Middle Paleolithic

The renewed excavation of the Ein Gev IV Epipalaeolithic (Nizzanan) site, in the Upper Jordan Valley, provides a novel insight into the long-durée process that, in hindsight, set the stage for the pivotal changes attested during the Late Epiplaeolithic Natufian and subsequent pre-Pottery Neolithic cultural entities. Based on the analysis of the archaeological deposit, the lithic assemblage, and a series of new radiometric dates it is possible to suggest that Ein Gev IV might have been occupied for a large part of the year as a residential site, embedded in a tight social network that included other Nizzanan sites in Transjordan and the Negev. The new data highlight the complexity of the pre-Natufian Epipalaeolithic population dynamics, and advocate for a paradigm shift, loosening the rigid separation between Early and Middle Epipalaeolithic cultural entities and focusing on how social and environmental factors might have affected the development and transmission of innovations between interconnected local populations over the whole pre-Natufian Epipalaeolithic period.

Forschungsstand und Voruntersuchungen Es ist dem engagierten Laienforscher Johann Peters aus Eggstedt zu verdan­ ken, daß die Ochsenkoppel im Kirchspiel Albersdorf als bisher umfangreich­ ster mittelneolithischer Fundplatz Dithmarschens für die Forschung entdeckt wurde. Dankenswerterweise stellte J. Peters schon frühzeitig seine Oberflä­ chenfunde dem Heider Museum zur Verfügung. Sie fanden bisher in zwei Publi­ kationen Beachtung. In der Arbeit von Frauke Metzger­Krahe (1977) zum Meso­ lithikum an der Unterelbe wurde, aus welchen Gründen auch immer, eine klei­ ne Auswahl der Fundstelle als Beleg für Mesolithikum angesprochen, dabei aber verschiedene Geräte und Naturprodukte falsch interpretiert, so daß so­ gar ein Bruckstück eines geschliffenen Flintbeils als mesolithischer Kern herhalten mußte. Diese unzutreffende zeitliche Einordnung der Funde korri­ gierte D. Meier (1985) in seiner Magisterarbeit, in der er die Funde der Ochsenkoppel mit denen des Fundplatzes Hölle auf Fehmarn i...

Ik zat in zijn studeerkamer tegenover hem aan een groot bureau, omringd door vitrinekasten. Achter Franssen keek ik uit op al die prachtige stenen bijlen en andere archeologische voorwerpen die misschien wel van ons worden. Franssen zelf keek achter mij naar een geweldige verzameling etnografica uit Nieuw-Guinea.

L'étude porte sur le fonctionnement et l'évolution morphodynamique d'une creuse, ravin d'ordre kilométrique qui entaille souvent le fond des vallons élémentaires des plateaux crayeux de l'Artois et de la Picardie. L approche morphosédimentaire exploite les données de 3 coupes (stratigraphie, analyses micromorphologiques), réparties sur une section d'environ 500 m et replacées dans leur contexte géomorphologique (cartographie sur la base d'un MNT, profil en long). La reconnaissance de formations caractéristiques (loess lités et paléosol) et d'artéfacts médiévaux permet de proposer une chronologie débutant à 30 000 BP. La stratigraphie et l'analyse du modelé démontrent le caractère fluviatile de l'incision de la creuse. Deux phases principales d'incision sont repérées et associées à un style fluvial méandriforme. Les phases de remblaiement, au moins d'époque médiévale pour la dernière, correspondent à des évènements épisodiques et violents de type torrentiel. Les versantsjouent un rôle importart, déiivrant en abondance des loess qui colmatent aujourd'hui le fond du ravin.

The south Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic (mid-MP; ~130–80 thousand
years ago (ka)) is remarkable for its exceptional evidence of human
morphological variability, with contemporaneous fossils of Homo sapiens and Neanderthal-like hominins. Yet, it remains unclear whether these
hominins adhered to discrete behavioural sets or whether regional-scale
intergroup interactions could have homogenized mid-MP behaviour. Here
we report on our discoveries at Tinshemet Cave, Israel. The site yielded
articulated Homo remains in association with rich assemblages of ochre,
fauna and stone tools dated to ~100 ka. Viewed from the perspective of
other key regional sites of this period, our findings indicate consolidation
of a uniform behavioural set in the Levantine mid-MP, consisting of similar
lithic technology, an increased reliance on large-game hunting and a range
of socially elaborated behaviours, comprising intentional human burial and the use of ochre in burial contexts. We suggest that the development of this behavioural uniformity is due to intensified inter-population interactions and admixture between Homo groups ~130–80 ka.

