Pleistocene Faunal Remains Research Articles

Interrelation between Palaeolithic and faunal remains in the central Narmada Valley, India

Abstract Whether scavenging or hunting, the consumption of large mammals is very prominent in the history of humankind. During the Lower Palaeolithic period, the abundance of large cutting tools found indicates increased meat consumption. Evidence has demonstrated this at various African and European sites where direct links between lithic and faunal assemblages have been made, for instance cut-marked bones and use-wear studies. On the Indian Subcontinent, there is a lack of direct evidence on animal remains in archaeological contexts (with one exception); however, there are numerous sites where animal fossils and lithic artefacts occur in shared contextual associations. The present paper is concerned with the relationships between the lithic and faunal assemblages in archaeological contexts, particularly the occurrence of bifaces and large mammalian fossils in Lower Palaeolithic assemblages with specific reference to the central Indian zone. Without the confirmation of anthropogenic signatures on Pleistocene faunal remains, it is not easy to assess whether a particular assemblage has the contemporaneous deposition of the two datasets or not. Here, we present a review of archaeological and faunal records in the central Narmada Valley and explore the possible associative evidence of human–animal interactions.

Monte Verde: Human Subsistence and Mobility in Pre-Clovis Chile

Monte Verde: Human Subsistence and Mobility in Pre-Clovis Chile
 
 
 Introduction
 
 Along the lush banks of Chinchihuapi Creek, a tributary of southern Chile’s Maullín River, lies one of the most controversial archeological sites of the twentieth century, Monte Verde, where in 1978 archaeologist Tom Dillehay and his colleagues found well-preserved human artifacts and features in association with Late Pleistocene faunal remains (fig. 1) (Dillehay 1989). Initial radiocarbon analyses of materials from the Monte Verde II cultural layer consistently dated the site to 12,500 BP. With this, Dillehay (1989) asserted that Monte Verde was occupied by humans between 12,000 and 14,000 years ago, predating what was then the earliest known Paleoindian site in the Americas at Clovis, New Mexico by some 1,000 years.

Structural Properties of Syngenetic Ice-Rich Permafrost, as Revealed by Archaeological Investigation of the Yana Site Complex (Arctic East Siberia, Russia): Implications for Quaternary Science

Ice-rich syncryogenic (termed “Ice Complex”) deposits are common in northern East Siberia and constitute the most important feature of the Quaternary geology of the region. The Ice Complex formed throughout the Late Pleistocene and not only contains an archive of paleoenvironmental proxies such as Pleistocene faunal remains, but also comprises a record of human habitation spanning ∼50,000 years, beginning with early MIS3. The development of syngenetic permafrost is an important variable in the formation of archaeological contexts in this depositional setting. Excavations of the Yana site complex in the lower Yana River area provide a unique opportunity to study archaeological finds preserved in Ice Complex deposits. Based on long-term field observations and dating results, we present important conclusions concerning the geology of the Yana sites. Taphonomic biases with potential to obscure the archaeological record are discussed. The thawing of frozen primary deposits has distorted depositional sequences, leading to the formation of secondary features and contexts, e.g., ice-wedge casts. Collapsed blocks of frozen sediment with undisturbed fragments of frozen layers containing artifacts and/or paleobiotic remains may become incorporated and refrozen into another depositional sequence and a source of misinterpretation and chronometric error. Furthermore, severe cryoturbation within the polygonal mounds warps the sediment in contact with the ice wedges; as a result, the contents of the sediment is uplifted with important consequences: 1) the hypsometric provenience of datable material is altered, creating chronometry problems; 2) in archaeology, there is an increased potential for misinterpretations with respect to dating, cultural classification, and human behavior; 3) transported material may form secondary concentrations at different hypsometric levels and thus bring further complications for its understanding; 4) in geology, the transportation of geochemical signatures may lead to erroneous interpretation of the geological potential of the area; 5) uplifted deposits contribute to increased Ice Complex thickness, which is thus not a direct function of sedimentation, but a combined result of sedimentation and redistribution of the deposits within an existing polygon deposit. Thus, the analysis of Ice Complex deposits during archaeological excavations at the Yana site complex has wider implications for Quaternary science.

