Paleolithic Sites Research Articles

Isochron 26Al/10Be burial dating of the Xiashagou Fauna in the Nihewan Basin, northern China: Implications for biogeography and early hominin dispersals

The Nihewan Basin in northern China is one of the most dense occurrences of Early Pleistocene vertebrate paleontological and Paleolithic sites outside of Africa and thus plays a key role in the study of biochronostratigraphy and early human evolution in East Asia. The Xiashagou Fauna, as the first systematically studied fauna in the basin, is usually referred to as the Nihewan Fauna (sensu stricto) and is considered the Early Pleistocene type fauna in northern China, serving as a key reference for biostratigraphical correlations. The Xiashagou Fauna was initially correlated with the Olivola Fauna of early Late Villafranchian age in Europe, dated to ∼1.8 Ma. It has been more recently constrained to the Matuyama chron between the Réunion and Olduvai subchrons, with an estimated age range of 2.2–1.7 Ma. However, there is still an absence of absolute dates associated with this important Fauna. Here, the isochron 26Al/10Be burial dating method was used to radio-isotopically verify the biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic age of the Xiashagou Fauna. Two sets of quartzose clasts were collected from the cross-sections near Xiashagou. The isochron burial age of six samples from one of the fossil-bearing layers is 2.05 ± 0.38 (0.39) Ma (bracketed uncertainty includes external systematic errors, ±1σ), in agreement with previous paleomagnetic estimates of 2.2–1.7 Ma. The isochron age of another five samples from a gravel layer about 80 m below the sampled fossil layer and 55 m beneath the deepest buried fossil layer is 2.43 ± 0.16 (0.18) Ma (±1σ), in agreement with previous paleomagnetic estimates of 2.58 Ma. Our results show that the age of the Xiashagou Fauna is consistent with the updated ages (2.21–1.95 Ma) of the Senèze and Olivola Faunas in Europe. The potential existence of an ecological corridor for faunal dispersals across northern Eurasia during this time period should be important to help contextualize the nature of the earliest hominin dispersals into and across Eurasia. As the first radio-isotopic ages for the Nihewan Basin sites, our results provide independent age control to anchor the magnetostratigraphy of the Early-Middle Pleistocene strata in the Nihewan Basin and to calibrate the Early Pleistocene stage of the Chinese Quaternary.

The Palaeoenvironment Of the Central Russian Plain During the End Of the Valdai Glaciation Based on Small Mammal Data From the Late Palaeolithic Site Byki 7 (Seim R. Basin)

The analysis of the Late Pleistocene small mammals’ faunas from the three cultural layers of the Late Palaeolithic site Byki 7 (the Seim River basin) consist of a combination of steppe and tundra species. Steppe species definitely prevail and include Ochotona pusilla, Marmota bobac, Spermophilus sp., Spalax microphthalmus, Ellobius talpinus, Lagurus lagurus and Lasiopodomys (Stenocranius) gregalis. Tundra species (collared lemming and Siberian lemming) are only represented by a small amount of remains. The lack of forest dwellers in the Byki 7 small mammal assemblage indicates of the absence of a continuous forest zone on the Central Russian Plain during the end of the Valdai glaciation. The Eurasian geographical distribution of the Rodentia and Lagomorpha species represented in the Byki–7 assemblages, have been reconstructed for the period of deposition of the site. Radiocarbon dates indicate that the multilayer Late Palaeolithic Byki 7 site correlates with the second part of the Valdai Glaciation Maximum cooling (LGM) (22–17 ka BP). Based on the small mammal data the former palaeoenvironmental conditions of the non-analogue periglacial tundra-steppe are reconstructed.