La realización de esta investigación y culminación de la redacción de esta Tesis Doctoral no habría sido posible sin la ayuda, consejos y colaboración de un amplio conjunto de personas, de las que espero no olvidar a nadie. En primer lugar, he de mencionar a mis dos codirectores. Dr. Alvaro Arrizabalaga, junto a quien (y a María José Iriarte) aprendí a excavar y a "cogerle gustillo" a esos huesos que encontraba en Lezetxiki, junto a las muy transcendentales piezas líticas. Al Dr. Philippe Fosse, que me acogió en la Maison de la Recherche de Toulouse-le Mirail y durante tres meses me enseñó a identificar, medir y evaluar los restos óseos de la Grotte Blanche, con los que aprendí a analizar un conjunto de osos de las cavernas. Gracias a la guía de ambos este trabajo ha sido posible y ha mejorado sustancialmente. Una mención especial he de dedicársela a Pedro Castaños, quien a través de su trabajo, sugerencias, determinaciones taxonómicas, facilitación del acceso a sus inventarios personales o materiales por estudiar, ha hecho que este trabajo llegue a buen puerto. También me acuerdo de otras muchas personas, especialmente, del Área de Prehistoria de la UPV-EHU. Los profesores, Lydia, Alfonso, Marcos, Javier, Josean, Ignacio y Ana, que durante este tiempo, especialmente estos últimos meses, me preguntaban a diario, ¿Qué tal va?, ¿Cuánto te falta?... al final ¡terminé!. No puedo dejar de nombrar a la "tropa" del Departamento y en particular a los integrantes del "selecto club" del laboratorio 1.18ª. Con ellos he reído, desesperado, y comentado múltiples aspectos (muchos de ellos aún incomprendidos) de este estudio durante estos cinco años. Como en las siguientes páginas podréis, leer, comentar y por supuesto citar, una tesis se puede llegar a terminar. Para concluir, agradecer a toda mi familia su apoyo. Por supuesto, a Jaime Villaluenga por leerse pacientemente este trabajo y corregir su estilo y en particular a tí, Pauline. Sin tu apoyo incondicional durante cinco años y a tu impulso final para terminar y redactar los apartados en francés, este trabajo nunca habría tenido final. Eskerrik asko guztioi.

1. Bildiri Metni Başlığı: İçerikle uyumlu ve konuyu kapsayan bir başlık olmalı ve koyu harflerle 14 punto yazılmalıdır. Bildiri başlığı en fazla 12 kelimeden oluşmalıdır. Yazar(lar)ın ad(lar)ı ve soyad(lar)ı, başlığa eklenen bir dipnotla verilmeli; aşağıdaki şekilde unvan, görev yapılan kurum, iletişim, e-posta adresi ve ORCID numarası belirtilmelidir.

Grotta dei Santi-GDS é um sítio préhistórico do Paleolítico Médio, situado na região da Toscana (Itália Central). Apresenta vestígios da ocupação neandertalense entre 50.000 e 40.000 anos antes do presente. Por sua importância no panorama paleolítico italiano, o Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche della Terra e dell’Ambiente-Unità di Ricerca di Preistoria e Antropologia dell’Università di Siena (Itália), há mais de dez anos, conduz as pesquisas, escavações e ações de valorização patrimonial com a finalidade de aprofundar o conhecimento sobre o comportamento neandertal na região e também valorizar um sítio que, por sua própria importância científica e localização, se apresenta como único em seu gênero. Neste capítulo, apresentamos o projeto desenvolvido no sítio GDS com foco numa gestão integrada do território.

The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in the ravine of Ginosa (Taranto), is one of the key sites for the study of Neanderthal groups in Southern Italy. The rich stratigraphic sequence of the site, which is ascribable entirely to the Middle Palaeolithic, is rich in anthropic remains and combustion structures, attesting occupation by Neanderthals during MIS 3. This paper is focused on the study of Stratigraphic Unit (SU) 13, made up of a compact sandy sediment mixed with pyroclastic sediment derived from the underlying tephra level (SU 14). The latter has been identified as Monte Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar 55 ± 2 ka). The first stable human occupation of the shelter after tephra deposition is represented by unit 13. Our aim here is that of separating the Stratigraphic Unit into its main components so as to obtain a high temporal resolution on the activities which took place in this SU, and to reconstruct the individual events which formed the palimpsest. In order to fulfil these objectives, a multidisciplinary approach was needed through which data could be integrated from the microstratigraphy of the hearths; from the technological study of the lithic industries; from the individuation of the Raw Material Units (RMUs); from refitting and cojoining and from spatial analysis (GIS science/tool). The integration of these analytical methods reveals that SU 13 of the Oscurusciuto rock shelter was the product of a series of events ascribable to a short time span. This layer was formed by sediment aggradation and cementation (e.g., brecciation) processes. Human activities contributed to the sediment build up with the introduction of wood ash, lithic raw materials and bones. The results show the importance of using integrated research methods in order to identify short anthropic events within a palimpsest.

