The Sima de los Huesos cervical spine

Information regarding the evolution of the neck in genus Homo is hampered owing to a limited fossil record. Neandertals display significant metric and/or morphological differences in all the cervical vertebrae, when compared to Homo sapiens. Thus, the important fossil record from the Middle Pleistocene site of Sima de los Huesos (SH) not only offers important information about the evolution of this anatomical region within the Neandertal lineage, but also provides important clues to understand the evolution of this region at the genus level. We present the current knowledge of the anatomy of the cervical spine of the hominins found in SH compared to that of Neandertals and modern humans, and, when possible, to Homo erectus and Homo antecessor. The current SH fossil record comprises 172 cervical specimens (after refittings) belonging to a minimum of 11 atlases, 13 axes, and 52 subaxial cervical vertebrae. The SH hominins exhibit a morphological pattern in their cervical spine more similar to that of Neandertals than that of H. sapiens, which is consistent with the phylogenetic position of these hominins. However, there are some differences between the SH hominins and Neandertals in this anatomical region, primarily in the length and robusticity, and to a lesser extent in the orientation of the spinous processes of the lowermost cervical vertebrae. We hypothesize that these differences in the lowermost subaxial cervical vertebrae could be related to the increase in the brain size and/or changes in the morphology of the skull that occurred in the Neandertal lineage.Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEMinisterio de Ciencia e InnovaciónJunta de Castilla y LeónFundación Atapuercapu

New postcranial remains from the Roc de Marsal Neandertal child

This paper presents the identification and study of three new human fossil remains belonging to the Neandertal child Roc de Marsal, found in the eponymous cave site, located near Campagne-de-Bugue, Dordogne, France. These three new fragments correspond to a right clavicle shaft fragment, a shaft fragment of the right radius and the dorsal part of a shaft fragment of hand (likely proximal) phalanx. These elements further complete the state of preservation of the skeleton. This work underlines the necessity to review “old collections”. We propose the hypothesis that additional taphonomic studies could, in some cases, allow discussion of certain skeletal representation.Cet article présente l’identification et l’étude de trois nouveaux restes fossiles humains appartenant à l’enfant néandertalien Roc de Marsal , trouvé dans la grotte éponyme, située près de Campagne-du-Bugue, Dordogne, France. Ces trois nouvelles pièces correspondent à un fragment de diaphyse de clavicule droite, de diaphyse de radius droit et d’une phalange (probablement proximale) de main. Ces différents éléments complètent le squelette. La présente étude souligne la nécessité de revoir les « anciennes collections ». Nous proposons l’hypothèse que la réalisation d’études taphonomiques complémentaires pourrait, dans quelques cas, permettre alors de discuter la représentation squelettique

Covariation between the cranium and the cervical vertebrae in hominids

[EN] The analysis of patterns of integration is crucial for the reconstruction and understanding of how morphological changes occur in a taxonomic group throughout evolution. These patterns are relatively constant; however, both patterns and the magnitudes of integration may vary across species. These differences may indicate morphological diversification, in some cases related to functional adaptations to the biomechanics of organisms. In this study, we analyze patterns of integration between two functional and developmental structures, the cranium and the cervical spine in hominids, and we quantify the amount of divergence of each anatomical element through phylogeny. We applied these methods to three-dimensional data from 168 adult hominid individuals, summing a total of more than 1000 cervical vertebrae. We found the atlas (C1) and axis (C2) display the lowest covariation with the cranium in hominids (Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes, Pan paniscus, Gorilla gorilla, Gorilla beringei, Pongo pygmaeus). H. sapiens show a relatively different pattern of craniocervical correlation compared with chimpanzees and gorillas, especially in variables implicated in maintaining the balance of the head. Finally, the atlas and axis show lower magnitude of shape change during evolution than the rest of the cervical vertebrae, especially those located in the middle of the subaxial cervical spine. Overall, results suggest that differences in the pattern of craniocervical correlation between humans and gorillas and chimpanzees could reflect the postural differences between these groups. Also, the stronger craniocervical integration and larger magnitude of shape change during evolution shown by the middle cervical vertebrae suggests that they have been selected to play an active role in maintaining head balance.We would like to express our gratitude for access and technical help with the collections to Patrice Courtaud (Université de Bordeaux), Jacques Cuisin (MNHN, Paris), Emmanuel Gilissen and Wim Wendelen (Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren), Olivier S. G. Pauwels and Patrick Semal (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences), Javier Quesada (Nat-Museu de Ciències Naturals, Barcelona), and Inbal Livne (Powell-Cotton Museum, Birchington, UK). This research has also received support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” excellence accreditation (CEX2019-000945- M), FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación-Agencia Estatal de Investigación (project PGC2018-093925-B-C33), Research Group IT1418-19 from the Eusko Jaurlaritza-Gobierno Vasco, AGAUR (Ref. 2017SGR1040) and URV (Ref. 2019PFR-URV-91). A.G.O. was supported by the Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-22558)

