On the age of Border Cave 5 human mandible

An enamel fragment from the Border Cave 5 specimen was analysed with non-destructive ESR combined with laser ablation ICP-MS for uranium profiling. We obtained an age of 74+/-5 ka which fits exactly into the chronological framework that has been previously established for Border Cave by a variety of dating techniques. The result lays at rest the view that BC5 could be of Iron Age, as was implied by (Journal of Human Evolution, 31 (1996) 499) based on nitrogen contents and infra-red splitting factors.     

安徽东至华龙洞古人类遗址哺乳动物化石的初步研究

华龙洞遗址发现于2004年,先后于2006和2014～2017年进行了5次发掘,期间发现了若干古人类化石和大量哺乳动物化石;本文是对2014～2016年出土哺乳动物化石的初步研究成果。目前已鉴定出8目24科43种(含未定种)哺乳动物,其中以偶蹄类化石最丰富。化石保存状况较差,以碎骨为主,牙齿较少,完整骨骼更少;但骨骼上鲜见啮齿类啮咬痕迹。华龙洞动物群与南京汤山猿人遗址、和县猿人遗址及重庆盐井沟等动物群较为相似,尤其是与和县猿人遗址及南京猿人遗址动物群最为接近,主要表现在如下方面:1)都含古人类化石;2)都不含第三纪动物群的孑遗分子;3)都含有大熊猫-剑齿象动物群的主要成员(大熊猫、剑齿象、巨貘及猪獾等),同时也都含一定量的北方属种,但华龙洞含北方成分相对较少,只发现翁氏麝鼩、麝鼹、变异仓鼠、布氏毛足田鼠、棕熊、李氏野猪、葛氏斑鹿及大角鹿等,华龙洞的大角鹿是该属分布最靠南的地点;4)都含有剑齿象而不含晚更新世常见的亚洲象;5)都含有大量头后骨骼,与以含单个牙齿为主的其它南方洞穴迥然有别。从化石保存状况及属种组成判断,华龙洞堆积时代与和县猿人遗址最为接近,也是中更新世。由于遗址尚未完全暴露,其堆积性质尚不清楚;但从蝙蝠类化石判断,很可能与洞穴堆积有关。     

Faunal remains from Porc-Epic: paleoecological and zooarchaeological investigations from a Middle Stone Age site in southeastern Ethiopia

The Middle Stone Age (MSA) sediments of Porc-Epic Cave near Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, have produced a large assemblage of archaeofaunal remains dating to the later periods of the Late Pleistocene. As one of the few MSA faunal assemblages from East Africa subject to detailed analysis, it provides rare insight into the foraging behavior of the early modern humans in this region. The MSA fauna include taxa that were not historically present in the area, with the occurrence of reduncines and alcelaphines indicating widespread grasslands and proximity to a perennial source of water. The faunal analysis examined several lines of evidence, including breakage patterns, surface modification, and skeletal-element representation. By incorporating comparisons with multiple actualistic data sets, the analysis of the assemblage demonstrates that, while the influence of carnivores and other biotic agents was evident, the faunal remains were accumulated primarily by hominid activity. The skeletal-element representation at Porc-Epic includes an abundance of high utility bones, in contrast to the predominance of "head-and-foot" elements documented at other MSA and Middle Paleolithic (MP) sites. The MSA occupants of Porc-Epic effectively exploited a wide range of prey with more emphasis on small- and medium-sized mammals.     

Zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the Die Kelders Cave 1 layers 10 and 11 Middle Stone Age larger mammal fauna

Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Middle Paleolithic (MP) faunal assemblages have gained widespread attention due to their relevance to the debate over the modernity of hominid behavior during the MSA/MP. A recent critique of the scavenging argument for MSA/MP behavior drew on a summary presentation of the skeletal abundance and surface modification data from Die Kelders Cave 1 Layer 10 (Marean, 1998). This paper provides a more complete presentation of those data, adds the smaller Layer 11 sample, and provides a detailed analysis of the taphonomic history of both samples.Bone fragment density is higher in Layer 10 than in Layer 11. Bone densities vary horizontally as well, with Layer 10 showing greater deposition in the exposed areas of the cave. An analysis of long bone breakage patterns indicates that non-nutritive breakage on the Layers 10 and 11 samples was present but not intense. Size 1 mammals were predominantly accumulated by owls and/or other large raptors, not hominids, in Layer 10. Hominids were the predominant accumulator of Sizes 2-4 mammals in Layers 10 and 11 as indicated by the frequency of hammer-stone percussion marks and carnivore toothmarks. After discard by hominids, a significant portion of these remains were discovered and scavenged by carnivores. Overall, the larger mammal fauna of Layer 10 is dominated by Sizes 3 and 4 bovids, mostly young and adult eland, and thus hominids were focusing on the high-ranked prey items. Shaft portions of long bones, the portions with the most flesh, have the highest frequencies of cutmarks. A comparison of the Layers 10 and 11 cutmark frequencies to Selvaggio's (1998) scavenging model shows that the frequencies are significantly outside the range of variation documented in Selavaggio's scavenging sample.     

Additional human remains from Blombos Cave, South Africa: (1999-2000 excavations)

The uppermost Middle Stone Age (MSA) layers at Blombos Cave contain high densities of Still Bay bifacial points. Information from other regional sites places the Still Bay prior to the Howiesons Poort industry, which has been dated at 65-70 ka. The Blombos Cave MSA strata have yielded nine human teeth or dental fragments. Four that were recovered during the 1997-1998 excavations have been published elsewhere. The remaining five were discovered during the 1999-2000 field seasons; these are described here. Three of the new specimens are deciduous teeth, and two are permanent premolar and molar crown fragments. The entire dental sample probably represents at least five and as many as seven individuals. The deciduous teeth from the upper MSA levels are likely to have been exfoliated in the cave. One deciduous tooth and the permanent tooth fragments from the lower MSA levels probably represent three individuals who died in or near the cave. The Blombos Cave premolars preserve horizontal circum-cervical striae suggestive of palliative tooth pick use. Approximately half of the permanent and deciduous crown diameters exceed those of recent Africans; for the remainder, the fossil values fall among modern African sample means. The Blombos Cave tooth crowns tend to be smaller than the majority of penecontemporaneous Neandertal teeth. The morphology of the Blombos Cave di is comparable to MSA homologues from the nearby, and presumably somewhat younger site of Die Kelders Cave 1.     

Taphonomic analysis of the Middle Stone Age larger mammal faunal assemblage from Blombos Cave, southern Cape, South Africa

A detailed taphonomic analysis is reported for a sample of the larger mammalian faunal assemblage (>4.5 kg live body weight) from Blombos Cave. The analysis provides an assessment of human involvement in the accumulation and modification of the faunal assemblage, and precedes equally detailed analyses and separate reports of Middle Stone Age (MSA) butchery, transport, and hunting behaviour. At Blombos, there are clear differences in the relative abundances of ungulate body size classes, with the lower MSA phases (upper/lower M2 and M3) showing a high representation of size 1 ungulates relative to the most recent MSA phase (M1). The bones from the earliest MSA phase (M3) have not undergone much post-depositional fragmentation, in contrast to fragments from more recent phases (M1 and upper M2). Much of this variability can be attributed to more burning activity and trampling during M1 and upper M2, which could indicate more intensive occupation. Bone surfaces are variably preserved, with high levels of exfoliation in the most recent two phases. Surface modification analyses revealed high proportions of human modification throughout the sequence, indicating that MSA humans were responsible for accumulating most of the larger mammals. After discard, the bones were modified by scavenging carnivores, leading to a moderate amount of density-mediated destruction and tooth-marking. Carnivores independently accumulated some of the smaller ungulates, mainly in the form of partially-digested remains. Raptorial birds are not implicated as major faunal accumulators. The results from Blombos are directly comparable with analogous datasets from two other sites in the Western Cape (Pinnacle Point Cave 13B and Die Kelders Cave 1). Such comparisons demonstrate that MSA faunal assemblages from nearby coastal sites have complex and different taphonomic histories both within and between sites. Because the human occupants were a major part of these processes, MSA subsistence behaviour and site use was also quite variable over time and space.     

