Journal of Human Evolution最新文献

{"title":"The hominin teeth from the late Middle Pleistocene Hualongdong site, China","authors":"Xiujie Wu ,&nbsp;María Martinón-Torres ,&nbsp;Song Xing ,&nbsp;Shuwen Pei ,&nbsp;Yanjun Cai ,&nbsp;Haowen Tong ,&nbsp;José María Bermúdez de Castro ,&nbsp;Wu Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103727","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103727","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Between 2014 and 2015, abundant human fossils dated to about 300 ka were found in the Hualongdong (HLD) site, Anhui province, South China. The HLD human sample consists of a nearly complete skull with 14 teeth in situ, one partial maxilla with one premolar in situ, six isolated teeth, three femoral diaphyseal sections, and a few cranial pieces. Former studies found that the HLD hominins show a mosaic of primitive and derived characteristics with regard to the <em>Homo</em> clade. While the cranium, limbs, and mandible display predominantly primitive features shared with early <em>Homo</em> specimens, the facial bones display closer affinities to modern humans. To assess the phylogenetic affinities of the HLD taxa and other Asian hominin record as well as African and European Pleistocene specimens, we present a comparative morphometric analysis of the 21 HLD teeth. Our dental study reveals a mosaic of primitive and derived dental features for the HLD hominins regarding the <em>Homo</em> clade. The results show that most of the HLD dental features resemble those of Late Pleistocene hominins expect for the robust roots of premolars and molars that approach Middle Pleistocene morphologies. A few features like the reduced M₃ link the HLD 6 mandible with East Asian Pleistocene hominins and recent modern humans. The HLD also lacks typical Neanderthal traits. This population presents a remarkable number of derived dental features not present in most Middle Pleistocene hominin fossil assemblages in East Asia with perhaps the exception of Panxian Dadong or Jinniushan. The findings from HLD teeth provide further support to the diversity in late Middle Pleistocene hominin evolution. Several scenarios can potentially explain this variability and would need further exploration. Hualongdong-particular morphology could be the result of genetic drift or gene flow with a more archaic form, such as <em>Homo erectus</em>. Alternatively, the HLD sample could belong to a hominin population closely related to the <em>Homo sapiens</em> clade and be distinct from <em>H. erectus</em>, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 103727"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144679900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New insights into the diversity of strepsirrhine primates from the late early–early middle Eocene of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia)","authors":"Laurent Marivaux ,&nbsp;Anne-Lise Charruault ,&nbsp;Mohammed Adaci ,&nbsp;Mustapha Bensalah ,&nbsp;Mahammed Mahboubi ,&nbsp;Fateh Mebrouk ,&nbsp;Hayet Khayati Ammar ,&nbsp;El Mabrouk Essid ,&nbsp;Wissem Marzougui ,&nbsp;Rim Temani ,&nbsp;Rodolphe Tabuce","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103729","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103729","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Gour Lazib Complex in Algeria and Djebel Chambi in Tunisia are the only African regions with abundant fossil records of diverse mammals dating from the late early to early middle Eocene. Among these mammals, primates, documented by few dental remains, have long attracted much attention for their possible role in the African origin of the group to which we belong, the anthropoids. Continuing fieldwork at these localities has uncovered new dental, cranial, and postcranial remains of these primates, shedding new light on their phylogenetic status. These primates, Azibiidae and Djebelemuridae, are now recognized as ‘advanced’ stem strepsirrhines, i.e., more closely related to crown Strepsirrhini (tooth-combed primates) than to any Adapiformes (other stem strepsirrhines, lacking a tooth-comb). Here, we illustrate and describe new fossil specimens (dental only) recently recovered from these two former sites. From the Gour Lazib Complex (including Glib Zegdou), in addition to the previously known azibiid taxa, <em>Azibius trerki</em> and <em>Algeripithecus minutus</em>, we describe a new, larger azibiid, <em>Azibius magnus</em> sp. nov., and a tiny new taxon, <em>Lazibadapis anchomomyinopsis</em> gen. et sp. nov., which could be a basal djebelemurid. New deciduous teeth and illustrations of earlier fossil taxa are also provided. From Chambi, in addition to <em>Djebelemur martinezi</em>, we identify a small azibiid, previously recognized among <em>Djebelemur</em> paratypes, and describe a new species, <em>Algeripithecus minimissimus</em> sp. nov., based on additional dental material. These new fossils extend our knowledge of the paleodiversity of these two extinct strepsirrhine families and reveal their wider paleogeographic distribution across North Africa at the onset of the Eocene. Azibiidae were highly specialized, likely feeding on a mixed diet of exudates and fruit. This specialization allowed for remarkable diversity but ultimately led to their extinction, possibly due to ecological constraints, although the factors remain unclear due to gaps in the fossil record. The less specialized Djebelemuridae, which had an insectivorous diet, lasted longer but also went extinct by the early Oligocene. These findings have significant implications for the macroevolutionary, paleobiological, and paleogeographical history of early primates in Africa during the Eocene.