{"title":"Changes in the upper water-column structure of the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean during 12.8–4.7 ka","authors":"Pradyumna Singh , Arun Deo Singh , Shubham Tripathi , Harshit Singh , Abhayanand Singh Maurya , Sushant Suresh Naik , Rakesh Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109917","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109917","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The eastern equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO), a pivotal region of the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, plays a crucial role in modulating both the regional and global climate. Its complex hydrography is mainly influenced by an interplay of multiple ocean and atmospheric processes, i.e., inter-oceanic heat exchange (Indonesian throughflow; ITF), ocean-atmosphere interactions (Indian Ocean Dipole; IOD and El Niño-Southern Oscillation; ENSO) and seasonal monsoon circulations, at varying time-scales. However, the associated feedbacks of these climatic components and the impact on EEIO hydrography over millennial time-scales remain unclear, thus highlighting the need for further investigation. Here, we present well-dated records of the planktic foraminiferal proxies (% <em>Globigerina bulloides</em>, % symbiont-barren and symbiont-bearing species) and stable oxygen isotope (δ<sup>18</sup>O of <em>Globigerinoides ruber</em> (r) and <em>Pulleniatina obliquiloculata</em> (o), and Δδ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>r-o</sub>) at multi-centennial to millennial scale resolutions from a spade core SC-04B, retrieved from a specific location of the EEIO (8.40°S, 98.00°E). The core spans the late deglacial to middle Holocene period (12.8–4.7 ka). Using faunal and isotope proxies, we reconstructed changes in surface hydrography, productivity, and the upper water-column structure during 12.8–4.7 ka, and explored their potential links with the ITF, IOD-like mean state, and South Asian Monsoon (SAM) variability. We document the increased influence of surface ITF during 12.8 to ∼9.8 ka that switched to thermocline ITF during ∼9.8 to 4.7 ka. When compared with existing oceanic and land-based paleoclimate records from the Indian Ocean and adjacent continents, our faunal proxies suggest an intensification of the southeast (SE) monsoon winds and upwelling-induced surface productivity in the EEIO during the periods of 12–9.2, 8.0–7.3, 6.4–5.6, and 5.2–4.7 ka. These intervals correspond to conditions similar to a positive IOD (pIOD)-like mean state in the tropical Indian Ocean, when SAM was also intensified. In contrast, during 12.8–12, 9.2–8.0, 7.3–6.4, and 5.6–5.2 ka, weakened SE monsoon winds led to increased precipitation-induced stratification, creating surface conditions similar to a negative IOD (nIOD)-like mean state, which suppressed surface productivity in the EEIO. Further, we record four distinct intervals (∼6, ∼8.2, ∼10.5, and ∼12 ka) of low % <em>G. bulloides</em> abundance and corresponding low values of Δδ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>r-o</sub>, which appear to coincide with the cold phases in the North Atlantic [Bond Events (BEs) 4, 5, 7 and Younger Dryas (YD)]. We think that these changes were possibly linked with the intensified northwest (NW) monsoon winds and could have been modulated by the North Atlantic cold events potentially through atmospheric teleconnections.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"743 ","pages":"Article 109917"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Patricia Bello-Alonso , Andrea Serodio , João Marreiros
{"title":"Functional analysis of the lithic assemblage of Gombore IB (Melka Kunture, Ethiopia): looking for traces of use, but finding post-depositional problems","authors":"Patricia Bello-Alonso , Andrea Serodio , João Marreiros","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109915","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109915","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Early Stone Age (ESA) archaeological complexes pose significant challenges for traceological analysis due to the preservation conditions of their contexts. At Gombore I (Melka Kunture, Ethiopia), lithic materials attributed to Level B are often associated with flood-prone or riparian zones, and thus subject to post-depositional alterations such as aeolian abrasion and trampling. Additionally, the diversity and nature of raw materials, mainly volcanic rocks like obsidian and basalt, further complicate use-wear studies. In this study we present preliminary findings from the Gombore IB lithic assemblage, which is attributed to the ESA, with significant levels associated with the Acheulean technocomplex. Initial sampling, based on visual inspection, prioritized artefacts deemed suitable for traceology. However, macro- and microscopic analyses revealed extensive surface alterations, limiting the preservation of use-wear traces and rendering traditional analysis unviable. Our research therefore focused on developing a broader analytical framework which could use these preservation issues for interpretations on site formation processes in the archaeological record. By employing dedicated experimental protocols to compare with the archaeological assemblage, this study establishes an initial use-wear pattern associated with post-depositional alteration. The lithic assemblage from Gombore IB offers valuable insights, which we apply to interpret the site's formation processes. These data, in conjunction with spatial analyses, yield promising results and highlight the value of integrating preservation assessments into traceological studies, emphasizing the importance of context in interpreting ESA archaeological records.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"743 ","pages":"Article 109915"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alessia D'Auria, Gaetano Di Pasquale, Anna Maria Mercuri
