Neanderthal selective hunting of reindeer? The case study of Abri du Maras (south-eastern France)

Fieldwork was supported by the Regional Office of Archaeology Rhône-Alpes, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication and the Ardèche Department through several scientific programs. M.G.Chacon, F. Rivals and E. Allué research are funded by ‘CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya’. Thanks to Jean-Jacques Hublin, Annabell Reiner and Steven Steinbrenner from the Max Planck Institute (MPI-EVA) for analytical support (isotope analysis). We are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive remarks on this manuscript. The English manuscript was edited by L. Byrne, an official translator and native English speaker.Peer reviewedPostprin

Diverse responses of common vole (Microtus arvalis) populations to Late Glacial and Early Holocene climate changes – Evidence from ancient DNA

The harsh climatic conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) period have been considered the cause of local extinctions and major faunal reorganizations that took place at the end of the Pleistocene. Recent studies have shown, however, that in addition many of these ecological events were associated with abrupt climate changes during the so-called Late Glacial and the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. Here we used ancient DNA to investigate the impact of those changes on European populations of temperate vole species (Microtus arvalis). The genetic diversity of modern populations and the fossil record suggests that the species may have survived cold episodes, like LGM, not only in the traditional Mediterranean glacial refugia but also at higher latitudes in cryptic northern refugia located in Central France, the northern Alps as well as the Carpathians. However, the details of the post-glacial recolonization and the impact of the Late Glacial and Early Holocene climate changes on the evolutionary history of the common vole remains unclear. To address this issue, we analysed mtDNA cytochrome b sequences from more than one hundred common vole specimens from 36 paleontological and archaeological sites scattered across Europe. Our data suggest that populations from the European mid- and high latitudes suffered a local population extinction and contraction as a result of Late Glacial and Early Holocene climate and environmental changes. The recolonization of earlier abandoned areas took place in the Mid- to Late Holocene. In contrast, at low latitudes, in Northern Spain there was a continuity of common vole populations. This indicates different responses of common vole populations to climate and environmental changes across Europe and corroborates the hypothesis that abrupt changes, like those associated with Younger Dryas and the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, had a significant impact on populations at the mid- and high latitudes of Europe

Neanderthal behaviour, diet, and disease inferred from ancient DNA in dental calculus

Recent genomic data have revealed multiple interactions between Neanderthals and modern humans, but there is currently little genetic evidence regarding Neanderthal behaviour, diet, or disease. Here we describe the shotgun-sequencing of ancient DNA from five specimens of Neanderthal calcified dental plaque (calculus) and the characterization of regional differences in Neanderthal ecology. At Spy cave, Belgium, Neanderthal diet was heavily meat based and included woolly rhinoceros and wild sheep (mouflon), characteristic of a steppe environment. In contrast, no meat was detected in the diet of Neanderthals from El Sidrón cave, Spain, and dietary components of mushrooms, pine nuts, and moss reflected forest gathering. Differences in diet were also linked to an overall shift in the oral bacterial community (microbiota) and suggested that meat consumption contributed to substantial variation within Neanderthal microbiota. Evidence for self-medication was detected in an El Sidrón Neanderthal with a dental abscess and a chronic gastrointestinal pathogen (Enterocytozoon bieneusi). Metagenomic data from this individual also contained a nearly complete genome of the archaeal commensal Methanobrevibacter oralis (10.2× depth of coverage)-the oldest draft microbial genome generated to date, at around 48,000 years old. DNA preserved within dental calculus represents a notable source of information about the behaviour and health of ancient hominin specimens, as well as a unique system that is useful for the study of long-term microbial evolution

Megalovis balcanicus sp. nov. and Soergelia intermedia sp. nov. (Mammalia, Bovidae, Caprinae), new Ovibovini from the Early Pleistocene of Europe

