The late persistence of the Middle Palaeolithic and Neandertals in Iberia: A review of the evidence for and against the “Ebro Frontier” model

In the Franco-Cantabrian region and Catalonia, the Upper Palaeolithic begins with three assemblage-types found in stratigraphic order through the interval between 45,000 and 37,000 years ago: the Châtelperronian, the Protoaurignacian, and the Early Aurignacian. A stone tool, the Châtelperron point, and a bone tool, the split-based point, are index fossils of the first and the last, respectively, but neither was ever found elsewhere in Iberia. This observation triggered the proposition that, in regions situated to the south of the River Ebro drainage, the Middle Palaeolithic persisted until the time when the Early Aurignacian gave way to the Evolved Aurignacian, which is documented across all of Iberia by assemblages containing its index fossil, the Roc-de-Combe bladelet. Put forth thirty years ago, this Ebro Frontier model found support in the little radiometric evidence then available. Since, it has been shown that most apparently late occurrences of the Middle Palaeolithic were an artefact of dating error, caused by incomplete decontamination of radiocarbon dating samples, while claims have surfaced for the Early Aurignacian to be more widespread than hitherto thought. While the validity of Ebro Frontier's premises has thereby been called into question, continued support for the model is provided by the excavation of new sites, the re-excavation of old ones, the application of luminescence techniques, and the radiocarbon dating of robustly pre-treated samples. Moreover, and highlighting the key role that site formation process and taphonomy continue to play in ongoing controversies, issues of association between the samples and what they are supposed to date cast doubt on the two key claims for the presence of the Early Aurignacian in Andalusia and Portugal. Along with the Iberian System range, the Cantabro-Pyrenean cordillera represents a formidable physical obstacle to travel and communication, potentially enhanced during Last Glacial times because of rapid and major fluctuations in aridity, glacier extent, and plant cover. This barrier effect underpins the divergent culture-historical trajectories that we see unfolding at various times during the Upper Pleistocene. Beyond the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition, a well-known case in point is the interval between 20,000 and 22,000 years ago, during which the Badegoulian and the Initial Magdalenian of France and northern Spain developed in parallel with facies of the Upper Solutrean and the Solutreo-gravettian then persisting across all Iberian regions situated between Valencia and Portugal. Given known associations between technocomplexes and human types, these regions' Late Mousterian can be taken as a proxy for the persistence of Neandertal populations, and therefore constitutes a case study of choice for analyses of the variation in the intensity and frequency of biological and cultural interactions among low-density, small-scale populations of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers. Such analyses have implications for models of the spread of genes, populations, and ideas in the course of Human Evolution, which would greatly benefit from due consideration of the issues of historical contingency that the Iberian evidence sheds much light on.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Early use of marine resources by Middle/Upper Pleistocene human societies: The case of Benzú rockshelter (northern Africa)

This article examines the role played by marine resources for hunter-gatherer groups of the Middle/ Upper Pleistocenein the geohistorical regionaround the Straitsof Gibraltar, onthe basisof newevidence collected at the rock shelter of Benzú (North Africa). The stratigraphic sequence at Benzú has been dated to between 254 and 70 ka. The excavations have revealed the exploitation of marine gastropods and bivalves, alongside fish. The most common taxon in the sequence is the genus Patella. The analysis of the molluscs and their spatial distribution shows that these animals were purposely collected by humans, probably as a food source. In order to contribute to the debate about the origins and scale of the exploitation of marine resources during the Middle and Upper Pleistocene, the evidence collected at Benzú is interpreted within the broader context of North Africa and southern Europe. The similarity of groups of Homo sapiens sapiens in North Africa and Homo sapiens neanderthalensis in southern Europe in terms of lifestyle and subsistence strategies is interpreted as reflecting equally similar social and economic practices, in spite of the diversity of anthropological perspectives on the relationship between humans and the environment currently in vogue

Quartz use in the absence of flint: Middle and Upper Palaeolithic raw material economy in the C^oa Valley (North-eastern Portugal)

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ramification of lithic production and the search of small tools in Iberian Peninsula Middle Paleolithic

The notion of recycling and it relationship with ramified productions and small tool production in Late Middle Paleolithic from the Iberian Peninsula are investigated. Results from Amalda, Axlor, Pe~na Miel, and Quebrada show that the production of small tools is one of the principal objectives of lithic provisioning in these sites. Whereas in Axlor and Amalda, this is achieved through the ramification of production, due to the remoteness of flint sources, in Quebrada, where raw material sources are closer, small flakes are obtained at the end of Levallois production. The implications for Neandertal society organization of this small tool production is discussed, and its evolution is observed from a diachronic perspective

A new chronological framework and site formation history for Cova del Gegant (Barcelona): Implications for Neanderthal and Anatomically Modern Human occupation of NE Iberian Peninsula