{"title":"Countryside and woodlands buried by the 79 AD Vesuvius eruption: An archaeobotanical attempt at synthesis","authors":"Alessia D'Auria, Gaetano Di Pasquale, Anna Maria Mercuri","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109913","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109913","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"743 ","pages":"Article 109913"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144605898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Patricio López Mendoza , Ximena Power , Lucio González Venanzi , Sebastián Ibacache Doddis , Rodrigo Lorca Hurtado
{"title":"Diversity of birds and mammals uses on the Atacama desert coast, northern Chile (20°S): a case study of the Middle Holocene","authors":"Patricio López Mendoza , Ximena Power , Lucio González Venanzi , Sebastián Ibacache Doddis , Rodrigo Lorca Hurtado","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109911","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109911","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The exceptional preservation conditions of the archaeological record along the coast of the Atacama Desert (Northern Chile) allow detailed analyses of the differential utilization of fauna by specialized hunter-gatherer-fisher societies. This paper presents the zooarchaeological study of the site PQB2_CON_002_SA, dated to the Middle Holocene (6772 ± 35 to 5962 ± 32 <sup>14</sup>C years BP). The objectives are to characterize the capture and processing practices of mammals and birds, determine their uses for technological purposes and as food sources, and establish changes or continuities in the roles of these taxa at sites in the region. The results indicate that cormorants and pelicans were predominantly captured and used for food and technology. The otariids were used for raw materials procurement such as bones, hides, and internal organs, which were employed as containers, in addition to their nutritional use, in an environment where camelids were a very marginal resource.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"742 ","pages":"Article 109911"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144596026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Paleoclimate and vegetation dynamics in the Marmara region (14,000–5,000 cal BP)","authors":"Bedel Esma Emre , Bülent Arıkan","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109901","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109901","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines past climate and vegetation dynamics in the Marmara Region and parts of the Balkans during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. It focuses on environmental transitions over time, particularly the shift from grasslands to woodlands and subsequent processes of deforestation. The study integrates archaeological, palynological, and climatic data spanning from 14,000 to 5000 cal BP to reconstruct ecological patterns and explore their implications for landscape evolution.</div><div>To enhance the understanding of climatic and vegetation changes, this study employs a combination of model outputs and empirical data. Specifically, precipitation and temperature data from the CHELSA dataset are compared against the outputs of a Macrophysical Climate Model calibrated using observations from 15 meteorological stations. This approach is supplemented by an extensive review of the literature, incorporating pollen records, climate data, and chronological analyses. By integrating these multiple lines of evidence, the study provides a robust reconstruction of the region's paleoenvironmental conditions during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene.</div><div>Pollen records and climate reconstructions indicate that environmental conditions transitioned from open grasslands to denser woodlands during this period. These shifts reflect broader climatic changes, including warming trends and variations in precipitation, which influenced vegetation composition and distribution. The synthesis of these data reveals a significant ecological transformation at the beginning of the Holocene. Initially dominated by grassland formations, the landscape progressively shifted towards woodland ecosystems as climatic conditions warmed and became more stable. The gradual establishment of contemporary climate patterns is reflected in the vegetation dynamics observed in the pollen records. As detailed in the accompanying analysis, this transition underscores the sensitivity of the Marmara Region's ecosystems to climatic fluctuations and highlights the intricate relationship between climate evolution and vegetation development.