23rd Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists
Ifri El Baroud (34°45´N, 3°18´W), located at 535 m. a. s. l. on the northern slope of the Ich Cha... more Ifri El Baroud (34°45´N, 3°18´W), located at 535 m. a. s. l. on the northern slope of the Ich Chaboun massif in Northeast Morocco, constitutes one of the few sites in the whole Maghreb –together with Ifri n’Ammar – that yield a complete Later Stone Age sequence (late Upper Palaeolithic), including the transition from Late Pleistocene to Holocene, rich in wood charcoal fragments and seeds (Nami, 2007). Based on a systematic sampling of macrobotanical evidence through the flotation of sediments, we present the results of a study focused on the characterisation of the local landscape and plant resources management by Later Stone Age populations (ca. 23 – 9 ka calBP). With this aim, data obtained come from new archaeological interventions (ongoing since 2015) framed in a collaborative project between CRC 806 “Our Way to Europe” (Universities of Cologne, Bonn, Aachen) and INSAP (Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Morocco). This research, addressed toward our better understanding of the chronological, cultural and palaeoenvironmental sequence by the application of high resolution techniques, provided meaningful insight into the nature of human occupations and local landscape dynamics during the Lateglacial and Early Holocene at the Maghreb. Finally, macrobotanical data presented here enrich the discussion about climatic changes occurred in North Africa from the cold and arid Greenland Stadial 2.1 to the more favourable conditions of the Greenland Interstadial 1.
The transition from hunter-gatherers to early food producing
communities in Northwestern Africa i... more The transition from hunter-gatherers to early food producing communities in Northwestern Africa is documented in few archaeological sites. Recently the sediment sequence of Ifri Oudadane (IOD, 45 m a.s.l.) gave insights into Late Epipalaeolithic/ Early Neolithic occupations at the Moroccan coast documenting the onset of livestock penning in the area (e.g., Linstädter and Kehl 2012). New excavations at the rock shelter of Ifri N’Etsedda (INES, 303 m a.s.l.), located at less than 10 km linear distance to the sea but separated from the coast by the Kebdana Mountain range (~600 m a.s.l.) yield information on contemporaneous occupations further inland. We here present results of micromorphological investigations on both sequences, which shed light on their mineral and organic constituents, as well as processes of sediment formation and post-depositional alteration. This information should help elucidating the usage of these rock shelters and subsistence practices during the early to middle Holocene.
The study of the cultural materials associated with the Neanderthal physical remains from the sit... more The study of the cultural materials associated with the Neanderthal physical remains from the sites in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Siberian Altai and adjacent areas documents two distinct techno-complexes of Micoquian and Mousterian. These findings potentially outline two dispersal routes for the Neanderthals out of Europe. Using data on topography and Palaeoclimate, we generated computer-based least-cost-path modelling for the Neanderthal dispersal routes from Caucasus towards the east. In this regard, two dispersal routes have been identified: A northern route from Greater Caucasus associated with Micoquian techno-complex towards Siberian Altai and a southern route from Lesser Caucasus associated with Mousterian towards Siberian Altai via the Southern Caspian Corridor. Based on archaeological, bio- and physio-geographical data, our model hypothesises that during climatic deterioration phases (e.g. MIS 4) the connection between Greater and Lesser Caucasus was limited. This issue...
The long record of human occupation in the Iranian Highlands reflects the adaptive capacities of ... more The long record of human occupation in the Iranian Highlands reflects the adaptive capacities of hunter-gatherers, farmers and herdsmen to adverse environmental conditions of ecologically sensitive drylands. Incidences of drought affect such ecosystems and pose risks for (pre-)modern societies. We here review sedimentary evidence of Holocene climate and environmental dynamics in the area. New results point to a relatively moist Early to Middle Holocene followed by an increase in aridity during the Late Holocene. Century-long phases of drought correlating with the 8.2, 5.9/5.2 and 4.2 ka climate events are reflected in diverse records. The temporal resolution of climate proxy data allows the establishment of coincidences between climate and cultural events. Spatial knowledge gaps call for a denser network of sedimentary archives to further explore past human-environment relationships in the area.
COMING TO TERMS WITH THE FUTURE: Concepts of Resilience for the Study of Early Iranian Societies, 2023
The present article aims to assess the possible effects of climate change on settlement density c... more The present article aims to assess the possible effects of climate change on settlement density changes that are indicative of the decline and rise of societies. Archaeological data and regional diachronic changes in settlement densities are compiled for eight geographic regions and contrasted with evidence for major rapid climate change (RCC) events (11.1, 10.3, 9.4/9.2, 8.2, 5.9, 5.2, 4.2, and 3.2/2.9) as reflected in high-resolution sedimentary archives. There are significant differences in settlement density in the east and west of the Iranian Plateau, often with different responses to the same RCC event, an indication that factors other than climate contributed to the settlement density in these regions. From another standpoint, it seems that the human occupations of the inner part of the Iranian Plateau had weaker responses to RCC events than those in the outer parts adjacent to the neighboring regions of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.
