Early Late Pleistocene environments in Northeast Africa and their relevance for Anatomically Modern Human dispersal

The history of humanity and the occupation of humans of the entire earth is a major scientific topic in various research disciplines, but also a subject of broad interest for the society. Thereby, research on the migration of Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH) has arisen in various specialised sub-disciplines of natural sciences (e.g. physical geography, geology, palaeoclimatology, etc.), but also in social sciences (e.g. archaeology, anthropology, ethnology, etc.). The complexity of the subjects involved has both opportunities and challenges, but only the integration of natural and social sciences comprises the ability to answer questions about the natural and cultural context for the spread of our species. One of the important research questions that still exist is the dispersal of AMH in Northeast Africa into the southern Levant and Southwest Asia. On the one hand, this region provides the only full terrestrial migration route Out of Africa that exists since the first appearance of AMH. On the other hand, it is part of the Saharo-Arabian Desert belt, where human occupation was mostly limited due to hyper-arid climate conditions. Therefore, the identification of palaeoenvironmental changes throughout the Late Pleistocene are crucial, as they provide the possibility for humans to occupy and disperse in this region when climate conditions were more favourable. One important aspect of this study is the discussion of all results not only from a geoscientific perspective, but also within the ambiguity of other research disciplines involved. It is identified, that perspectives about spatial and temporal scale strongly differ between archaeology and geoscience and need to be overcome. Only an integrative approach accomplish for a better understanding of past human-environment interactions with their relevance for AMH dispersal, as it is a prime example where scale issues are very relevant. A proposed schema for a more precise consideration for spatial scales is given, based on the classification of different relief types, which sizes are integrated into research topics in archaeology. Even though, the spatial scale of daily activities, mobility pattern and large scale dispersal of humans are far from being define, the schema helps within interdisciplinary research as common language and to bridge different perspective about what are large and small scales. The main importance of scale related issues is also reflected by the investigated study areas. The integration of field-based research at Gebel Duwi in the Eastern Desert and the analyses of a GIS-based reconstruction of the environment in Egypt aim together to give new insights into possible windows of opportunities for AMH dispersal in Northeast Africa. The synthesis of a PalaeoMap for Egypt during the Last Interglacial identifies several regional differences based on the analyses of climate data, ecozones, relief types, drainage systems, and surface geology with focus on raw material bearing formations. There exist no environmental limitations for human occupation over almost all regions in Egypt during the Last Interglacial in general. Regional ecozones are mapped with the semi-quantitative integration of modern analogues with annual precipitation and Köppen-Geiger climate during the Last Interglacial. They point to a high regional variability in Egypt. In addition, abiotic parameter like geology and topography fabricate a more sophisticated characterisation of possible difference landscapes in Egypt where humans were influenced. The Western Desert has a more limited access to flint and chert bearing strata as important raw material for hunter-gatherers in comparison to the Eastern Desert and the Sinai Peninsula. The data compilation highlights, that the understanding of environmental factors influencing human behaviour is better achieved with a cumulative approach of parameters, although it has more uncertainties in comparison to highlight one detailed investigated parameter. It avoids an one-way interpretation, where only one parameter, even though more detailed, is seen as the main trigger for human dispersal. The investigations from the area at Gebel Duwi provide new results for palaeoenvironmental changes and wetter climate during the Last Interglacial and Holocene. The sediment stratigraphy of Sodmein Playa indicates enhanced climate conditions at around 9 and 7.5 ka, which correlates with human occupation at Sodmein Cave during wetter climate phases of the Holocene. The dating of speleothem deposits at Saquia Cave show the presence of more humid climate conditions during MIS 5 and provide an important new climate archive in the Eastern Desert, but also for the Saharo-Arabian-Desert in general. All phases can be linked to the so far known times of human occupation at the nearby Sodmein Cave during this time. The fact that speleothem growth phases occur over all substages of MIS 5, not only during times of high insolation and a congruent northward migration of the monsoon, but also during phases of low insolation, indicates the significance of a regional climate archive. It provides a more detailed insight into wetter climate phases, as they can be derived from large scale proxy records as for example marine records or climate modelling. Several possible sources of enhanced rainfall in the Eastern Desert are discussed, where the proximity to the Red Sea and orographic rainfall in the Red Sea Mountains lead to regional differences and might trigger a more humid corridor in the Eastern Desert in comparison to other regions in Egypt. The observations noted by field investigations for the correlation between the importance of regions with wadis draining flint and chert bearing geological strata is mapped with the given data at larger scale. It exemplifies the up- and downscaling of parameters in scale. The importance of the Eastern Desert as possible migration corridor is derived from the integration of the results from the PalaeoMap, field results, and integration of the over regional context. Here, the understanding of this region is still insufficient, but the synthesis of all results highlights this region as one of the key area for human migration Out of Africa