The karstic cavern of Trlica, situated near the city of Pljevlja in Montenegro, has yielded a rich palaeontological assemblage of the Early Pleistocene age. Bovids remains are abundant and are represented by four species, two of them being new: Megalovis balcanicus sp. nov., Soergelia intermedia sp. nov., cf. Rupicaprini, Bison (Eobison) sp. nov. It is the first discovery of Ovibovini in Montenegro and the western part of the Balkan peninsula. The detailed analysis gives new information about the evolution of the genera Megalovis and Soergelia. The occurrence of a small bovid and a Bison distinct to the known bovids shows the complexity of the fauna from the Balkans and the Mediterranean area

Nouvelles données sur les sites pléistocènes et holocènes à <i>Ursus arctos</i> du Vaucluse (sud-est de la France)

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Diversité morphologique des populations de bouquetin des Alpes (Capra ibex) dans le Sud de la France du Pléistocène moyen supérieur à l’Holocène

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The Pleistocene Biodiversity of the Zagros Mountains: Carnivores of the Chenar Cave (Kermanshah- Iran)

International audienceOver the past decades, several Pleistocene caves and rock shelters in the Zagros Mountains have been discovered with remarkable evidences of carnivore remains. This paper presents the assemblage of Chenar cave located in Kermanshah (West-Central Zagros), at 1630m asl, on the southern face of the Paraw Mountain. The cave was discovered through an archaeological survey in 2007 by FB and AMB. It included two shafts damaged by looters. The back-dirt sediment was systematically examined indicating 795 animal bones. The nature of the sediment and taphonomical features are undoubtedly an indication of Pleistocene cave. Carnivore remains (43%) consist of fox (Vulpes sp.), striped hyena (Hyaena hyeana), golden jackal (Canis aureus), lynx (Lynx sp.), leopard (Panthera pardus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), cave bear (U.spelaeus / Spelearctos deningeri), caracal (Caracal caracal) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). The herbivore remains (37%: sheep, goat, boar and cattle) may have been the prey of these carnivores although any anthropogenic traces on the bones have been observed. The Chenar cave was used as a den alternatively for multiple carnivore species, similar to the profile of the Wezmeh cave (SW of the Chenar). Despite the disturbed character of the remains, the presence of spotted and striped hyenas and cave bear adds precious information about the evolution of these species on the Iranian Plateau. Along with Chenar, the past biodiversity of Iran during the Pleistocene is gradually documented by with zooarchaological studies from Wezmeh and Zilou caves in the Zagros and Darband cave in the Alborz Mountains

The Pleistocene Biodiversity of the Zagros Mountains: Carnivores of the Chenar Cave (Kermanshah- Iran)

International audienceOver the past decades, several Pleistocene caves and rock shelters in the Zagros Mountains have been discovered with remarkable evidences of carnivore remains. This paper presents the assemblage of Chenar cave located in Kermanshah (West-Central Zagros), at 1630m asl, on the southern face of the Paraw Mountain. The cave was discovered through an archaeological survey in 2007 by FB and AMB. It included two shafts damaged by looters. The back-dirt sediment was systematically examined indicating 795 animal bones. The nature of the sediment and taphonomical features are undoubtedly an indication of Pleistocene cave. Carnivore remains (43%) consist of fox (Vulpes sp.), striped hyena (Hyaena hyeana), golden jackal (Canis aureus), lynx (Lynx sp.), leopard (Panthera pardus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), cave bear (U.spelaeus / Spelearctos deningeri), caracal (Caracal caracal) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). The herbivore remains (37%: sheep, goat, boar and cattle) may have been the prey of these carnivores although any anthropogenic traces on the bones have been observed. The Chenar cave was used as a den alternatively for multiple carnivore species, similar to the profile of the Wezmeh cave (SW of the Chenar). Despite the disturbed character of the remains, the presence of spotted and striped hyenas and cave bear adds precious information about the evolution of these species on the Iranian Plateau. Along with Chenar, the past biodiversity of Iran during the Pleistocene is gradually documented by with zooarchaological studies from Wezmeh and Zilou caves in the Zagros and Darband cave in the Alborz Mountains