Evaluating landscape knowledge and lithic resource selection at the French Middle Paleolithic site of the Bau de l'Aubesier

We report on the application of a novel approach to exploring the degree of landscape knowledge, wayfinding abilities, and the nature of decision-making processes reflected in the utilization of stone resources in the French Middle Paleolithic. Specifically, we use data from the site of the Bau de l’Aubesier to explore the reasons why a majority of the 350 raw material sources cataloged in the surrounding region appear not to have been utilized, including several located near the site and yielding high-quality lithic materials. To this end, we focus on the spatial relationships between sources as an explanatory variable, operationalized in terms of minimum travel times. Using geographic information system software and a generalized linear model of resource selection derived from the Bau assemblages, we compute source utilization probabilities from the perspective of hominins located off-site. We do so under three optimization scenarios, factoring in the intrinsic characteristics (e.g., quality) and time required to reach each source on the way to the Bau. More generally, we find that in slightly more than 50% of cases, seemingly viable sources may have been ignored simply because the minimum cost path leading back to the Bau passes through or requires only minimal deviations to reach, higher quality options. More generally, we found that throughout the entire region, a cost/benefit analysis of competing sources favors those from source areas known to have been utilized. Virtually all the available information on lithic procurement at the Bau is consistent with a model of landscape utilization premised on detailed knowledge of a very large area, an ability to accurately estimate travel times between locations, and a pragmatic strategy of stone resource exploitation based on minimizing costs (travel and search times) and maximizing utility.

Paleolithic Site Tri Skaly in Western Transbaikalia as a Hunter-Gatherers’ Base Camp

Purpose. In 2015 a new archaeological site Tri Skaly were found in the lower part of the Khilock River basin (Western Transbaikalia). This site is of a large interest in the sense of investigations concerned early stages of the Upper Palaeolithic in Transbaikal, because it is westernmost among similar sites and located in the area where such sites were not known earlier. The purpose of this investigation is defining the functional purpose of the ancient settlement. Discrete approach to the data analysis lead to the controversial conclusions. The article presents the results of the complex approach to the investigations of palaeolithic cultural horizons at Tri Skaly archaeological site.Results. In the Tri Skaly collection the most representative and various part of the archaeological finds consists of the stone artifacts typical for the early Upper Paleolithic period. On the basis of the stone industry consideration the affinity with the Tolbaga culture’s Paleolithic sites is proposed; it is reflected in the production of tools on the large blades. The well-investigated sites of this culture show the representative toolkit and the multi-way economic activity at the ancient settlement. The obvious predominance of primary knapping products over retouched items suggests the use of the area as a workshop, or camp workshop if we take into consideration the presence of some structural elements of the cultural horizon. Paleontological materials demonstrate the overwhelming majority of the Equus Ferus bones, the distal ends of the legs. This fact leads to the conclusion that this area was used as the kill and butchering site. At the same time, we have evidence that allows us to interpret bones as possible kitchen debris, not only wastes from butchering. In addition, a toolkit includes various types of tools related to different activities.Conclusion. The detailed analysis and synthesis of all available components from the Paleolithic site Tri Skaly (stone industry, palaeontological finds) evidence about multi-way economic activity here in Upper Palaeolithic. Based on this we conclude Tri Skaly site is a periodically used base hunting camp with a full cycle of stone processing and tool production and evidences of non-utilitarian activity.

Use-Wear Analysis of the Stone and Bone Industry of Kostenki-9 Site (Based on Material of 2006–2007 Field Research)

Purpose. The article discusses the results of a use-wear analysis of artifacts from the Kostenki 9 site (Biriutchii log). The site is located in the Middle Don River valley on the southwest of the Russian Plain. Kostenki 9 is related to the group of Paleolithic sites in the Kostenki-Borshchevo locality. Our investigation indicates that paleoeconomy of the local inhabitants was based on the strategies of high specialization.Results. The authors highlight the main types of stone implements and the main technological methods of production. The inhabitants of the site mainly used chalk flint. Knapping technique is prismatic, the main type of workpiece is a blade. For the secondary processing of blanks, site's inhabitants most often used steep and semi-steep dull retouching. Less commonly, flat unilateral or bilateral, marginal, deeply protruding onto the blade’s dorsal surface. On the basis of use-wear analysis, as well as some experiments, the authors came to the following conclusion: the stone industry of the site has Gravettian features. However, it does not have pronounced diagnostic forms.Conclusion. The primary type of activity revealed at the Kostenki 9 site is butchering of animal carcasses. Studied use-wear traces on the stone inventory support this conclusion. The second activity represents wood processing. The ancient inhabitants of the Kostenki 9 made the wooden shafts for the darts and spears. Analysis of bone implements revealed several exciting traits. Inhabitants possessed all the basic techniques of bone processing: making grooves and cutting along the circumference. The collection does not include any tools that can be interpreted as hunting bone weapons. This thesis confirms the assumption that the inhabitants of the Kostenki 9 site used wood for tool-making, while the bones and ivory were kept for production of non-utilitarian objects. The cultural identity of the assemblage raises questions. The closest are lithic collections from the Gravettian sites Borshchevo 5 and Kostenki 8.

