Site Distribution at the Edge of the Palaeolithic World: A Nutritional Niche Approach

Abstract

This paper presents data from the English Channel area of Britain and Northern France on the spatial distribution of Lower to early Middle Palaeolithic pre-MIS5 interglacial sites which are used to test the contention that the pattern of the richest sites is a real archaeological distribution and not of taphonomic origin. These sites show a marked concentration in the middle-lower reaches of river valleys with most being upstream of, but close to, estimated interglacial tidal limits. A plant and animal database derived from Middle-Late Pleistocene sites in the region is used to estimate the potentially edible foods and their distribution in the typically undulating landscape of the region. This is then converted into the potential availability of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) and selected micronutrients. The floodplain is shown to be the optimum location in the nutritional landscape (nutriscape). In addition to both absolute and seasonal macronutrient advantages the floodplains could have provided foods rich in key micronutrients, which are linked to better health, the maintenance of fertility and minimization of infant mortality. Such places may have been seen as ‘good (or healthy) places’ explaining the high number of artefacts accumulated by repeated visitation over long periods of time and possible occupation. The distribution of these sites reflects the richest aquatic and wetland successional habitats along valley floors. Such locations would have provided foods rich in a wide range of nutrients, importantly including those in short supply at these latitudes. When combined with other benefits, the high nutrient diversity made these locations the optimal niche in northwest European mixed temperate woodland environments. It is argued here that the use of these nutritionally advantageous locations as nodal or central points facilitated a healthy variant of the Palaeolithic diet which permitted habitation at the edge of these hominins’ range.

Behaviour and process in the formation of the North European Acheulean record: Towards a Unified Palaeolithic Landscape Approach

“…Unlike Ashton and Lewis' initial proposal of the habitat preference model, Brown et al (2013) conflate the specifics of time depth and responses to changes through cold-warm stage cycles are thus conflated over several cycles. Considerations of sea-level change at any given point in time are similarly overlooked.…”

“…This, then, is a fundamental asymmetry in the record which a distribution-led analysis can overlook when attempting to analytically segregate the landscape (eg. valley bottom versus interfluve).Unlike Ashton and Lewis' initial proposal of the habitat preference model, Brown et al (2013) conflate the specifics of time depth and responses to changes through cold-warm stage cycles are thus conflated over several cycles. Considerations of sea-level change at any given point in time are similarly overlooked.…”

“…A more recent take on the riverine preference model for Middle Pleistocene hominins in Europe has been made by Brown et al (2013). Here, within a broad 'English Channel' framework, the authors have set out the palaeoecological advantages of hominins establishing niches in the lower reaches of valleys, on the edge of valleys floors, and within valley bottom gravel 'islands'.…”

“…Indeed, during a single interglacial and habitable phases of the bracketing cold stages, hominin groups may significantly reroute their behaviour and change their landscape preferences. For example, Ashton and Lewis suggest that under cooler, more open conditions, the plateaux may offer more affordances, leading to a less asymmetric record between valley and hill top contexts, with forest cover in interglacials being the most restricting factor in habitation patterns.A more recent take on the riverine preference model for Middle Pleistocene hominins in Europe has been made by Brown et al (2013). Here, within a broad 'English Channel' framework, the authors have set out the palaeoecological advantages of hominins establishing niches in the lower reaches of valleys, on the edge of valleys floors, and within valley bottom gravel 'islands'.…”

Play as the Foundation of Human Intelligence: The Illuminating Role of Human Brain Evolution and Development and Implications for Education and Child Development.

“…Thus, we became the top predator, using wits and culture (a large brain) and an extensive array of tools (dexterous hands with precision grip) requiring high-level cognition and use of fire for production (Brown et al, 2012), to track, hunt, and capture a diverse array of animals, ranging from small invertebrates to those mega fauna beyond the reach of even top carnivores (Adler, Bar-Oz, BelferCohen, & Bar-Yosef, 2006;Braun et al, 2010;Brown et al, 2013;Guil-Guerrero et al, 2014;Klein et al, 2004;Mellars, 2006;Steele, 2003;Stiner & Munro, 2011), and forage for energy-rich plants, such as underground storage organs (USOs) and large, fat-rich nuts and seeds with hard shells that were unattainable to most other animals. We hunted and gathered everything from small invertebrates such as insects, mollusks, and crustaceans, to small and large game (Kaplan et al, 2000).…”