Геоархеологические работы на территории Азербайджанской Республики в 2021 году

In 2021 a joint Russian-Azerbaijani geoarchaeological studies were carried out in Republic of Azerbaijan. The coastal area of the Mingechevir Reservoir was investigated, primarily the beaches of the south-western shore at the foots of the Bozdag and Garaja Ranges. A representative collection of stone artifacts (136 specimens) and Pleistocene faunal remains (35 specimens) were collected at the Garaja site. Among the cores, 80 % are simple nuclei of the parallel reduction strategy; few radial and citron cores were found. The main tool categories are choppers and large bifacially worked artifacts, pebble scrapers were also noted. The Garaja complex represents a homogenous lithic industry, well-correlated with the pan-Caucasus context of early Paleolithic complexes with bifacial tools and corresponds to the chronological period (the Bakunian period of the Caspian region) determined by geological and paleontological data. In addition to the Garaja site, another location of artifact concentration was discovered at 2 km eastwards of the main site. Here, 18 stone tools and a fragment of deer antler were found on a stretch of the beach about 100 m long; the artifact composition is similar to the Garaja collection. A test pit was established at Girmizi-Gaya in the outskirts of Ganja city. Four layers were distinguished in the trench; the two upper layers bore archaeological material. The total collection of artifacts (excavation and surface collection) amounted to more than 300 items. A fragment of a vessel rim found in layer 2 suggests attribution of the material to the late Neolithic or later period. Preliminary data make it possible to define this site as a short-term transit camp. In Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Gazma Cave, the only known Paleolithic site in this part of Azerbaijan, was studied. Here, the excavation trench was uncovered, the profile was cleaned up and a series of samples were taken for radiocarbon and OSL dating.

A new complete sequence from Lower to Middle Paleolithic: El Provencio Complex (Cuenca, Spain)

This paper presents the results of the archaeological research project on the Lower and Middle Paleolithic in the municipality of El Provencio (Cuenca, Spain). During the first 6 years of the project, an unknown archaeological complex has been defined with a large concentration of remains of lithic industry of Modes 1, 2 and 3, as well as Pleistocene faunal remains (Mammuthus and Equus), associated with the large-scale sequences of the Záncara River. The first ages obtained by two complementary dating methods are presented here: Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). The absolute dates of 41 ± 2.2 ka and 836 ± 46 ka (Al–Ti mean age) correspond to the upper and lower levels of the stratigraphic sequence respectively. The archaeological potential contained in this complex suggests an effective and uninterrupted human occupation of this region during ≈800 ka.

AMS Radiocarbon Dates for Pleistocene Fauna from the American Northeast

Northeastern North America has produced an incredible number of late Pleistocene faunal remains; however, many of these were discovered and excavated prior to the development of radiocarbon dating. Moreover, many of the 14C dates that do exist for such specimens were assayed prior to the development of purified collagen extraction methods, were performed on botanical remains of unspecified association with the faunal remains, or were accepted without concerns of young-carbon contamination from museum preservatives. Here, we present a set of high-precision accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates obtained on Pleistocene faunal specimens from Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Our data contain both newly discovered specimens and specimens that have resided in museum collections for over a century.

Contexto geomorfológico y principales rasgos tecnológicos de nuevos yacimientos del Pleistoceno Medio y Superior en el Valle Inferior del Manzanares (Madrid, España)

The archaeological works developed during the years 1996 in the site of Tafesa, 2005 in the 12 de Octubre Metro Station site and 2006 in the confluence of the Butarque Stream (Villaverde-Barrio de Butarque site) located south of the Madrid City (Spain), have provided new lithic assemblages. These assemblages have been stratigraphically contextualized in the Pleistocene deposits of the Lower Manzanares river valley within the so-called “Manzanares Complex Terrace” (TCMZ). This fluvial terrace constitutes an anomalous thickened (20-15m) deposit at +22-16m above the present river thalweg mainly developed along the right (southern) valley margin. This fluvial level has been traditionally considered of middle Pleistocene age on the basis of the acheulian lithics and faunal assemblages typically located within its lower stratigraphic layers. Certainly, the Tafesa is a fluvial terrace site at +22 m with acheulian industry and middle Pleistocene faunal remains at its lower sedimentary sequence. However, the upper sedimentary levels of this same terrace in the 12 de Octubre y Villaverde-Butarque sites throw lithic assemblages of the lower and upper Paleolithic belonging to upper Pleistocene, as suggested by the available set of TL and OSL dates for the zone. The analyses developed in this study indicate that the development of this thickened fluvial terrace started during the end of the middle Pleistocene, but also comprise the whole Oxygen Isotopic Stage OIS 5 during the upper Pleistocene.

