Quaternary Environments and Humans最新文献

{"title":"A Data‐Driven Paradigm Shift for the Middle‐to‐Upper Palaeolithic Transition and the Neandertal Debate","authors":"João Zilhão ,&nbsp;Francesco d’Errico ,&nbsp;William E. Banks ,&nbsp;Nicolas Teyssandier","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100037","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100037","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Based on morphologically undiagnostic human remains from the southern Balkans and central Europe, it has been argued that the Bachokirian and Ranisian industries stand for modern humans, have roots in the IUP (Initial Upper Palaeolithic) of the Near East, and emerge ∼45,000 years ago. Coevally, Siberia and Central Asia would also have been reached by IUP moderns and, in the process, Western Europe’s Neandertals would have been acculturated, explaining the innovations (namely, body ornamentation) seen in the Châtelperronian. However, current usage of the IUP label confuses terminology and conceals issues of association raised by syn- and post-depositional disturbance, genomic patterns do not correlate with skeletal morphology, and the people of the Bachokirian and the Ranisian had Neandertal ancestors who lived many centuries after those technocomplexes’ start dates, as did a Neandertal from Spy (Belgium), a site of the Ranisian. Moreover, the stratigraphic provenience and taxonomic affinity of the fossils associated with the Uluzzian, the Protoaurignacian, and the Ahmarian are uncertain. The former is coeval with the Châtelperronian, the latter two emerge no earlier than ∼41,500 years ago, and the sufficiently complete fossils of broadly the same age are of mosaic anatomy and mixed ancestry. For western Eurasia, our review supports the Assimilation model, whereby ten millennia of converging cultural developments and increased demic interaction bridge the initial (Neandertal) and final (Cro-Magnon) terms of a complex evolutionary and historical process. Throughout, the observed diversity cannot be reduced to a taxonomic dichotomy. As human biology varied in a continuous space and material culture varied in a discrete space, no one-to-one correspondence between the two domains can exist. Advancing our understanding of the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition requires abandoning outdated frameworks and fully embracing the taphonomic perspective and the potential of genetics to approach the evidence in terms of communities, populations, and short-term history.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 6","pages":"Article 100037"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143172628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reconsidering the Vaddas of Sri Lanka: Biological and cultural continuity, and misconceptions","authors":"Wijerathne Bohingamuwa ,&nbsp;Kalangi Rodrigo ,&nbsp;Harendralal Namalgamuwa","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100043","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100043","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper aims to re-examine key scholarly works pertaining to the Sri Lankan Vadda, an indigenous community of the island, in order to explore extant research of the said community. Despite considerable progress, lingering misunderstandings and uncertainties persist regarding their origins, connections to prehistoric populations, affiliations with contemporary ethnic groups, and the interrelationships among different Vadda communities across the island. Furthermore, uncertainties persist regarding the authenticity of Vadda skeletal remains and the adequacy of archaeological samples, which often suffer from fragmentation and incompleteness. It is this archaeological sample that has been used to draw conclusions about the cultural and biological continuity of the Mesolithic population or the Balangoda man (<em>Homo sapiens balangodensis</em>) with the Vaddas and the modern populations of the island, thus perhaps distorting interpretations. Similarly, this study underscores concerns regarding the representation of modern samples collected from diverse Vadda clans inhabiting various ecological zones and engaging in different subsistence practices, potentially skewing the conclusions of preceding research. In this study, fresh ethnoarchaeological data are used to examine some misconceptions prevailing about the <em>Warugas</em> (clans) as well as the use of the term <em>Wanniyalaetto</em> as a synonym for Vaddas. Given the rapid acculturation of Vaddas, there is a pressing need for continued interdisciplinary investigations into the Vadda communities, encompassing different <em>Warugas</em> and geographic regions, to ensure a better understanding of their socio-cultural dynamics with the aim of enhanced insight into their evolutionary pathways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 6","pages":"Article 100043"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143172629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early human foraging paleoecology in the highlands of Potosí, Bolivia","authors":"José M. Capriles ,&nbsp;Juan Albarracin-Jordan ,&nbsp;Sergio Calla Maldonado ,&nbsp;Claudia Rivera