In this paper we investigate the seasonality of site occupation at Amud Cave (Israel). This site presents a long sedimentary sequence featuring two main late Middle Paleolithic occupation phases (70-55 Ka BP) rich in anthropogenic remains, and displaying very high densities of lithic artifacts, faunal remains and evidence of combustion. The abundance of these features appears high relative to the thickness of the sequence, thus raising the question of the duration and frequency of site occupation(s). We aim here to unravel this issue implementing a multiproxy approach to the dental fraction of the faunal assemblage. Combining teeth replacement and wear patterns coupled with micro-and mesowear analyses, we provide insights into the seasonality of occupation and hunting strategies at the site. We found that hunting activities at Amud Cave were conducted mainly in the course of the winter months with possible expansion into the late fall and early spring. This result is consistent with regional and local climate reconstructions and resources procurement locations evidenced in previous works. Assuming a fast depositional rate, we suggest that the sequence results from frequent seasonal returns to the site, forming a palimpsest of short-term occupations. This scenario is compatible with settlements and mobility patterns inferred for the late Middle Paleolithic in the Southern Levant.

The Göllü Dağ complex is located in Cappadocia, in Central Anatolia. This volcanic massif, about 12 km wide with a maximum elevation of 2143 m, was first occupied in the Lower Paleolithic. The earliest archaeological levels of Kaletepe Deresi 3 have yielded the remains of an Acheulean occupation, the only one excavated in Anatolia so far (Slimak et al. 2008). Several find spots with Lower Paleolithic assemblages were identified during the Göllü Dağ survey (Balkan-Atlı et al. 2008-2009, this paper). Early cultural remains found both at ...

В настоящей работе анализируются события в научной жизни, связанные с состоявшейся 50 лет
назад (1974 г.) первой в истории советско-американской археологической экспедиции на о. Анангула
(Алеутские острова). Делается ряд выводов об особенностях международного сотрудничества на
разных этапах, о долговременном эффекте «наследия Анангулы», а также о роли сибирских исследователей
в развитии таких направлений как американистика и тихоокеанская археология.

Newly discovered archaeological sites in the Uribe Kosta region of northern Spain are illuminating the establishment of late prehistoric coastal farming settlements and specialised tool-production activities. The modification of settlement patterns and habitats in permanent open-air villages is traditionally linked to the Neolithic expansion in Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Archaeological research allows for the identification and study of these sites in order to understand the socioeconomic and cultural development of the earliest farmer communities. A dearth of archaeological evidence, however, hampers our interpretation of the Neolithisation of some regions, such as northern Spain. Here, research has been traditionally focused on archaeological contexts associated with caves and megalithic structures, with some limited references to Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age open-air sites (e.g.

The palaeolithic record of continental northwestern Europe is characterized by sites in a loess-andfluvial deposits context, usually preserved in the farm ofloesscovered river terraces. As a result relative chronologies can be established over rather large distances, allowing to infer that the earliest occupation ofthis region dates back to about 600 Kyr BP. This is especially well established in the Sonune valley. Work in the Cagny area has placed the Acheulean occupations there in a large variety of ecological settings.

The thesis is dedicated to the results of the research conducted by the joint international archaeological expedition of Azerbaijan-Japan in the Damjili cave in 2016-2023. The cave is located in the western part of Azerbaijan, in the territory of the Gazakh region. Initial research here was conducted in 1953 by S.N. Zamyatnin and M.M. Huseynov.

Archaeological bones are usually dated by radiocarbon measurement of extracted collagen. However, low collagen content, contamination from the burial environment, or museum conservation work, such as addition of glues, preservatives, and fumigants to "protect" archaeological materials, have previously led to inaccurate dates. These inaccuracies in turn frustrate the development of archaeological chronologies and, in the Paleolithic, blur the dating of such key events as the dispersal of anatomically modern humans. Here we describe a method to date hydroxyproline found in collagen (∼10% of collagen carbon) as a bone-specific biomarker that removes impurities, thereby improving dating accuracy and confidence. This method is applied to two important sites in Russia and allows us to report the earliest direct ages for the presence of anatomically modern humans on the Russian Plain. These dates contribute considerably to our understanding of the emergence of the Mid-Upper Paleo...

Il paesaggio pleistocenico della Bassa Valle del Cecina, situato nella regione Toscana dell'Italia centrale, offre un'opportunità unica per esplorare le dinamiche d’interazione tra uomo e ambiente durante il Pleistocene superiore. Quest'area, caratterizzata prevalentemente da pianure costiere, ha ospitato una varietà di contesti archeologici che forniscono importanti informazioni sui comportamenti socio-economici e sulle strategie adattive delle comunità preistoriche. Purtroppo gran parte di questi siti sono stati obliterati dall'espansione urbana e dallo sviluppo infrastrutturale, rendendo la Bassa Valle del Cecina un caso studio rappresentativo di un paesaggio preistorico a rischio o non percepibile.

