Early dispersal of modern humans in Europe and implications for Neanderthal behaviour
Stefano Benazzi
(1)
,
Katerina Douka
(1, 2)
,
Cinzia Fornai
(1)
,
Catherine C. Bauer
,
Ottmar Kullmer
,
Jiri Svoboda
(3)
,
Ildiko Pap
(4)
,
Francesco Mallegni
,
Priscilla Bayle
,
Michael Coquerelle
,
Silvana Condemi
(5)
,
Annamaria Ronchitelli
(6)
,
Katerina Harvati
,
Gerhard W. Weber
(1)
Stefano Benazzi
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1056748
- ORCID : 0000-0003-4305-6920
Katerina Douka
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 762291
- ORCID : 0000-0002-0558-0011
Cinzia Fornai
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 765096
- ORCID : 0000-0002-0911-0164
Catherine C. Bauer
- Fonction : Auteur
Ottmar Kullmer
- Fonction : Auteur
Francesco Mallegni
- Fonction : Auteur
Priscilla Bayle
- Fonction : Auteur
Michael Coquerelle
- Fonction : Auteur
Silvana Condemi
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 750422
- IdHAL : silvana-condemi
- ORCID : 0000-0002-6516-0879
- IdRef : 030687802
Katerina Harvati
- Fonction : Auteur
Résumé
The appearance of anatomically modern humans in Europe and the nature of the transition from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic are matters of intense debate. Most researchers accept that before the arrival of anatomically modern humans, Neanderthals had adopted several 'transitional' technocomplexes. Two of these, the Uluzzian of southern Europe and the Chaˆtelperronian of western Europe, are key to current interpretations regarding the timing of arrival of anatomically modern humans in the region and their potential interaction with Neanderthal populations. They are also central to current debates regarding the cognitive abilities of Neanderthals and the reasons behind their extinction1-6. However, the actual fossil evidence associated with these assemblages is scant and fragmentary7-10, and recent work has questioned the attribution of the Chaˆtelperronian to Neanderthals on the basis of taphonomic mixing and lithic analysis11,12. Here we reanalyse the deciduous molars from the Grotta del Cavallo (southern Italy), associated with the Uluzzian and originally classified as Neanderthal13,14. Using two independent morphometric methods based on microtomographic data, we show that the Cavallo specimens can be attributed to anatomically modern humans. The secure context of the teeth provides crucial evidence that the makers of the Uluzzian technocomplex were therefore not Neanderthals. In addition, new chronometric data for the Uluzzian layers of Grotta del Cavallo obtained from associated shell beads and included within a Bayesian age model show that the teeth must date to 45,000-43,000 calendar years before present. The Cavallo human remains are therefore the oldest knownEuropean anatomicallymodernhumans, confirming a rapid dispersal of modern humans across the continent before the Aurignacian and the disappearance of Neanderthals.
Domaines
Anthropologie biologiqueFormat du dépôt | Notice |
---|---|
Type de dépôt | Article dans une revue |
Titre |
en
Early dispersal of modern humans in Europe and implications for Neanderthal behaviour
|
Résumé |
en
The appearance of anatomically modern humans in Europe and the nature of the transition from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic are matters of intense debate. Most researchers accept that before the arrival of anatomically modern humans, Neanderthals had adopted several 'transitional' technocomplexes. Two of these, the Uluzzian of southern Europe and the Chaˆtelperronian of western Europe, are key to current interpretations regarding the timing of arrival of anatomically modern humans in the region and their potential interaction with Neanderthal populations. They are also central to current debates regarding the cognitive abilities of Neanderthals and the reasons behind their extinction1-6. However, the actual fossil evidence associated with these assemblages is scant and fragmentary7-10, and recent work has questioned the attribution of the Chaˆtelperronian to Neanderthals on the basis of taphonomic mixing and lithic analysis11,12. Here we reanalyse the deciduous molars from the Grotta del Cavallo (southern Italy), associated with the Uluzzian and originally classified as Neanderthal13,14. Using two independent morphometric methods based on microtomographic data, we show that the Cavallo specimens can be attributed to anatomically modern humans. The secure context of the teeth provides crucial evidence that the makers of the Uluzzian technocomplex were therefore not Neanderthals. In addition, new chronometric data for the Uluzzian layers of Grotta del Cavallo obtained from associated shell beads and included within a Bayesian age model show that the teeth must date to 45,000-43,000 calendar years before present. The Cavallo human remains are therefore the oldest knownEuropean anatomicallymodernhumans, confirming a rapid dispersal of modern humans across the continent before the Aurignacian and the disappearance of Neanderthals.
|
Auteur(s) |
Stefano Benazzi
1
, Katerina Douka
1, 2
, Cinzia Fornai
1
, Catherine C. Bauer
, Ottmar Kullmer
, Jiri Svoboda
3
, Ildiko Pap
4
, Francesco Mallegni
, Priscilla Bayle
, Michael Coquerelle
, Silvana Condemi
5
, Annamaria Ronchitelli
6
, Katerina Harvati
, Gerhard W. Weber
1
1
Department of Anthropology [University of Vienna]
( 173195 )
- Althansstrasse 14 1090 Vienna
- Autriche
2
University of Oxford
( 302612 )
- Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD
- Royaume-Uni
3
Institute of Physics of Materials
( 126576 )
- Brno
- Autriche
4
Department of Anthropology.
( 109188 )
- 1083 Budapest. Ludovika ter 2
- Hongrie
5
UAABC -
Anthropologie Bio-Culturelle
( 942 )
- Faculté de Médecine - Secteur Nord Batiment A - CS80011 Bd Pierre Dramard 13344 MARSEILLE Cedex 15 FRANCE
- France
6
U.R. Ecologia Preistorica
( 105953 )
- Università degli Studi di Siena, Via delle Cerchia 5, 53100 Siena
- Italie
|
Comité de lecture |
Oui
|
Vulgarisation |
Non
|
Langue du document |
Anglais
|
Nom de la revue |
|
Audience |
Internationale
|
Date de publication |
2011
|
Volume |
479
|
Numéro |
7374
|
Page/Identifiant |
525-528
|
Domaine(s) |
|
Mots-clés |
en
modern humans, Europe, neanderthal behaviour
|
DOI | 10.1038/nature10617 |
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