Middle and Later Stone Age large mammal and tortoise remains from Die Kelders Cave 1, Western Cape Province, South Africa

Die Kelders Cave 1, South Africa, has provided more than 150,000 taxonomically identifiable mammal and tortoise bones from Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) deposits. Cape dune mole-rats dominate the mammal sample, and they appear to have been accumulated mainly by people during the LSA occupation and mainly by eagle owls in the MSA. In sharp contrast to the LSA fauna, the MSA sample contains extralimital ungulates that imply relatively moist, grassy conditions. The large mean size of the MSA mole-rats also points to greater humidity, while the large size of the gray mongooses implies cooler temperatures. The sum supports luminescence and ESR dates that place the MSA occupation within the early part of the Last Glaciation (global isotope stage 4). The Die Kelders ungulate bones support those from Klasies River Mouth in suggesting that MSA people obtained dangerous terrestrial prey much less frequently than their LSA successors, probably because MSA people lacked the bow and arrow and other projectile weapons. The Die Kelders tortoise bones constrain the extent of climatic change, since their abundance indicates that warm, dry days remained common, at least seasonally. The tortoises tend to be much larger in the MSA layers than in the LSA ones, suggesting that MSA people collected tortoises less intensively, probably because MSA populations were relatively sparse.     

The view from the Lincoln Cave: mid- to late Pleistocene fossil deposits from Sterkfontein hominid site, South Africa

The Lincoln-Fault cave system lies adjacent to the Sterkfontein Cave system in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Lincoln Cave contains a mid- to late Pleistocene fossiliferous deposit which has been dated using uranium series methods to between 252,600+/-35,600 and 115,300+/-7,700 years old. Although speleologists presumed that there was no connection between the Lincoln Cave and Sterkfontein Cave systems, results of excavations conducted in 1997 suggest a link between the deposits. Detailed comparisons of artifacts, fauna, hominid material, and a statistical correspondence analysis (CA) of the macromammalian fauna in the deposits strongly support this hypothesis. The recovery of Early Acheulean-type artifacts from the Lincoln Cave suggests that older artifacts eroded out of Sterkfontein Member 5 West and were redeposited into the younger Lincoln Cave deposits. The close physical proximity of these deposits, and the nature of the material recovered from them, indicates that the material was probably redeposited via a link between the two cave systems. Although faunal mixing is present, it is possible to say that large carnivorans become more scarce at Sterkfontein during the mid- to late Pleistocene, while small canids and felids appear to become more abundant, indicating that large and small carnivorans probably varied their use of the site through time. This may also reflect an increasing presence of humans in the Sterkfontein area during the mid- to late Pleistocene.     

New discoveries and interpretations of hominid fossils and artifacts from Vindija Cave, Croatia

Beginning with excavations during the 1970s, Vindija Cave (Croatia) has yielded significant Middle and Upper Paleolithic fossil and archaeological finds. We report on seven recently identified hominid fossils, a newly associated partial hominid cranial vault from level G(3), nine possible bone retouchers, and a revised interpretation of the Mousterian artifact assemblage from the site. This new information reinforces our knowledge of the complex biocultural phenomena revealed in unit G and earlier deposits at Vindija. Six of the new hominid fossils derive from stratigraphic units G and I, while one lacks exact provenience. All specimens preserving diagnostic anatomy are from Neandertals. One of the postcranial remains, a radius fragment which exhibits Neandertal-like anatomy, comes from level G(1)and is congruent with the previously established association of Neandertals with an early Upper Paleolithic industry at the site. The partial cranial vault represents the most complete Neandertal from Vindija. The possible retouchers derive from unit G. Our analysis of these artifacts suggests that both percussion and pressure techniques may have been used by Neandertals in the final stage of tool production (retouching). This paper also presents a revision of the artifact analysis for late Mousterian level G(3). We separated raw materials into two main groups due to the differing ways that the materials fracture and the differing morphology of the debitage. The use of raw material in level G(3)is different from earlier Middle Paleolithic levels at Vindija. This indicates that the G(3)late Neandertals were making choices regarding source material somewhat more like the Upper Paleolithic people at the site. When interpreted within a larger regional framework, the Vindija archaeological and hominid fossil remains demonstrate a complex, mosaic pattern of biocultural change in the Late Pleistocene of south-central Europe.     

