Paleolithic Modern Humans Research Articles

Optically stimulated luminescence dating of Paleolithic sites reveals population shifts in North China during the last glacial period

The Greater Khingan and Yanshan mountain ranges in northern China not only constitute a significant physical obstacle to the northward movement of monsoon circulation, but also represent a natural barrier for human migration and cultural interactions between in-migrating Paleolithic populations and those indigenous to East Asia during the Late Pleistocene. We dated two Paleolithic sites, Yangzhuangxishan and Taiziling, located in the southern piedmont of the Yanshan Mountains with artifacts typified by simple core and flake technology associated with foraging populations, to ∼39–29 ka and ∼ 52–47 ka respectively, using the optically stimulated luminescence dating method. Our results indicate that northern China as far south as the Yanshan Mountains was occupied mainly by autochthonous East Asian Paleolithic populations using a core and flake lithic technology, although during this period Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) modern humans and Mousterian populations dispersed into East Asia. By synthesizing and integrating the ages of Northeast Asian Paleolithic sequences during the last glacial period (ca. 70–10 ka), we analyzed spatio-temporal variations in Late Pleistocene human populations during relatively cold stadial events (MIS 4 & 2) and warmer interstadials (e.g., MIS 3), revealing an “ebb and flow” pattern for migrations of Western IUP/Mousterian populations and indigenous core and flake technology populations in East Asia corresponding to the advance and retreat of the East Asian monsoon regime. The subsequent extremely cold climate phase engendered a major population shift during the Last Glacial Maximum (ca. 26.5–19 ka) which drove the reduction of both these Paleolithic populations, but afterward facilitated the emergence and rapid dispersal of microlithic technologies in East Asia. The peoples associated with microlithic technologies achieved their maximum geographical extent after the Bølling-Allerød Late Glacial interstadial event (ca. 14.7–12.9 ka) and then gradually decreased, perhaps due to the development of agriculture after ∼13 ka with concomitant increasing settlement stability.

Neanderthal teeth from Lezetxiki (Arrasate, Iberian Peninsula): New insights and reassessment

AbstractObjectivesWe reassess the taxonomic assignment and stratigraphic context of a permanent upper first molar and a permanent lower third premolar recovered from the archeological site of Lezetxiki in the North of the Iberian Peninsula.Materials and MethodsWe assessed the external and internal morphology of the teeth using qualitative descriptions, crown diameters, dental tissue proportions, and geometric morphometrics. The teeth from Lezetxiki were compared with Middle Pleistocene specimens, Neanderthals, Upper Paleolithic modern humans, and recent modern humans.ResultsBoth teeth were consistent with a Neanderthal classification. The upper first molar shows taurodontism, and its cusp proportions and overall morphology match those of Neanderthals. Geometric morphometric analyses of occlusal anatomy classify this molar as a Neanderthal with a posterior probability of 76%. The lower third premolar, which was originally classified as a lower fourth premolar, also shows a Neanderthal morphology. This premolar is classified as a Neanderthal with a posterior probability of 60%.DiscussionThese teeth represent the only adult Neanderthal teeth from the Western Pyrenees region found to date. The teeth were found at a stratigraphic level (designated Level III) that marks the transition level from Mousterian to Aurignacian, and are among the most recent Neanderthal remains from the north of the Iberian Peninsula.

Reassessment of the human mandible from Banyoles (Girona, Spain)

