Lithic artifacts and bone tools from the Lower Palaeolithic site Marathousa 1, Megalopolis, Greece: Preliminary results

Tourloukis, Vangelis; Thompson, Nicholas; Panagopoulou, Eleni; Giusti, Domenico; Konidaris, George E.; Karkanas, Panagiotis; Harvati, Katerina

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2018.05.043

Cited by 43 publications

(39 citation statements)

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“…During a systematic survey of the Megalopolis Basin in 2013, the Lower Paleolithic archeological site of MAR-1 was discovered between the upper two lignite units (LGII and LGIII, Figure 2) at the northwestern margin of the basin with an age of ∼480-420 ka (Tourloukis et al, 2018a;Thompson et al, 2018). MAR-1 is the first excavated archeological site in mainland Greece with a stratified assemblage of large mammals (e.g., elephants, hippos, cervids, bovids) and lithic artifacts attributed to the Lower Paleolithic (Panagopoulou et al, 2015;Panagopoulou et al, 2018;Tourloukis et al, 2018b;Konidaris et al, 2018;Thompson et al, 2018). The remains of the straighttusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus are especially notable, as the bones bear cut marks that have been interpreted as evidence of butchering activity by early hominins (Konidaris et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The remains of the straighttusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus are especially notable, as the bones bear cut marks that have been interpreted as evidence of butchering activity by early hominins (Konidaris et al, 2018). The subsequent studies of the sedimentary structure and the spatial taphonomy of the finds indicate that they have an autochthonous origin, with the material being probably subjected to minimal post-depositional transport, most likely in the form of a hyperconcentrated flow (Tourloukis et al, 2018b;Giusti et al, 2018;Karkanas et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

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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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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“…Discovered with associated lithic artefacts during an archaeological survey in 2013 [11,12], stratified bones protruded for~100 m along a mining profile within the Marathousa Member. Now called Marathousa 1 (MAR1), systematic excavation has continued since 2014 [3,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Marathousa 1 lithic assemblage comprises flakes, flake fragments, cores, core fragments, retouched tools, and debris [12]. In mint condition with no evidence of having been rolled, many flakes and retouched tools bear traces of possible use wear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ESR Dating Ungulate Teeth and Molluscs from the Paleolithic Site Marathousa 1, Megalopolis Basin, Greece

Blackwell

Sakhrani²,

Singh³

et al. 2018

Quaternary

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At 37° 24′ N 22° 8′ E, the Megalopolis Basin lies in the central Peloponnese Peninsula, southwestern Greece. In the Megalopolis Basin at ~ 350 m amsl, the Paleolithic site, Marathousa 1, sits within a palustrine/lacustrine clastic package between Lignite Seams III and II, that both likely correlate with interglacial periods. At Marathousa 1, immediately below Lignite Seam III, lies a clayey-silty sand layer with a horizon rich in molluscs ranging from ~ 20–40 cm thick. About 0.8–1.3 m below the shell-rich horizon (SRH), lacustrine silty to muddy sands rich in organic matter yielded Paleolithic lithic artefacts associated with Middle Pleistocene fauna, some with cut marks and possible bone knapping, found within palustrine/lacustrine clastic deposits. Since ESR (electron spin resonance) can date teeth and molluscs aged > 2 Ma, two bivalve samples, AM66 and AM65, five subsamples from a cervid molar, AT39, and one subsample from another cervid molar, AT68, were independently dated by ESR from Marathousa 1. To calculate the ages, time-averaged cosmic and time- and volumetrically-averaged sedimentary dose rates were calculated using past water depths and sedimentation rates as determined from paleontological and geological criteria. Found in the SRH in Layer UA2, AM66 and AM65 averaged 488 ± 37 ka, which correlates with MIS 13a. Because the bivalves sat stratigraphically above the artefacts and mammalian fossils, their ages constrain the ESR ages for the teeth deposited below. Lying on the unconformity at the base of Layer UA3c with UA4, and its correlative unconformity at the Layer UB4c/UB5 boundary, sat the dated teeth from large mammals. Because the bones in the Palaeoloxodon antiquus skeleton lay in quasi-anatomical association, the likelihood for fossil reworking on the Layer UB3c/UB4 surface is low. Isochron analysis suggests that using a U uptake model with p = 2 provides the most accurate ages for AT39. With p = 2, AT39 dates to 503 ± 13 ka, while AT68 dates to 512 ± 34 ka. Nonetheless, two to three more teeth and molluscs should be dated to confirm these ages, when more samples suitable for ESR dating are found. Both tooth ages correlate well with early MIS 13, an interglacial period with cooler mean global temperatures compared to MIS 11 or 9. Assuming that the archaeological site formed in one event, rather than as a palimpsest, the data suggest that hominins processed elephant and other faunal carcasses along the shores of a shallow lake or marsh in the Megalopolis Basin at 503 ± 12 ka. Between the two horizons dated here, their sedimentation rate averaged 4.8 ± 1.8 to 7.8 ± 2.9 cm/ka.

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“…displaying cut marks) and a larger and more typologically diverse lithic assemblage (Tourloukis et al 2018a). The MAR-1 assemblage in toto (n = 1,170) currently lacks large cutting tools and any evidence of bifacial debitage.…”

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Newsround

Smith¹,

Vlanti²

2018

Arch. Rep.

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Newsround’ offers a platform for new data which do not appear within the specialist contributions of this year's Archaeological Reports but which nevertheless warrant emphasis, either as a result of their particular characteristics or for the contribution they make to broader archaeological narratives. This section is not intended to be exhaustive, but is designed, rather, to highlight recent discoveries in a way which complements digital content made available through Archaeology in Greece Online (https://chronique.efa.gr). The very varied nature of this material has meant that, for the most part, it has proved preferable to organize this section chronologically, although dedicated sections are provided for the inclusion of both marine archaeology and archaeological survey.

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Lithic artifacts and bone tools from the Lower Palaeolithic site Marathousa 1, Megalopolis, Greece: Preliminary results

Cited by 43 publications

References 72 publications

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

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

ESR Dating Ungulate Teeth and Molluscs from the Paleolithic Site Marathousa 1, Megalopolis Basin, Greece

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