A synthetic model of Palaeolithic seafaring in the Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan

ABSTRACTThe rise of water transport technology enabled early modern humans to expand their habitable territory to insular environments. However, apart from intensive discussion for Wallacea, developmental process and regional variation of Palaeolithic seafaring remain unclear. To contribute this issue, the author presents a synthetic model for Palaeolithic seafaring in another region of the western Pacific, the Ryukyu Islands (Ryukyus). Here, some islands were more than 100 km away and invisible beyond the horizon, and one of the world’s strongest ocean currents intervened the seaways. Despite these challenging situations, Palaeolithic sites appeared throughout much of the 1,200 km chain of the islands ~35,000–30,000 years ago. By integrating currently available information from archaeology, skeletal morphology, genetics, palaeogeography, oceanography and our own experimental voyage project, the author discusses probable migration routes, possible watercrafts, preparation and strategy needed for successful maritime migrations, and other issues relevant to deeper understanding of the origins and development of human maritime activities.

First geoarchaeological study of a Palaeolithic site on the northern edge of the Iranian Central Desert: Mirak (Semnan, Iran)

Mirak is a Palaeolithic site in Iran comprising several localities (“mounds”) scattered over a dry floodplain environment extending from the southern foothills of the Alborz Mountains to the northern edge of the Central Desert in the Semnan area. The area has been studied since 2015 by an Iranian-French archaeological mission. The archaeological excavations carried out at the Mirak N°8 mound uncovered a 7 m-thick pedo-sedimentary sequence, in which two sequences corresponding to contrasting depositional environments have been observed. Sequence I, comprising alternating horizons of poorly pedogenised clayey silt intercalated with sand layers, is interpreted as an alluvial pedo-sedimentary body deposited in a wetland (floodplain) environment during cold periods, periodically interrupted by shallow sheet flooding deposits. According to the stratigraphy, OSL dates and sedimentological analyses, there is a long sedimentary hiatus before the occurrence of sequence II which corresponds to calcareous aeolian deposits typical of a desert environment. The Mirak N°8 deposits were affected by several stages of incipient aridisol formation with desiccation cracks implying a gradually increasing prevalence of more arid conditions. According to the OSL data, the Mirak N°8 sequence was deposited from the Late Pleistocene to the Late Holocene (52ka to 0.4ka). In this sequence, upper Palaeolithic remains were recovered at distinct levels and it can be presumed that the most recent archaeological layer is made up of palimpsests resulting from repeated human occupations.Results from various mineralogical and sedimentological analyses (XRD, FTIR, SEM, optical microscopy) show very minor differences in mineralogy throughout the record regardless of the type of depositional regime, suggesting a local, and most probably polygenic, sedimentary source. Both alluvial and aeolian accumulations were subjected after deposition to a variety of post-sedimentary pedogenesis processes indicated by pedogenic features characteristic of calcareous, gypsiferous aridisols (Bk, By), including ferruginous root coatings, evaporates and little-developed pedo-structures and horizons. Apparent differences in colour between the two sequences at Mirak N°8 can be attributed to deposition in environments with varying iron contents and oxygenizing conditions, presumably related to higher groundwater levels and Fe-reducing conditions, especially for the units deposited during the late Pleistocene as opposed to the generally warm and dry conditions of the Holocene.

