Nemat Hariri

The extinction of Neanderthal populations has been attributed to the onset of cold and dry climatic conditions during Marine Isotope Stage 3 or their competition with anatomically modern humans for large game resources. However, decoupling climate from competition has long proved difficult. Loess sequences and pollen cores provide regional-scale environmental information but are less well-suited to providing local-scale habitat information contemporaneous with hominin habitation of occupation sites. The relationship between climate and resource availability is particularly unknown in the Zagros mountain range where archaeological evidence for both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens occupation is documented. Here, we analyse carbon (δ 13 C) and oxygen (δ 18 O) stable isotopes measured from herbivore tooth enamel carbonates recovered from the Neanderthal and modern human occupation sites of Bawa Yawan Rockshelter and Shanidar Cave to trace local-scale floral biome dynamics and climate conditions that influence the distribution and availability of large prey targeted by both hominin species. Shared isotopic composition of herbivorous fauna, largely represented by wild goats, from both sites spanning Neanderthal and Homo sapiens occupation indicate both hominin species exploited similar habitats during climatically similar phases.

The extinction of Neanderthal populations has been attributed to the onset of cold and dry climatic conditions during Marine Isotope Stage 3 or their competition with anatomically modern humans for large game resources. However, decoupling climate from competition has long proved difficult. Loess sequences and pollen cores provide regional-scale environmental information but are less well-suited to providing local-scale habitat information contemporaneous with hominin habitation of occupation sites. The relationship between climate and resource availability is particularly unknown in the Zagros mountain range where archaeological evidence for both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens occupation is documented. Here, we analyse carbon (δ 13 C) and oxygen (δ 18 O) stable isotopes measured from herbivore tooth enamel carbonates recovered from the Neanderthal and modern human occupation sites of Bawa Yawan Rockshelter and Shanidar Cave to trace local-scale floral biome dynamics and climate conditions that influence the distribution and availability of large prey targeted by both hominin species. Shared isotopic composition of herbivorous fauna, largely represented by wild goats, from both sites spanning Neanderthal and Homo sapiens occupation indicate both hominin species exploited similar habitats during climatically similar phases.

The long-term presence of Neanderthals in western Eurasia suggests that they were a resilient hominin subspecies. Archaeological records and fossil evidence shows that towards their extinction, their territory was dramatically limited for various reasons including restricted food resources. Recent excavations at the Bawa Yawan rockshelter have obtained a long history of hominin occupation from the Middle Paleolithic (MP) to the Epipaleolithic periods. In the upper MP layer, a Neanderthal tooth was found dated to roughly 45–40 kyr. Preliminary studies on the MP materials and chronostratigraphic data have revealed that
the Neanderthal occupation in this area declined dramatically around 43 kyr. After this period, the area experienced a slight growth in MP occupation. We argue in this paper that Neanderthal societies were able to endure during one of the harsher climatic periods and temporarily revived their demography just before their extinction.

Up to now, two areas of northern and west-central Zagros Mountains (ZM) have produced better information concerning the development of techno-typology of lithic artefacts during the Epipaleolithic period (EP) compare to the other part of this region. Although several caves and rockshelters associated with EP deposits are found in this region (Map 1), but they were not subject to study for the relationship between climate effect on cultural developments like the neighbored area of Levant. this deficiency can be attributed to a) the low number of excavated sites, b) poor stratigraphic control, and c) the lack of a sufficient number of absolute dates. Recent absolute date achievements from the EP site of Palegawra cave [17]. locates on the northern ZM alongside Paleoclimatic reconstruction in Hashilan wetland [8] based on the palynological studies have improved our understanding from Epipaleolthic cultural and environmental events for the region.

Neanderthal extinction has been a matter of debate for many years. New discoveries, better chronologies and genomic evidence have done much to clarify some of the issues. This evidence suggests that Neanderthals became extinct around 40,000-37,000 years before present (BP), after a period of coexistence with Homo sapiens of several millennia, involving biological and cultural interactions between the two groups. However, the bulk of this evidence relates to Western Eurasia, and recent work in Central Asia and Siberia has shown that there is considerable local variation. Southwestern Asia, despite having a number of significant Neanderthal remains, has not played a major part in the debate over extinction. Here we report a Neanderthal deciduous canine from the site of Bawa Yawan in the West-Central Zagros Mountains of Iran. The tooth is associated with Zagros Mousterian lithics, and its context is preliminary dated to between~43,600 and~41,500 years ago.

Neanderthal extinction has been a matter of debate for many years. New discoveries, better chronologies and genomic evidence have done much to clarify some of the issues. This evidence suggests that Neanderthals became extinct around 40,000-37,000 years before present (BP), after a period of coexistence with Homo sapiens of several millennia, involving biological and cultural interactions between the two groups. However, the bulk of this evidence relates to Western Eurasia, and recent work in Central Asia and Siberia has shown that there is considerable local variation. Southwestern Asia, despite having a number of significant Neanderthal remains, has not played a major part in the debate over extinction. Here we report a Neanderthal deciduous canine from the site of Bawa Yawan in the West-Central Zagros Mountains of Iran. The tooth is associated with Zagros Mousterian lithics, and its context is preliminary dated to between~43,600 and~41,500 years ago.