Since the discovery of a human mandible in 1887 near the present-day city of Banyoles, northeastern Spain, researchers have generally emphasized its archaic features, including the lack of chin structures, and suggested affinities with the Neandertals or European Middle Pleistocene (Chibanian) specimens. Uranium-series and electron spin resonance dating suggest the mandible dates to the Late Pleistocene (Tarantian), approximately ca. 45–66 ka. In this study, we reassessed the taxonomic affinities of the Banyoles mandible by comparing it to samples of Middle Pleistocene fossils from Africa and Europe, Neandertals, Early and Upper Paleolithic modern humans, and recent modern humans. We evaluated the frequencies and expressions of morphological features and performed a three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis on a virtual reconstruction of Banyoles to capture overall mandibular shape. Our results revealed no derived Neandertal morphological features in Banyoles. While a principal component analysis based on Euclidean distances from the first two principal components clearly grouped Banyoles with both fossil and recent Homo sapiens individuals, an analysis of the Procrustes residuals demonstrated that Banyoles did not fit into any of the comparative groups. The lack of Neandertal features in Banyoles is surprising considering its Late Pleistocene age. A consideration of the Middle Pleistocene fossil record in Europe and southwest Asia suggests that Banyoles is unlikely to represent a late-surviving Middle Pleistocene population. The lack of chin structures also complicates an assignment to H. sapiens, although early fossil H. sapiens do show somewhat variable development of the chin structures. Thus, Banyoles represents a non-Neandertal Late Pleistocene European individual and highlights the continuing signal of diversity in the hominin fossil record. The present situation makes Banyoles a prime candidate for ancient DNA or proteomic analyses, which may shed additional light on its taxonomic affinities.

A structural reassessment of the Late Pleistocene femur from Maludong, southwestern China

AbstractObjectiveThe Late Pleistocene partial right femur from Maludong in southwestern China has been attributed characteristics of early Homo, especially from the Early Pleistocene, putatively representing a late surviving archaic population in the region. Assessment of additional traits is warranted given newly described postcrania from the Late Pleistocene of southwestern China and characterized by relatively modern features.Materials and methodsWe used micro computed tomography (μCT) to extract and evaluate cross‐sectional diaphyseal structure. New predictions of Maludong femoral length were generated from a regression analysis of Holocene modern humans. Robusticity and shape at multiple, standard diaphyseal regions of interest (ROI) were compared to those of Pleistocene and Holocene humans from East Asia and beyond.ResultsStandardized torsional rigidities at mid‐proximal and subtrochanteric Maludong ROIs fell within ranges of variation exhibited by multiple comparative groups, and closest to medians of Early and Middle Upper Paleolithic modern humans (E/MUP). For Ix/Iy diaphyseal ratios, Maludong was higher than comparative groups at both ROIs, falling closest to the upper end of the E/MUP range. For Imax/Imin shape ratios, Maludong fell well above group medians at the mid‐proximal ROI and nearest E/MUP and Middle Pleistocene group medians at the subtrochanteric ROI.Discussion and conclusionsIn diaphyseal robusticity and rigidity ratios, Maludong fits within variation exhibited by other Late Pleistocene modern humans. While we did not re‐analyze external features described as archaic‐like, internal structure of the Maludong femur contradicts this characterization and instead supports expanding intrapopulation variability expressed by Late Pleistocene modern humans in East Asia.

The evolution and changing ecology of the African hominid oral microbiome

The oral microbiome plays key roles in human biology, health, and disease, but little is known about the global diversity, variation, or evolution of this microbial community. To better understand the evolution and changing ecology of the human oral microbiome, we analyzed 124 dental biofilm metagenomes from humans, including Neanderthals and Late Pleistocene to present-day modern humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas, as well as New World howler monkeys for comparison. We find that a core microbiome of primarily biofilm structural taxa has been maintained throughout African hominid evolution, and these microbial groups are also shared with howler monkeys, suggesting that they have been important oral members since before the catarrhine-platyrrhine split ca. 40 Mya. However, community structure and individual microbial phylogenies do not closely reflect host relationships, and the dental biofilms of Homo and chimpanzees are distinguished by major taxonomic and functional differences. Reconstructing oral metagenomes from up to 100 thousand years ago, we show that the microbial profiles of both Neanderthals and modern humans are highly similar, sharing functional adaptations in nutrient metabolism. These include an apparent Homo-specific acquisition of salivary amylase-binding capability by oral streptococci, suggesting microbial coadaptation with host diet. We additionally find evidence of shared genetic diversity in the oral bacteria of Neanderthal and Upper Paleolithic modern humans that is not observed in later modern human populations. Differences in the oral microbiomes of African hominids provide insights into human evolution, the ancestral state of the human microbiome, and a temporal framework for understanding microbial health and disease.

