The demography of the Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers of Southwestern France: A multi-proxy approach using archaeological data

Demographic change is increasingly cited as an explanation for many of the patterns seen in the Palaeolithic archaeological record, following the assumption of a relationship between population size and material culture espoused by dual inheritance theory. However, the empirical testing of this relationship relies on the ability to extract information about past population patterns from the archaeological record. Using the extensive and well-studied record of the Upper Palaeolithic (∼39,500–11,500 cal BP) hunter–gatherers of Southwestern France as a case-study, this paper compares the evidence for changes in relative population size as seen in three popular archaeological proxies for demographic change (site counts, site sizes, and occupation intensity estimates). These proxies present conflicting results across the sequence; a finding which is explored through the impact of taphonomic biases and past research agendas. Numbers of sheltered sites and quantities of retouched stone tools are suggested to be the most reliable demographic proxies. The problem of equifinality of interpretation in archaeological proxies for demography is examined for the Aurignacian and Gravettian periods in the region, with changes in lithic raw material, faunal acquisition strategies, and hunter–gatherer mobility all potentially contributing to the patterns documented.This research was funded by a Research Fellowship at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge and an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Doctoral Studentship.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2015.04.00

Demography and the Palaeolithic Archaeological Record

Demographic change has recently re-emerged as a key explanation for socio-cultural changes documented in the prehistoric archaeological record. While the majority of studies of Pleistocene demography have been conducted by geneticists, the archaeological records of the Palaeolithic should not be ignored as a source of data on past population trends. This paper forms both a comprehensive synthesis and the first critical review of current archaeological research into Palaeolithic demography. Within prevailing archaeological frameworks of dual inheritance theory and human behavioural ecology, I review the ways in which demographic change has been used as an explanatory concept within Palaeolithic archaeology. I identify and discuss three main research areas which have benefitted from a demographic approach to socio-cultural change: (1) technological stasis in the Lower Palaeolithic, (2) the Neanderthal-Homo sapiens transition in Europe and (3) the emergence of behavioural modernity. I then address the ways in which palaeodemographic methods have been applied to Palaeolithic datasets, considering both general methodological concerns and the challenges specific to this time period. Finally, I discuss the ability of ethnographic analogy to aid research into Palaeolithic demography.Funding for this research was provided by an Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) Doctoral Studentship and a Peterhouse (University of Cambridge, UK) Research Fellowship.This is the accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10816-014-9237-

The use of ethnographic data in Neanderthal archaeological research: recent trends and their interpretative implications

Archaeologists frequently use ethnographic data on recent hunter-gatherers to interpret and analyse data from prehistoric groups. This use of ethnographic data is not limited to the archaeology of Homo sapiens, but also to that of archaic hominins. In this article, I examine how archaeologists use ethnographic data in their research on Neanderthals. An analysis of articles published in five international journals in the ‘genomic era’ of Neanderthal research (post-2010) shows that while not ubiquitous, many archaeologists use ethnographic data to interpret a range of Neanderthal behaviours. Several key patterns in the use of ethnographic data are identified, including limited engagement with ethnographic sources, the frequent use of data to substantiate a claim, or ‘fill in the gaps’ of a sparse archaeological record, and little acknowledgement of the problems or limitations of the application of these data to Neanderthal contexts. These practices may reflect the current trend in Neanderthal research which emphasises similarities with early Homo sapiens, and takes for granted the appropriateness of analogues with recent foragers. I argue that the prevailing use of ethnographic data does not account adequately for biological and cognitive differences between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. I demonstrate this using the example of the effects of Neanderthal biology on demography and mobility and provide some recommendations for best practice of the use of ethnographic data in Neanderthal archaeological research

Upper Palaeolithic population histories of Southwestern France: A comparison of the demographic signatures of ¹⁴C date distributions and archaeological site counts

Radiocarbon date frequency distributions and archaeological site counts are two popular proxies used to investigate prehistoric demography, following the assumption that variations in these data reflect fluctuations in the relative size and distribution of past populations. However, the two approaches are rarely applied to the same data-set and their applicability is heavily conditioned by the archaeological record in question, particularly research histories, agendas, and funding availability. In this paper we use both types of data to examine the population history of the Upper Palaeolithic hunteregatherers (~40 000e12 000 cal BP) of Southwestern France, comparing the demographic signatures generated. Both proxies produce similar signatures across the Upper Palaeolithic sequence of the region, strengthening the interpretation of relative demographic changes as the cause of the pattern. In particular, a marked population decline is seen in both datasets during the Late Gravettian (~28 000 cal BP), as well as a population increase in the Late Solutrean (~25 000 cal BP) supporting the notion that the region acted as a population refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum. Where the two proxies diverge in the demographic signatures they produce, the radiocarbon date distribution shows peaks compared to troughs in site counts; the opposite pattern expected given taphonomic issues surrounding cultural carbon. Despite differences in chronological resolution and sampling bias, our data suggest that the two proxies can be considered broadly equivalent; a finding which warrants the investigation of prehistoric demography in regions where either extensive survey data or radiometric dating programmes are unavailable. While some preliminary observations are made, the impact of changing mobility on diachronic patterns seen in both proxies remains, however, difficult to assess.This research was funded by an AHRC Doctoral Studentship and a Research Fellowship at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge (JCF) and a University of Sheffield Doctoral Studentship (CC). Thanks to Andrew Chamberlain, Robert Foley, Matt Grove, Robert Kelly, Paul Mellars, Stephen Shennan, James Steele, and Todd Surovell for useful discussions on the ideas covered in this paper and/or comments on earlier drafts. We also thank three anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly improved the manuscript. All errors and omissions are our own.This is the final version of the article. It was originally published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 55, March 2015, Pages 122–134, doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2015.01.00

