Lower and middle paleolithic of northern Asia: Achievements,problems, and perspectives

Considerable progress has been made in recent years in the study of the Lower and Middle Paleolithic of northern Asia. There is growing evidence for initial human occupation before 700,000 years ago—as early as elsewhere in Asia—and for a very early adaptation to the arctic desert environment. New models of Lower Paleolithic settlement involve expansion and reduction of occupation in response to climatic variation, rather than simple colonization followed by steady occupation. The Middle Paleolithic of northern Asia is better documented, including actual finds of archaicHomo sapiens. The transition to the Upper Paleolithic seems to involve the survival of earlier cultural traits, but the mechanisms and processes are not well understood. Further significant knowledge concerning these periods awaits the development of common methodologies for classification and analysis.     

Late Middle Palaeolithic occupations in Ciemna Cave,southern Poland

Recent excavations in Ciemna Cave in the Pr?dnik valley near Ojców, southern Poland have brought to light new stratigraphic and techno-typological evidence concerning Late Middle Palaeolithic groups and their cultural affinities. In 2007, excavations began in the hitherto-unexplored main chamber of Ciemna Cave, with the goal of clarifying the results of previous work in other parts of the cave. During excavation the rocky floor of the cave was reached. About 1000 stone artifacts have been collected to date. Three cultural traditions have been documented: Mousterian, Taubachian, and Micoquian. Within the Micoquian tradition, three cultural levels were observed, which enriches the previous understanding of occupational phases at the site. These findings permit revision of the traditional terms “Pr?dnik industry” and “Pr?dnik technique.”     

Morphological analysis of Ozarkodina prolata Mawson and Ozarkodina midundenta (Wang & Ziegler) (Emsian conodonts) from South China

Lu, J.-F., November 2015. Morphological analysis of Ozarkodina prolata Mawson and Ozarkodina midundenta (Wang & Ziegler) (Emsian conodonts) from South China. Alcheringa 40, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.

Investigations of conodonts from Emsian (Lower Devonian) strata at Bahe, Liujing and Daliantang in Guangxi and Yunnan, South China, provide new data on the morphological variability and phylogenetic affinity of Ozarkodina midundenta, a species initially assigned to Pandorinellina but transferred to Ozarkodina herein. Morphological analysis suggests that O. midundenta probably developed from O. prolata by progressive fusion of denticles in the middle third of the blade above the basal cavity in the Pa element.

Jian-feng Lu [lujfivan@sina.cn], Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China. Also affiliated with University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.     

Coles Creek fauna procurement strategies: subsistence diversity among late prehistoric hunter-gatherer-horticulturalists in the Lower Mississippi Valley

In the late 1980s, a collaborative effort between Harvard University’s Lower Mississippi Survey and Tulane University’s Center for Archaeology launched a study examining the causes and consequences of subsistence change in the Lower Mississippi Valley. The Osceola Project contributed the first formal study of late prehistoric faunal remains within the Alluvial Plain, becoming the standard against which all subsequent Coles Creek faunal assemblages have been measured. Recent evidence recovered from three sites located in the Eastern Uplands presented the opportunity to compare and contrast vertebrate subsistence in these two distinct physiographic regions. We hypothesize that a clear distinction exists between lowland and upland Coles Creek procurement strategies. This article evaluates this claim by examining species diversity, spatial patterns, and temporal trends evident within an eight-site sample. The results suggest that the primary factor influencing Coles Creek fauna procurement was the immediate environment, and that the composition of Late Woodland period diets may be a reflection of efficiency of effort rather than food access or scarcity.     

Local amber in a Palaeolithic context in Cantabrian Spain: the case of La Garma A

It is important to determine the geological sources of Palaeolithic ambers in the south of Europe in order to understand the mobility and interchanges of prehistoric societies. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis carried out on Upper Palaeolithic ambers from La Garma A cave (Cantabria, Northern Spain) allowed us to identify their source area. Their diagnostic features were found to be similar to the amber obtained in the Lower Cretaceous outcrops close to this archaeological site, and to differ clearly from Baltic amber, which has been generally suggested as the amber found in European prehistoric sites. These results show that the origin of the Gravettian amber found in La Garma A is local and, consequently, a hypothetical contact route is not required to be able to account for the presence of this material in the Iberian Palaeolithic context studied here. For the first time it has been demonstrated that the provenance of an archaeological amber in the Iberian Peninsula is local, with both geographical and spectroscopical evidences. Our study also concludes that the archaeological amber of La Garma A possibly belongs to an araucariacean resin that originated from the coniferous forests which grew in the northeast portion of the Iberian Plate c.110-million years ago.     