Radiocarbon chronology of the paleolithic modern humans in Eastern Europe, Siberia and East Asia

The article presents an analytical review of the direct radiocarbon dating of fossils of the modern anatomical humans (Homo sapiens sapiens; H. s. s.) found on the Paleolithic sites of Eastern Europe, Siberia and East Asia, with a brief overview of other regions in Eurasia. While one of the most ancient finds in Eurasia, which has a direct radiocarbon date is the Ust’-Ishim in Western Siberia (age — about 45,000 years); in Eastern Europe, the earliest H. s. s. are Kostenki 14 and Kostenki 1 (age — about 37,400–35,500 years). For a number of finds (such as Kostenki 18 and humans fossils from the Sungir site), there are serious problems that need to be solved with the help of new data. This is particularly clear for the Sungir where 21 radiocarbon dates based on different collagen fractions (bulk collagen; ultrafiltered collagen, and hydroxyproline), have been obtained and dates of the samples taken from the same skeleton often do not match with each other. Methodological issues of radiocarbon dating the bones, and the possibility of an independent assessment of the results obtained, are also considered. When preservation of collagen is good, which can be controlled through a number of parameters, dating of bulk collagen fraction seems to be reliable. Claims that only specific amino acids (such as hydroxyproline) give the only accurate radiocarbon dates for bones have not been strictly proven.

The upper limb skeleton and behavioral lateralization of modern humans from Zhaoguo Cave, southwestern China.

Aims of the study are to initially describe and comparatively evaluate the morphology of the new Zhaoguo M1 upper limb remains, and contextualize upper limb functional adaptations among those of other worldwide Upper Paleolithic (UP) humans to make inferences about subsistence-related activity patterns in southwestern China at the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary. The preserved Zhaoguo M1 skeletal remains include paired humeri, ulnae, and radii, among others. These specimens were scanned using micro-computed tomography to evaluate internal structural properties, while external osteometric dimensions of the Zhaoguo M1 upper limb elements also were acquired. Both sets of measurements were compared to published data on Neandertals, and Middle and Upper Paleolithic modern humans. The upper limb elements of Zhaoguo M1 display a suite of characteristics that generally resemble those of other contemporary Late UP (LUP) modern humans, while robusticity indices generally fall within the upper range of LUP variation. The Zhaoguo M1 upper limb elements display fewer traits resembling those of late archaic humans. The Zhaoguo M1 individual exhibits diaphyseal asymmetry in several upper limb elements suggesting left hand dominance. When evaluating the full range of magnitudes of humeral bilateral asymmetry in the comparative sample, Zhaoguo M1 falls at the lower end overall, but yet is relatively higher than contemporary LUP modern humans specifically from East Eurasia. The Zhaoguo M1 individual suggests typical LUP modern human upper limb morphology persisted in southwest China until the end of the last glacial period. Upper limb bone asymmetry of Zhaoguo M1 also indicates that behavioral activities attributed to a hunter-gatherer tradition apparently extended through the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in this region.

Middle Pleistocene human femoral diaphyses from Hualongdong, Anhui Province, China.