Out of the North Sea: the Zeeland Ridges Neandertal

In 2001, a portion of human frontal bone was discovered in sediments extracted from the bottom of the North Sea, 15 km off the coast of the Netherlands. The extraction zone is located in the so-called Zeeland Ridges area located at 51°40′ northern latitude and 3°20′ eastern longitude. The specimen was dredged up from sediments containing Late Pleistocene faunal remains and Middle Palaeolithic artefacts, including well-finished small handaxes and Levallois flakes. The details of the supraorbital morphology, as well as the quantitative assessment of the shape of the external surface of the squama using traditional and 3D geometric morphometrics, unambiguously assign the Zeeland Ridges frontal bone to Homo neanderthalensis. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis indicate that the Zeeland Ridges hominin, like other Neandertals, was highly carnivorous and does not show evidence for the consumption of aquatic foods. A lesion on the outer table and diploic layer of the bone in the area of the supratoral sulcus can be interpreted as the result of an intradiploic epidermoid cyst, a type of neoplasm diagnosed for the first time in Neandertal remains. So far, the Zeeland Ridges Neandertal is the first Pleistocene fossil hominin found under seawater and the first recorded in the Netherlands.

Pelorovis howelli nov. sp. (Mammalia, Artiodactyla): a new bovine from the Lower Pleistocene site of Aïn Hanech (El-Kherba locus), Northeastern Algeria

The archaeological investigations recently undertaken in the vicinity of the Lower Pleistocene site of Aïn Hanech led to the identification of additional Oldowan horizons and the discovery of new loci, among which was the locus of El-Kherba. Besides the lower Pleistocene faunal remains associated with Oldowan artifacts, the 1999 excavations, carried out at El-Kherba, exposed a bovine skull with complete horn cores. It belonged to a taxon never been previously encountered or described in the Plio-Pleistocene and Lower Pleistocene deposits of the Maghreb. It receives here its first description.

Study of a temporal bone of Homo heildelbergensis

ConclusionsThe characteristic features of the Hh specimen conformed to those of other Pleistocene human fossils, indicating strong cranial structures and a heavy mandible. The mastoid was large and suggested a powerful sternocleidomastoid muscle. The inner ear and tympanic cavities were similar in size and orientation, suggesting that their functions were probably similar. Our observations suggest that the left ear of this Hh specimen was healthy. The large canaliculo–fenestral angle confirms that this ancestor was bipedal. It also strongly suggests that Hh individuals were predisposed to develop certain pathologies of the labyrinth capsule associated with bipedalism, in particular otosclerosis.ObjectiveWe studied a temporal bone of Homo heidelbergensis (Hh) in order to investigate the clinical and physiological implications of certain morphological features, especially those associated with the evolutionary reorganization of the inner ear.Material and methodsThe bone, found in a breach of a cave near Málaga in southern Spain, together with Middle–Upper Pleistocene faunal remains, is >300 000 years old. Four analytical methods were employed. A 3D high-resolution surface laser scan was used for anatomical measurements. For the sectional analysis of the middle and inner ears of Hh we used high-resolution CT, simultaneously studying a normal temporal bone from Homo sapiens sapiens (Hss). To study the middle and inner ear spaces we used 3D reconstruction CT preceded by an intra-bone air shielding technique. To examine the tympanic cavities and measure the canaliculo–fenestral angle, we used a special minimally invasive endoscopic procedure.ResultsThe surface, sectional and 3D CT examinations showed that the Hh specimen was generally more robust and larger than the Hss specimen. It had a large glenoid fossa. The external meatus was wide and deep. The middle ear, and especially the mastoid, was large and widely pneumatized. There were no appreciable differences in the position and size of the labyrinthine spaces and tympanic cavity. The dimensions of the semicircular canals were similar to those of the Hss specimen. Endoscopy revealed normal, healthy tympanic walls and an ossicle fragment in the atticum that probably belonged to the body of the malleus. The diameters of the fallopian duct and the tympanic opening of the Eustachian tube were large. The canaliculo–fenestral angle was ≈114°.

