A palaeoenvironmental reconstruction (based on palaeobotanical data and diatoms) of the Middle Pleistocene elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) butchery site at Marathousa, Megalopolis, Greece

Field, Michael; Ntinou, María; Tsartsidou, Georgia; Henegouwen, D. van Berge; Risberg, Jan; Tourloukis, Vangelis; Thompson, N.; Karkanas, Panagiotis; Panagopoulou, Eleni; Harvati, Katerina

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2018.06.014

Cited by 17 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…Dennell et al [24] suggest successive phases of recolonization from Asia (“ebb and flow processes” or a “sink-source model”), with evolutionary processes in refugia. Recent discoveries of early sites in Greece indicate possible routes along the Mediterranean coast [95, 96] and crossing the Strait of Gibraltar cannot be totally ruled out [83], especially as it has been demonstrated that early hominids populated the island of Luzon more than 700 ka ago [97]. The most propitious occupation periods seem to be transitional phases between interglacial and glacial episodes, with the opening of landscapes before the arrival of the cold/drier period in north-western Europe and warmer and more humid conditions in Central Europe [98].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A biface production older than 600 ka ago at Notarchirico (Southern Italy) contribution to understanding early Acheulean cognition and skills in Europe

et al. 2019

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For the past decade, debates on the earliest evidence of bifacial shaping in Western Europe have focused on several key issues, such as its origin (i.e., local or introduced), or on what should define the Acheulean culture. Whatever hypotheses are proposed for its origin, the onset and technological strategies for making Large Cutting Tools (LCTs), including biface production, are key issues and are often associated with other behavioural changes, such as increased core technology complexity. Current archaeological patterns do not support the existence of transitional industries. Rather, the scant evidence suggests that biface production associated with the management of bifacial volume was widespread around 700 ka. Among the earliest sites, the site of Notarchirico in Southern Italy stands out as one of the most significant examples. 40Ar/39Ar ages and ESR dates recently provided a revised chronology for the whole sedimentary sequence and constrained the archaeological levels between ca. 610 and 670 ka. Five archaeosurfaces (A, A1, B, D and F) yielded LCTs, including bifaces, during Marcello Piperno’s excavations from 1980 to 1995. In light of this new chronological framework, which is much shorter than previously thought, we propose in this contribution a revision of the bifaces by applying the “chaine opératoire” method for the first time (analysis of reduction processes). Our goals are to assess biface production in this early Western European locality and to characterize the strategies applied at the site throughout the sequence. A corpus of 32 tools was selected from the A-A1, B, D and F archaeosurfaces. The technological analysis shows that hominins had the capacity to manage bifacial volumes, when raw material quality was adequate. Clear differences do not emerge between the different levels in terms of shaping modes or final forms. However, we demonstrate that the oldest level (level F), with the richest corpus, lacks flint and displays a higher diversity of bifaces. This ability to manage bifacial and bilateral equilibrium, as well as the diversity of the morphological results, is observed in a few penecontemporaneous sites (700–600 ka), both in the north-western and southern parts of Western Europe. These patterns suggest that hominins mastered well-controlled and diversified biface production, combining intense shaping and minimal shaping, and shared a common technological background regardless of the geographical area, and applied this technology regardless of the available raw materials. The degree of skill complexity of hominins in Western Europe between 700 and 600 ka, the current lack of evidence suggesting “gradual industries” between core-and-flake series and Acheulean techno-complexes, raise numerous questions on the origin of new behaviours in Western Europe, their mode of diffusion, and their association with Homo heidelbergensis or other Middle Pleistocene populations.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A biface production older than 600 ka ago at Notarchirico (Southern Italy) contribution to understanding early Acheulean cognition and skills in Europe

et al. 2019

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“…In the lowest parts of the sequence, they nearly disappear completely. Field et al (2018), who investigated Area A and parts of Area B, obtained similar results but observed also large differences between the two excavation sectors with respect to preservation. The authors concluded that the scarcity and low diversity of diatoms could be the result of lake water disturbance which affected the bottom sediments, e.g., mudflows.…”