The paleontological description and comparative analysis using discrete morphology, morphometrics (linear and geometric) and cross-sectional geometry of three femoral diaphyseal sections from the Middle Pleistocene site of Hualongdong, China. The material consists of the original Hualongdong femoral fossils and available data on femoral diaphyses from Middle and Late Pleistocene archaic humans and Middle and earlier Upper Paleolithic modern humans. The methods include visual observation, diaphyseal diameters, cross-sectional parameters (transverse areas and second moments of area derived from micro-CT scans), and geometric morphometrics using semilandmark data. The Hualong 11 midshaft section is similar to other Middle and Late Pleistocene archaic humans in being transversely broad and lacking a pilaster despite a prominent linea aspera. It clusters principally with archaic human femora in all measured parameters. The Hualong 15 and 16 subtrochanteric pieces are similar to many Middle Pleistocene and early modern human femora in being transversely broad. In particular, Hualong 15 exhibits a prominent lateral (gluteal) buttress, similar to many Upper Paleolithic femora but also the Lazaret and Krapina archaic ones. In addition, Hualong 15 has a small third trochanter, a common Upper Paleolithic but rare earlier feature. The Hualong 11 femoral piece reinforces the general Middle Pleistocene pattern, especially for eastern Eurasia from which archaic human femora are rare. The subtrochanteric proportions of Hualong 15 and 16 reinforce the Early Pleistocene and (generally) Middle Pleistocene pattern of bone distributions, but their subperiosteal contours align them (along with those of the Lazaret and Krapina femora) with Upper Paleolithic ones. It is difficult to account for these proportions from the generally broad pelves of Pleistocene archaic humans.

A new pollen sequence from southern Iberia suggesting coastal Pleistocene phytodiversity hotspot

This paper presents a palynological study of the archeological layers from the Neanderthal site Abrigo 3 del Complejo del Humo, in southern Spain (Málaga), with the aim of reconstructing the environmental conditions in the vicinity of this hominin site. The Upper Pleistocene vegetation and its variability are described, revealing a high diversity of thermophilous plant taxa throughout the cold dry phases, together with a long-term persistence of woody taxa, including Mediterranean, mesophytes, xerothermics and conifers. With the pollen records of Maytenus senegalensis as an outstanding finding, this study demonstrates the co-existence of temperate, Mediterranean and Ibero-Maghrebian angiosperms on the southern coastal plains of the Iberian Pleistocene where Neanderthals survived for a long time. It is therefore clear that Neanderthals and early Upper Paleolithic modern humans lived in a litoral refugium, which was a propitious environment for maintaining a high biodiversity, including potentially edible plant species. Besides, this coastal refugium offers broad possibilities for hunting, and interpopulational relationships through coastal platforms.

A Neanderthal from the Central Western Zagros, Iran. Structural reassessment of the Wezmeh 1 maxillary premolar

Wezmeh Cave, in the Kermanshah region of Central Western Zagros, Iran, produced a Late Pleistocene faunal assemblage rich in carnivorans along with a human right maxillary premolar, Wezmeh 1, an unerupted tooth from an 8 ± 2 year-old individual. Uranium-series analyses of the fauna by alpha spectrometry provided age estimates between 70 and 11 ka. Crown dimensions place the tooth specimen at the upper limits of Late Pleistocene human ranges of variation. Wezmeh 1 metameric position (most likely a P3) remains uncertain and only its surficial morphology has been described so far. Accordingly, we used microfocus X-ray tomography (12.5 μm isotropic voxel size) to reassess the metameric position and taxonomic attribution of this specimen. We investigated its endostructural features and quantified crown tissue proportions. Topographic maps of enamel thickness (ET) distribution were also generated, and semilandmark-based geometric morphometric analyses of the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) were performed. We compared Wezmeh 1 with unworn/slightly-moderately worn P3 and P4 of European Neanderthals, Middle Paleolithic modern humans from Qafzeh, an Upper Paleolithic premolar, and Holocene humans. The results confirm that Wezmeh 1 represents a P3. Based on its internal conformation and especially EDJ shape, Wezmeh 1 aligns closely with Neanderthals and is distinct from the fossil and extant modern human pattern of our comparative samples. Wezmeh 1 is thus the first direct evidence of Neanderthal presence on the western margin of the Iranian Plateau.

Isolated teeth from La Ferrassie: Reassessment of the old collections, new remains, and their implications.

