- Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins,
Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities,
University of Southampton,
Avenue Campus,
Southampton,
Hampshire,
SO17 1BF,
UK
- Early Homo sapiens, Sub-Saharan Africa Archaeology (Prehistoric Archaeology), Palaeolithic Europe, Palaeolithic archaeology, Mesolithic archaeology, Prehistoric transitions, Environmental archaeology, Archaeozoology, Pleistocene fauna, Palaeoclimate, Refugia and recolonisation, Spatial analysis, Palaeolithic art and symbolism, Aurignacian, Arctic Archaeology, Radiocarbon Dating (Archaeology), and 31 moreOut Of Africa (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Climate Change Adaptation, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Innovation and Knowledge Management, Archaeology, Upper Palaeolithic, Middle Palaeolithic, Neanderthals, Innovation statistics, Population Dispersal and Mobility, Stone tools, Neandertals, Modern human dispersal, Australian prehistory, History of Archaeology, 3D Analysis, Indian Palaeolithic, Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Gravettian, Upper Paleolithic, Palaeolithic Archaeology, Magdalenian, Solutrean, Lithic Raw Material Sourcing, Lithic Technology, Mousterian, Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, Chatelperronian, Paleolithic Archaeology, Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition, and Early Upper Paleolithic technocomplex (Archaeology)edit
- Professor of Palaeoanthropology, Archaeology, University of Southamptonedit
This paper accepts the position that the European Aurignacian should be seen as a reflection of behaviour connected to a modern human dispersal. A two-phase dispersal model (‘Pioneer’ and ‘Developed’ fades) is proposed to explain the... more
This paper accepts the position that the European Aurignacian should be seen as a reflection of behaviour connected to a modern human dispersal. A two-phase dispersal model (‘Pioneer’ and ‘Developed’ fades) is proposed to explain the variations in artefactual diversity and spatio-temporal patterning, enacted by directional, rapid movement across the continent rather than by a ‘Wave-of-Advance’. Presumed behavioural signatures of this population dispersal, notably what is here termed ‘behavioural flexibility’, are also explored.
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Economic Geography, Ethnology, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), and 13 moreAurignacian, Neandertals, Population, Chronology, Neanderthals, Diffusion, Stone tools, Indian Palaeolithic, Motion, Flexibility in engineering design, Australian prehistory, Modern human dispersal, and Cc
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Research Interests: Demography, Earth Sciences, Geology, Palaeolithic Archaeology, Environmental Change, and 15 moreAurignacian, Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Neandertals, Population, Neanderthals, Neanderthal, History and archaeology, Neanderthal Extinction, Homo Sapiens, Neanderthal subsistence, Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition, Neanderthal subsistence and ecology, Neandertal subsistence, Homo neanderthalensis, and Cc
Chronometric attention in the Late Glacial of Western Europe is turning from the dating of archaeological cultures to studying how the continent was re-populated at the end of the last ice age. We present results from a survey of all... more
Chronometric attention in the Late Glacial of Western Europe is turning from the dating of archaeological cultures to studying how the continent was re-populated at the end of the last ice age. We present results from a survey of all available radiocarbon determinations (the S2AGES database) which show that when calibrated, and compared to the GRIP stratotype of climatic events, the data can be interpreted as five population events in the 15ka prior to the onset of the Holocene. The fine-grained climate record provides an opportunity to study the impact of environmental factors on a human dispersal process that not only shaped subsequent European prehistory, but also the genetic makeup of modern Europeans. The population events have implications for archaeologists and molecular geneticists concerning the timing, direction, speed and scale of processes in Western European demographic history. The results also bear on the role of climatic forcing on the expansion and contraction of hu...
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A link between climate change and human evolution during the Pleistocene has often been assumed but rarely tested. At the macro–evolutionary level Foley showed for hominids that extinction, rather than speciation, correlates with... more
A link between climate change and human evolution during the Pleistocene has often been assumed but rarely tested. At the macro–evolutionary level Foley showed for hominids that extinction, rather than speciation, correlates with environmental change as recorded in the deep sea record. Our aim is to examine this finding at a smaller scale and with high–resolution environmental and archaeological archives. Our interest is in changing patterns of human dispersal under shifting Pleistocene climates during the last glacial period in Europe. Selecting this time frame and region allows us to observe how two hominid taxa, Neanderthals and Crô–Magnons, adapted to climatic conditions during oxygen isotope stage 3. These taxa are representative of two hominid adaptive radiations, termed terrestrial and aquatic , which exhibited different habitat preferences but similar tolerances to climatic factors. Their response to changing ecological conditions was predicated upon their ability to extend ...