The chronological framework for Neanderthal occupation and demise across Europe continues to be debated. In particular, there is still uncertainty regarding the nature, timing and regional expressions of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition associated with the disappearance of Neanderthals and the broader expansion of modern human populations in Europe around 42e40 thousand years ago (ka). The geographical and chronological distribution of Neanderthal populations also remains difficult to evaluate owing to the practical challenges of directly dating human fossils at many sites, and the fact that a large proportion of Neanderthals sites lie close to, or well-beyond, the limits of radiocarbon dating. Cova del Gegant e one of the few sites in north-eastern Iberian Peninsula to yield Neanderthal fossil remains, associated Mousterian archaeological layers, and occupations related to the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic transition e is a key locality for informing these ongoing debates. Here we provide a comprehensive chronological framework for the Cova del Gegant site using multiple radiometric dating techniques (uranium-thorium (UeTh), radiocarbon and luminescence dating), sedimentological and micromorphological analyses, and Bayesian modelling. This integrated chronostratigraphic approach enables us to reliably reconstruct site formation processes and history, and undertake improved correlations with other sites regionally. The results allow us to sub-divide the Cova del Gegant sequence into three sections spanning ~94 ka to ~32 ka, namely: a Middle Palaeolithic sequence covering ~94e59 ka, a Châtelperronian/Aurignacian section spanning ~43e39 ka, and a Late Aurignacian/Gravettian section spanning ~34e32 ka. The Neanderthal fossil remains accumulated in the cave between the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5/MIS 4 and the beginning of MIS 3, during two different events dated to ~72e67 ka and ~60e52 ka. The chronological framework for Cova del Gegant is in accordance with that reported for other Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites in north-eastern Iberian Peninsula, and reveals a record of successive human occupation coinciding with a period of progressive global cooling and lowering sea levels (end of MIS 5 through to MIS 2). Sedimentological evidence points to the emergence of a coastal platform in front of the cave and indicates that local palaeoenvironmental conditions likely benefited human displacements along the littoral margin, and favoured repeated occupation of the cave during the Late Pleistocene

A Common Genetic Origin for Early Farmers from Mediterranean Cardial and Central European LBK Cultures

The spread of farming out of the Balkans and into the rest of Europe followed two distinct routes: An initial expansión represented by the Impressa and Cardial traditions, which followed the Northern Mediterranean coastline; and another expansion represented by the LBK (Linearbandkeramik) tradition, which followed the Danube River into Central Europe. Although genomic data now exist from samples representing the second migration, such data have yet to be successfully generated from the initial Mediterranean migration. To address this, we generated the complete genome of a 7,400-yearold Cardial individual (CB13) from Cova Bonica in Vallirana (Barcelona), as well as partial nuclear data from five others excavated from different sites in Spain and Portugal. CB13 clusters with all previously sequenced early European farmers and modern-day Sardinians. Furthermore, our analyses suggest that both Cardial and LBK peoples derived from a common ancient population located in or around the Balkan Peninsula. The Iberian Cardial genome also carries a discernible huntergatherer genetic signature that likely was not acquired by admixture with local Iberian foragers. Our results indicate that retrieving ancient genomes from similarly warm Mediterranean environments such as the Near East is technically feasible

Tar adhesives, Neandertals, and the tyranny of the discontinuous mind

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Common Genetic Origin for Early Farmers from Mediterranean Cardial and Central European LBK Cultures

Olalde, Iñigo et al.The spread of farming out of the Balkans and into the rest of Europe followed two distinct routes: An initial expansion represented by the Impressa and Cardial traditions, which followed the Northern Mediterranean coastline; and another expansion represented by the LBK (Linearbandkeramik) tradition, which followed the Danube River into Central Europe. Although genomic data now exist from samples representing the second migration, such data have yet to be successfully generated from the initial Mediterranean migration. To address this, we generated the complete genome of a 7,400-year-old Cardial individual (CB13) from Cova Bonica in Vallirana (Barcelona), as well as partial nuclear data from five others excavated from different sites in Spain and Portugal. CB13 clusters with all previously sequenced early European farmers and modern-day Sardinians. Furthermore, our analyses suggest that both Cardial and LBK peoples derived from a common ancient population located in or around the Balkan Peninsula. The Iberian Cardial genome also carries a discernible hunter–gatherer genetic signature that likely was not acquired by admixture with local Iberian foragers. Our results indicate that retrieving ancient genomes from similarly warm Mediterranean environments such as the Near East is technically feasible.The Centre for GeoGenetics is funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF94). Cova Bonica work is supported by Servei d’Arqueologia i Paleontologia (2014/100639), Generalitat de Catalunya (2014SGR-108), and Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (HAR2011-26193) projects. H.S. was supported by an ERC Synergy Grant (FP7/2007-2013/319209); C.L.-F. by a FEDER and Spanish Government Grant BFU2012-34157; and S.C. by a grant 2014 SGR 464 from Departament d’Economia i Coneixement (Generalitat de Catalunya). D.C.S-G. acknowledges support from the Generalitat Valenciana (VALi + d APOSTD/2014/123), the BBVA Foundation (I Ayudas a Investigadores, Innovadores y Creadores Culturales), and the European Union (FP7/2007-2013—MSCA-COFUND, no. 245743 via a Braudel-IFER-FMSH). I.O. was funded by a predoctoral fellowship from the Basque Government (DEUI), and M.S. and J.D. by postdoctoral grants from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and Juan de la Cierva Subprogram (JCI-2011-09543), respectively.Peer reviewe

The last Neanderthal

National Academy of Science