Questo studio preliminare segue un approccio integrato alla ricostruzione del paleoambiente, combinando analisi geomorfologiche, indagini di campo e modellazione spaziale. Attraverso l'analisi di dati pregressi provenienti da collezioni di manufatti di superficie, si mira a ricostruire il potenziale archeologico dell'area, sebbene parzialmente compromesso, e a svelare un paesaggio preistorico fino ad ora non conosciuto. La modellazione paleogeografica basata su GIS si è rivelata uno strumento chiave per individuare caratteristiche residuali oscurate dalla trasformazione degli assetti insediativi degli ultimi cinquant’anni. I risultati preliminari evidenziano il profondo impatto delle attività antropiche sulla conservazione del paesaggio preistorico, con conseguenze significative per la comprensione dei modelli insediativi regionali e delle strategie di sfruttamento delle risorse. Questo contributo dimostra come l'integrazione di dati batimetrici e geomorfologici nei sistemi GIS consenta la creazione di scenari diacronici per la ricostruzione delle dinamiche costiere in relazione alla frequentazione del territorio da parte delle comunità paleolitiche.

La revisione dei materiali archeologici raccolti, prevalentemente negli ultimi decenni del XX secolo, permette di acquisire nuove informazioni sulle diverse fasi di occupazione e utilizzo dell'area durante il Paleolitico. L’integrazione dei dati all’interno del GIS fornisce una sintesi su come il patrimonio pleistocenico della Bassa Valle del Cecina possa essere rivalutato e integrato in quadri di popolamento dell’area tirrenica, affrontando al contempo l'impatto critico rappresentato dall’urbanizzazione e dallo sviluppo infrastrutturale.

Middle Paleolithic fossil human remains from the Sima de las Palomas in southeastern Iberia (dated to ≤43,000–40,000 calendar years before present) present a suite of derived Neandertal and/or retained ancestral morphological features in the mandibular symphysis, mandibular ramus, dental occlusal morphology, and distal hand phalanx. These traits are combined with variation in the mandibular corpus, discrete dental morphology, tooth root lengths, and anterior dental size that indicate a frequency difference with earlier Iberian and more northern European Neandertals. The Palomas Neandertals therefore confirm the late presence of Neandertals associated with the Iberian persistence of the Middle Paleolithic, but suggest microevolutionary processes and/or population contact with contemporaneous modern humans to the north.

The southern region of the Caspian Sea is regarded as a potential dispersal corridor through which humans
migrated from western Eurasia to Central Asia during the Pleistocene epoch. In the last decade, new research has
focused on the Palaeolithic archaeology of this area. One significant site is Takht-e Rostam, an open-air Paleolithic
___location situated west of Neka City in the southeastern part of the Caspian Sea. In 2020, 13 test trenches were
excavated as part of a site delimitation project. Takte-e Rostam features a Lower Pleistocene marine terrace
landform, surrounded by Late Pleistocene deposits, formed on the Lar limestone formation, rising about 40 to 50
metres above sea level. Palaeolithic artefacts were discovered within a chocolate-coloured sediment deposit. For
dating purposes, two soil samples were collected from the excavated trenches and analysed using the OSL method,
conducted by the Geophysics Institute, University of Tehran. A total of 2,659 lithic artefacts were recovered from
both in situ and secondary layers, underscoring the site’s historical importance. The OSL dating and lithic analyses
suggest that the Takht-e Rostam site likely served as a campsite for lithic production and hunting along the coast
of the Caspian Sea during the transition from the late Middle to early Upper Palaeolithic periods. Furthermore, the
geological landmark of this site may have played an essential role in the hunting strategies of Palaeolithic human
groups, and their ability to monitor and dominate the surrounding environment. This research indicates that the
deposit’s formation is associated with the Khvalynian stage of the Caspian Sea, with the last layer of loess dating
back to marine isotope stage 3.