Casanovas","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100046","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100046","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>For centuries the Cerro Rico of Potosí in the South American Andes has been known as the richest silver mine in the world but also as a notoriously challenging place for human habitation due to its extreme elevation. Nevertheless, little is known about the temporal depth and socioecological dynamics associated with the initial occupation of this region. In this paper, we present an archaeological and paleoecological assessment of the earliest human peopling of Potosí and the eastern south-central Andes. Systematic surveys in two neighboring regions complemented by test excavations, artifact analysis, and radiocarbon dating revealed evidence of foraging occupations dating to the Early Holocene as well as by agropastoralist communities during the Late Holocene. Local paleoenvironmental records suggest that periods of increased humidity might have fostered ecological productivity that incentivized settlement in this high elevation setting. The nature of the occupations and associated technological organization is consistent with findings from sites elsewhere in the arid Andes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 6","pages":"Article 100046"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143172627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A revised terrace stratigraphy and chronology for the Little Ouse River as a framework for interpreting the late Lower and early Middle Palaeolithic of central East Anglia, UK","authors":"Rob Davis ,&nbsp;Simon G. Lewis ,&nbsp;Marcus Hatch ,&nbsp;Nick Ashton ,&nbsp;Pierre Voinchet ,&nbsp;Jean-Jacques Bahain ,&nbsp;Luke Dale ,&nbsp;Frederick Foulds ,&nbsp;Aaron Rawlinson ,&nbsp;Mark White","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100045","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100045","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Breckland of central East Anglia has a Pleistocene geological sequence spanning c. 1 million years, providing a framework for assessing changes in human technology and behaviour within a single changing palaeolandscape. The geological record and its associated Palaeolithic archaeology divides into three chronological periods: the fluvial deposits of the River Bytham, which span c. 1 ma to 450 ka; the Hoxnian interglacial sites (c. 400 ka); and the fluvial terraces of the post-Anglian drainage network, which records the past c. 400,000 years. This paper focuses on the third of these periods, presenting results from new work on the fluvial sediments and Palaeolithic archaeology associated with the Little Ouse River. Fieldwork was conducted at four Palaeolithic sites; Barnham Heath, Redhill, Santon Downham, and Broomhill Pit. The new sedimentological and stratigraphic data are used in conjunction with existing borehole records to construct long profiles for the river terrace aggradations and establish a terrace stratigraphy for the Little Ouse. Correlation with the marine isotope record is supported by age estimates from electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of sand units within the terrace aggradations. The results provide an age-constrained lithostratigraphic framework for understanding the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic records of the Little Ouse. The results can be added to previous work on the Bytham and Hoxnian sites, enabling an assessment of human activity in the region from c. 800–200 ka.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 6","pages":"Article 100045"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sulfur isotope analysis of collagen: Quality controls and proboscidean wetland habitats","authors":"Jessica Z. Metcalfe ,&nbsp;Lauryn E. Eady-Sitar ,&nbsp;Ayumi Hyodo ,&nbsp;Taylor Belot","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100040","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100040","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sulfur isotopes (<em>δ</em>^<em>3</em>4S values) have significant potential for addressing archaeological, paleontological, and paleoecological research questions. Studies of ancient materials rely on the assumption that <em>δ</em>^<em>3</em>4S values have been minimally altered by diagenesis, yet meaningful analyses of sulfur isotope preservation/alteration are rare. This paper has 3 objectives: (1) to review and revise previous approaches to evaluating sulfur isotope alteration of collagen, (2) to evaluate sulfur isotope preservation in Great Lakes mammoth (<em>Mammuthus</em> spp.) and mastodon (<em>Mammut americanum</em>) bone, tooth, and tusk collagen, and (3) to make inferences about proboscidean diets and habitat preferences based on <em>δ</em>³⁴S values. To evaluate sulfur isotope preservation in collagen we recommend 3 approaches. First, researchers should examine collagen %C, %N, and atomic C:N values, and exclude samples whose values fall outside the expected ranges (defined according to context-specific considerations). Second, researchers should examine collagen %S, C:S, and N:S values, and exclude samples that fall