Single-grain OSL dating of the Middle Palaeolithic site of Galería de las Estatuas, Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain)

This study presents single-grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronologies for the archaeological site of Galería de las Estatuas – the first systematically excavated Middle Palaeolithic site within the karst system of the Sierra de Atapuerca archaeological complex, northern Spain. The single-grain OSL ages are compared with paired single-grain thermally transferred OSL (TT-OSL) dating results for a selection of samples in order to better assess quartz signal bleaching characteristics of endokarstic deposits preserved at Atapuerca. In total, seven luminescence dating samples were collected from four lithostratigraphic units exposed in two excavation pits (GE-I and GE-II). The single-grain OSL equivalent dose (De) distributions are characterised by generally low overdispersion (20–30%), suggesting appropriate bleaching at deposition. The resultant single-grain OSL ages reveal that the sediment sequence and archaeological remains excavated in pit GE-I accumulated 80–112 ka, while the upper layers of excavation area GE-II were deposited 70–79 ka. The replicate single-grain TT-OSL ages are in agreement with the OSL chronologies at 2σ for three of the four samples investigated; although in all cases the TT-OSL ages were systematically older than their single-grain counterparts. Apparent TT-OSL residual doses (i.e., TT-OSL De values in excess of their corresponding OSL De values) of 9–65 Gy were observed for all samples. These excess TT-OSL De values are generally low in comparison to the natural dose ranges of TT-OSL dating applications undertaken elsewhere in the Atapuerca karst system. The single-grain TT-OSL and OSL dating comparisons build on daylight bleaching experiments and modern analogue studies performed on other Atapuerca exogeneous infill deposits and suggest reasonable potential for TT-OSL signal resetting down to relatively low levels for at least some sediments preserved in the Atapuerca karstic cavities. The quartz single-grain OSL chronologies obtained in this study place the Middle Palaeolithic sequence of Galería de las Estatuas within marine isotope stage (MIS) 5 and the beginning of MIS 4, and provide firm evidence for human occupation of the Sierra de Atapuerca during a previously unreported time period

The evolutionary ecology of the endemic European Eocene Plagiolophus (Mammalia: Perissodactyla)

The climatic cooling that began in the late middle Eocene and culminated in the Eocene-Oligocene transition meant major changes in Palaeotheriidae (Perissodactyla, Mammalia) biodiversity in Europe and could have caused the appearance of new dietary strategies. This work is the first to study the spatiotemporal response of one palaeotheriid genus (Plagiolophus) to the Eocene environmental and ecological changes using three dietary proxies: hypsodonty, mesowear and dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA). DMTA is applied for the first time to palaeotheriids. The high diversity and wide chrono-spatial distribution of Plagiolophus make it possible to evaluate spatiotemporal environmental variations, including palaeodiet. We study five Plagiolophus samples from late middle Eocene to early Oligocene from western Iberia to central Europe in order to (1) infer lifetime palaeodiet; (2) infer short-term palaeodiet; and (3) test temporal and spatial trends. All samples present an exclusion of abrasive foodstuff given low hypsodonty index; dominance of browsing given the low mesowear score; and browsing of tough foliage and exclusion of hard items in their diet given DMTA information. These factors point to Plagiolophus as a highly selective feeder that fed on plants with the same features irrespective of chronology or location: tough foliage (leaves from monocots or dicots) avoiding lignified or hard materials, without seasonal variations.Financial support was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the European Regional Development Fund (projects CGL2017–85038-P and PGC2018–093925-B-C33), the Basque Country Government (research groups of the Gobierno Vasco/Eusko Jaurlaritza IT1004–16 and IT418–19) and the UPV/EHU (PPG17/04). LPG received a pre-doctoral grant from the UPV/EHU (PIF16/190). AGO is supported by a Ramon y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-22558). GM is funded by ANR TRIDENT (ANR-13-JSV7–0008-01, PI: GM)

New hominin remains from the site of Regourdou (Montignac-sur-Vézère, Dordogne, France)