The long-term presence of Neanderthals in western Eurasia suggests that they were a resilient hom... more 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.
The data-set contains grain-size composition, gechemical, color, and magnetic susceptibility data... more The data-set contains grain-size composition, gechemical, color, and magnetic susceptibility data of the loess-paleosol-sequence Talheim (Germany). Further, it contains describtions of the thin sections taken in Talheim.
23rd Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists
Ifri El Baroud (34°45´N, 3°18´W), located at 535 m. a. s. l. on the northern slope of the Ich Cha... more Ifri El Baroud (34°45´N, 3°18´W), located at 535 m. a. s. l. on the northern slope of the Ich Chaboun massif in Northeast Morocco, constitutes one of the few sites in the whole Maghreb –together with Ifri n’Ammar – that yield a complete Later Stone Age sequence (late Upper Palaeolithic), including the transition from Late Pleistocene to Holocene, rich in wood charcoal fragments and seeds (Nami, 2007). Based on a systematic sampling of macrobotanical evidence through the flotation of sediments, we present the results of a study focused on the characterisation of the local landscape and plant resources management by Later Stone Age populations (ca. 23 – 9 ka calBP). With this aim, data obtained come from new archaeological interventions (ongoing since 2015) framed in a collaborative project between CRC 806 “Our Way to Europe” (Universities of Cologne, Bonn, Aachen) and INSAP (Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Morocco). This research, addressed toward our better understanding of the chronological, cultural and palaeoenvironmental sequence by the application of high resolution techniques, provided meaningful insight into the nature of human occupations and local landscape dynamics during the Lateglacial and Early Holocene at the Maghreb. Finally, macrobotanical data presented here enrich the discussion about climatic changes occurred in North Africa from the cold and arid Greenland Stadial 2.1 to the more favourable conditions of the Greenland Interstadial 1.
The transition from hunter-gatherers to early food producing
communities in Northwestern Africa i... more The transition from hunter-gatherers to early food producing communities in Northwestern Africa is documented in few archaeological sites. Recently the sediment sequence of Ifri Oudadane (IOD, 45 m a.s.l.) gave insights into Late Epipalaeolithic/ Early Neolithic occupations at the Moroccan coast documenting the onset of livestock penning in the area (e.g., Linstädter and Kehl 2012). New excavations at the rock shelter of Ifri N’Etsedda (INES, 303 m a.s.l.), located at less than 10 km linear distance to the sea but separated from the coast by the Kebdana Mountain range (~600 m a.s.l.) yield information on contemporaneous occupations further inland. We here present results of micromorphological investigations on both sequences, which shed light on their mineral and organic constituents, as well as processes of sediment formation and post-depositional alteration. This information should help elucidating the usage of these rock shelters and subsistence practices during the early to middle Holocene.
The study of the cultural materials associated with the Neanderthal physical remains from the sit... more The study of the cultural materials associated with the Neanderthal physical remains from the sites in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Siberian Altai and adjacent areas documents two distinct techno-complexes of Micoquian and Mousterian. These findings potentially outline two dispersal routes for the Neanderthals out of Europe. Using data on topography and Palaeoclimate, we generated computer-based least-cost-path modelling for the Neanderthal dispersal routes from Caucasus towards the east. In this regard, two dispersal routes have been identified: A northern route from Greater Caucasus associated with Micoquian techno-complex towards Siberian Altai and a southern route from Lesser Caucasus associated with Mousterian towards Siberian Altai via the Southern Caspian Corridor. Based on archaeological, bio- and physio-geographical data, our model hypothesises that during climatic deterioration phases (e.g. MIS 4) the connection between Greater and Lesser Caucasus was limited. This issue...
The long record of human occupation in the Iranian Highlands reflects the adaptive capacities of ... more The long record of human occupation in the Iranian Highlands reflects the adaptive capacities of hunter-gatherers, farmers and herdsmen to adverse environmental conditions of ecologically sensitive drylands. Incidences of drought affect such ecosystems and pose risks for (pre-)modern societies. We here review sedimentary evidence of Holocene climate and environmental dynamics in the area. New results point to a relatively moist Early to Middle Holocene followed by an increase in aridity during the Late Holocene. Century-long phases of drought correlating with the 8.2, 5.9/5.2 and 4.2 ka climate events are reflected in diverse records. The temporal resolution of climate proxy data allows the establishment of coincidences between climate and cultural events. Spatial knowledge gaps call for a denser network of sedimentary archives to further explore past human-environment relationships in the area.