We provide the description and comparative analysis of six new teeth from the site of La Ferrassie. Our goal is to discuss their taxonomic attribution, and to provide an updated inventory of Neandertal and modern human remains from La Ferrassie in their associated archeological context. We use external and internal anatomy, classic morphometrics, and geometric morphometrics. The teeth from La Ferrassie are compared to several samples of contemporary Neandertals and upper Paleolithic modern humans and to recent modern humans. Three specimens are classified as Neandertals, two as modern humans, and one remains unclassified. Based on the previously known fossil samples and the new teeth reported here, there are currently a minimum of four adult and five immature Neandertal individuals coming from the "Grand Abri" and a minimum of two modern human adult individuals: one from "Grand Abri" and one from "Grotte." It is noteworthy that the spatial distribution of the recovered Neandertal remains is not restricted to the area where the LF1-LF 8 were found but now covers the full extension of the excavated area. Moreover, while both Neandertal and modern human occupations have yielded isolated human remains, the partial-to-complete skeletons only belong to Neandertals. These considerations open new perspectives for the understanding of the occupation and use of the La Ferrassie site.

Similar cranial trauma prevalence among Neanderthals and Upper Palaeolithic modern humans

Neanderthals are commonly depicted as leading dangerous lives and permanently struggling for survival. This view largely relies on the high incidences of trauma that have been reported1,2 and have variously been attributed to violent social behaviour3,4, highly mobile hunter-gatherer lifestyles2 or attacks by carnivores5. The described Neanderthal pattern of predominantly cranial injuries is further thought to reflect violent encounters with large prey mammals, resulting from the use of close-range hunting weapons1. These interpretations directly shape our understanding of Neanderthal lifestyles, health and hunting abilities, yet mainly rest on descriptive, case-based evidence. Quantitative, population-level studies of traumatic injuries are rare. Here we reassess the hypothesis of higher cranial trauma prevalence among Neanderthals using a population-level approach-accounting for preservation bias and other contextual data-and an exhaustive fossil database. We show that Neanderthals and early Upper Palaeolithic anatomically modern humans exhibit similar overall incidences of cranial trauma, which are higher for males in both taxa, consistent with patterns shown by laterpopulations of modern humans. Beyond these similarities, we observed species-specific, age-related variation in trauma prevalence, suggesting that there were differences in the timing of injuries during life or that there was a differential mortality risk of trauma survivors in the two groups. Finally, our results highlight the importance of preservation bias in studies of trauma prevalence.

The First Anatomically Modern Humans from South-Eastern Europe. Contributions from the Buran-Kaya III Site (Crimea)

The arrival of modern humans into Europe, their dispersal and their potential interactions with Neanderthals are still in debate. Whereas the first appearance of anatomically modern humans in Western Europe seems to be well understood, the situation is quite different for Eastern Europe, where data are more scarce. The Buran-Kaya III site in Crimea is of key importance to understand the colonization of Europe by anatomically modern humans and their potential contemporaneity with the last Neanderthal occupations. The new radiocarbon dated sequence shows that no Neanderthal settlement existed after 39 ka cal BP and casts doubt on the survival, as previously proposed, of Neanderthal refuge zones in Crimea 28 ka BP ago (34-32 ka cal BP). The human remains from Buran-Kaya III, directly dated to 32450 +250/-230 BP (layer 6-2) and 31900+/-220 BP (layer 6-1) (37.1-35.7 ka cal BP and 36.3-35.2 cal BP respectively), represent some of the oldest evidence of anatomically modern humans in Europe in a unique welldocumented archaeological context (Gravettian). Furthermore, the specimens from layer 6-1 represent the oldest Upper Palaeolithic modern humans from Eastern Europe with evidence of post-mortem treatment of the dead.

Evidence of Increasing Intensity of Food Processing During the Upper Paleolithic of Western Eurasia

Archaeologists have suggested that subsistence is central to understanding the population trajectory of Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals and Upper Paleolithic modern humans in western Eurasia. Zooarchaeology and stable isotope data have revealed that hunting supplied most of the protein requirements for Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals and early Upper Paleolithic modern humans. However, the application of dental wear, archaeobotany, and other techniques have shown that plants were an important part of the diet in both Middle and Upper Paleolithic societies in warm and cool regions of western Eurasia. Some lines of evidence have indicated that both groups potentially used a relatively similar range of plants even though this contradicts expectations from optimal foraging theory and diet breadth models positing that Middle Paleolithic societies used fewer plant foods. In this contribution, we identify evidence for increases in the use of Upper Paleolithic processing of plant foods in western Eurasia. We propose that increases in human population density throughout the Upper Paleolithic and especially during the late glacial period were supported by the more frequent use of plant food processing technologies, rather than the use of new plant food taxa.