outside the ranges for modern taxa. These ranges are subject to revision, but this study provides a new compilation of modern mammalian collagen with %S = 0.14–0.63, C:S = 185–873, and N:S = 55–266 (n=119). Third, researchers should check for correlations between collagen <em>δ</em>³⁴S and %S, C:S, or N:S values, which could suggest systematic alteration of sulfur isotope values due to sulfur contamination or amino acid loss. For our Great Lakes proboscideans, the first approach was insufficient to identify sulfur isotope alteration, but the second and third approaches led to the exclusion of 4 samples with probable alteration. Great Lakes proboscideans had lower <em>δ</em>³⁴S values than recent taxa from the same region, and the <em>δ</em>³⁴S of mastodons tended to be lower than those of mammoths. These results suggest that mammoths and (to a greater extent) mastodons consumed an abundance of plants rooted in anoxic freshwater wetland sediments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 6","pages":"Article 100040"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142698828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Caring for preservation - coring for prehistoric life. Revisiting 15 000 years of sedimentation at the Ageröd peatland, Southern Sweden","authors":"Anton Hansson ,&nbsp;Mathilda Kjällquist ,&nbsp;Adam Boethius","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100039","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100039","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Rönneholm-Ageröd peatland complex, situated in central Scania, contains numerous archaeological sites discovered since the 19th century. Two sediment sequences were obtained at the Ageröd peatland to compare the sediment stratigraphy with a previous sequence obtained in 1960 to detect any modern-day changes and to establish the Holocene environmental development in the area. To clarify the timing of ceased peat-cutting activities, dendrochronological analysis was performed on trees growing on the peatland. The results indicate that the lake transitioned into first a fen stage and later a raised bog stage, at about 7300 cal BP and 6500 cal BP, respectively. Furthermore, the dendrochronological analysis indicates that peat cutting ceased at least before 1960 in the sampled areas. Depending on e.g. hydrological conditions and human impact, the potential for preservation of organic remains varies greatly within the Rönneholm-Ageröd peatland complex. After peat-cutting activities ceased at the Ageröd peatland, the area was abandoned, without being restored to its original state and the drainage systems were left open but without maintenance. Our results show that these drainage ditches are still effective at the Ageröd peatland, which contributes to an active loss of peat at the top of the stratigraphic sequence. This causes the youngest formed peat layers to degrade, in turn, exposing older layers and reducing the buffer zone above the preserved organic cultural heritage from the lake-phase of the wetland with their destruction. To increase the understanding of modern-day processes affecting the preservation of organic remains in peatlands, continued monitoring and measuring of the peatland preservation status is needed in areas with archaeological deposits. We predict that if we fail to take action and establish a routine for finding and mitigating ongoing wetland degradation, the organic cultural and environmental heritage in them will, in the not-too-distant future, collapse and irrevocably deteriorate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 6","pages":"Article 100039"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142698827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An open letter to evolutionary and human sciences; Statistics has moved on and so should we. A proposal for more transparent research, and some notes on p < 0.003","authors":"Lloyd A. Courtenay","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100041","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100041","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Statistical reasoning and inference have become integral to how we reach conclusions as scientists. Few papers in evolutionary, biological, and human sciences, are published at present without at least one report of a</em> p<em>-value, or the term “statistically significant”. As a product of this, discoveries and results often hinge on</em> p<em>-values below the infamous threshold of 0.05. This is due to how well ingrained these notions are in many of our higher education systems, and our practices as researchers. Nevertheless, the concept of a</em> p<em>-value, borrowed from statistics, and dating as far back as the late 20th and early 21st century, has undergone an evolution that we may not be completely aware of, if we do not follow or keep ourselves up to date with the most recent advances in statistical research. The present short communication can be framed as an opinion piece that simply aims to call our attention to the fact that statisticians, in recent years, have asked that we completely abandon the notion of “statistically significant (</em>p &lt; 0.05)”. It is important to point out that none of these observations are new, however certainly merit being re-addressed. Here I attempt to open a dialogue among archaeologists, palaeontologists, palaeoanthropologists, biological anthropologists, evolutionary biologists, and all researchers in related fields, about such statistical research. Finally, I propose a means of moving forward, suggesting we move from a world where p &lt; 0.05 is considered a binary threshold for conclusive results, to a more nuanced practice where different gradients, down to p &lt; 0.003, are interpreted as increasingly suggestive evidence – provided that findings are supported by additional, transparently reported corroborative data.