PRERESA (Getafe, Madrid) es un yacimiento del primer tercio del Pleistoceno Superior, final del MIS 5, del que se han excavado 255 m 2 , y donde se han recuperado 754 piezas líticas y abundantes restos de micro-y macrovertebrados. En este trabajo se aborda el estudio de los micromamíferos identificados en el yacimiento: Erinaceomorpha: Erinaceus europaeus; Soricomorpha: Crocidura russula; Chiroptera: Rhinolophus ferrumequinum; Rodentia: Eliomys quercinus quercinus, Apodemus sp., Cricetulus (Allocricetus) bursae, Arvicola aff. sapidus, Microtus cabrerae, Microtus duodecimcostatus; Lagomorpha: Oryctolagus cuniculus. Esta asociación faunística, fundamentalmente por la presencia de Microtus cabrerae, es del Pleistoceno Superior. El estadio evolutivo de Microtus cabrerae y Arvicola aff. sapidus indican la antigüedad de esta asociación dentro de la primera parte de dicho periodo, lo que es acorde con la fecha de 84±5,6 ka BP obtenida por OSL. Todos los taxones que se registran en PRERESA viven actualmente en la zona en la que se ubica el yacimiento, excepto Cricetulus (Allocricetus) bursae que se extinguió en la Península Ibérica al final del Pleistoceno Superior. Las observaciones realizadas sobre el material indican que la acumulación de restos de micromamíferos en el yacimiento es debida, en su mayor parte, a la acción de predadores, muy posiblemente a egagrópilas de aves rapaces. La asociación de micromamíferos de PRERESA indica unas condiciones de clima templado con cierta humedad y un desarrollo de la vegetación con algunas zonas boscosas y fundamentalmente áreas abiertas pero con vegetación arbustiva, herbácea, praderas secas y húmedas, y ribereña. En una comparación de los micromamíferos del yacimiento de PRERESA con los de los yacimientos del Pleistoceno Medio de Áridos 1 y Valdocarros, los datos indican que en los tramos bajos de los ríos Manzanares y Jarama hubo unas condiciones climáticas y paisajísticas similares en los momentos que representan estos yacimientos (Pleistoceno Medio avanzado y primer tercio del Pleistoceno Superior). Sin embargo, y al igual que sucede en la actualidad, estas condiciones fueron algo diferentes en el valle del Lozoya en la Sierra de Guadarrama durante el primer tercio del Pleistoceno Superior, según indica la asociación de micromamíferos de la Cueva del Camino (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid), que sugiere un clima relativamente más húmedo y un medio con una mayor variedad de biotopos. La asociación de micromamíferos del Pleistoceno Superior de PRERESA, en el tramo bajo del Manzanares, comparada con la de la Cueva del Camino que tiene una cronología similar, y con otras del Norte de Madrid del Pleistoceno Superior, pone de manifiesto según nuestras observaciones una diferenciación biogeográfica y paleoclimática ya durante este periodo entre unas y otras, de las que la zona limitante serían más o menos las estribaciones meridionales y centro-orientales del Sistema Central.

Klasies River main site (KRM) is a prominent Middle Stone Age (MSA) site located on the southern Cape coast in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. This contribution discusses the animal remains from the DC member in Cave 1B not reported on before. These animals fall within MSA II (Mossel Bay) techno-complex that, at KRM, dates from before 110 to 78ka. Despite heavy fragmentation, the fauna from this period shows a variety of taxa, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and molluscs. The most common taxa in the sample include indeterminate medium and small mammals, tortoises, indeterminate small birds, Cape fur seals, and indeterminate Bovid I and II's. The presence of several stacked hearths, shellfish, lithics and burnt and butchered bones all suggest that humans were the main agent of accumulation of the fauna. This is further supported by low values for the carnivore-ungulate ratio, the carnivore richness-and the leopard index, which measures the probabilities of brown hyena, leopard and human accumulations. However, the presence of chew marks presumably caused by carnivores suggests brown hyenas or leopards accumulated, or had access to some fauna. Assuming that humans accumulated most fauna, there is evidence of a summer occupation at KRM during the MSA II. People were exploiting a variety of environments during the MSA II, including coastal dunes, grasslands, savanna woodlands and closed, bush environments. During the MSA II at KRM, people focused on hunting ungulates.

En una visión sintética, la clave que define el estado actual de la investigación del Paleolítico Inferior de nuestra península, la constituye la estructuración de una serie de estratigrafías regionales que, con sus paralelismos, permiten fundamentar una secuencia general peninsular ibérica, sustancialmente sustentada por ahora en las estratigrafías de la Depresión Guadix-Baza, de Atapuerca y de las grandes depresiones fluviales del Duero y Tajo y la del Gualdalquivir Inferior, a las que deben incorporarse las restantes secuencias y estratigrafías locales conocidas en las periferias occidental, septentrional y del levante valenciano. El interés de lograr la correlación crono-estratigráfica de las Secuencias de Guadix-Baza y del Bajo Guadalquivir resulta por lo tanto evidente, al constituir ambas la secuencia regional