COMING TO TERMS WITH THE FUTURE: Concepts of Resilience for the Study of Early Iranian Societies, 2023
The present article aims to assess the possible effects of climate change on settlement density c... more The present article aims to assess the possible effects of climate change on settlement density changes that are indicative of the decline and rise of societies. Archaeological data and regional diachronic changes in settlement densities are compiled for eight geographic regions and contrasted with evidence for major rapid climate change (RCC) events (11.1, 10.3, 9.4/9.2, 8.2, 5.9, 5.2, 4.2, and 3.2/2.9) as reflected in high-resolution sedimentary archives. There are significant differences in settlement density in the east and west of the Iranian Plateau, often with different responses to the same RCC event, an indication that factors other than climate contributed to the settlement density in these regions. From another standpoint, it seems that the human occupations of the inner part of the Iranian Plateau had weaker responses to RCC events than those in the outer parts adjacent to the neighboring regions of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.
The long-term presence of Neanderthals in western Eurasia suggests that they were a resilient hom... more 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.
The data-set contains grain-size composition, gechemical, color, and magnetic susceptibility data... more The data-set contains grain-size composition, gechemical, color, and magnetic susceptibility data of the loess-paleosol-sequence Talheim (Germany). Further, it contains describtions of the thin sections taken in Talheim.
(Late Pleistocene population dynamics in Central Iberia: a new geoarchaeological project): We pre... more (Late Pleistocene population dynamics in Central Iberia: a new geoarchaeological project): We present a new research project aimed at investigating population dynamics and human-environment interactions during the second half of the Late Pleistocene in Central Iberia. In this communication we discuss the state-of-the-art on the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic settlement of the Iberian plateau and we propose new avenues of research for testing the validity of the currently accepted interpretations. It is our hypothesis that models on Late Pleistocene population dynamics in the Iberian interior lands are still biased by the poor quantity and quality of data available, especially for the Upper Palaeolithic. Our project is focused on the geoarchaeological study of 3 selected sites located in the Upper Tagus basin (Northern area of Guadalajara province, Spain).Our methods include micromorpholgy, high resolution sedimentology, 14C, OSL and U/Th dating, pollen, phytolith, microfaunal and ant...
La Cueva de la Güelga, whose name in the local language refers to wet and shady sites, opens to t... more La Cueva de la Güelga, whose name in the local language refers to wet and shady sites, opens to the heart of a limestone mountain valley, forming a cul-de-sac. A stream flows from the current cave aperture and has configurated a karst system with corresponding terrace drain caverns that were successively occupied during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic. This group of rock shelters and caves has been divided into different sectors for investigation, which has developed from 1989 to the present. A-B and C areas are located on the lower terrace, occupied during the Magdalenian and Solutrean. At the top is D sector, with occupations attributed to Châtelperronian, Aurignacian and Mousterian. This valley, closed in itself, has provided numerous lithic remains in surfaces mostly attributable to Mode 3, surely exponents of intense and prolonged occupations. It is located 200 m above sea level, and along with Buxu and Azules caves, is a core site in the middle reaches of the Sella River, ter...
Despite recent developments (e.g. Baquedano et al. 2012; Álvarez-Alonso et al. 2013; Baena et al.... more Despite recent developments (e.g. Baquedano et al. 2012; Álvarez-Alonso et al. 2013; Baena et al. 2015), the Middle Palaeolithic occupation of interior Iberia is poorly known, especially in caves. Only a few sites in the uplands of the Spanish plateau have yielded reliable geomorphological, palaeoecological and chronometric data. Thus, the chronological framework of the Neandertal settlement in this area, and the relations between ecological variability and techno-economic behaviours developed by these human societies, are currently in need of new data. Classical debates on the Neanderthal settlement of inner Iberia, such as the long-claimed Mousterian late survival south of the Ebro basin, or the nature of human adaptations to the harsh environments of the plateau, are currently under dispute (Kehl et al. 2013; Baena et al. 2015).