Animation of rainfall in southern Africa 2006-04-15 to 2006-04-23

The general atmospheric conditions and in southern Africa at the time period between April 15, to April 23, 2006 are collected based on weather data after BEHRENDT & MAHLKE, which are freely available on the database www.wetter3.de. It is focusing on the accumulated precipitation and general pressure areas in the period between 15.04.2006 - 00 UTC to 23.04.2006 - 12 UTC, which were divided into six hours intervals. This results in the definition of 35 discrete time slices. Six-hour accumulation of precipitation (left) and 500hPa Geopotential Height, Surface Level Pressure, Relative Topography H500-H1000 (right) (datasource: Behrendt & Mahlke 2006). 35 time slices (0-6-12-18 UTC) between 15.04.2006 00 UTC to 23.04.2006 UTC ---- Behrendt, R. & Mahlke, H. (2006). Six-hour accumulation of precipitation and 500hPa Geopotential Height & Surface Level Pressure, Relative Topography H500-H1000. http://www1.wetter3.de/archiv_gfs_en.html (accessed 17 January 2018

Palaeohydrology and its impact on groundwater in arid environments: Gebel Duwi and its vicinities, Eastern Desert, Egypt

From ancient times, access to water in arid and hyper-arid regions has been crucial for life. Increased knowledge about groundwater conditions is therefore extremely important for the future development of desert areas. Gebel Duwi, a limestone ridge, sited in the today hyper-arid Eastern Desert of Egypt, was chosen for testing current hypotheses concerning the interdependence of palaeohydrologic features and geologic settings for groundwater investigations. Two sub-basins are identified in affecting Gebel Duwi: Wadi Nakheil and Wadi Sodmein. Both have extraordinary high stream order, indicating the reality of a very old drainage system. Several additional palaeohydrologic features such as wadi terraces, alluvial fans, and playa deposits are also recorded in these sub-basins. These features, as well as finds from an important archaeological site (Sodmein Cave), provide information about palaeoenvironmental changes and wetter climatic periods in the younger geologic past, mainly in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, which have affected the occurrence of present day groundwater. This study combines new results of geological and geomorphological field studies, examinations of digital elevation models, as well as of rock and water analyses in an integrated approach. Resulting maps comprise landforms, lithology, elevation, drainage lines slope, structural lineaments and flow directions. The hydrogeologic condition indicates suitable locations for groundwater recharge and accumulation. The research presented is interdisciplinary in approach and is recommended for future studies with regard to groundwater exploration, sustainable groundwater use, and the protection of archaeological sites in arid lands

Impacts of extreme rainfalls in the year 2006 to the vegetation cover on different geomorphological units of the central Kaukausib catchment, southern Namib Desert (Namibia)

The dynamic and tempo-spatial development of land cover changes focussing on vegetation development as a result of extraordinary rainfalls in the hyper-arid southern Namib Desert in 2006 is analysed through the use of mid-scale remote sensing satellite imagery (Landsat 5) and the derivation of two vegetation indexes (NDVI & MSAVI2). Interpretation is supported by the analysis of morphometric parameters of the landscape derived from a Digital Elevation Model (Aster GDEM v2). Archived climate weather maps provide meteorological information of the synoptic situation of the atmosphere, forcing strong rainfalls in the southern Namib Desert between April 16 to 22, 2006. The results show, that rainfall was triggered by an Cut-off-Low from the temperate climate system of southern Africa reaching unusually far north and a Temperate Tropical Trough reaching unusually far south at the same time. Vegetation density vitality has its maximum three months after the strong rainfall, where in some regions of the study area a rather dense cover of annual and ephemeral grass occurred. In addition to intense changes in vegetation cover, the Anib and Arasab pans as part of the Kaukausib catchment were flooded for several months. The tripartite approach integrating meteorological, morphometric and biological aspects allows us to use this case study as one of the very rare opportunities to study regional scale vegetation changes in a hyper-arid area by the use of remote sensing techniques. Evidences for a recurrence of this phenomenon during the last 30 years in this region based on the study of archived data show that they have an interval between 5-11 years. Although the region gets mean annual average precipitation of less than 50 mm, it shows that these strong rainfalls are a common feature and might have a high significance for the regional and over-regional ecosystems. The understanding of this is very important, as the southwestern part of Namibia marks the critical boundary zone of sub-tropical to temperate frontal zones and is therefore a highly sensitive region with regard to climate changes and past circulation patterns, but also to predict future situations

At the lakeshore - An Early Nubian Complex site linked with lacustrine sediments (Eastern Desert, Egypt)

Open-air sites dating to the Pleistocene are very rare in the Eastern Desert of Egypt due to the often erosive hyper-arid landscape and its highly geomorphological dynamics. But information retrieved from such sites is also important for an enhanced understanding of the Middle Stone Age in Northeast Africa, though open-air sites present challenges of their own in comparison with cave sites. During an archaeological survey conducted by the universities of Cologne and Leuven, such a new open-air site associated with Pleistocene lacustrine deposits in close proximity to the Sodmein Cave was discovered. The recorded lithic artefacts, which eroded out of the sediments, can be attributed to the Middle Stone Age (MSA). Several Nubian type 2 cores assigned this assemblage most likely to the Early Nubian Complex. Together with the stone artefact material from the lowest layer J at the nearby Sodmein Cave, this new open-air site clearly establishes the presence of the Early Nubian Complex in the region east of the Nile. Although chronometric dating of the Pleistocene playa silts is in progress, the Early Nubian Complex can be correlated, according to the Northeast African chronological evidence, to the Last Interglacial. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved

Anthropogenic relief changes in a long-lasting lignite mining area ('Ville', Germany) derived from historic maps and digital elevation models

Humans constitute one of the main geomorphological agents in modern times. As an example, post-mining regions represent a typical landscape of the Anthropocene. Strong relief modifications are particularly obvious with open pit mining. However, many existing mining areas are lacking detailed pre-mining information for the quantification of anthropogenic relief changes, which is a considerable challenge in regions with historic mining activities. Here, the Ville (Rhenish lignite district, Germany) is used to quantify surface mining induced relief changes in one of the oldest and currently largest lignite districts in Europe. Historical maps from first geodetic mapping in 1893 enabled construction of a historic digital elevation model to quantify the relief changes in comparison to elevation data from 2000 and 2015. The vertical accuracy of the historic data is remarkably high, with relief differences < 2 m in areas not affected by mining. In total, 49.2% of the investigated area (184 km(2)) shows a relief deficit and 14.5% has positive relief differences. Absolute changes account for more than 80 m heightening (dumpsites of overburden) and lowering of the natural relief (pits). Besides these altitudinal changes, overall steeper slopes are significant for the new topography, but levelling exists likewise. The spatial variabilities are discussed in the context of the regional geology and the mining techniques. Undoubtedly, such large-scale anthropogenic relief changes persist for a very long time and will last as a human legacy far into the future. Only the detailed reconstruction of the pre-mining relief offers the ability to clarify the dimension of humans as geomorphological agents and to understand landscape perception. Due to the fact that the impact of open pit mining has such a large vertical and horizontal extension, their consideration as part of anthropogeomorphology can significantly contribute to support future Critical Zone research in the Anthropocene

Anthropogenic fire fingerprints in Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediments of Sodmein Cave, Egypt

Sodmein Cave in Egypt is an exceptional archive for the study of past human behavior and anthropogenic fire history. Stratified remains of human occupation were excavated, ranging from the Middle Stone Age to the Neolithic. Hearths were repeatedly detected throughout the stratigraphy, with the lowest Pleistocene level having particularly large fire pits. This study is the first to apply a black carbon (BC) method on sediments bearing archaeology from the last 120,000 years. The method oxidizes BC to benzene polycarboxylic acids (BPCA) as a proxy for fire residue input. We detected significant changes in BC amounts throughout the stratigraphy; the highest contents in the form of two distinctive peaks were found in samples corresponding to the beginning of the Late Pleistocene (3.3 and 2.2 g BC kg(-1), respectively), indicating frequent burning. In the overlying layers, BC remained low (on average: 0.2 g BC kg(-1)) until the beginning of the Holocene, when contents increased, and human influence became visible again (1.7 g BC kg(-1)). Also, BPCA composition as a proxy for changes in fire temperature changed significantly over the stratigraphy. In the Pleistocene, residues of hotter fires were predominantly found, while the Holocene was characterised by a change to low-temperature fires. Variations in BC input and source are in agreement with the archaeological results, demonstrating the varying intensities and recurrence of human visits to the shelter during the last 120,000 years, but also show the potential to resolve different phases of human occupation more finely, when the archaeological findings are accompanied by geochemical BC analyses

Auf der Spur der Menschen vor 80.000 Jahren

Was wissen wir über die ersten Wanderungsbewegungen unserer Vorfahren, die vor 80.000 bis 60.000 Jahren lebten? Ergebnisse aus Geographie, Archäologie und Ethnologie fließen in diese Graphic Novel ein. Basierend auf wissenschaftlichen Rekonstruktionen wird die fiktive Geschichte der jungen Aluru erzählt. Aluru begibt sich auf eine lange Reise – aus dem afrikanischen Rift Valley bis zur arabischen Halbinsel. Dabei durchwandert sie verschiedene Landschaften und Klimazonen, begegnet anderen Menschengruppen und muss sich immer wieder neu orientieren und behaupten. Begleitet wird die Comicgeschichte durch Sachkommentare; darin wird dargestellt, was wir über diese Periode der Altsteinzeit wissen, was wir vermuten – und was wir nicht wissen. So können sich alle Leser:innen ein eigenes Bild einer lang vergangenen Zeit machen

New light on the Middle Palaeolithic quartzite extraction site Troisdorf-Ravensberg.

New excavations carried out in 2015 at the Middle Palaeolithic site of Troisdorf-Ravensberg shed light on an otherwise rather elusive component of early human everyday life: the exploitation mechanisms of a natural primary quartzite outcrop with the aim of further use in the production of lithic artefacts. Although the site has been known for a long time, detailed investigations on stratigraphy, dating and technological behaviour were lacking. It could be demonstrated that the finds were relocated to their present position in the Late Glacial as part of post-sedimentary repositioning processes. Neandertals selected here natural blocks and frost sherds and processed them with little effort applying various concepts/methods. Based on typological and taphonomic arguments, the inventory is to be addressed as Mousterian with Micoquian-Option-B