más emblemáticos de la ciudad para su portada: el oratorio del alcázar mayor de Murcia, conservado bajo la iglesia de San Juan de Dios. Se trata del frontal del mihrab de la alquibla, enmarcado por un alfiz de estucos pintados y una cúpula gallonada igualmente decorada. Una de las curiosidades del monumento es que mientras que el mihrab de la mezquita mayor de Murcia estaba erróneamente orientado al sur, como buena parte de las mezquitas andalusíes, los constructores del oratorio del alcázar tuvieron el acierto de orientar este mihrab hacia el este, es decir, hacia la Meca, como requería el rezo islámico. Además de la portada, en la nueva sección de "varia", celebramos el aniversario de la ciudad con un ensayo del director de la revista, en el que se reflexiona sobre los distintos orígenes de la ciudad de Murcia: un posible origen iberorromano, el indiscutible origen islámico y la reconquista cristiana como elemento de identidad murciana. Contamos, en este último número, con un nuevo secretario, José Javier Aliaga Cárceles, especialista en cine y audiovisual, por lo que este campo de la historia del arte será promovido en nuestra revista. El número incluye un artículo sobre el arte de Trajano, otro sobre pintura paleocristiana de Oxirrinco, otro sobre la casa consistorial de Villena, otro sobre el arte de las encuadernaciones de ejecutorías de hidalguías, otro sobre el uso del plomo en la escultura barroca, otro sobre el litigio de un escultor y el gremio de carpinteros de Orihuela, otro sobre el escultor malagueño Salvador Gutiérrez de León, otro sobre la desamortización de Mendizábal, otro sobre el cine de la diáspora española en la República, otro sobre el cine psicodélico de Alejandro Jodorowsky, otro sobre manga japonés y un último artículo sobre el cuerpo en el arte contemporáneo. En definitiva, el presente número ofrece una perspectiva bastante amplia de las distintas líneas historiográficas actuales. Hemos iniciado los trámites para ser evaluados en scimago y obtener el sello de calidad de la FECYT, con ello esperamos situarnos como una revista de referencia en el panorama nacional con aspiraciones internacionales, razón por la que publicamos un artículo en inglés y otro en italiano. Con el fin de obtener más artículos de Italia, iniciaremos el procedimiento para que Imafronte sea incluida en la lista de revistas de "fascia A", índice de calidad académico en el país vecino. Además de los artículos, la revista incorpora la nueva sección de "varia", que considerábamos necesaria para incluir ensayos, entrevistas y exposiciones. En este número, publicamos el ensayo del director más arriba mencionado, una entrevista a Virginia Page del Pozo por su reciente jubilación como directora del Museo de

In 2016, space for archaeological excavations was selected from the areas surveyed in the 50s of the last century and 9 exploration drums were drilled. In the following years, the research continued in the ninth niche, which gave the most important outcome. By 2018, the depth of the field was 4.4 meters, but not brought to the floor of the rock. There were identified six layers in the excavation area. The absolute age of the layers, except the VI layer, was determined by the radiocarbon method. As a result of the excavations carried out in 2016-2018in Damjili cave have revealed important cultural sediments dating from the Middle Paleolithic and approximately to the Holocene period.

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Whether a refugium, a transit area, or both, the Balkan Peninsula played a crucial role in the population dynamics of Europe during prehistory. However, the Balkans Peninsula is poorly represented in the European archaeological record. This article presents the newly discovered Middle Palaeolithic stone tool assemblage from the Uzun Mera site in the eastern Republic of Macedonia. Following fieldwork that included diverse methods in survey and excavation, as well as techno-economical and taphonomic assessment of the recovered stone tools, Uzun Mera is reported here as a typical Middle Palaeolithic assemblage that follows the pattern of a highly variable Balkan complex. The quality of the raw material reflects a highly selective approach, resulting in relatively low lithological variability where small blocks of raw material used for knapping are still present on site. These results contribute to better understanding the Palaeolithic of the Balkans and inform the population process in a region where little investigation has been previously conducted.

Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, ranging from around 57,000 to 29,000 years ago, is a period of significant archaeological interest due to notable transitions in lithic technology and hominin populations. In Europe, this time saw the replacement of Middle Palaeolithic (MP) technologies associated with Neanderthals by Upper Palaeolithic (UP) technologies linked to anatomically modern humans (AMHs). This technological shift is conventionally attributed to a demographic turnover; however, the timing of this transition varied regionally. The presence of Neanderthals and AMHs in the Levant, western Europe, and elsewhere over extended periods complicates the narrative, suggesting asynchronous and regionally diverse associations of hominin species and lithic technologies. This study shifts the attention to potential technological and cultural transmissions among MP-and UP-making groups, emphasizing the roles of social and exchange networks. Recent data from the obsidian-rich Armenian Highlands enable us to consider the mobility and land use of these groups without the added complication of toolstone with different knapping qualities, so patterns more clearly reflect mobility patterns, land use strategies, and potential social connections of foraging groups. These results suggest that, while MP-making groups in MIS 3 had overlapping territories, the UP-making groups at Aghitu-3 had smaller movements on the landscape. In contrast, MIS 2 sites with UP lithic assemblages have resource territories that apparently overlapped much like those of the MIS 3 MP sites. The findings hint at the possibility that differing mobility and land use during MIS 3 might have contributed to the coexistence of distinct lithic technologies, potentially through social transmission rather than a direct replacement of hominin populations.