Neanderthals\u2019 hunting seasonality inferred from combined cementochronology, mesowear, and microwear analysis: case studies from the Alpine foreland in Italy

Herbivore teeth are a valuable source of information for inferring the hunting season of past hunter-gatherers, the spatial–temporal organization of their activities, their socio-economic organization, and their adaptation to the seasonal fluctuation of the resources. Numberless of studies have been conducted on Neanderthals across Eurasia, but only few of them rely on the application of cementochronology and tooth wear analyses combined to obtain information about the ungulate paleodiet, paleoenvironments, and the time range of the mortality events. In this study, we present the results achieved though the combination of these two high-resolution techniques applied to large and medium-sized herbivore teeth yielded by two Middle Paleolithic sites in the north-east of Italy. We combined the two methodologies with the aim to overcome any possible lack of information, due to the use of a single method. This study addressed to analyze the material coming from two caves in the Venetian region, De Nadale and San Bernardino, and to produce data supporting the interpretation of the origin of the two archaeofaunal assemblages as a result of seasonal hunting events that took place mainly in winter. In this specific geographic and environmental context, our data gain a better understanding of Neanderthal subsistence strategies and occupational patterns.

Вероятное свидетельство магической практики из слоя I верхнепалеолитической стоянки Мира

The Mira site is a stratified Upper Palaeolithic site in the Dnieper valley. The stratigraphic sequence includes three layers with archaeological finds from the period between 31,000 and 28,000 cal BP. The upper layer (layer I) yielded the remains of a seasonal autumn-winter settlement of horse hunters. The composition of flake tools suggests analogies with the Gorodtsovskaya culture of the Middle Don. The presence of bifacial tools and Aurignacian forms points to the Szeletian and, possibly, Micoquian analogies. Remains of a surface frame structure, production areas and hearths were revealed in the layer. The structure of the inhabited space is not complicated by a reorganization of the inhabited area, which allows identifying the specificity of particular features of the layer with greater reliability. The article gives a detailed description of an unusual feature from the upper layer of the Mira settlement. The feature is a pit located within the contour of the dwelling. There are grounds to think that the pit was dug at the beginning of the occupation, and shortly after that backfilled. Charcoal, bone and tooth fragments and a piece of a stone artifact made of an exotic raw material were found at the bottom of the pit. The composition of the finds and the circumstances of their placement suggest that we are dealing here with possible traces of some magical practice, namely the so-called “building offering”.

Особенности формирования поселенческой структуры верхнепалеолитической стоянки Юдиново по материалам археологических и геохимических исследований 2015—2018 гг.

This article presents the results of recent archaeological and geochemical studies at the Late Palaeolithic site of Yudinivo. The reported research was focused on the area with dwelling No. 5, a large pit with mammoth bones on its bottom and an ash damp. The micro-stratigraphy of the cultural layer makes it possible to identify a number of stages in the life history of large household constructions. It has been established that an ash damp was formed first, while dwelling of mammoth bones was erected somewhat later and simultaneously a large pit was dug with large mammoth bones laid on its bottom. The pit and the dwelling appear to have been constructed at the same time and used synchronously with the ash damp. The geochemical analysis of the deposits above the ash damp and the pit, as well as in the filling of the latter, show that the cultural layer formed during an extremely long period of time with long intervals. One can distinguish at least four episodes corresponding to different climatic conditions. Two of these episodes are characterized by a high anthropogenic load, indicating that the site occupation was particularly active 17100—15000 cal. BP and 14000—13200 cal. BP.

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.

Манупорты как свидетельства неутилитарного поведения человека в верхнем палеолите Забайкалья

The Upper Palaeolithic sites of Eastern and Westernin Transbaikalia yielded a number of non-utilitarian objects which were collected and brought to the sites because of their unusual appearance (raw material, shape, color). These manuports show either no visible signs of human agency, or such signs are limited to stressing some natural traits. The paper provides an overview of most of such objects, the collecting of which seems to have been a widespread practice that took place during the whole period of the Upper Paleolithic. on the Transbaikal territory and have been taking the place during all the Upper Palaeolithic. The objects in question could be used in rituals and/or games, or also could serve to enhance the status of their possessors.