</div><div>By analyzing microregional data from southern and eastern Marmara and the Balkans, this paper highlights the spatial and temporal variability of these transitions. The Marmara Region, situated between the Mediterranean and Black Seas, serves as a crucial ecological and migratory corridor. Its geographic and climatic setting provides a unique case for examining vegetation responses to climate fluctuations. This study contributes to broader discussions on past climate–environment dynamics and their role in shaping regional landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"743 ","pages":"Article 109901"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144596106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Vegetation and climate patterns of western Türkiye since the late Last Glacial Period based on a new pollen record in the Aegean sea","authors":"Mesut Kolbüken , Demet Biltekin , Bülent Arıkan , Nurettin Yakupoğlu","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109900","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109900","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A new palynological record from the uppermost 2.8 m of the 8.1 m-long core MAR03-02C (composite core) from the Aegean Sea, covering the last 20.8 ka, allows the reconstruction of palaeovegetation patterns and palaeoclimate dynamics in the surrounding landmass since the late Last Glacial Period. Variations in Mediterranean/temperate forests and herb/steppe plants indicate major climatic shifts associated with the Bølling-Allerød, Younger Dryas, and the Holocene Climatic Optimum. In the cold and dry periods, low amounts of arboreal pollen and high amounts of herbaceous and steppe pollen, including <em>Artemisia</em>, Cyperaceae, and Asteraceae Cichorioideae, were recorded. During the warmer periods, high AP, which was mainly characterized by deciduous <em>Quercus</em><em>,</em> and low herbaceous/steppe plants, dominated the region surrounding the core site. However, the impacts of the Bølling-Allerød warm interval and the Younger Dryas cold episode were not strongly represented in the vegetation patterns. Warm-temperate and Mediterranean trees, mainly consisting of deciduous <em>Quercus</em> and <em>Quercus ilex</em>-type trees, reached their maximum from the onset of the Holocene at ∼11.7 to 6 ka, corresponding to the Holocene Climate Optimum and Sapropel 1 formations. Subsequently, general aridity trends and nearly modern climate patterns prevailed. The pollen record shows similarities between the previously published core MAR03-02C and regional proxy records. Anthropogenic impacts clearly occurred during the last 3.5 ka when cultivated plants became prominent in the pollen records (e.g., <em>Olea euro</em><em>paea</em> and <em>Pistacia</em>), with a significant decline in warm-temperate trees until 1.2 ka, suggesting that the Beyşehir Occupation Phase is also recorded in the eastern Aegean Sea.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"742 ","pages":"Article 109900"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shihao Lei , Hanying Li , Youwei Li , Rui Zhang , Mei He , Xiyu Dong , Xiaowen Niu , Jian Wang , Haiwei Zhang , Zhengguo Shi , Youfeng Ning , Hai Cheng
{"title":"Screening speleothem U/Th ages through crystal petrography analysis: A case study from Rige cave in the Southeast Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Shihao Lei , Hanying Li , Youwei Li , Rui Zhang , Mei He , Xiyu Dong , Xiaowen Niu , Jian Wang , Haiwei Zhang , Zhengguo Shi , Youfeng Ning , Hai Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109902","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109902","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Speleothems are important recorders of hydroclimate changes. Although <sup>230</sup>Th dating technique is a widely-used method to determine speleothem absolute chronology, geochemical and geophysical processes during deposition may lead to anomalous variations in U concentrations and generate reversed ages, impacting the establishment of age model. Here, we present a combined approach utilizing petrographic analyses and <sup>230</sup>Th dating techniques to accurately determine the ages of speleothem sample RG-1 from southeastern Tibetan Plateau. We observed that all reversal ages were located within the mosaic regions. To address this, we resampled and measured the ages in layers while excluding the mosaic regions. The results aligned well with the age model within the margin of error. These findings introduce a method that incorporates petrography to enhance the accuracy of reversed <sup>230</sup>Th dating.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"742 ","pages":"Article 109902"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144534388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rhiannon E. Stevens , Hazel Reade , Alexander J.E. Pryor , Kerry L. Sayle , Jennifer A. Tripp , Petr Neruda , Zdeňka Nerudová , Martina Roblíčková , Thomas Higham , Jiří Svoboda
{"title":"Cold and arid climates experienced by Central European hunter-gatherers at Stránská skála IV during the Last Glacial Maximum","authors":"Rhiannon E. Stevens , Hazel Reade , Alexander J.E. Pryor , Kerry L. Sayle , Jennifer A. Tripp , Petr Neruda , Zdeňka Nerudová , Martina Roblíčková , Thomas Higham , Jiří Svoboda","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109893","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109893","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Several studies have argued that human presence in Central Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) may have been restricted to brief periods of climate warming. In particular, Greenland Interstadial-2 (GI-2, c.23,300–22,800 BP), a brief warm event recorded in Greenland ice-core stratigraphy, has been associated with human activity at Central European sites such as Kastelhöhle-Nord and Y-Höhle (Switzerland), and Kammern-Grubgraben (Austria). The Epigravettian open air site of Stránská skála IV, a specialized horse hunting site located in Moravia (Czech Republic), purportedly provides further evidence in support of this hypothesis. However, published radiocarbon dates from Stránská skála IV have age ranges too broad for evaluating the