周口店田园洞古人类化石点地层学研究及与山顶洞的对比

田园洞主体堆积厚度约2.5m,其动物群可分为上、下两个组合:上部组合物种多样性丰富,化石被啮齿类严重啮咬;下部组合化石种类单调,以鹿类和绵羊类为主,但化石丰富,极少有啮齿类咬痕。人类化石发现于下部组合;东洋界动物主要出现在上部组合,例如猕猴、猪獾、果子狸和鬣羚等。而马鹿和绵羊只出现于下部组合。沟齿鼯鼠和豪猪在下部组合开始出现,但主要发现于上部组合。梅花鹿是田园洞的优势种,在各个阶段都出现。通过统计比较,发现山顶洞3个地层单元(上室、下室和下窨)中所含化石属种基本一致,代表同一个动物群。尽管田园洞动物群中尚未发现可靠绝灭种类,但却有10种地区绝灭种,它与现生动物群有一定差异;而在堆积物特征及化石组合方面,与周口店山顶洞的更为接近。在田园洞和山顶洞出现的沟齿鼯鼠、猪獾、果子狸及鬣羚等是各自在华北地区的最早记录,可能代表了更新世末期自南而北的动物迁徙事件。     

Border Cave revisited: a revised ESR chronology

In view of a decade of progress in ESR dating we have revised the ESR chronology of Border Cave. A detailed gamma ray survey in 1994 and newly calculated beta attenuation data led to total dose rate estimations that are between 0 and 30% smaller than previously estimated. Accordingly, the resulting ESR age estimates are between 0 and 30% older. The ESR dates are now in good agreement with independent age estimates, particularly(14)C and amino acid racemization. New ESR dates for the lowermost dated sedimentary layer, 5 WA (white ash), indicate that the sedimentation of the sequence started around 200 ka ago.     

Taphonomic analysis of the Middle Stone Age faunal assemblage from Pinnacle Point Cave 13B, Western Cape, South Africa

A detailed taphonomic analysis is provided for the mammalian and tortoise faunal assemblages from Pinnacle Point Cave 13B (PP13B). It is the first of several reports on the fauna from this site, and must necessarily precede analyses focused on higher level interpretations of Middle Stone Age (MSA) butchery, transport, and hunting behavior. The taphonomic work shows that the faunal assemblage is well preserved and there are discernable differences in the taphonomic pathways to which the fauna was subjected at PP13B between the Middle and Late Pleistocene, between the front and back of the cave, and between body size classes. The largest mammals (size classes 2-5, body weight >24?kg) were mainly accumulated by MSA hominins. Size class 1 ungulates also exhibit a degree of hominin modification consistent with some hominin accumulation of fresh carcasses, but this is more variable through time and includes an observable degree of independent carnivore contribution. Basic taxonomic comparisons reveal a low representation of small mammals, tortoises, and marine mammals at PP13B relative to larger (>4.5?kg) terrestrial mammals. This is a different pattern from other MSA sites along the southwestern coast of South Africa, where small mammals and tortoises are abundant. A microscopic study of the bone surfaces confirms that MSA hominins exploited these small faunal components opportunistically, while focusing most heavily on large terrestrial ungulates. All faunal components show evidence of carnivore scavenging of hominin food debris and a high degree of density mediated destruction. Raptors are at no point implicated as major accumulators of any fauna. The study demonstrates that the full spectrum of MSA faunal exploitation can only be understood when the large mammal, small mammal, and tortoise components of fossil assemblages have all been subjected to comprehensive taphonomic analyses.     