What is our toolbox of analytical chemistry for exploring ancient hominin diets in the absence of organic preservation?

This short review aims at drawing up an inventory of the existing chemical techniques that can help reconstruct past hominin diets in the absence of organic preservations (such as collagen). Preservation issues necessitate the preferential use of dental enamel over bones for bioapatite trace and minor element analyses. The trace element ratios in dental enamel-as opposed to bones-can distinguish browser, grazer and marine diets, but their use as a trophic level indicator is irrelevant. So far, carbon isotopes have been the most fruitful tracer to reconstruct Lower Paleolithic hominin diets and ecology. The application of new isotope systems opens up very promising perspectives for the characterization of Pleistocene hominin diets as they generally reveal trophic level information. The combination of these promising tracers with carbon isotopes in dental enamel could therefore provide similar information to the isotopes (C and N) usually analyzed in collagen, which brought useful insights into the diets of Late Neandertals and Upper Paleolithic modern humans. However, before investigating nontraditional isotope ratios in precious hominin samples, more work is needed to test their response to various dietary types and environments as well as their resistance to diagenesis.

Morphology and structure of Homo erectus humeri from Zhoukoudian, Locality 1.

BackgroundRegional diversity in the morphology of the H. erectus postcranium is not broadly documented, in part, because of the paucity of Asian sites preserving postcranial fossils. Yet, such an understanding of the initial hominin taxon to spread throughout multiple regions of the world is fundamental to documenting the adaptive responses to selective forces operating during this period of human evolution.MethodsThe current study reports the first humeral rigidity and strength properties of East Asian H. erectus and places its diaphyseal robusticity into broader regional and temporal contexts. We estimate true cross-sectional properties of Zhoukoudian Humerus II and quantify new diaphyseal properties of Humerus III using high resolution computed tomography. Comparative data for African H. erectus and Eurasian Late Pleistocene H. sapiens were assembled, and new data were generated from two modern Chinese populations.ResultsDifferences between East Asian and African H. erectus were inconsistently expressed in humeral cortical thickness. In contrast, East Asian H. erectus appears to exhibit greater humeral robusticity compared to African H. erectus when standardizing diaphyseal properties by the product of estimated body mass and humeral length. East Asian H. erectus humeri typically differed less in standardized properties from those of side-matched Late Pleistocene hominins (e.g., Neanderthals and more recent Upper Paleolithic modern humans) than did African H. erectus, and often fell in the lower range of Late Pleistocene humeral rigidity or strength properties.DiscussionQuantitative comparisons indicate that regional variability in humeral midshaft robusticity may characterize H. erectus to a greater extent than presently recognized. This may suggest a temporal difference within H. erectus, or possibly different ecogeographical trends and/or upper limb loading patterns across the taxon. Both discovery and analysis of more adult H. erectus humeri are critical to further evaluating and potentially distinguishing between these possibilities.

Niche dynamics of Palaeolithic modern humans during the settlement of the Palaearctic