Nuclear DNA sequences from late Pleistocene megafauna.

We report the retrieval and characterization of multi- and single-copy nuclear DNA sequences from Alaskan and Siberian mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius). In addition, a nuclear copy of a mitochondrial gene was recovered. Furthermore, a 13,000-year-old ground sloth and a 33,000-year-old cave bear yielded multicopy nuclear DNA sequences. Thus, multicopy and single-copy genes can be analyzed from Pleistocene faunal remains. The results also show that under some circumstances, nucleotide sequence differences between alleles found within one individual can be distinguished from DNA sequence variation caused by postmortem DNA damage. The nuclear sequences retrieved from the mammoths suggest that mammoths were more similar to Asian elephants than to African elephants.

Two SE Spanish Middle Palaeolithic Sites with Neanderthal Remains: Sima de las Palomas del Cabezo Gordo and Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar (Murcia province)

This article presents preliminary findings from excavations at two recently-discovered cave sites in Murcia (SE. Spain) with Neanderthal hominid skeletal remains, middle palaeolithic tools, and early Upper Pleistocene faunal remains. The sites are in contrasting environments, the shaft of Sima de las Palomas being near the coast whereas the Cueva Negra rock-shelter is in the hinterland. The origins and development of the field research project are outlined with special reference to strategical and methodological considerations. Cueva Negra has afforded half-a-dozen adult Neanderthal teeth and the shaft of a forearm bone. Sima de las Palomas suffered damage from nineteenth-century mining that exposed an 18-metre-high column of breccia in a natural shaft, and geophysical determinations suggest that it spans a period from roughly 125,000 to 50,000 BP. Adult and juvenile Neanderthal teeth and bones have been excavated at the top of the column and many others have been found sifting mine rubble both outside the cavern and on the floor inside, some of which have characteristics that are more in keeping with pre-Neanderthal morphology.

Human molars from later Pleistocene deposits of Witkrans Cave, Gaap Escarpment, Kalahari Margin

Human molars from travertine deposits of Witkrans Cave (Gaap Escarpment, northern Cape Province, South Africa) are described. The Witkrans molars were discovered in direct association with later Pleistocene faunal remains and a sample of Middle Stone Age artifacts (Peabody, 1954; Clark, 1971; Sampson, 1974; Klein, 1984; Volman, 1984). The morphology and dimensions of the Witkrans molars resemble remains from other localities of similar age in southern Africa (Singer & Wymer, 1982; Grine & Klein, 1985; Grine et al., 1991; Rightmire & Deacon 1991) but exhibit differences from later Pleistocene occurrences in northern Africa (McBurney et al. 1953; Vallois & Roche, 1958; Ennouchi, 1969; Hublin & Tillier, 1981). These results offer further support for the existence of later Pleistocene human populations south of the Sahara which were distinct from contemporaneous peoples of Mediterranean Africa (Howell, 1978; Brauer, 1984; Rightmire, 1984; Klein 1992).

Human molars from later Pleistocene deposits of Witkrans Cave, Gaap Escarpment, Kalahari Margin

Human molars from travertine deposits of Witkrans Cave (Gaap Escarpment, northern Cape Province, South Africa) are described. The Witkrans molars were discovered in direct association with later Pleistocene faunal remains and a sample of Middle Stone Age artifacts (Peabody, 1954; Clark, 1971; Sampson, 1974; Klein, 1984; Volman, 1984). The morphology and dimensions of the Witkrans molars resemble remains from other localities of similar age in southern Africa (Singer & Wymer, 1982; Grine & Klein, 1985; Grine et al., 1991; Rightmire & Deacon 1991) but exhibit differences from later Pleistocene occurrences in northern Africa (McBurney et al. 1953; Vallois & Roche, 1958; Ennouchi, 1969; Hublin & Tillier, 1981). These results offer further support for the existence of later Pleistocene human populations south of the Sahara which were distinct from contemporaneous peoples of Mediterranean Africa (Howell, 1978; Brauer, 1984; Rightmire, 1984; Klein 1992).