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 6","pages":"Article 100041"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142698829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the applicability of protein residues in combination with lipid residues to reconstruct Indus foodways from Gujarat","authors":"Kalyan Sekhar Chakraborty ,&nbsp;Lindsey Paskulin ,&nbsp;Prabodh Shirvalkar ,&nbsp;Yadubirsingh Rawat ,&nbsp;Heather M.-L. Miller ,&nbsp;Greg Slater ,&nbsp;Camilla Speller","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100038","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100038","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>When extracted and analysed in tandem, proteomics and lipid residue analysis can provide high resolution identification of ancient foodstuff. Here, we apply lipid residue and shotgun proteomic analyses to 11 ceramic vessel sherds from the Gujarat, India-based Indus Valley Civilization site of Kotada Bhadli. Our results demonstrate variable success. Lipids were successfully recovered from each ceramic vessel and suggest the presence of dairy and meat from cattle/buffalo, and meat from sheep/goat and monogastric animals, such as pigs and birds. Additionally, we were also able to identify the presence of plant products such as leafy vegetables, oils and broomcorn millets. In contrast, none of the extracted proteins could be confidently traced to specific foods or ingredients and were thus unable to contribute to broader interpretations of foodways at Kotada Bhadli. Nevertheless, our results present an opportunity to discuss pathways for improving proteomic methods, and advocate for the need to report negative results as well as positive ones. We support continued efforts to apply multi-proxy approaches to the study of ancient ceramics and consider future applications of shotgun proteomics in this rapidly evolving field.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 6","pages":"Article 100038"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142662252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comment to the ICS Anthropocene decision: From stratigraphy to storytelling","authors":"Håvard Kilhavn ,&nbsp;Julie Shipp ,&nbsp;Anastasia Bertheussen","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100036","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100036","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 6","pages":"Article 100036"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142561194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coasting into India? - Assessing lithostratigraphic context of Middle Palaeolithic occupation in Saurashtra Peninsula","authors":"Gopesh Jha ,&nbsp;Divyansh Kumar Sinha ,&nbsp;Deepak Kumar Jha ,&nbsp;P. Ajithprasad","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100034","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100034","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The coastal rim of the Indian subcontinent is believed to have played a crucial role in the dispersal of early Modern Humans from Africa into the Indian subcontinent during the Late Pleistocene. However, the paucity of substantial evidence along the Indian coastal margins has made it difficult to assess this hypothesis directly. The peninsular region of Saurashtra in Gujarat (India) is one of the key regions that possesses a vast coastline of ∼1600 km, located east of the Indus Delta. Earlier research has revealed widespread evidence of Late Acheulian and Middle Palaeolithic occupations in the region during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Here, we report evidence of new Middle Palaeolithic localities from the central (Bhadar river basin) and northern (Aji river basin) parts of the Saurashtra peninsula. This study reviews the lithostratigraphic context of hominin occupation across Saurashtra and provides crucial insights into the chronology of Middle Palaeolithic localities. Our comparative data suggest that most of the Middle Palaeolithic assemblages in Saurashtra belong to the Gt2 horizon, which dates back to the onset of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. These findings are further examined in light of ongoing discussions on Late Pleistocene hominin population dynamics, dispersal patterns, and eustatic fluctuations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 6","pages":"Article 100034"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142529301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}