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Research Interests: Ancient History, Genetics, Archaeology, Phylogeography, Molecular Evolution, and 15 moreBiology, Cultural Evolution, Medicine, Prehistory, Biological Sciences, Phylogeny, Mitochondrial DNA, Humans, Europe, Colonisation, Haplotypes, Last Glacial Maximum, European Continental Ancestry Group, Cc, and Medical and Health Sciences
This article presents the initial results from the S2AGES data base of calibrated radiocarbon estimates from western Europe in the period 25,000–10,000 years ago. Our aim is to present a population history of this sub-continental region... more
This article presents the initial results from the S2AGES data base of calibrated radiocarbon estimates from western Europe in the period 25,000–10,000 years ago. Our aim is to present a population history of this sub-continental region by providing a chronologically-secure framework for the interpretation of data from genetics and archaeology. In particular, we define five population events in this period, using dates-as-data, and examine the implications for the archaeology of Late Glacial colonization. We contrast this detailed regional approach to the larger project which we call the cognitive origins synthesis that includes historical linguistics in the reconstruction of population history. We conclude that only archaeology can currently provide the framework for population history and the evaluation of genetic data. Finally, if progress is to be made in the new interdisciplinary field of population history then both disciplines need to refrain from inappropriate agricultural t...
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Research Interests: Eastern Europe, Phylogeography, Population Genetics, Biology, Mitochondria, and 15 moreMedicine, Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, Biological Sciences, Phylogeny, Mitochondrial DNA, Humans, Europe, Last Glacial Maximum, European Continental Ancestry Group, Genetic variation, Q, The American, Molecular Sequence Data, and Medical and Health Sciences
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Predictability and abundance of resources is key to the spatio-temporal and social organisation of hunter-gatherer groups. In this paper I test the hypothesis that socio-economic inequalities were difficult to sustain in the European... more
Predictability and abundance of resources is key to the spatio-temporal and social organisation of hunter-gatherer groups. In this paper I test the hypothesis that socio-economic inequalities were difficult to sustain in the European Upper Palaeolithic (~45.0-11.5 thousand years ago), with its often unreliable food resource availability. The general lack of modern analogues for Upper Palaeolithic environments forces exploration of alternative explanations for any apparent inequalities. Upper Palaeolithic palaeo-demographic estimates and technological strategies are evaluated in the light of environmental fluctuations, and the creation and control of knowledge is tested as the “resource” that might best explain evidence of inequalities.
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What role did Ice Age climate play in the demise of the Neanderthals, and why was it that modern humans alone survived? A team of international experts from a wide range of disciplines have worked together to provide a detailed study of... more
What role did Ice Age climate play in the demise of the Neanderthals, and why was it that modern humans alone survived? A team of international experts from a wide range of disciplines have worked together to provide a detailed study of the world occupied by the European ...
ABSTRACT
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There is extensive debate concerning the cognitive and behavioral adaptation of Neanderthals, especially in the period when the earliest anatomically modern humans dispersed into Western Europe, around 35,000-40,000 B.P. The site of the... more
There is extensive debate concerning the cognitive and behavioral adaptation of Neanderthals, especially in the period when the earliest anatomically modern humans dispersed into Western Europe, around 35,000-40,000 B.P. The site of the Grotte du Renne (at Arcy-sur-Cure) is of great importance because it provides the most persuasive evidence for behavioral complexity among Neanderthals. A range of ornaments and tools usually associated with modern human industries, such as the Aurignacian, were excavated from three of the Châtelperronian levels at the site, along with Neanderthal fossil remains (mainly teeth). This extremely rare occurrence has been taken to suggest that Neanderthals were the creators of these items. Whether Neanderthals independently achieved this level of behavioral complexity and whether this was culturally transmitted or mimicked via incoming modern humans has been contentious. At the heart of this discussion lies an assumption regarding the integrity of the excavated remains. One means of testing this is by radiocarbon dating; however, until recently, our ability to generate both accurate and precise results for this period has been compromised. A series of 31 accelerator mass spectrometry ultrafiltered dates on bones, antlers, artifacts, and teeth from six key archaeological levels shows an unexpected degree of variation. This suggests that some mixing of material may have occurred, which implies a more complex depositional history at the site and makes it difficult to be confident about the association of artifacts with human remains in the Châtelperronian levels.
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The 'how, where and when' of possible Neanderthal coexistence with Cro-Magnons, and their extinction, continue to exercise a varied community of researchers. The latest interpretations of the fossil and... more
The 'how, where and when' of possible Neanderthal coexistence with Cro-Magnons, and their extinction, continue to exercise a varied community of researchers. The latest interpretations of the fossil and archaeological records were aired at two meetings.