The population dynamics that followed the out of Africa expansion (OoA) and the whereabouts of the early migrants before the differentiation that ultimately led to the formation of Oceanian, West and East Eurasian macro populations have long been debated. Shedding light on these events may, in turn, provide clues to better understand cultural evolution in Eurasia between 50kya and 35kya.Here we analyze Eurasian Paleolithic DNA evidence to provide a comprehensive population model and validate it in light of available material culture. Leveraging on our integrated approach we propose the existence of a Eurasian population Hub, where Homo sapiens lived between the OoA and the broader colonization of Eurasia, which was characterized by multiple events of expansion and local extinction. A major population wave out of Hub, of which Ust’Ishim, Bacho Kiro and Tianyuan are unadmixed representatives, is broadly associated with Initial Upper Paleolithic lithics and populated West and East Eura...

The Last Glacial maximum (LGM), spanning from 26.5 to 19 thousand years before present (ka BP), is a period of extreme climatic degradation associated with reduced biomass production and resource stress throughout Eurasia. Arguably, one of the
most fundamental tools for human survival during this cold and arid period was the ability to create, maintain and use fire. While fire is widely considered a ubiquitous tool in modern human behaviour, there are surprisingly few well‐described
combustion features during the LGM in Europe. In this paper, we provide high‐resolution geoarchaeological research into three combustion features associated with Epigravettian occupations at the site of Korman' 9 (Ukraine) with ages falling in the LGM. Our results show distinct variations in the size and structure of the combustion features, potentially indicating multiple occupations within the same layer or reflect differences in site organization or function during a single occupation. Additionally,
our analysis shows clear evidence of the effect of solifluction and the lack of preservation of the ash layer(s) of the combustion features, as well as the development of bioturbation features enhanced by anthropogenic input. To better estimate heating temperatures of the combustion events, we employed a novel approach using colour analysis showing temperatures reaching 600°C in the substrate underlying the combustion features. In all, the combustion features at Korman' 9 provide invaluable new insights as well as high resolution description of pyrotechnological behaviours during the LGM, which has been lacking during this critical period in our evolutionary history.

The territory of north-eastern Poland is experiencing a veritable archaeological renaissance through many research initiatives. In 2017, using the LiDAR method, 26 settlement sites located in the Podlasie Lowland were discovered. These sites have a similar form of construction and together they represent a compact settlement system. The main aim of this studies is to present the preliminary results of geoarchaeological studies of the Jatwieź Duża site as an example of this kind of settlement. This form is built by two distinct moats (circle shape) separated by earth embankment and a central flat area with a diameter of about 60 m. It is located on the Pleistocene clays, fluvioglacial sands and gravels. In the course of archaeological excavations, ten archeological resource objects with 79 parts of pottery and 83 flint artifacts were discovered. Technological and stylistic analysis of the pottery has shown that these artifacts belong to Urnfield culture communities from the Surash Gr...

The primary objective of this contribution is to show the intricate ways of over 100 years of research concerning the term Micoquian and its multiple shifts in meaning. A detailed analysis of the course of the research history has made it possible to identify several tendencies of shifting meaning. This concerned both its position within the chronology, its spatial extent, and decisive assemblage components. The term Micoquian has been used to describe complexes with very different characteristics. Chronologically, both assemblages dating before, during, and after the last interglacial period were referred to as Micoquian. To avoid difficulties in understanding the term, different names for the generic units of the respective assemblage units have been proposed from time to time. Due to the reflections on the research history, it is possible to investigate the question of whether and to what extent the term Micoquian should continue to be used and what significance is attached to it...

El Esquilleu cave has one of the most complete Middle Paleolithic stratigraphies of northern Iberia with a complete chronological framework almost continuous from the beginning of MIS3. The complete analysis of the materials including the last section of the sequence corresponding to the last chronological interval of the occupation in the region shows clear evolutionary tendencies by important changes in the composition of the lithic assemblage. Its study confirms a continuous occupation without any gaps during the Mousterian until recent dates but without any Upper Paleolithic presence. This sequence, referenced to the Mousterian settlement of the Picos de Europa mountains, testifies to the existence of a Mousterian presence in northern Iberia with no clear relation to other Cantabrian areas. Consequently, its occupation without a break until the crucial phase of the end of the Middle Paleolithic suggests a non-transitional process in the history of local Neanderthal groups.