New methods for the identification of evidence for bitting on horse remains from archaeological sites

This article describes alterations to equid lower second premolars and diastemata from a series of known life history equids and a number of archaeological horse specimens from the British Iron Age. Two new methods for recording bit wear are proposed involving the analysis of the extent and morphology of enamel/dentine exposure on the anterior edge of LP2s and analysis of the extent of new bone formation and bone loss to the diastema of the mandible. It is suggested that when a bit is used on a horse it acts more frequently on the anterior margin of the LP2 than has previously been thought and that repeated contact between the bit and the LP2s and diastemata results in recognisable damage to these areas of the mouth.     

A Cut‐marked and Fractured Mesolithic Human Bone from Kent's Cavern,Devon, UK

An isolated adult human ulna fragment recovered from the ‘black mould’ layer of Kent's Cavern by William Pengelly in 1866 exhibits a series of stone tool cut marks. The specimen has been directly AMS ¹⁴C‐dated to 7314–7075 cal bc (OxA‐20588: 8185 ± 38 bp ) and may be from the same individual as a maxilla fragment dated to the same period. The cut marks are located on the olecranon process, in a position indicative of dismemberment, whereas the fracture characteristics of the bone furthermore suggest peri‐mortem breakage, typical of butchery for the extraction of marrow. We here present and discuss the specimen and consider both ritual mortuary treatment and anthropophagy as possible explanations. Although it is difficult to interpret a single element in isolation, the latter scenario seems to be better supported and is not without parallel in prehistoric Europe, as indicated by a review of the available literature. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hunted or Scavenged Neanderthals? Taphonomic Approach to Hominin Fossils with Carnivore Damage

Carnivore damage on Neanderthal fossils is a much more common taphonomic modification than previously thought. Its presence could have different explanations, including predatory attacks or scavenging scenarios, which are both situations with important implications concerning Neanderthal behaviour. In the present paper, we analyse several Neanderthal hominin fossils from a taphonomic and forensic perspective in order to infer the nature of the modifications observed on the bone surfaces. Fossils displaying carnivore modifications from Spain, Germany, Belgium and Greece are evaluated from a taphonomic perspective for the first time in a significant sample of hominin specimens. Our results show that the materials analysed have been modified by small to large carnivores and that both attacks and strictly carnivore scavenging events can be inferred. This study also points out the importance of developing taphonomic approaches to the analysis of hominin bone surfaces, which can contribute significantly to knowledge of several aspects of Neanderthal behaviour. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radialimbricatus,a new ichnogenus from the lacustrine sandstone facies of the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation,South Korea

Lee, D.-C. February 2017. Radialimbricatus, a new ichnogenus from the lacustrine sandstone facies of the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation, South Korea. Alcheringa XX, XXX–XXX.

The trace fossil Radialimbricatus igen. nov. with type species of R. bitoensis isp. nov. occurs in river-mouth-bar sandstone beds of a lacustrine sequence of the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation in South Korea. Radialimbricatus is a horseshoe-shaped or elliptical, convex hyporelief structure characterized by imbrication of traces with radial ridges and a median furrow. These features differentiate Radialimbricatus from arthropod ichnofossils such as Rusophycus and Cruziana, possibly cnidarian ichnofossils such as Astropolichnus and vermiform organism ichnofossils such as Oldhamia. Cross-sectional features of R. bitoensis, including upward mud protrusions at lateral margins, demonstrate that R. bitoensis can be formed as an open epigenic furrow at the water/mud interface or an endogenic burrow along the sand/mud interface at the same time. Analysis of discrete and imbricating horseshoe-shaped traces indicates that the tracemaker maintained an obligate inclined posture even when forming trails. The radial ridges and pit along the median furrow are interpreted to reflect feeding behaviour, and the imbrication to result from unidirectional and more or less regular movements to next feeding sites. The tracemaker is thought to have been an organism with an elliptical body outline, radially arranged body parts at the base of or around the body (probably for collecting and transporting foods and moving to feeding sites) and a mouth near the centre of the body, which is consistent with body plan features of arthropods, cnidarians and annelids.

Dong-Chan Lee [dclee@chungbuk.ac.kr], Department of Earth Sciences Education, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 28644, South Korea.