Виды постдепозиционных деформаций палеолитического культурного слоя (на примере костенковской группы памятников)

The problem of the natural processes impact on cultural remains of Palaeolithic sites has been under consideration of scientists for many years. A whole number of special articles devoted to various degrees of cultural layers preservation at Kostenki has been published up to date. At the same time, the study of various cultural layer deformations of Kostenki sites has always been in the background of the priority tasks for the study of dwellings, structure of settlements, stone and bone assemblages, etc. The importance of assessing the degree of cultural layers preservation and the homogeneity of assemlages was often neglected, which directly influenced the conclusions about the appearance industries and their periodization and chronological status. The article attempts to generalize and classify all known natural deformations occurring in the Palaeolithic settlements at Kostenki. The accumulation of such facts and the study of the processes that caused them will contribute to the understanding of the taphonomy of sites and minimize mistakes in the interpretation of archaeological material.

Основные этапы и особенности заселения человеком северо-востока Восточноевропейской равнины и Урала в начале верхнего палеолита

The article discusses the materials of the Early Upper Paleolithic sites of Zaozer’e, Garchi I and Byzovaya situated in the northeast of the East European plain and on the Urals (58—67°N; 50—60°E), in the Pechora and Upper Kama river basins. In this region, two episodes of initial human occupation are recognizable. The first (Zaozer’e site, 35—33 kyr BP) may represent the earliest penetration of anatomically modern humans into the north of Europe, while the second one (Garchi I and Byzovaya sites, ca. 29 kyr BP) can be associated with the migration of some Streletskian populations to the northeast of the European continent. The available ecidence seems to indicate the cultural and chronological unity in the development of Paleolithic culture in the center and the northeast of the East European plain and on the Urals in the first half of the Upper Palaeolithic.

Evaluation of geochemical proxies and radiocarbon data from a loess record of the Upper Palaeolithic site Kammern-Grubgraben, Lower Austria

Abstract. Two loess sections from the Upper Palaeolithic site of Kammern-Grubgraben (Lower Austria) were analysed to test geochemical proxies, as well as radiocarbon data of different components, for their reliability and consistency in an archaeological context. Only a reliable basal age (28.9–27.8 ka cal BP) was obtained from charcoal fragments derived from a tundra gley underlying the archaeological horizons and assigned to Greenland Interstadials 3 or 4. Grain size, organic and inorganic geochemistry, and stable isotopes of the fine organic fraction (δ13Corg) and of rhizoconcretions (δ13C, δ18O) were analysed to provide information on palaeoenvironmental conditions. Low-resolution geochemical and sedimentological analyses document a humidity-related variability, while δ13Corg values indicate predominant C3 vegetation. High-resolution elemental variations derived from X-ray fluorescence scanning exhibit increasing Ca and decreasing Fe and Ti values, indicating drier conditions towards the top. Secondary pedogenic carbonate concretions provide post-sedimentary (Holocene) ages and are not suitable for assessing climate and environmental changes for the Palaeolithic.

Environment of the Early Pleistocene Banshan Paleolithic Site in the Nihewan Basin, North China

The Banshan archaeological site is one of the most important Early Pleistocene Paleolithic sites in the Nihewan Basin in North China. Based on analyses of pollen, grain size and charcoal of 56 samples from a sedimentary profile, we reconstructed the environment of the Banshan site before and after the interval of hominin activity (1.340–1.290 Ma). The results show that before the appearance of hominin activity (1.340–1.324 Ma), the climate of the region was initially cold and wet and then cold and dry. The regional vegetation was mainly Pinus and Picea forest in the earlier stage, and steppe dominated by arid-tolerant plants such as Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae in the later stage. During the period of hominin activity (1.324–1.318 Ma), the climate was warm and wet, the vegetation was mainly Pinus forest, and the site was a lakeside environment which would have provided resources such as food and water for hominins. During 1.318–1.310 Ma, the climate was warm and wet, the lake continued to expand and the lake level rose, which may have forced the hominins to migrate outside the area. During 1.310–1.290 Ma, the climate changed from warm and humid to cold and arid, accompanied by the change of the regional vegetation from forest to forest-grassland. Hominin activity at the Banshan site occurred during the interval of climate change from cold and dry to warm and wet, and it ended with the rise of the ancient lake level at Nihewan and the deterioration of the climate.

