temperate environment than later Aurignacian groups. Ongoing work focused on greater resolution of these climatic oscillations at similarly well-dated Swabian sites will shed further light on the timing and speed of this climatic shift and the response of the biological communities affected, including early human groups.

Des armes en ivoire de mammouth : deux cas particuliers

The Upper Palaeolithic material made from mammoth ivory comprises many hunting weapons, mostly spear points and a few big hand spears, mainly from Eastern Europe notably Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia… Two objects stand out through their uniqueness. The first one is a fragment of a spearthrower, the only one made in ivory, decorated in semi round, in the shape of a young bovid, probably a bison. It dates to the Middle Magdalenian and comes from the La Madeleine shelter in Dordogne (France). The second one is a non-returning boomerang with a striated handle, dating to the Early Gravettian and coming from the Obłazowa cave in Poland. Its morphology and morphometry are very like some Australian examples.

Новые материалы палеолита и энеолита на южной границе лесостепного Подонья

Новые материалы палеолита и энеолита на южной границе лесостепного Подонья

Investigating a Prehistoric mammoth bone dwelling: from field and lab research to education.

The 2018 Mezhyrich International Archaeology Summer School, which took place from 15 to 30 July, was dedicated to young scientists in archaeology, especially Master students, PhD students and post-graduate early career researchers, from the following institutions of Ukraine and France: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. In the frame of an international field expedition, students were able to learn modern methods related to field work, analyses and interpretation of Upper Palaeolithic materials: methods of archaeological materials analysis, sampling, lithic industry analysis, preservation and storage of faunal materials and interdisciplinary analyses including geology, zooarchaeology and palynology.