On the Entity and Antiquity of the Aurignacian at Willendorf (Austria): Implications for Modern Human Emergence in Europe

Teyssandier, Nicolas; Zilhão, João

doi:10.1007/s41982-017-0004-4

Cited by 34 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Previous age estimates of the KC4 maxilla (Higham et al, 2011) suggested there could have been a~5000-year period between~45 and 40 ka in which H. sapiens and Neanderthals may have overlapped in Europe. Suggestions of a comparably early modern presence at Cavallo (Italy) and Willendorf (Austria) have also been challenged recently (Zilhão et al, 2015;Teyssandier and Zilhão, 2018), although there is another recent claim of a similarly early modern human presence recorded at Bajondillo Cave in southern Spain (Cortés-Sánchez et al, 2019). Homo sapiens and Neanderthal interactions may have had considerably greater longevity in the Near East from~120 ka (Hovers, 2006) and probably even older (Hershkovitz et al, 2018).…”

Section: Archaeological Perspectives On Hominin Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aspects of human physical and behavioural evolution during the last 1 million years

Galway‐Witham

Cole

Stringer

2019

J Quaternary Science

105

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This paper reviews some of the main advances in our understanding of human evolution over the last 1 million years, presenting a holistic overview of a field defined by interdisciplinary approaches to studying the origins of our species. We begin by briefly summarizing the climatic context across the Old World for the last 1 million years before directly addressing the fossil and archaeological records. The main themes in this work explore (i) recent discoveries in the fossil record over the last 15 years, such as Homo naledi and Homo floresiensis; (ii) the implications of palaeogenetics for understanding the evolutionary history of, and relationships between, Neanderthals, Denisovans and Homo sapiens; (iii) the interplay between physiology and metabolic demand, landscape use, and behavioural adaptations in the evolution of morphological and behavioural innovation; and (iv) recent advances in archaeological understanding for the behavioural record, in particular that of the Neanderthals. This paper seeks to provide a broad‐scale, holistic perspective of our current understanding of human evolution for the last 1 Ma, providing a reference point for researchers that can be built upon as new discoveries continue to develop the landscapes of human evolution. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Section: Archaeological Perspectives On Hominin Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aspects of human physical and behavioural evolution during the last 1 million years

Galway‐Witham

Cole

Stringer

2019

J Quaternary Science

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Due to the overall paucity of diagnostic skeletal remains, the timing and nature of anatomically modern human (AMH) dispersal into Europe and the demise of Neanderthals is reconstructed largely via archaeological proxies, with different archaeological assemblage types taken to represent biologically distinct populations (e.g., Higham et al, 2014;Hublin, 2015;Kadowaki et al, 2015;Roussel et al, 2016;Teyssandier and Zilhão, 2018). The biological transition is broadly coeval with the appearance of Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP: ~37-30 ka BP 1 ; ~42-34 ka cal BP) assemblages, while preceding European Late Middle Paleolithic (LMP) assemblages are generally accepted as being made by Neanderthals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The earliest assemblages generally agreed to be of AMH authorship are Proto-and Early Aurignacian (Zilhão, 2013;Higham et al, 2014;Nigst et al, 2014;Benazzi et al, 2015;Hublin, 2015;Kadowaki et al, 2015;Roussel et al, 2016;Teyssandier and Zilhão, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Proto-Aurignacian lithic assemblages are characterized by: fully Upper Paleolithic blade(let) production (i.e., with platform abrasion and marginal percussion) employing unipolar strategies; production of relatively light blades; a strong emphasis on the production of large bladelets with straight or only slightly curved profiles; and a retouched bladelet assemblage characterized by marginal retouch, including examples of alternate/ventral retouch (i.e., Dufour subtype Dufour bladelets). These bladelets are thought to have served as 4 component parts of hunting equipment (Broglio et al, 2005;O'Farrell, 2005;Normand et al, 2009), marking a tangible behavioral difference from preceding assemblages (Teyssandier and Zilhão, 2018). Early Aurignacian lithic assemblages differ from Proto-Aurignacian primarily in the prevalence of blades bearing heavy Aurignacian retouch, including strangulated/notched types, and the presence of smaller modified bladelets with curved but generally untwisted profiles, found in association with their parent wide-faced carinated cores.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Beyond the general consensus that Proto-and Early Aurignacian assemblages were created by AMHs, much remains unclear about how and when Neanderthal extinction and initial AMH occupation occurred. Substantial disagreements exist over: a) the attribution to AMH or Neanderthals of earlier or penecontemporary assemblages (Bohunician, Uluzzian, Châtelperronian, Streletskian, Spitsynian: Anikovich et al, 2007;Hoffecker, 2009;Benazzi et al, 2011;Müller et al, 2011;Zilhão, 2011;Hublin, 2015;Hoffecker et al, 2016;Vishnyatsky, 2016;Bataille, 2017); b) the validity of particular artifacts as markers of specific archaeological assemblages (and, by extension, of AMHs/Neanderthals; e.g., Slimak et al, 2011;Zwyns et al, 2012;Nigst et al, 2014;Moreau et al, 2015;Teyssandier and Zilhão, 2018); and the association of dated samples with diagnostic material (e.g., Nigst et al 2014;Teyssandier and Zilhão 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New data for the Early Upper Paleolithic of Kostenki (Russia)