relationship between the chronology of occupation and Greenland ice core stratigraphy events, and low pollen abundance at the site means pollen analysis is an uncertain indicator of climatic conditions. Through a new program of radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis of the hunted horse remains from Stránská skála IV, we refine the chronology of the site and provide new insights into environmental conditions during human occupation. Bayesian modelling of seven new ultra-filtered AMS dates moves the timing of site occupation back from 22.8 to 21.1 ka cal. BP to 24.1–23.0 ka cal. BP, indicating that site use occurred prior to GI-2. Stable carbon, nitrogen and sulfur bone collagen isotope results suggest that conditions were cool and arid with an open landscape. Tooth enamel oxygen isotope data indicate mean annual air temperatures of 1.2°C (±3.5°C), consistent with climate-modelled temperature estimates for the region during the LGM. Together these data point to human occupation of the site during pronounced cold conditions characterized by temperatures ∼8.5°C below the present-day average. Our results demonstrate that human presence in central Europe during the LGM was not confined to brief warm events, adding to a growing body of evidence that early humans could tolerate more extreme climate conditions than previously thought. Perhaps, at certain times in prehistory climate played a less deterministic role in human distribution than is often assumed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"741 ","pages":"Article 109893"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144518806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Source-to-sink process of sediments in the central muddy area of the south Yellow Sea since the middle MIS 3","authors":"Liyan Wang , Guangxue Li","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109903","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109903","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Identifying sediment sources in the continental shelf muddy area provides a critical foundation for elucidating source-to-sink processes. This study investigates the sediment provenance of core YS01 from the western Central Yellow Sea Mud (CYSM) to reconstruct the source-to-sink processes in the South Yellow Sea (SYS) since the middle MIS 3. Clay mineral assemblages and Sr-Nd isotope compositions reveal that the Yellow River and Yangtze River are the dominant sediment sources in the study area since the middle marine isotope stages (MIS) 3. Mixed detrital sediments from these two rivers were identified in the strata deposited during the 8.3–0.3 ka (mid-late MIS 1) and 42.6–31.4 ka (mid-late MIS 3), closely linked to nearshore seafloor erosion driven by the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM). The key distinction between these two periods lies in the weakened intensity of the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) intensity during the mid-late MIS1, which significantly reduced the contribution of Yangtze River-derived suspended sediments to the study area in summer. In contrast, during the 12.0–10.9 ka (early MIS 1), the suspended sediment from the Yangtze River in summer became the dominant sediment source, transported to the study area by the northward-flowing Yellow Sea Coastal Current (YSCC) and the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW), both influenced by the intensified EASM. In general, source-to-sink processes in the SYS since the middle MIS 3 are predominantly controlled by the East Asian Monsoon.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"742 ","pages":"Article 109903"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144514167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dagmar Dreslerová , Daniel Vondrák , Jan Hošek , Veronika Brychová , Harriet Hunt , Petr Pokorný
{"title":"Multiproxy-proxy investigation of a unique Bronze Age deposit of broomcorn millet and human remains at a bog site in Bohemia, Czech Republic","authors":"Dagmar Dreslerová , Daniel Vondrák , Jan Hošek , Veronika Brychová , Harriet Hunt , Petr Pokorný","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109898","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109898","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The deposition of broomcorn millet plants (<em>Panicum miliaceum</em>), found in the wetland of the Zahájí site in the Czech Republic, belongs to the oldest millet findings in Central Europe. Its appearance in a newly formed shallow lake in a small brook valley located in the populated lowland area was accompanied by a curious finding of a human fingernail (both dated ca. 1400-1300 BC); their joint presence in the same layer does not appear accidental. Although a wealth of contextual information has been gleaned from multi-proxy investigations (such as sediment lithostratigraphy, geo and water chemistry, pollen, plant macrofossils, aquatic invertebrae and organic residua analyses, and aDNA of millet and the fingernail), archaeological interpretation of the find is highly challenging having no known analogies in the European/wider context so far. We present some possible scenarios of what might have happened, including certain forms of ritual behaviour or reverence for millet, a crop that has only recently spread in central Europe around the mid-2nd millennium BC following its rapid westward migration from southeastern Asia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"741 ","pages":"Article 109898"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144513778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}