An Acheulean industry with Elephas recki fauna from Namib IV, South West Africa (Namibia)

Namib IV is located in the linear dune sea of the central Namib Desert (Fig. 1), where different generations of fossil calcrete have been exposed by sand shift in an interdune flat. Mid-Pleistocene faunal remains (including Elphas recki) were scattered over 62,500 m2 of the valley floor, some bearing residual traces of red calcrete. The industry may be closely paralleled from certain East African sites (Olorgesailie1, Kilombe2, PDK and HEB 1/2 and 3, Olduvai Bed IV (ref. 3)), suggesting a date between 400 and 700 kyr BP. I show here that Namib IV provides the first dated evidence for the presence of Acheulean man in South West Africa, the earliest Pleistocene faunal remains from the Namib Desert and a terminus post quem for the ecological change from savannah to sand desert.

Late Pleistocene Faunal Remains from Seton Rock Shelter, Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Seton rock shelter (350 59' S, 1370 03' E) is located in the south- west of Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Excavation of the late Pleistocene deposit in the rock shelter has provided a rich assemblage of mammal, bird and reptile remains dating from more than 16 000 BP to about 10 000 BP. Analysis of these remains shows that the late Pleistocene fauna of Kangaroo Island was more extensive than the depauperate island fauna of today. The disappearance of many species reflects a reduction in open vegetation probably due to a com- bination of climatic change, the separation of the island postglacially by rising sea level, and the disappearance of a human population within the last 5000 years. The deposit also provides evidence for the contemporaneity of man and one of the extinct Pleistocene kangaroos, Sthenurus cf. gilli, at 16 000 BP.

Pleistocene Faunal Remains Associated with Carbonaceous Material

AbstractFeatures which have been interpreted as "fire hearths" and "charcoal" have been recorded in association with mammoth and other Pleistocene faunal remains. Some of these remains have been dated by the radiocarbon method as exceeding 10,000 years; a few are considerably in excess of this time. A review of some of these remains suggests the probability of noncultural origin for the carbonaceous material in question. Recent excavations in Merced and Orange counties, California, have revealed Pleistocene faunal remains in direct association with an abundance of carbonaceous material. It can be demonstrated that these remains are noncultural in origin.

New Discoveries at the Clovis Site

AbstractExcavations at the Clovis site near Portales, New Mexico, in 1962 and 1963 produced much new information on the Llano complex. This work, which was done principally by the El Llano Archaeological Society (Portales, New Mexico), yielded the skeletons of four mammoths and other Pleistocene faunal remains and enlarged the tool inventory of the Llano complex. Significant ancestral ties with the Upper Paleolithic of Siberia, which have been postulated on the basis of prismatic blades and blade-tools collected from the Clovis horizon seem to be further confirmed. Further information on the size range of Clovis projectile points has been obtained from small projectile points found in the mammoth-bone bed. Analysis of lithic materials from the Clovis site reveals extensive use of Alibates flint from the Canadian River valley of Texas.

Research Items

PREHISTORIC CULTURE OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER, U.S.A.—In vol 73, art. 11, of the Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum, Mr. H. W. Krieger describes the results of an investigation of a prehistoric pit-dwelling village at Wahluke, Grant County, Washington, which was undertaken as part of a general survey of the Columbia River area with the view of determining the character of the culture of its early inhabitants and its relation to neighbouring cultures. The area is of considerable importance ethnologically, as the Saddle Mountains form a barrier dividing Salish from Shahaptian-speaking Indians. Geologically, the formation makes it possible to determine without question that man could not have inhabited the area in pleistocene times, and that the relics of early man attributed to pleistocene deposits or associated with pleistocene faunal remains are intrusive. The culture of the pit-house village is especially interesting, as indicating the exhaustive manner in which the inhabitants exploited the natural resources of the area, more particularly in the development of their stone culture, no less than twenty-five varieties of stone being enumerated, of which they made use in the manufacture of tools and implements. It is to be noted that all forms of the stone axe were lacking in the surface finds and among the grave offerings; the inhabitants of Wahluke depended on the hafted discoidal stone war club, the flaked hammerstone, the grooved maul, and the stone wedge in its stead. The cemetery contained both primary and secondary burials, but practically no other type than that of ceremonial burial. A few skulls were recovered from among the remains. These showed artificial deformation, and the occipital flattening due to the use of an uncovered cradle board. The frontal occipital flattening was produced by a cradle board flap similar to that used by Columbian Indians in historic times.