The shifting narrative of uncertainty: a case for the coherent and consistent consideration of uncertainty in forensic science

This review of academic, policy and case law materials identifies current challenges in reaching a coherent understanding of uncertainty in forensic science in terms of articulating a definition, and the types and characteristics of uncertainty. It is identified that there is a shifting narrative characterized by a move from avoiding uncertainty, towards an increasing awareness of its complexity and acceptance of its unavoidable and ineliminable nature at every stage of the forensic science process. Despite this shift, there is still significant progress to be made in order to reach the requisite level of clarity in how uncertainty is understood and conceptualized for the purposes of developing more holistic and effective frameworks for its evaluation and reporting. This review sets out a basis for developing a coherent and consistent understanding of uncertainty in forensic science across institutions and stakeholders

Archaeological demography as a tool for the study of women and gender in the past

In the last 20 years, demography has re-emerged as a key research area within archaeology. This research has refined archaeological demographic methods and examined the relationships between demographic, cultural and environmental change. Here, I discuss how the results of the growing corpus of archaeological demographic studies can contribute to gender archaeology, aiding the incorporation of women into narratives of the past. By considering the important role of women in the demographic regimes of small-scale societies, I explain how archaeological demography can provide insights into the behaviour and lives of women, without relying on the often problematic identification of gendered artefacts, activities and/or places. Archaeological demography as a tool for gender archaeology also permits a move away from the female empiricism of simply adding women into archaeological narratives, to provide an alternative framework for the analysis of gender roles and practices. I demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of this approach using an example from the Upper Palaeolithic of southwestern France

The reincorporation and redistribution of trace geoforensic particulates on clothing: An introductory study

Two experimental studies were undertaken to investigate the processes of reincorporation and redistribution of trace evidence on garments when worn by a suspect or a victim ( reincorporation) or after the garments have been seized and packaged for subsequent forensic analysis (redistribution). The first experiment utilised UV powder, an established proxy for geoforensic trace particulates and the second experiment utilised daffodil pollen transferred onto garments under conditions that mimicked forensic reality. It was demonstrated that reincorporation of trace particulates occurs from upper to lower parts of the same garment and also from upper garments to lower garments. Reincorporation also occurred to all areas of the lower garments, however the highest concentration of particulates was found to be the lap area of the jeans. Particulates also tended to be preserved around technical details such as stitching or relief design features of the garments. Thus the decay of particulates after a contact has been made does not necessarily involve a loss of those particulates from the entire system. These findings have implications for the interpretation of trace evidence when seeking to establish the source of initial contacts or the chronology of pertinent events. The second study demonstrated that folding and packaging items of clothing leads to a redistribution of any trace particulate evidence that is present thereby eliciting an alteration in the spatial distribution of that evidence. There is therefore a necessity to take the context of trace evidence into account and also to follow protocols that are sensitive to these aspects of trace evidence behaviour as a failure to do so may have consequences for the correct interpretation of such evidence. (c) 2010 Forensic Science Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Simulating forensic casework scenarios in experimental studies: The generation of footwear marks in blood

A study was designed to investigate the effects of external variables, including blood type, flooring surface, footwear tread depth and blood dryness, on the appearance of blood-based footwear marks, with particular reference to simulating a specific casework scenario. Results showed that footwear marks left in human blood tended to be of greater quality than those in equine blood, highlighting a potential issue in applying data generated with equine blood to human bloodstains in casework. Footwear tread effects were also dependent on blood type, but the type of flooring surface did not affect the appearance of the mark. Under some conditions, as the blood dried, the amount of detail retained from footwear contact decreased. These results provide the beginnings of an empirical evidence base to allow a more accurate interpretation of blood-based footwear marks in forensic casework. When applied to a disputed bloodstain in a specific case, these results also demonstrate the importance of such experiments in narrowing the range of explanations possible in the interpretation of forensic evidence

An experimental investigation of the indirect transfer and deposition of gunshot residue: further studies carried out with SEM-EDX analysis

Experiments were undertaken in order to explore the potential for gunshot residue (GSR) particles to undergo tertiary transfer, and to be deposited on individuals in the vicinity of a firearm discharge. Samples were taken from hands following a series of test-firings. SEM-EDX with automated detection and analysis software was used to determine the presence of GSR on these samples. As many as 22 particles were found to have undergone tertiary transfer via a series of handshakes following a firearm discharge. In one run, a particle measuring 49.19 μm was recovered from a tertiary transfer recipient. Significant numbers of particles were also recovered from bystanders, with as many as 36 being detected on a sample taken from an individual who was in the proximity of a firearm discharge. The implications of these observations for forensic investigations are considered. In particular, the need to prevent unwanted transfer during the collection phase is highlighted, and the importance of acknowledging the possibility of secondary and tertiary transfers when reconstructing firearms incidents is also stressed. Experimental studies offer a means of improving our understanding of the dynamics of GSR transfer and deposition, and assisting the forensic reconstruction of firearms incidents