The British Middle Palaeolithic

Ashton, Nick; Scott, Beccy

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.06.011

Cited by 17 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…In contrast to the UK, where the topic has seen a great deal of research (e.g. White & Pettitt, 2011; Ashton & Scott, 2016) and highly productive collaborations between researchers, government agencies, and public and industrial stakeholders (e.g. Buteux et al, 2009; see also CITiZAN, n.d.), no such systematic efforts are underway in southern Scandinavia.…”

Section: Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

On Research History and Neanderthal Occupation at its Northern Margins

Nielsen

Riede

2018

Eur. j. archaeol

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Epistemology and research history significantly shape scientific understandings, debates, and publication strategies, albeit often implicitly. In Palaeolithic archaeology in particular, these factors are rarely examined in depth. Here, we present a historiographic analysis of how research history has influenced the debate concerning the possible Neanderthal occupation in Scandinavia. We provide a qualitative discussion of this contentious research field as well as a citation network analysis that visualizes, quantifies, and hence clarifies some of the underlying conceptual, geographic, and temporal patterns in the development of the debate. Our results show significant regionalism as a structuring principle driving this debate as well as a basic rift between professional and avocational archaeologists in how they interpret and publish the available data. We also identify a troubling lack of cross-referencing, even when taking language barriers into account. We argue that the debate about Neanderthal occupation in Scandinavia has been shaped (negatively) by the following phenomena: regionalism, nationalism, lack of research and researchers, non-cumulative work, publication in Nordic languages, science by press release/sensationalism, and a lamentable trend towards arguments ad hominem. In order to take this research field forward, we propose an epistemological turn towards a cumulative, international, and hypothesis-driven agenda based on renewed research efforts and novel citizen science tools.

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Section: Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

On Research History and Neanderthal Occupation at its Northern Margins

Nielsen

Riede

2018

Eur. j. archaeol

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“…A large-scale expansion over Western Europe of Acheulean assemblages occurs after the cold phase of MIS 12, when various regional traditions were developing in both the north and south of Europe (Nicoud, 2013; Moncel et al, 2015; Ashton and Scott, 2016). The period of MIS 11–9 is thus a second crucial period, recording evidence of behavioural changes towards the early Middle Paleolithic, such as more complex and standardized core technologies, organized hunting, or changes in land use patterns (Moncel et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The archaeological data from the Campogrande localities indicate that a kind of regionalization of archaeological traditions occurred at Ceprano-Campogrande after MIS 12. This seems related to the process of regionalization that involved both the north and the south of Europe (Ashton et al, 2008; Scott and Ashton, 2011; Ashton and Lewis, 2012; Fontana et al, 2013; Brenet et al, 2014; Garcia-Medrano et al, 2015; Ashton and Scott, 2016) and seems resulting from a combination of some different elements: (1) the extended climate stability after the coldest event of MIS 12; (2) the occurrence of technological shifts that were deeply rooted in previous traditions; and (3) a possible significant increase in human population density (Premo and Hublin, 2009; Moncel et al, 2012; Kleinen et al, 2014; Wisniewski, 2014; Limondin-Lozouet et al, 2015; Lamotte and Tuffreau, 2016; Moigne et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stratigraphy, sedimentology, and archaeology of Middle Pleistocene localities near Ceprano, Campogrande area, Italy

Biddittu¹,

Moncel²,

Milli³

et al. 2019

Quat. res.

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The Ceprano human calvarium, dated around 400,000 yr, is a well-known fossil specimen. It represents significant evidence of hominin presence in the Italian peninsula during the Middle Pleistocene and may be considered representative of an archaic variant of the widespread and polymorphic species Homo heidelbergensis. Since its discovery (March 1994), systematic surveys in the Campogrande area near Ceprano, central Italy, identified 12 localities (CG1-12) with archaeological and/or paleontological assemblages. On this basis, fieldwork was carried out at Campogrande between 2001 and 2006, including drilled cores and excavations, allowing a detailed description of the stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental context associated with the human fossil specimen and the archaeological materials. In the present paper we focus on the stratigraphy and sedimentological features of the uppermost deposits, coupled with a detailed appraisal of the available lithic assemblages that mostly belongs to overlying sediments (CG9 and CG10 localities). We conclude that the Ceprano hominin died in a floodplain environment with a low topographic gradient, where a fluvial meandering channel occurred. The archaeological materials describe a network of sites that document common behavioural features of human groups of the mid-to-late Middle Pleistocene, representing evidence of the regionalization observed across Europe after Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 12.

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“…Although not explicitly tested here, we suspect Middle Palaeolithic handaxes (e.g. Emery, 2010;Ruebens, 2013;Ashton and Scott, 2016) to present similar muscular demands to their Acheulean counter parts; thus, being more demanding to use relative to contemporary Levallois flakes. Six muscles were not significantly affected by tool-type changes, despite the size, shape and technological differences.…”

Section: Impact Of Tool Type On Muscle Activationmentioning

confidence: 91%