AbstractAimDuring the Late Pleistocene (c. 126–10 ka), modern humans (Homo sapiens) expanded their geographical range across Eurasia and eventually colonized the Americas. Although the routes by which they migrated have been intensively analysed, the dynamics of their realized climatic niche are still largely unknown. We assess temporal changes in the climatic niche of modern humans, the geographical distribution of their climatic niche and whether niche dynamics correlate with the magnitude of climate change and cultural advances, between 46 and 11 ka.LocationPalaearctic.MethodsUsing the radiocarbon dated archaeological record and spatial palaeoclimatic simulations, we quantify different parameters of the realized climatic niche of modern humans (niche overlap, niche breadth and climatic marginality) between consecutive 1000–2000 year intervals. Moreover, using climate envelope models, we map the potential distributions of modern humans for each time interval and identify the regions that remained more climatically suitable and stable for modern humans through time.ResultsBetween 46 and 22 ka the climatic niche of modern humans expanded, including periods of intense growth in niche breadth at 40 and 30 ka. Changes in seasonal water availability and technological innovations partly correlate with dynamics in niche parameters. We document a persistent climatically suitable mid‐latitude belt in south Siberia linking western Europe to the Far East that may have facilitated human migration, and a potential climatic refugium in Beringia.Main conclusionsThe climatic niche of modern humans changed across the Late Pleistocene, as the result of both climatic and cultural changes. These populations of hunter‐gatherers occupied novel climatic conditions but also remained in previously occupied areas under changing climates during the settlement of the Palaearctic. Our approach can provide clues as to where early modern humans may have overlapped in geographical and environmental space with Neanderthals or Denisovans, as evidenced by their contribution to the genetic heritage of some current populations.

The endostructural pattern of a middle pleistocene human femoral diaphysis from the Karain E site (Southern Anatolia, Turkey).

The human femur from Karain E Cave (Turkey) exhumed from a Mousterian level provided the opportunity to make an incursion into the structural morphology of a late adolescent, or a young adult, femoral shaft from the late Middle Pleistocene of Anatolia. Considering the chrono-ecogeographical context, this study focuses particularly on the endostructural morphological similarities between Karain and Neanderthal fossils. Comparative analysis shows that some femoral features of the Karain specimen are frequently observed in Neanderthals, in comparison to some Middle Pleistocene Homo and Middle/Upper Paleolithic modern humans. In particular, we note a high degree of circularity and a strong midshaft posteromedial reinforcement of cortical thickness on the medial side. According to the mapping of cortical thickness, this latter feature can be related to the medial spiral distribution pattern of cortical thickness in the mid-proximal shaft, which is present at Karain and in all Neanderthals available for this study. This spiral distribution was not identified in recent modern humans and may be absent from ancient Homo with femoral pilaster. The endostructural signature of Karain could indicate a similar biomechanical strain system to that of Neanderthals that could be linked to body shape. However, the presence of posteromedial reinforcement in Berg Aukas may point to an ancestral feature and may be independent of latitude. A larger comparative sample should further clarify the taxonomical, biomechanical, and chrono-ecogeographical origins of the structural femoral features observed in an evolutionary Neanderthal context from MIS 7-9 in Karain.

Stress physiologique et état de santé des plus anciens Hommes anatomiquement modernes du sud-est de l’Europe (données dentaires, couche 6-1, Buran-Kaya III, Crimée)

Buran-Kaya III site, in Crimea, provides an exceptional stratigraphic sequence, extending from Middle Paleolithic to Neolithic. Among the archaeological layers allocated to the Gravettian (sensu lato), more than 170 anthropological remains have been discovered in the layer 6-1. They represent the oldest Upper Paleolithic modern humans from Eastern Europe in a well-documented archaeological context. The aim of this article, based on dental remains and enamel dental hypoplasias in particular, is to evaluate the health of the modern humans, which lived more than 32,000 years BP ago in Crimea. This study puts into the light the low frequency of hypoplasias (occurring in the two youngest individuals). This article complete the rare studies concerning the presence of this physiological stress during the Early Upper Paleolithic and confirm the scarcity of enamel dental hypoplasias and dental pathologies, such as caries, at this period.

Buccal Dental Microwear and Diet of the Sunghir Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans

Buccal microwear analysis of the deciduous molars of Sunghir 3 provides a moderate density of striations and suggests a mixed diet. The permanent teeth of Sunghir 1 to 3 present a low density of microwear, in agreement with the minimal occlusal wear of Sunghir 2 but in contrast with the more advanced wear of Sunghir 1 and 3. The Sunghir 1 and 2 scratches imply mixed diets; those of Sunghir 3 suggest a more carnivorous one. These results are in agreement with bone chemistry and stable isotope data and with the resources likely present near Sunghir.