Revisiting collections from old excavations with new research objectives and analytical tools brings them to life and integrates them into evolving models of human-landscape interactions. This paper examines hominin behaviour and adaptations at the late Middle Palaeolithic open air camp site Far'ah II, dated to ~ 49 ka by analyzing the spatial patterning of assemblages from the 1976-1978 excavation seasons. This was facilitated by the large area excavated and the fact that all lithics and most bones larger than 2.5 mm were recorded using three dimensional coordinates. Examining the refitted flint sequences highlights the use of variable technological systems, including the Levallois unidirectional convergent method. Use wear on the ground stone tools suggests they were used for knapping as well as food processing, and the faunal assemblage reflects a wide range of species that were consumed on-site. By combining lithic refitting studies and spatial mapping of artefact and bone distribution using GIS, we have dissected the occupation history and demonstrate that the living floor defined during the excavations actually consists of at least two different occupation events, that partially overlap in the central area of the site. This analysis demonstrates that Far'ah II was probably a favoured locality, revisited by Middle Palaeolithic hominins due to its proximity to a rich mosaic of habitats.

This report provides a preliminary account of a site reconnaissance survey conducted August 18-21, 2015, by the Azerbaijan-Japan Archaeological Mission to Göytepe in the Avey Mountain, West Azerbaijan. The purpose of the survey was to examine the feasibility of the region for intensive prehistoric investigations in the future. Specifically, the survey aimed to discover pre-Neolithic settlements to help clarify the origins of food-producing economies in the South Caucasus. This aim derives from our current archaeological work at Göytepe and Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe, Tovuz. Our excavations at these Neolithic sites revealed that a fully developed food-producing economy in the region dates from at least the beginning of the sixth millennium BC (Guliyev and Nishiaki 2012, 2014; Nishiaki et al. 2015). Moreover, the excavations showed that pottery was rarely used during that period, suggesting the first full-fledged food-producing economy was a local aceramic community rather than a Neolithic society with knowledge of pottery that was fully developed outside the region.

This article addresses the major demographic and adaptive factors that appear to have triggered the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic (MUP) transition in Eastern Europe. The factors under study were first identified in case studies from Crimea and Kostenki (Bataille 2013; 2016), but continued investigations show that they are closely connected with some quite specific, indeed fundamental, adaptive mechanisms. Actual investigations of the Aurignacian of the Swabian Jura brought to light characteristic techno-typological peculiarities. These regional signals further indicate that models of a unilineal, unidirectional dispersal of the Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) is not adequate to explain the heterogeneity of the Aurignacian in different regions. These investigations support studies that contradict the view that the Western European Aquitanian model is appropriate for the whole continent. In combination, these factors and mechanisms provide a new conceptual framework for understanding the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition.

Determining the extent of overlap between modern humans and other hominins in Eurasia, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, is fundamental to understanding the nature of their interactions and what led to the disappearance of archaic hominins. Apart from a possible sporadic pulse recorded in Greece during the Middle Pleistocene, the first settlements of modern humans in Europe have been constrained to ~45,000 to 43,000 years ago. Here, we report hominin fossils from Grotte Mandrin in France that reveal the earliest known presence of modern humans in Europe between 56,800 and 51,700 years ago. This early modern human incursion in the Rhône Valley is associated with technologies unknown in any industry of that age outside Africa or the Levant. Mandrin documents the first alternating occupation of Neanderthals and modern humans, with a modern human fossil and associated Neronian lithic industry found stratigraphically between layers containing Neanderthal remains associated with Mouste...

The sites of Riss-Wurmian and especially Wurmian age with bifacial pieces are significantly represented on the territory of the Eastern Europe.  The great majority of them are known in the Southern area of East European Plain and in the Crimea. Different terms are involved for description of assemblages under discussion, namely: Eastern Micoquian, Mousterian with Acheulean Tradition, East Micoquian and Bockstein Facies, Bifacial Mousterian, Bifacial Mousterian with Micoquian Tradition etc. The term "Eastern Micoquian", proposed by M. Gâbori (GÂBORI 1976) seems to be the most preferable among them. Stratified sites with bifacial tools are specifically numerous in the Crimea. It allows us to regard certain aspects of Eastern Micoquian problem using new data on Crimean MP.

Slimak et al . challenge the reliability of our oldest (>65,000 years) U-Th dates on carbonates associated with cave paintings in Spain. They cite a supposed lack of parietal art for the 25,000 years following this date, along with potential methodological issues relating to open-system behavior and corrections to detrital or source water 230 Th. We show that their criticisms are unfounded.