New chronology for Ksâr ‘Akil (Lebanon) supports Levantine route of modern human dispersal into Europe

Abstract

Modern human dispersal into Europe is thought to have occurred with the start of the Upper Paleolithic around 50,000–40,000 y ago. The Levantine corridor hypothesis suggests that modern humans from Africa spread into Europe via the Levant. Ksâr ‘Akil (Lebanon), with its deeply stratified Initial (IUP) and Early (EUP) Upper Paleolithic sequence containing modern human remains, has played an important part in the debate. The latest chronology for the site, based on AMS radiocarbon dates of shell ornaments, suggests that the appearance of the Levantine IUP is later than the start of the first Upper Paleolithic in Europe, thus questioning the Levantine corridor hypothesis. Here we report a series of AMS radiocarbon dates on the marine gastropod Phorcus turbinatus associated with modern human remains and IUP and EUP stone tools from Ksâr ‘Akil. Our results, supported by an evaluation of individual sample integrity, place the EUP layer containing the skeleton known as “Egbert” between 43,200 and 42,900 cal B.P. and the IUP-associated modern human maxilla known as “Ethelruda” before ∼45,900 cal B.P. This chronology is in line with those of other Levantine IUP and EUP sites and demonstrates that the presence of modern humans associated with Upper Paleolithic toolkits in the Levant predates all modern human fossils from Europe. The age of the IUP-associated Ethelruda fossil is significant for the spread of modern humans carrying the IUP into Europe and suggests a rapid initial colonization of Europe by our species.

On the local Mousterian origin of the Châtelperronian: Integrating typo-technological, chronostratigraphic and contextual data

“…45 ka, Russia; Fu et al, 2014), Ksar Akil (ca. 45e40 ka, Lebanon; Bosch et al, 2015;Douka et al, 2013), Peş tera cu Oase (ca. 42e38 ka, Romania; Trinkaus et al, 2003), Fumane and Bombrini (ca.…”

“…The spread of Proto-Aurignacian characteristics, such as bladelets and bone tools, can seemingly be traced back to the Kozarnikian in Bulgaria and the Levantine Ahmarian (Bar-Yosef, 2000;Mellars, 2006;Hoffecker, 2009;Hublin, 2015;Bosch et al, 2015; but also see; Kadowaki et al, 2015). Because of similarities with the IUP Levantine Emirian (Bar-Yosef, 2000), the Bohunician (Moravia) has also been proposed as a candidate for an intrusive, probably modern human, origin (Svoboda and Bar-Yosef, 2003;Bar-Yosef, 2007;Tostevin, 2003;Skrdla, 2003;Hoffecker, 2009;Nigst, 2012;Kuhn and Zwyns, 2014;Hublin, 2015).…”

Archeological evidence for human dispersals around the Mediterranean basin?

“…The Mediterranean basin has long been considered to be an important area for understanding the dispersal of Homo sapiens from Africa to Eurasia. This is particularly the case during the ~40,000–50,000‐years‐ago window that appears to have led to the establishment of populations in Eurasia equipped with various Upper Paleolithic technologies . Morphological and genetic data from sparse hominin fossils indicate the initial appearance of H. sapiens in western Eurasia north of the Mediterranean Sea during this time, although the reasons for the geographic expansion of our species as well as potential archeological evidence for it remain highly debated .…”

Human phylogeography and diversity

“…The oldest, largely accepted dates of humans outside of Arabia all fall around 50-40 kya regardless of whether in Asia, Australia, or Europe (10,11,(40)(41)(42)(43). However, as already indicated, not only have several studies suggested older dates, but the chances of finding the oldest evidence are so slim that oldest dates must inevitably get older.…”