Issues of phytolith taphonomy at Palaeolithic sites: Investigation and results from Attirampakkam, India

Investigating the taphonomy of phytoliths at open-air archaeological sites is essential for reconstructing past land cover and assessing the plant resources available to hominins, particularly when other indicators (e.g., pollen) are scarce. Here we analyse phytolith abundance and diversity encountered in distinct ‘reservoirs’ at and around the Palaeolithic site of Attirampakkam, South India: (1) in the present-day vegetation (database of 134 species), generating on that basis a fine classification of species-specific phytolith morphotypes; (2) in the topsoil (surface); and (3) at greater soil depths above the archaeological layers (subsurface). We then compare the data to results previously obtained from the deeper underlying archaeological layers. Comparison of the assemblages retrieved from the different reservoirs shows that morphotypes most likely to get carried over from the living plants to the oldest fossil specimens were subsets of herbaceous taxa (Poaceae and Cyperaceae) and a few woody monocotyledons (Arecaceae). The high fidelity of these taxa ranks them among the most reliable for conducting palaeoenvironmental studies at this site, and perhaps more widely in southern India. Provided those taxonomically traceable, non-redundant and non-multiple morphotypes are prioritised over herbaceous dicotyledons and most woody taxa, inferences about environmental conditions and changes at the time of hominin occupation during the Pleistocene can be made with a fair margin of confidence.

Evidence of Middle Pleistocene hominin migration in the Qinling Mountains (central China) from the Miaokou Paleolithic site

Evidence of Middle Pleistocene hominin migration in the Qinling Mountains (central China) from the Miaokou Paleolithic site

The Microvertebrates of Shanidar Cave: Preliminary Taphonomic Findings

Shanidar Cave, Iraqi Kurdistan, is one of the most important Palaeolithic sites in Southwest Asia. This is due to the long sequence of hominin occupation of the cave and the discovery of multiple Neanderthal individuals from the original Solecki excavations (1951–1960) and recent excavations (2014 to present). Preliminary taphonomic analyses of the microvertebrate assemblage were undertaken to understand the factors affecting assemblage formation and accumulation, and this paper presents the first results of these analyses. All contexts display a high proportion of fragmentation, with a slight decrease in breakage towards the base of the sequence. Black staining and root etching were observed in a similar pattern, present in most contexts but with an increase in the lower levels. A significant proportion of the microvertebrate remains examined displayed light traces of digestion, indicating some contribution to the assemblage by predators. The results are consistent with wider palaeoecological records that indicate relatively warm, wet conditions at the base of the sequence and cooler, drier conditions at the top.

Multilayered Lower Paleolithic site of Bairaki (Lower Dniester basin): Paleosols, palaeotopography, deposits, and lithic assemblages

The study of the stratified Lower Paleolithic site of Bairaki demonstrated that human ancestors appeared in the south of the East European Plain over a million years ago and were present at this site for over 500 thousand years. The Bairaki site is located in the extensive terrace system of the Dniester and is confined to the 7th Kitskany terrace. Six horizons of Lower Paleolithic finds were discovered in the section. The most ancient ones related to the Oldowan technology are found in different facies of the alluvial complex. Three paleosols of the Lower and Middle Pleistocene were distinguished within the loess-paleosol mantle overlying the alluvium of the 7th Dniester terrace, which is associated with the Early Paleolithic finds. Buried small erosional forms of different age allowed us to clarify the number and stratigraphic position of both artifact-bearing levels and paleosols. The regional trend of soil formation during this long period indicates the increasing climatic aridization and cooling as evidenced by changes from subtropical to warm temperate paleosols. Bairaki is the only multilayered site of such an early age known in Eastern Europe.