Section: Silicate Microfossil Dissolutionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…It is located 60 m south of Area A and covers ∼78 m 2 at ∼350 m a.s.l. Both areas contain fossils of micro-and macro-fauna and flora such as hippos, elephants and rodents, as well as seeds, fruits, and charcoal (Doukas et al, 2018;Field et al, 2018;Konidaris et al, 2018;Michailidis et al, 2018). Karkanas et al (2018) subdivided the stratigraphy of MAR-1 into sedimentary units separated by an erosional contact into two major sequences, with the lower showing a coarsening upward and the upper a fining upward trend (Figure 3).…”

Section: Marathousa 1 Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lake-Level Changes and Their Paleo-Climatic Implications at the MIS12 Lower Paleolithic (Middle Pleistocene) Site Marathousa 1, Greece

et al. 2021

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Lithics and cut-marked mammal bones, excavated from the paleo-lake Marathousa 1 (MAR-1) sediments in the Megalopolis Basin, southern Greece, indicate traces of hominin activity occurring along a paleo-shoreline ca. 444,000 years (444 ka) ago. However, the local environment and climatic conditions promoting hominin activity in the area during the MIS12 glacial remain largely unknown. In order to reconstruct the paleo-environment including paleo-lake levels and governing paleo-climatic factors on a high temporal resolution, we analyzed a 6-meter-long sediment sequence from the archeological site MAR-1 and a Bayesian age model was computed for a better age constrain of the different sedimentary units. A multiproxy approach was applied using ostracods, sponge spicules, diatoms, grain sizes, total organic carbon, total inorganic carbon and conventional X-ray fluorescence analysis. The results from the site represent a protected region surrounded by high mountains under the constant influence of water, either as a shallow partly anoxic water body surrounded by reed belts (>463–457 ka, <434–427 ka), a riverine-lake deltaic system (∼457–448 ka), a floodplain (∼448–444 ka) or a seasonal freshwater pond (∼444–436 ka). The local changes of water levels resemble large trends and rhythms of regional records from the Mediterranean and appear to directly respond to sea surface temperature (SST) changes of the North Atlantic. In particular, when the SSTs are high, more moisture reaches the study area and vice versa. Additional water reaches MAR-1 through melting of the surrounding glaciers after brief warm phases during MIS12 in the Mediterranean realm, which leads to the formation of smaller fresh water ponds, where also the horizon of the excavated remains is placed. Such ponds, rich in ostracods and other microorganisms, provided mammals and humans valuable resources, such as potable water, a wide range of plant species and hunting opportunities. These deposits therefore bear a high archeological potential. The results from our study suggest that the Megalopolis Basin could have served as a refugium for hominins and other organisms due to its capacity to retain freshwater bodies during glacial and interglacial periods.

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“…Moreover, significant population-levels of treatment failure may lead to an increase in HIV/AIDS-related morbidity and mortality. 11,12 Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) service began in August 2003 with payment and free ART launched in January 2005. Ethiopia has already adopted major strategies of WHO guidance to meet the third 90 targets (90% of people on treatment are virally suppressed).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

<p>Virological Treatment Failure Among Adult HIV/AIDS Patients from Selected Hospitals of North Shoa Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia</p>

Derseh

Shewayerga

Mekuria

et al. 2020

IDR

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A palaeoenvironmental reconstruction (based on palaeobotanical data and diatoms) of the Middle Pleistocene elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) butchery site at Marathousa, Megalopolis, Greece

Cited by 17 publications

References 20 publications

A biface production older than 600 ka ago at Notarchirico (Southern Italy) contribution to understanding early Acheulean cognition and skills in Europe

A biface production older than 600 ka ago at Notarchirico (Southern Italy) contribution to understanding early Acheulean cognition and skills in Europe

Lake-Level Changes and Their Paleo-Climatic Implications at the MIS12 Lower Paleolithic (Middle Pleistocene) Site Marathousa 1, Greece

<p>Virological Treatment Failure Among Adult HIV/AIDS Patients from Selected Hospitals of North Shoa Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia</p>

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