Stable Isotope Evidence for Early Modern Human Diet in Southeastern Europe: Peştera cu Oase, Peştera Muierii and Peştera Cioclovina Uscată

Abstract

During the process of direct radiocarbon dating of four Early Upper Paleolithic modern humans from the Romanian sites of Peştera cu Oase, Peştera Muierii and Peştera Cioclovina Uscată, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) were measured from their bone collagen. These individuals have δ13C values similar to other Late Pleistocene humans. Their δ15N values are well within the carnivore trophic level range, among the higher of the Middle Upper Paleolithic values, and significantly greater than those of preceding Middle Paleolithic and Initial Upper Paleolithic Neanderthals. These data suggest a shift towards a broader faunal dietary spectrum among these early modern humans, despite western and eastern European archeological evidence and human functional morphology indicating little change in faunal exploitation from the Middle Paleolithic to the Early Upper Paleolithic.

Precise dating of the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in Murcia (Spain) supports late Neandertal persistence in Iberia

“…The technological innovations the Protoaurignacian stands for, however, could well have diffused into Neandertal territory well in advance of the arrival of the admixture front. Since no evidence exists that an “archeological culture = human type” equation applies to the Protoaurignacian, it remains entirely plausible, therefore, that it was also made by variously mixed Neandertal-modern human, or even “pure” Neandertal populations — and especially so in the West ( Trinkaus and Zilhão, 2013 ; Zilhão et al, 2015 ).…”

“…The paleontological and ancient DNA (aDNA) evidence indicates that, in Europe, extensive admixture occurred at the time of contact between aboriginal Neandertals and in-dispersing groups of modern humans, resulting in the former’s eventual assimilation ( Smith et al, 2005 ; Trinkaus, 2007 ; Pääbo, 2015 ). The authorship of the Châtelperronian, the Protoaurignacian, and the other so-called “transitional” industries from this time remains debated ( Higham et al, 2010 ; Caron et al, 2011 ; Hublin et al, 2012 ; Trinkaus and Zilhão, 2013 ; Zilhão, 2013 ; Zilhão et al, 2015 ; Welker et al, 2016 ). In Western Eurasia, however, the Mousterian is exclusively associated with the Neandertals, while the Aurignacian I and the succeeding Aurignacian II (a.k.a.…”

Isotopic analyses suggest mammoth and plant in the diet of the oldest anatomically modern humans from far southeast Europe

“…The individuals of Buran-Kaya III provide the highest δ 15 N coll values reported so far for east and central Europe during the early Upper Palaeolithic 9 . A diet incorporating freshwater fish was proposed for other individuals with high 15 N from comparable chronological context, such as Oase 1 (13.3‰) 50 as well as Muierii 1 and 2 (12.3 and 12.4‰ respectively) 51 , and Cioclovina 1 from Romania (12.7‰) 51 . Despite limited sample size, the case of Buran-Kaya III, with its exceptional archaeological context and good collagen preservation, shows that the mammoth could be the source of such high 15 N signal and suggests that it should be more systematically considered as an alternative explanation to aquatic resources.…”

An early modern human from Romania with a recent Neanderthal ancestor

“…Oase 1 is therefore one of the earliest modern humans in Europe. Its morphology is generally modern but some aspects are consistent with Neanderthal ancestry 19 – 21 . Subsequent excavations uncovered a cranium from another, probably contemporaneous individual, Oase 2, which also carries morphological traits that could reflect admixture with Neanderthals 17 .…”