Multidisciplinary analysis including paleomagnetic, sedimentologic, sea-level change, luminescenc... more Multidisciplinary analysis including paleomagnetic, sedimentologic, sea-level change, luminescence dating and palynologic research was performed on a 25 m long orientated core taken at Rutten, close to Eemian key localities in the Netherlands. The main goal of our research was to test a possible delayed onset of temperate conditions in this region compared to Southern Europe, occurring within the Last Interglacial. The sediments revealed the presence of the paleomagnetic Blake Event in ca. 10 meters of lower-deltaic floodbasin sediments that contain a pollen record covering the Eemian. The position of the Blake Event in relation to the pollen stratigraphy concurs with the earlier studied Neumark Nord 2 site. Paleomagnetic correlation to core MD95-2042 off SW Iberia indicates ca. 5 kyr diachroneity between the pollen-based onset of temperate interglacial conditions between northern and southern Europe. The onset of the Eemian in north-western and central Europe (ca. 121.0 ka) post-dates the Marine Isotope Stage 6/5e transition by ca. 10 kyr. In addition, the Rutten data provide evidence for a relatively long duration of the Blake Event of at least 8 kyr. The late onset of the temperate conditions that define the base of the Eemian, imply that NW Europe with the Eemian type area is not the most suited region to define the beginning of the Last Interglacial and Late Pleistocene for global chronostratigraphic use.
Slimak et al.(Reports, 13 May 2011, p. 841) reanalyzed the lithic assemblage from the northern si... more Slimak et al.(Reports, 13 May 2011, p. 841) reanalyzed the lithic assemblage from the northern site of Byzovaya (Russia) and concluded that it was Mousterian and produced by Neandertals. The previous interpretation of this assemblage as falling within Early ...
The relatively shallow southern North Sea is one of the most productive Pleistocene fossils beari... more The relatively shallow southern North Sea is one of the most productive Pleistocene fossils bearing localities. Perhaps the most spectacular find thus far is a fragment of a Neanderthal skull. Unfortunately, it lacked a stratigraphical context and that applies to most of the finds retrieved. The North Sea Neanderthal project was therefore started with the aim to provide a better stratigraphical context for archaeological and palaeontological finds. Northwestern Europe was at the edge of the living range of hominins during major parts of the ...
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences, 2012
The use of manganese and iron oxides by late Neandertals is well documented in Europe, especially... more The use of manganese and iron oxides by late Neandertals is well documented in Europe, especially for the period 60–40 kya. Such finds often have been interpreted as pigments even though their exact function is largely unknown. Here we report significantly older iron oxide finds that constitute the earliest documented use of red ochre by Neandertals. These finds were small
... Search Leiden Repository This Collection. Palaeoenvironment and settlement patterns of the No... more ... Search Leiden Repository This Collection. Palaeoenvironment and settlement patterns of the Northwest Europe¬an Middle Palaeolithic. Leiden Repository. Palaeoenvironment andsettlement patterns of the Northwest Europe¬an Middle Palaeolithic. ...
Multidisciplinary analysis including paleomagnetic, sedimentologic, sea-level change, luminescenc... more Multidisciplinary analysis including paleomagnetic, sedimentologic, sea-level change, luminescence dating and palynologic research was performed on a 25 m long orientated core taken at Rutten, close to Eemian key localities in the Netherlands. The main goal of our research was to test a possible delayed onset of temperate conditions in this region compared to Southern Europe, occurring within the Last Interglacial. The sediments revealed the presence of the paleomagnetic Blake Event in ca. 10 meters of lower-deltaic floodbasin sediments that contain a pollen record covering the Eemian. The position of the Blake Event in relation to the pollen stratigraphy concurs with the earlier studied Neumark Nord 2 site. Paleomagnetic correlation to core MD95-2042 off SW Iberia indicates ca. 5 kyr diachroneity between the pollen-based onset of temperate interglacial conditions between northern and southern Europe. The onset of the Eemian in north-western and central Europe (ca. 121.0 ka) post-dates the Marine Isotope Stage 6/5e transition by ca. 10 kyr. In addition, the Rutten data provide evidence for a relatively long duration of the Blake Event of at least 8 kyr. The late onset of the temperate conditions that define the base of the Eemian, imply that NW Europe with the Eemian type area is not the most suited region to define the beginning of the Last Interglacial and Late Pleistocene for global chronostratigraphic use.
Slimak et al.(Reports, 13 May 2011, p. 841) reanalyzed the lithic assemblage from the northern si... more Slimak et al.(Reports, 13 May 2011, p. 841) reanalyzed the lithic assemblage from the northern site of Byzovaya (Russia) and concluded that it was Mousterian and produced by Neandertals. The previous interpretation of this assemblage as falling within Early ...
The relatively shallow southern North Sea is one of the most productive Pleistocene fossils beari... more The relatively shallow southern North Sea is one of the most productive Pleistocene fossils bearing localities. Perhaps the most spectacular find thus far is a fragment of a Neanderthal skull. Unfortunately, it lacked a stratigraphical context and that applies to most of the finds retrieved. The North Sea Neanderthal project was therefore started with the aim to provide a better stratigraphical context for archaeological and palaeontological finds. Northwestern Europe was at the edge of the living range of hominins during major parts of the ...
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences, 2012
The use of manganese and iron oxides by late Neandertals is well documented in Europe, especially... more The use of manganese and iron oxides by late Neandertals is well documented in Europe, especially for the period 60–40 kya. Such finds often have been interpreted as pigments even though their exact function is largely unknown. Here we report significantly older iron oxide finds that constitute the earliest documented use of red ochre by Neandertals. These finds were small
... Search Leiden Repository This Collection. Palaeoenvironment and settlement patterns of the No... more ... Search Leiden Repository This Collection. Palaeoenvironment and settlement patterns of the Northwest Europe¬an Middle Palaeolithic. Leiden Repository. Palaeoenvironment andsettlement patterns of the Northwest Europe¬an Middle Palaeolithic. ...
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