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Research Interests: Mousterian, Aurignacian, Early Upper Paleolithic technocomplex (Archaeology), Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Upper Paleolithic, and 7 moreMiddle Palaeolithic, Middle Paleolithic, Upper Palaeolithic, Radiocarbon Dating (Archaeology), Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition, Early Homo sapiens, and TL dating
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Research Interests: Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Aurignacian, Early Upper Paleolithic technocomplex (Archaeology), Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Upper Paleolithic, and 9 moreNeandertals, Neanderthals, Upper Palaeolithic, Radiocarbon Dating (Archaeology), Neanderthal Extinction, Neanderthal subsistence, Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition, Early Homo sapiens, and Neanderthal subsistence and ecology
Defining varying spatial and temporal analytical scales is essential before evaluating the responses of late Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens to Abrupt Environmental Transitions (AETs) and environmental disasters for the period 130-25... more
Defining varying spatial and temporal analytical scales is essential before evaluating the responses of late Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens to Abrupt Environmental Transitions (AETs) and environmental disasters for the period 130-25 ka. Recent advances in addressing the population histories and interactions (using both genetic and archaeological evidence) of Neanderthals and H. sapiens have encouraged consideration of more subtle dynamics of archaeological change. Descriptions of change based on methodologies pioneered some 160 years ago are no longer adequate to explain the patterning we now see in the record. New chronological results, using multiple dating methods, allow us to begin to unpick the spatial and temporal scales of change. Isochronic markers (such as specific volcanic eruptions) can be used to create temporal frameworks (lattices), and results from other dating techniques compared against them. A combination of chronological lattices and direct dating of diagnostic artefacts and human fossils permits us, for the first time, to have greater confidence in connecting human (recent hominin) species and their behavioural responses to environmental conditions, and in quantifying scales of change
over time and space (time-transgression). The timing of innovations, particularly those in bone, antler and ivory, can be directly quantified and tested, and used to re-evaluate longstanding models of cultural change. This paper also uses these new chronologies to explore the ecologies of late Neanderthals and early H. sapiens: their population densities, mobilities, resources exploited and possible interactions.
Environmental productivity estimates are used to generate new questions of potential population densities and mobilities, and thus the sensitivity of these groups to environmental perturbations. Scales and intensities of effect on environments from natural disasters and AETs (notably Heinrich Events and the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption) are defined as a scale from “proximal” to “distal,” with local conditions (topographic shelter or exposure) serving to intensify or mitigate those effects.
over time and space (time-transgression). The timing of innovations, particularly those in bone, antler and ivory, can be directly quantified and tested, and used to re-evaluate longstanding models of cultural change. This paper also uses these new chronologies to explore the ecologies of late Neanderthals and early H. sapiens: their population densities, mobilities, resources exploited and possible interactions.
Environmental productivity estimates are used to generate new questions of potential population densities and mobilities, and thus the sensitivity of these groups to environmental perturbations. Scales and intensities of effect on environments from natural disasters and AETs (notably Heinrich Events and the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption) are defined as a scale from “proximal” to “distal,” with local conditions (topographic shelter or exposure) serving to intensify or mitigate those effects.
Research Interests: Palaeolithic Archaeology, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Aurignacian, Early Upper Paleolithic technocomplex (Archaeology), Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, and 14 moreUpper Paleolithic, Neandertals, Neanderthals, Neanderthal, Neanderthal Extinction, Neanderthal subsistence, Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition, Naples, Campi Flegrei caldera, Campanian Ignimbrite, Campi Flegrei . Breccia Museo . Campanian Ignimbrite . Chemical zoning . Caldera . Volcanology ., coexistence of anatomical modern human with Neanderthals (hybridization), Uluzzian, Neanderthal subsistence and ecology, Neandertal subsistence, and Homo neanderthalensis
This paper considers the application of new dating strategies and protocols to the temporal position of Szeleta Cave, the Szeletian itself, and the Aurignacian of the Bükk mountains. In particular, it is advocated that the confusing... more
This paper considers the application of new dating strategies and protocols to the temporal position of Szeleta Cave, the Szeletian itself, and the Aurignacian of the Bükk mountains. In particular, it is advocated that the confusing chronological patterning seen for the Early Upper Palaeolithic of the Bükk mountains is largely the result of dating materials of uncertain anthropogenic origin and of incomplete removal of contaminants; hence we present here results of dating anthropogenically-modified bones, including bone, antler and ivory projectile points, using the ultrafiltration technique pioneered by the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit. The results have yielded a possible explanation for the confusing pattern of dates seen for Szeleta cave, and also helped to extend the earliest-known osseous projectile points back to 37/38 ka 14C BP through the use of direct dating.