We present the first results of a new interdisciplinary project conducted at the Middle Palaeolithic site of Los Casares (Northern Guadalajara, Spain). Los Casares is a limestone cave located in the Upper Tagus River basin, in an elevated area (1050 above sea level) of the southern Spanish plateau close to the Iberian range (Figs. 1 and 2). Although the Mousterian deposit was first excavated in the 1960´s (Barandiarán 1973), modern geoarchaeological, taphonomic, chronometric, palaeoecological and techno-economic analyses are still lacking. We excavated and sampled in an interior chamber of the cave named 'Seno A' (Figs. 3 and 4) (Alcaraz-Castaño et al. 2015).
The timing of Neanderthal disappearance in the Iberian Peninsula is a hotly debated subject in Pa... more The timing of Neanderthal disappearance in the Iberian Peninsula is a hotly debated subject in Palaeolithic archaeology. Several studies suggested a late survival in South and Central Iberia until about 32,000 year ago (ka), but were probably subject to significant age underestimation due to contamination of dating samples and/or lack of stratigraphic integrity. More recently, Late Neanderthal presence was dated to no later than 38 ka. In Central Iberia, few archaeological sites contain Mousterian levels attesting occupation by Neanderthals. The newly discovered rock shelter of Abrigo del Molino contains chronologically well-constraint Mousterian levels, which, according to radiocarbon dating on bone, place the latest Neanderthal occupation to around 42-44 ka and within Greenland interstadial 11. Accumulation of these levels took place after deposition of fluvial and slope sediments, dated to around 46 ± 3.5 ka using luminescence techniques, and probably correlating with Greenland stadial 13 including Heinrich event 5. Micromorphological evidence of banded sediment fabrics suggests frost dynamics pointing to cold climate conditions during that time in Central Spain. Abrigo del Molino thus provides a detailed and chronologically well-constrained record on Late Neanderthal presence and morphodynamic change in Central Iberia during times of millennial-scale climate changes. The site gives further evidence for an early rather than late disappearance of Neanderthals in Iberia.
Archaeological sequences require accurate and precise numerical chronologies. Mostly, these sedim... more Archaeological sequences require accurate and precise numerical chronologies. Mostly, these sediments are strati-graphically complex and challenging to date. Post-depositional mixing, contamination from a collapsing cave roof, microdosimetry or insufficient bleaching prior to burial may influence the luminescence dating results. Careful sample selection and a good stratigraphic knowledge is crucial for a successful investigation. Numerous studies concentrate on quartz luminescence dating, but recent investigations show the advantage of multi-method optically stimulated luminescence dating approaches to achieve more comprehensive chronologies. For a Moroccan cave site we have compared quartz and potassium feldspar single grain and multiple grain dating for an internal cross-check. Good accordance was observed between quartz and feldspar as well as radiocarbon ages for a sample that represents the stratigraphical unit of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition. Saturation of the quartz lumines-cence signal was the main limitation when dating various sites in Spain and we have concentrated on potassium feldspar minerals instead. We have applied micromorphology to better understand site formation processes and we used radiocarbon dating, for a chronological crosscheck.
Uploads
massif in Northeast Morocco, constitutes one of the few sites in the whole Maghreb –together with Ifri
n’Ammar – that yield a complete Later Stone Age sequence (late Upper Palaeolithic), including the
transition from Late Pleistocene to Holocene, rich in wood charcoal fragments and seeds (Nami,
2007). Based on a systematic sampling of macrobotanical evidence through the flotation of
sediments, we present the results of a study focused on the characterisation of the local landscape
and plant resources management by Later Stone Age populations (ca. 23 – 9 ka calBP). With this
aim, data obtained come from new archaeological interventions (ongoing since 2015) framed in a
collaborative project between CRC 806 “Our Way to Europe” (Universities of Cologne, Bonn, Aachen)
and INSAP (Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Morocco). This
research, addressed toward our better understanding of the chronological, cultural and
palaeoenvironmental sequence by the application of high resolution techniques, provided meaningful
insight into the nature of human occupations and local landscape dynamics during the Lateglacial and
Early Holocene at the Maghreb. Finally, macrobotanical data presented here enrich the discussion
about climatic changes occurred in North Africa from the cold and arid Greenland Stadial 2.1 to the
more favourable conditions of the Greenland Interstadial 1.
communities in Northwestern Africa is documented in few archaeological
sites. Recently the sediment sequence of Ifri
Oudadane (IOD, 45 m a.s.l.) gave insights into Late
Epipalaeolithic/ Early Neolithic occupations at the Moroccan
coast documenting the onset of livestock penning in the area
(e.g., Linstädter and Kehl 2012). New excavations at the rock
shelter of Ifri N’Etsedda (INES, 303 m a.s.l.), located at less
than 10 km linear distance to the sea but separated from the
coast by the Kebdana Mountain range (~600 m a.s.l.) yield
information on contemporaneous occupations further inland.
We here present results of micromorphological investigations
on both sequences, which shed light on their mineral and organic
constituents, as well as processes of sediment formation
and post-depositional alteration. This information should
help elucidating the usage of these rock shelters and subsistence
practices during the early to middle Holocene.
and pose risks for (pre-)modern societies. We here review sedimentary evidence of Holocene climate and environmental dynamics in the area. New results point to a relatively moist Early to Middle Holocene followed by an increase in aridity during the
Late Holocene. Century-long phases of drought correlating with the 8.2, 5.9/5.2 and 4.2 ka climate events are reflected in diverse records. The temporal resolution of climate proxy data allows the establishment of coincidences between climate and cultural events. Spatial knowledge gaps call for a denser network of sedimentary archives to further explore past human-environment relationships in the area.
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.
massif in Northeast Morocco, constitutes one of the few sites in the whole Maghreb –together with Ifri
n’Ammar – that yield a complete Later Stone Age sequence (late Upper Palaeolithic), including the
transition from Late Pleistocene to Holocene, rich in wood charcoal fragments and seeds (Nami,
2007). Based on a systematic sampling of macrobotanical evidence through the flotation of
sediments, we present the results of a study focused on the characterisation of the local landscape
and plant resources management by Later Stone Age populations (ca. 23 – 9 ka calBP). With this
aim, data obtained come from new archaeological interventions (ongoing since 2015) framed in a
collaborative project between CRC 806 “Our Way to Europe” (Universities of Cologne, Bonn, Aachen)
and INSAP (Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Morocco). This
research, addressed toward our better understanding of the chronological, cultural and
palaeoenvironmental sequence by the application of high resolution techniques, provided meaningful
insight into the nature of human occupations and local landscape dynamics during the Lateglacial and
Early Holocene at the Maghreb. Finally, macrobotanical data presented here enrich the discussion
about climatic changes occurred in North Africa from the cold and arid Greenland Stadial 2.1 to the
more favourable conditions of the Greenland Interstadial 1.
communities in Northwestern Africa is documented in few archaeological
sites. Recently the sediment sequence of Ifri
Oudadane (IOD, 45 m a.s.l.) gave insights into Late
Epipalaeolithic/ Early Neolithic occupations at the Moroccan
coast documenting the onset of livestock penning in the area
(e.g., Linstädter and Kehl 2012). New excavations at the rock
shelter of Ifri N’Etsedda (INES, 303 m a.s.l.), located at less
than 10 km linear distance to the sea but separated from the
coast by the Kebdana Mountain range (~600 m a.s.l.) yield
information on contemporaneous occupations further inland.
We here present results of micromorphological investigations
on both sequences, which shed light on their mineral and organic
constituents, as well as processes of sediment formation
and post-depositional alteration. This information should
help elucidating the usage of these rock shelters and subsistence
practices during the early to middle Holocene.
and pose risks for (pre-)modern societies. We here review sedimentary evidence of Holocene climate and environmental dynamics in the area. New results point to a relatively moist Early to Middle Holocene followed by an increase in aridity during the
Late Holocene. Century-long phases of drought correlating with the 8.2, 5.9/5.2 and 4.2 ka climate events are reflected in diverse records. The temporal resolution of climate proxy data allows the establishment of coincidences between climate and cultural events. Spatial knowledge gaps call for a denser network of sedimentary archives to further explore past human-environment relationships in the area.
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.
especially in caves. Only a few sites in the uplands of the Spanish plateau have yielded reliable geomorphological, palaeoecological and chronometric data. Thus, the chronological framework of the Neandertal settlement in this area, and the relations between ecological variability and techno-economic behaviours developed by these human societies, are currently in need of new data. Classical debates on the Neanderthal settlement of inner Iberia, such as the long-claimed Mousterian late survival south of the Ebro
basin, or the nature of human adaptations to the harsh environments of the plateau, are currently under dispute (Kehl et al. 2013; Baena et al. 2015).
We present the first results of a new interdisciplinary project conducted at the Middle Palaeolithic site of Los Casares (Northern Guadalajara, Spain). Los Casares is a limestone cave located in the Upper Tagus River basin, in an elevated area (1050 above sea level) of the southern Spanish plateau close to the Iberian range (Figs. 1 and 2). Although the Mousterian deposit was first excavated in the 1960´s (Barandiarán 1973), modern geoarchaeological, taphonomic, chronometric, palaeoecological and techno-economic analyses are still lacking. We excavated and sampled in an interior chamber of the cave named 'Seno A' (Figs. 3 and 4) (Alcaraz-Castaño et al. 2015).