Dans un article publié dans le n° 20 de la revue Paleo (Madelaine et al. 2008) nous avons annoncé la découverte d’une série de 11 nouveaux restes humains que nous avons pu rapporter à l’individu n° 1 (Vandermeersch et Trinkaus 1995) de Regourdou mis au jour en septembre 1957. Certains, parmi les plus conséquents (fémur, tibia, fibula), représentaient ou complétaient des régions squelettiques supposées manquantes en raison de gestes funéraires (Bonifay et al. 2007).Dans cette contribution, nous augmentons la représentation squelettique de Regourdou 1 avec de nouvelles pièces. Elles proviennent d’une part de la collection de faune (propriété du Musée national de Préhistoire depuis 2002), de celle de la famille Constant et d’autre part, des collections du Musée d’Art et d’Archéologie de Périgueux. Deux ossements, une diaphyse fémorale gauche et un tibia, proviennent des collections de faune du Musée de site de Regourdou. Mais la morphologie du second ne permet pas de le rapporter à l’Homme de Néandertal.Ces nouvelles découvertes nous permettent donc d’enrichir nos connaissances sur la variabilité anatomique néandertalienne et sur l’histoire de l’occupation du site. Elles valident la présence d’au moins un second adulte moustérien, uniquement représenté par un calcaneus droit. Elles nous autorisent aussi à revenir sur une hypothèse intéressant l’histoire taphonomique du sujet le plus complet (Regourdou 1), hypothèse que nous avions avancée en 2008 et qui apparaît désormais fausse. Enfin, l’origine de l’individu représenté par un tibia de morphologie moderne est inconnue. Il nécessitera une tentative de datation absolue directe.In an article published in Paleo number 20 (Madelaine et al. 2008), we announced the discovery of a new series of 11 human remains that we associated with Regourdou individual number 1 (Vandermeersch and Trinkaus 1995), a specimen first brought to light in September 1957. Some of these new bones, in particular the larger ones (femur, tibia, fibula) represent or make more complete skeletal elements that were presumed to have been missing as the result of funerary acts (Bonifay et al. 2007).In this contribution, we increase the skeletal representation of Regourdou 1 with additional new pieces.These come in part from the site’s faunal collections (property of the Musée national de Préhistoire since 2002), but also from the collections of the Musée d’Art et d’Archéologie de Périgueux. In addition, two pieces: a left femoral diaphysis and the proximal half of a tibia come from the collection of the Constant family, but the morphology of the latter does not appear to be that of a Neandertal.These new discoveries increase our knowledge of Neandertal anatomical variability and the history of the site’s occupation, and also permit us to confirm the presence of at least one second adult Mousterian-associated individual, who is thus far represented solely by a right calcaneus. They also allow us to revisit an interesting hypothesis regarding the taphonomic history of the most complete individual from the site (Regourdou 1), a hypothesis we put forth in 2008 that now turns out to be false. Finally, the origin of the individual represented by the tibia (which evinces modern morphology) is unknown. We will therefore need to obtain an absolute direct date on it

New dating of the Matalascañas footprints provides new evidence of the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 9-8) hominin paleoecology in southern Europe

Hominin footprints were recently discovered at Matalascanas (Huelva; South of Iberian Peninsula). They were dated thanks to a previous study in deposits of the Asperillo cliff to 106 +/- 19 ka, Upper Pleistocene, making Neandertals the most likely track-makers. In this paper, we report new Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating that places the hominin footprints surface in the range of 295.8 +/- 17 ka (MIS 9-MIS 8 transition, Middle Pleistocene). This new age implies that the possible track-makers are individuals more likely from the Neandertal evolutionary lineage. Regardless of the taxon attributed to the Matalascanas footprints, they supplement the existing partial fossil record for the European Middle Pleistocene Hominins being notably the first palaeoanthropological evidence (hominin skeleton or footprints) from the MIS 9 and MIS 8 transition discovered in the Iberian Peninsula, a moment of climatic evolution from warm to cool. Thus, the Matalascanas footprints represent a crucial record for understanding human occupations in Europe in the Pleistocene.We thank the Territorial Delegation in Huelva of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of the Junta de Andalucia for permission to conduct research. Furthermore, this work has been financial support from the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain (grant no. PID2019-104625RB-100), the Andalusian Government to the Research Group RNM276 and Basque Government to the Research Group EJ IT1418-19. In addition, AGO is supported by a Ramon y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-22558) and by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain (grant no. PGC2018-093925-B-C33, MCI/AEI/FEDER, UE). We would also like to give special thanks to Alicia Medialdea Utande, Head of the Luminescence Research Line of the National Center for Research on Human Evolution-CENIEH, for her help and collaboration in the treatment and interpretation of the data

El uso de la cueva de Arlanpe (Bizkaia) en época tardorromana

The late Roman (4th century AD) archaeological materials from Arlanpe cave (Lemoa, Bizkaia) are presented in this paper. They are shards of Samian ware and Roman common pottery, glass fragments, metallic objects, animal remains, etc., which were found inside two pits dug into the ground of the cavity. Both of these structures are interpreted as “offering pits” related to some kind of magical-religious ritual of pagan origin.En este trabajo se presentan los materiales arqueológicos tardorromanos (siglo IV d.C.) de la cueva de Arlanpe (Lemoa, Bizkaia). Se trata de fragmentos de terra sigillata y de cerámica común romana, vidrios, objetos metálicos, restos de fauna, etc., que fueron encontrados en el interior de dos fosas excavadas en el suelo de la cavidad. Ambas estructuras son interpretadas como “fosas de ofrendas” y se relacionan con algún tipo de ritual mágico-religioso de origen pagano