湖北郧西白龙洞古人类遗址的大额牛化石

牛亚科动物在中国第四纪古人类遗址中十分常见,但其分类和鉴定仍存在诸多问题。南方洞穴动物群经常仅有单个牙齿保存,所以南方更新世洞穴遗址中牛亚科动物化石鉴别问题更为突出。湖北郧西白龙洞古人类遗址出土的大型牛亚科动物化石,不仅有大量单个牙齿,还有残破颅骨、角心、下颌骨及头后骨骼。白龙洞的牛亚科动物角心粗短、横截面呈背腹略扁的椭圆形;额骨上的角间隆突发育且呈拱形;顶骨从颅顶退出;枕面较圆且高;角后颅骨收缩强烈使得枕骨上部变窄,颞窝明显凹进;下颌角大于90°,下颌支向后倾斜;下颌p2的结构复杂程度介于水牛Bubalus和黄牛Bos(Bos)taurus之间。依据上述特征,可将白龙洞的大型牛亚科动物化石归入大额牛Bos(Bibos)gaurus。白龙洞是我国出土大额牛化石最为丰富的古人类遗址,为区分南方洞穴出土的牛亚科动物化石提供了重要材料。     

New discoveries of Gigantopithecus blacki teeth from Chuifeng Cave in the Bubing Basin, Guangxi, south China

Ninety two Gigantopithecus blacki teeth have recently been recovered in situ at Chuifeng Cave in the Bubing Basin, Guangxi, south China. The hominoid teeth are associated with a typical early Pleistocene fauna. In comparison with Gigantopithecus of known provenience, for which classification is problematic, the Chuifeng sample can be allocated definitively to G. blacki. The new collection represents the largest sample of this species known, with the exception of the material from Liucheng. Statistical analysis of the mammal fauna indicates that G. blacki is one of the dominant elements, comprising 9% of the fauna. Eleven teeth (12% of the sample) of G. blacki are diagnosed as having caries. In addition, wear on M₃ shows that G. blacki was adapted to consume tough or fibrous food and this wear may potentially imply relative longevity. Further study of this large sample of Gigantopithecus will provide additional insight into the paleobiology of this extinct hominoid.     

Extending the chronology of deposits at Blombos Cave, South Africa, back to 140 ka using optical dating of single and multiple grains of quartz

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) measurements are reported for both single aliquots (of two different sizes) and single grains of quartz from deposits within Blombos Cave. Ages have been obtained for six sediments from the Middle Stone Age (MSA) occupation levels and for two sterile sands, one underlying the archaeological sediment and one overlying the Later Stone Age occupation levels. The ages for the archaeological sediments were obtained from single-grain measurements that enabled unrepresentative grains to be rejected. The MSA occupation levels have ages that, within error limits, are in stratigraphic order and fall between the OSL age for the oldest dune sand (143.2+/-5.5 ka) and a previously published OSL age for the sterile sand ( approximately 70 ka) that separates the Middle and Later Stone Age deposits. The earliest MSA archaeological phase, M3, from where fragments of ochre were found as well as human teeth, is dated to 98.9+/-4.5 ka, coinciding with the sea-level high of oxygen isotope substage 5c. The cave then appears to be unoccupied until oxygen isotope substage 5a on the basis of four OSL ages for archaeological phase M2, ranging from 84.6+/-5.8 to 76.8+/-3.1 ka; these levels contained large hearths and bone tools. An age of 72.7+/-3.1 ka was obtained for the final MSA archaeological phase, M1, from which deliberately engraved ochre and shell beads were recovered along with bifacial stone points. We conclude that the periods of occupation were determined by changes in sea level, with abundant sources of seafood available in times of high sea level and with the cave being closed by the accumulation of large dunes during periods of low sea level, such as during oxygen isotope stages 4 and 6.     

Animal exploitation strategies during the South African Middle Stone Age: Howiesons Poort and post-Howiesons Poort fauna from Sibudu Cave

