Ajeje Brazorf
09-22-2024, 08:51 PM
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06923-7
This study provides a detailed investigation into the presence of Homo sapiens in central and northwestern Europe around 45,000 years ago, focusing on the archaeological site of Ilsenhöhle in Ranis, Germany. The research team employed a combination of radiocarbon dating, proteomic analysis, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing to directly associate Homo sapiens remains with the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ) stone tool industry. This technocomplex is characterized by bifacial leaf points and Jerzmanowice blade points, and its attribution to either Neanderthals or Homo sapiens was previously debated.
Key findings include:
1. Radiocarbon Dating: Human remains from layers 9 and 8 at the Ranis site were directly dated to 47,500–43,260 calibrated years before present (cal BP). These dates make the remains some of the oldest directly dated Upper Palaeolithic H. sapiens remains in Eurasia. Six additional human bones from the 1930s excavation, thought to be associated with LRJ, were also directly dated and fit within the same time range.
2. Proteomic and Morphological Analysis: Proteomic methods (ZooMS and SPIN) identified 13 hominin bones from both the 1930s and the 2016–2022 excavations. These bones were from layers associated with the LRJ. Morphological analysis confirmed that the bones belonged to Homo sapiens rather than Neanderthals.
3. mtDNA Analysis: Mitochondrial DNA was recovered from 11 human skeletal fragments, all of which were identified as belonging to ancient Homo sapiens. Ten of these genomes were reconstructed to near-completion, and five showed no pairwise differences, suggesting they came from either the same individual or maternally related individuals. The mtDNA sequences clustered with other early H. sapiens individuals, such as the Zlatý kůň individual from the Czech Republic, which dates to around 45,000 years ago.
4. Technocomplex Attribution: The LRJ was previously thought to be possibly produced by Neanderthals due to its mix of bifacial and unifacial tool types, which included some Middle Palaeolithic features. However, this study definitively links the LRJ at Ranis to Homo sapiens based on the direct association of H. sapiens remains with LRJ stone tools. This finding supports the hypothesis that Homo sapiens were present in central and northwestern Europe during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition, before Neanderthals became extinct in other regions.
5. Climate and Faunal Analysis: The study also incorporates zooarchaeological and sedimentological data to reconstruct the environmental conditions of the time. The presence of reindeer and other cold-adapted species, along with sediment analysis, suggests that H. sapiens occupied this region during a period of colder climate, with temperatures 7–15°C lower than present-day. This is consistent with a subarctic environment during Greenland Stadial 12 or 13 (around 45,000 years ago).
6. Implications for Neanderthal-Human Interaction: The research suggests that Homo sapiens were in Europe at the same time as the last Neanderthal populations, but that these groups were likely part of distinct populations with limited direct interaction in this region. This challenges earlier ideas of a strict chronological separation between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens in northwestern Europe, proposing instead a patchwork of different human groups with overlapping timelines.
In summary, this study provides strong evidence that Homo sapiens were responsible for the LRJ technocomplex and were present in central and northwestern Europe earlier than previously thought, coexisting with Neanderthals in other parts of Europe. The research offers new insights into the complexity of human population dynamics during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition.
This study provides a detailed investigation into the presence of Homo sapiens in central and northwestern Europe around 45,000 years ago, focusing on the archaeological site of Ilsenhöhle in Ranis, Germany. The research team employed a combination of radiocarbon dating, proteomic analysis, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing to directly associate Homo sapiens remains with the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ) stone tool industry. This technocomplex is characterized by bifacial leaf points and Jerzmanowice blade points, and its attribution to either Neanderthals or Homo sapiens was previously debated.
Key findings include:
1. Radiocarbon Dating: Human remains from layers 9 and 8 at the Ranis site were directly dated to 47,500–43,260 calibrated years before present (cal BP). These dates make the remains some of the oldest directly dated Upper Palaeolithic H. sapiens remains in Eurasia. Six additional human bones from the 1930s excavation, thought to be associated with LRJ, were also directly dated and fit within the same time range.
2. Proteomic and Morphological Analysis: Proteomic methods (ZooMS and SPIN) identified 13 hominin bones from both the 1930s and the 2016–2022 excavations. These bones were from layers associated with the LRJ. Morphological analysis confirmed that the bones belonged to Homo sapiens rather than Neanderthals.
3. mtDNA Analysis: Mitochondrial DNA was recovered from 11 human skeletal fragments, all of which were identified as belonging to ancient Homo sapiens. Ten of these genomes were reconstructed to near-completion, and five showed no pairwise differences, suggesting they came from either the same individual or maternally related individuals. The mtDNA sequences clustered with other early H. sapiens individuals, such as the Zlatý kůň individual from the Czech Republic, which dates to around 45,000 years ago.
4. Technocomplex Attribution: The LRJ was previously thought to be possibly produced by Neanderthals due to its mix of bifacial and unifacial tool types, which included some Middle Palaeolithic features. However, this study definitively links the LRJ at Ranis to Homo sapiens based on the direct association of H. sapiens remains with LRJ stone tools. This finding supports the hypothesis that Homo sapiens were present in central and northwestern Europe during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition, before Neanderthals became extinct in other regions.
5. Climate and Faunal Analysis: The study also incorporates zooarchaeological and sedimentological data to reconstruct the environmental conditions of the time. The presence of reindeer and other cold-adapted species, along with sediment analysis, suggests that H. sapiens occupied this region during a period of colder climate, with temperatures 7–15°C lower than present-day. This is consistent with a subarctic environment during Greenland Stadial 12 or 13 (around 45,000 years ago).
6. Implications for Neanderthal-Human Interaction: The research suggests that Homo sapiens were in Europe at the same time as the last Neanderthal populations, but that these groups were likely part of distinct populations with limited direct interaction in this region. This challenges earlier ideas of a strict chronological separation between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens in northwestern Europe, proposing instead a patchwork of different human groups with overlapping timelines.
In summary, this study provides strong evidence that Homo sapiens were responsible for the LRJ technocomplex and were present in central and northwestern Europe earlier than previously thought, coexisting with Neanderthals in other parts of Europe. The research offers new insights into the complexity of human population dynamics during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition.