Pleistocene Archaeology

Published ages of >50 ka for occupation at Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II) in Australia's north have kept the site prominent in discussions about the colonisation of Sahul. The site also contains one of the largest stone artefact assemblages in Sahul for this early period. However, the stone artefacts and other important archaeological components of the site have never been described in detail, leading to persistent doubts about its stratigraphic integrity. We report on our analysis of the stone artefacts and faunal and other materials recovered during the 1989 excavations, as well as the stratigraphy and depositional history recorded by the original excavators. We demonstrate that the technology and raw materials of the early assemblage are distinctive from those in the overlying layers. Silcrete and quartzite artefacts are common in the early assemblage, which also includes edge-ground axe fragments and ground haematite. The lower flaked stone assemblage is distinctive, comprising a mix of long convergent flakes, some radial flakes with faceted platforms, and many small thin silcrete flakes that we interpret as thinning flakes. Residue and use-wear analysis indicate occasional grinding of haematite and wood- working, as well as frequent abrading of platform edges on thinning flakes. We conclude that previous claims of extensive displacement of artefacts and post-depositional disturbance may have been over- stated. The stone artefacts and stratigraphic details support previous claims for human occupation 50-60 ka and show that human occupation during this time differed from later periods. We discuss the implications of these new data for understanding the first human colonisation of Sahul.

Altamura F., Gaudzinski-Windheuser S., Melis R.T., Mussi M., 2019. Reassessing an early Middle Pleistocene Hippo Butchery Site: Gombore II-2 (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash valley, Ethiopia), in Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, 32 pp. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-019-00046-0
Abstract: Single-carcass sites of Lower and Middle Pleistocene age have attracted much attention since they were first recorded. They have been the focus both of science and of museum displays, with reconstructions of "hominins-feasting-on-a-carcass" purposefully illustrating a major step in human evolution. Here we report the Acheulean site Gombore II-2 in the upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia, dating to 0.7 Myr. In the 1970s, due to the presence of hippo remains, the site was published as a single-carcass butchering site. New excavations revealed an ichnosurface displaying animal and human footprints associated with bones and lithics. Subsequent studies of lithic and faunal remains of recent and past excavations as well as archive studies show that Gombore II-2 represents one of the earliest sites with hominin-hippo interaction. The hippo remains belong to a minimum of three carcasses, at least one of them butchered by hominins and subsequently ravaged by hyenas. However, instead of single carcasses exploited on the spot, evidence suggests the existence of a living floor where butchering episodes were performed through time, possibly transporting portions from scav-enging sites at a distance. Gombore II-2 thus provides unique insight into planning capacities and control over the environment probably by early representatives of Homo heidelbergensis.

Climate change is frequently highlighted as a key driver of biological evolution and cultural innovation in our species. It is often seen as influencing behavioural plasticity and the development of buffering mechanisms, for example in the form of more efficient technology and subsistence strategies. However, such hypotheses are yet to be studied in detail in South Asia, despite improving Late Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental records in this region and its crucial position in human dispersals beyond Africa. Here, we review evidence for technological and behavioural innovation across three regions of South Asia: the Thar Desert (northwest India), the Jurreru River Valley (southeast India), and the lowland Wet Zone of Sri Lanka. Together these areas form an ecotone from hyper-arid desert to humid rainforest that show different dynamics in the Late Pleistocene, and particularly during the Last Glacial Maximum. The archaeological records from each of these areas demonstrate a distinct nature and tempo of cultural change, probably reflecting, to some extent, the influence of climate change on forming heterogeneous local environments. Overall, however, the mosaic environments of South Asia made it an attractive region for the persistence of our species and their gradual uptake of cultural innovations during the Late Pleistocene.

Investigator(s)/Capability: All assessors agree the investigators are ‘world leading’(B), ‘eminently qualified’ (A) ‘power houses in their disciplines’ (C), have diverse specialities with long and ‘outstanding’ track records (B), substantial experience in running large projects, in disseminating results in high impact and widely cited/applied publications and in graduating HDR students. It is agreed the team complements one another, greatly enhancing the breadth of the project to ensure success. We clarify (A) that 2 PhDs are requested from the ARC and one provided by the host institution (UQ). The roles of all project PhDs are clearly delineated: 1. usewear and residue; 2. ballistic experimentation; 3. 3D GM analysis. CI and PI Rots will oversee build and testing of projectile equipment and oversee the large number of experiments. PI Collard will oversee 3D GM and perform phylogenetic analyses. The CI and both PIs will facilitate access to collections worldwide and will take part in all phases of research and dissemination.
Project Quality and Innovation: The assessors agree the project ‘addresses new questions in a novel and innovative way’ that is ‘future proof against COVID’ through local analyses and use of ‘excellent international networks’. Assessors state the project methodology is ‘logical and well-designed’, ‘quantitatively robust’ and will ‘fill a huge hole’ in current research. A enquires about the weight of hafting/shaft and projectile points to be used. These variables will be tightly controlled to limit confounding effects. Porcelain points allow tight control over size, shape and weight, while shafts and mastic will be carefully weighed and standardised. Museum collections to be used were all acquired recently with excellent control over sampling and dating (C), while benefits for TOs were identified by excavators as part of consulations and parternships for each project (A). While our four methods of GM, usewear/residues, ballistics and phylogenetic analysis are ‘well established best practice’ (B), B nevertheless questions their novelty. B overlooks that these tried and tested methods have never been combined before in projectile studies and that novelty and strength lies the multistranded ‘cabling’ approach we adopt. A enquires how we will investigate the social, environmental and technological context of projectile development. The CI and PIs have published extensively the contexts of technological innovation and the determinants of assemblage variation. We will closely examine the climatic, ecological, demographic and social context of the hominins engaged in projectile use to determine the conditions giving rise to adoption or rejection of complex projectile use and the spread and proliferation of that technology out of Africa. B asks how the mechanical and actualistic projectile experiments will be combined/compared at UQ and Liège. Experimental design linking controlled and actualistic experiments is achievable through careful planning, detailed knowledge of material properties, dimensions, speeds, target materials and distances to targets. These variables will be standardised at both UQ and Liege to ensure direct comparability of results. Actualistic experiments vary more freely, but because all pertinent aspects of the experiments are quanitified, the results will be directly comparable with the mechanical tests. B asks how local problems of context, raw material and type will be dealt with in phylogenetic analysis. These are common issues that can be dealt with in the attribute matrix and homoplasies are easily dealt with in phylogenetic analysis.
Benefit: All assessors agree this project fills an ‘important knowledge gap’, that the ‘benefits are wide-reaching’ and of ‘global interest to the public’(C), ‘contributing significantly to understanding the origins of our species and its emergence out of Africa’. B states the body of knowledge to be created is ‘fundamental for advancing archaeological research at a global scale’ with excellent potential for ‘understanding human evolution’ and ‘producing high-impact publications’. C enquires about travel costs. These are priced using average pre-pandemic off-peak economy flights between Australia, Canada and Europe ($1500 ea), leaving ~60% of the travel budget for food and accommodation in each year. Travel remains uncertain in the years ahead and project phases will be flexible to accommodate travel restrictions.
Feasibility: All assessors agree the project is ‘inherently feasible’ (C), with logical role divisions, and the ‘expertise and infrastructure to do so successfully’ (A). While international travel is ideal, the project has been designed to accommodate delays and to ensure outcomes irrespective of travel bans. Museum and archaeological collections and ballistic experiments are designed to be conducted by the CI and PIs on each continent if travel restrictions continue, such that ‘outputs are still assured’ (C).

The resource-poor, isolated islands of Wallacea have been considered a major adaptive obstacle for hominins expanding into Australasia. Archaeological evidence has hinted that coastal adaptations in Homo sapiens enabled rapid island dispersal and settlement; however, there has been no means to directly test this proposition. Here, we apply stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis to human and faunal tooth enamel from six Late Pleistocene to Holocene archaeological sites across Wallacea. The results demonstrate that the earliest human forager found in the region c. 42,000 years ago made significant use of coastal resources prior to subsequent niche diversification shown for later individuals. We argue that our data provides clear insights into the huge adaptive flexibility of our species, including its ability to specialize in the use of varied environments, particularly in comparison to other hominin species known from Island Southeast Asia.

There is little evidence for the role of plant foods in the dispersal of early modern humans into new habitats globally. Researchers have hypothesised that early movements of human populations through Island Southeast Asia and into Sahul were driven by the lure of high-calorie, low-handling-cost foods, and that the use of plant foods requiring processing was not common in Sahul until the Holocene. Here we present the analysis of charred plant food remains from Madjedbebe rockshelter in northern Australia, dated to between 65 kya and 53 kya. We demonstrate that Australia's earliest known human population exploited a range of plant foods, including those requiring processing. Our finds predate existing evidence for such subsistence practices in Sahul by at least 23ky. These results suggest that dietary breadth underpinned the success of early modern human populations in this region, with the expenditure of labour on the processing of plants guaranteeing reliable access to nutrients in new environments.

The current paper reports an experimental case study to test the heterogeneity of faunal assemblages
from the Early-Middle Pleistocene Layers V-5 and V-6 of the Gesher Benot Ya’aqov Acheulian site (Israel).
Tumbling and trampling experiments were initiated to gain qualitative insight into processes of bone
modification and to assess the timing of the biostratonomic chronology, as it was assumed that both
mechanisms were responsible for the formation of striations documented on the bone surfaces from the
site. The tumbling experiments mimicked sediment movement in a calm lacustrine shoreline environment
whereas the trampling experiments investigate the role of animal/hominin activities in dry, muddy
and wet environments. Models for the internal operational sequence of an abrasional process due to uniand
multidirectional water movement and of a trampling scenario are presented. These models are used
for the interpretation of the fauna from Gesher Benot Ya’aqov.

The recently discovered Holzman site lies along the west bank of Shaw Creek, a northern tributary of the Tanana River, Interior Alaska. Recent excavations revealed an expedient stone technology alongside large mammal remains, including a mammoth tusk in deeply buried deposits. Evidence of food preparation, camp fires, and ivory tool manufacture dated at least to 13,500 cal BP (non-ivory dates) make Holzman one of the earliest in the Americas. The discovery contributes to a growing body of evidence suggesting the peopling of the Americas occurred via an interior migration through eastern Beringia.