Dinnis

Bessudnov

Reynolds

et al. 2019

Journal of Human Evolution

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Several questions remain regarding the timing and nature of the Neanderthal-anatomically modern human (AMH) transition in Europe. The situation in Eastern Europe is generally less clear due to the relatively few sites and a dearth of reliable radiocarbon dates. Claims have been made for both notably early AMH and notably late Neanderthal presence, as well as for early AMH (Aurignacian) dispersal into the region from Central/Western Europe. The Kostenki-Borshchevo complex (European Russia) of Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) sites offers high-quality data to address these questions.Here we revise the chronology and cultural status of the key sites of Kostenki 17 and Kostenki 14. The Kostenki 17/II lithic assemblage shares important features with Proto-Aurignacian material, strengthening an association with AMHs. New radiocarbon dates for Kostenki 17/II of ~41-40 ka cal BP agree with new dates for the recently excavated Kostenki 14/IVw, which shows some similarities to Kostenki 17/II. Dates of ≥41 ka cal BP from other Kostenki sites cannot be linked to diagnostic archaeological material, and therefore cannot be argued to date AMH occupation. Kostenki 14's Layer in Volcanic Ash assemblage, on the other hand, compares to Early Aurignacian material. New radiocarbon dates targeting diagnostic lithics date to 39-37 ka cal BP. Overall, Kostenki's early EUP is in good agreement with the archaeological record further west. Our results are therefore consistent with models predicting interregional penecontemporaneity of diagnostic EUP assemblages. Most importantly, our work highlights ongoing challenges for reliably radiocarbon dating the period. Dates for Kostenki 14 agreed with the samples' chronostratigraphic positions, but standard pre-treatment methods consistently produced incorrect ages for Kostenki 17/II. Extraction of hydroxyproline from bone collagen using prep-HPLC, however, yielded results consistent with the samples' chronostratigraphic position and with the layer's archaeological contents. This suggests that for some sites compound-specific techniques are required to build reliable radiocarbon chronologies.

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Threading the Weft, Testing the Warp: Population Concepts and the European Upper Paleolithic Chronocultural Framework

Reynolds

2020

Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology

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Interpretations of the European Upper Paleolithic archaeological record have long relied on concepts of past populations. In particular, cultural taxonomic units-which are used as a framework for describing the archaeological record-are commonly equated with past populations. However, our cultural taxonomy is highly historically contingent, and does not necessarily accurately reflect variation in the archaeological record. Furthermore, we lack a secure theoretical basis for the inference of populations from taxonomic units. In order to move past these problems and satisfactorily address questions of Upper Paleolithic 2 populations, we need to entirely revise our approach to chronocultural framework building. Here, I outline a specific way of describing the archaeological record that deliberately avoids the use of cultural taxonomic units and instead concentrates on individual features of material culture. This approach may provide a more appropriate basis for the archaeological study of Upper Paleolithic populations and for comparison with genetic data.

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On the Entity and Antiquity of the Aurignacian at Willendorf (Austria): Implications for Modern Human Emergence in Europe

Abstract: The time of the Aurignacian's first appearance in the archeological record lies at the heart of debates on the emergence of European anatomically modern humans.

Cited by 34 publications

References 47 publications

Aspects of human physical and behavioural evolution during the last 1 million years

Aspects of human physical and behavioural evolution during the last 1 million years

New data for the Early Upper Paleolithic of Kostenki (Russia)

Threading the Weft, Testing the Warp: Population Concepts and the European Upper Paleolithic Chronocultural Framework

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