As one of the few sites that preserve fauna from the Howiesons Poort (HP) and the immediately post-HP Middle Stone Age (MSA), Sibudu Cave provides a unique opportunity to explore the range of variability in subsistence behaviors during this important phase in human behavioral evolution. In addition to providing information on subsistence, the faunal assemblage serves as a means of reconstructing the environmental conditions during these two periods. While the HP fauna is dominated by species that prefer closed (particularly forested) habitats, the fauna from the upper-most layers of the post-HP MSA are largely representative of open conditions. These results largely coincide with macrobotanical analyses and may simply indicate that the extent of the riverine forest near the site was greater during the HP. Alternatively, the pattern could be indicative of a marked intensification in the exploitation of the environment in the immediate vicinity of the shelter during the HP, perhaps resulting from a decline in the productivity of adjacent regions. We also document variation in the frequency of the different bovid size classes over time. The evidence shows a declining focus on the smallest bovids after the HP, with a parallel increase in the frequency of large and very large bovids. Beyond a heavy focus on small bovids, small mammals and suids also occur at higher frequencies during the HP. Although the HP faunal assemblage is largely unique as compared to the bulk of the MSA sequence at Sibudu, the evidence presented here suggests that the transition between the HP and the post-HP MSA may have been more gradual than abrupt. Our results indicate that the HP and post-HP MSA inhabitants of Sibudu Cave were capable hunters; however, hunting strategies appear to show marked variation over time. We propose that the variability in animal procurement strategies reflects a degree of behavioral plasticity beyond that generally attributed to MSA populations.     

万寿岩旧石器时代遗址埋藏学研究

本文对福建三明万寿岩遗址文化层形成、遗物与动物骨骼埋藏、风化、破坏等现象进行观察,认为灵峰洞旧石器早期文化遗物和化石,由于暴露于洞内表面时间较长而经受强烈风化、侵蚀与钙质胶结;船帆洞旧石器晚期遗址因洞口坍塌和外部水流侵漫进洞而被废弃,在潮湿环境下,遗物和化石遭受腐蚀、铁锰质浸染严重。3个文化层的遗物及伴生哺乳动物化石均属原地埋藏类型;而船帆洞内3号支洞化石的集聚是高层洞穴作为排泄通道时由流水携带堆积而成的异地埋藏。     

Strontium and diet at Hayonim Cave

Faunal and human bones from the Natufian and Aurignacian levels of Hayonim Cave, Israel, were analyzed for calcium, strontium, and phosphate, in order to investigate the efficacy of strontium measurements for determining the proportion of meat in human diets. This site in the western Galilee was appropriate for a test of the technique since a)herbivore and carnivore fauna were present in numbers from two different time periods, b) well-characterized human skeletons were also present in at least one of these levels, and c)the diets of the individuals examined were basically well understood. On the basis of Sr/Ca values, a large difference was observed between Natufian herbivore bones and carnivore bones in the manner predicted by the diets of these species. Sr/Ca values for the adult humans from the same level fell midway between the herbivore and carnivore ranges. However, a different pattern was observed for Aurignacian fauna; no difference could be found between Sr/Ca ratios of herbivore and carnivore bones. The findings suggest that, in certain circumstances, the technique may provide important new paleodietary information. However, at any given site or level, both herbivore and carnivore fauna should be analyzed before conclusions about human diets are drawn from it.     

Metrical reconsideration of the Skhul IV and IX and Border Cave 1 crania in the context of modern human origins.

The "out-of-Africa" models for origins of modern Homo sapiens incorporate Skhul as one site documenting that early origination. However, only Skhul V is usually considered in the comparative craniology of the question, neglecting the other substantial crania, Skhul IV and IX. Craniometric comparison demonstrates that IV and IX amplify the picture of continuous gradations of Neandertal-to-modern variations throughout the Levant; much variation is thus represented within this one site, raising serious questions about Neandertals and moderns being discrete and long-separated species. Qafzeh 6 too is craniophenetically closer to Neandertals than to the true anatomically modern people of the European Upper Paleolithic. Proper distance analysis of Border Cave 1 cranium shows it is actually far removed from modern African populations. References to Qafzeh, Skhul, and Border Cave as "fully anatomically modern" require reconsideration.     

New hominids from East Turkana,Kenya

Thirty-five new fossil hominid specimens are described. They were recovered from the Plio-Pleistocene sediments to the east of Lake Turkana (formerly Lake Rudolf). They include cranial and mandibular parts, teeth, and postcranial bones of upper and lower limbs. Parts of a single skeleton are also described. All of the specimens are described in anatomical detail and selected measurements are given. Some of the specimens are illustrated. It is proposed that they should be attributed to the family Hominidae, with genus and species undetermined until detailed comparative studies have been undertaken.