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 103729"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new look at Laccopithecus robustus from the Late Miocene of China: Anatomy, systematics, and paleobiology","authors":"Terry Harrison","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103728","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103728","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Laccopithecus robustus</em>, from the Late Miocene of Shihuiba in Yunnan Province of southwestern China, is one of the best known pliopithecoids. Dating to ∼7–6 Ma, it is the last-known surviving pliopithecoid in Eurasia. Preliminary reports of the craniodental material of <em>Laccopithecus</em> have been published, but no detailed accounts of the morphology are available. The current study presents a fuller description of the cranium, mandible, and dentition of <em>Laccopithecus</em>; provides comparisons with other pliopithecoids; and highlights the distinguishing features of the genus. <em>Laccopithecus</em> is a relatively large pliopithecoid, with an estimated body mass of 10–11 kg, similar in size to the extant siamang, <em>Symphalangus syndactylus</em>. A suite of dental synapomorphies links <em>Laccopithecus</em> with other crouzeliid pliopithecoids, and among these, <em>Laccopithecus</em> is inferred to be most closely related to the specialized anapithecine crouzeliids (i.e., <em>Egarapithecus</em> and <em>Anapithecus</em>). Comparisons of the <em>Laccopithecus</em> cranium highlight the remarkable similarity in the cranial bauplan among pliopithecoids, even though <em>Laccopithecus</em> combines these general features with several unique specializations (i.e., relatively small orbits, weakly developed supraorbital rims, deep lower face, a single infraorbital foramen, and marked temporal lines that probably converged relatively anteriorly). Sexual dimorphism of canine size in <em>Laccopithecus</em> is moderately high compared with that in extant catarrhines, and this occurs in conjunction with relatively low levels of estimated body mass dimorphism. A similar pattern is seen in some extant colobines, and possibly also in <em>Anapithecus</em>. In terms of dietary behavior, based on relative shearing crest development, <em>Laccopithecus</em>, like the majority of pliopithecoids, appears to have been predominantly frugivorous. An isolated partial manual phalanx, previously attributed to <em>Laccopithecus</em>, may possibly belong instead to the contemporary sivaladapid, <em>Sinoadapis carnosus</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 103728"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reconstruction of the locomotor repertoire of early primates in the light of astragalar and calcaneal shape","authors":"Oriol Monclús-Gonzalo ,&nbsp;David M. Alba ,&nbsp;Anne-Claire Fabre ,&nbsp;Judit Marigó","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103730","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103730","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The locomotor behavior of the earliest euprimates is key to our understanding of the origin and early diversification of the group. Postcranial traits suggest that major locomotor shifts occurred during the early evolution of this clade. Two tarsal bones, the astragalus and the calcaneus, have been extensively studied because of their functional importance. To provide further insights into early primate evolution, we use a three-dimensional high-density sliding semilandmark geometric morphometric approach to quantify tarsal shape on an extensive (936) sample of astragali and calcanei from extant and extinct primates as well as other euarchontans. We reconstruct the locomotor repertoire for a total of 37 extinct taxa, representing all major Paleogene primate groups, using a partial least squares regression between astragalar/calcaneal shape and locomotor percentages compiled from the literature. Our results concur with previous studies and confirm that the astragalar/calcaneal shape exhibits a strong functional signal, allowing to accurately estimate the locomotor repertoire of extinct species. Locomotor estimates based on fossils indicate that early euprimates displayed a diverse array of locomotor repertoires comparable to extant species, highlighting cases of convergent evolution among distantly related groups. Locomotor differences between plesiadapiforms and early euprimates include a greater use of leaping by the latter, suggesting that the origin and early diversification of euprimates involved an important locomotor shift. Based on tarsal shape, this study improves our understanding of early primate locomotion and evolution, providing the most extensive taxonomic scope to date.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"206 ","pages":"Article 103730"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144662430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Neanderthal mobility over very long distances: The case of El Castillo cave (northern Spain) and the ‘Vasconian’ Mousterian","authors":"Diego Herrero-Alonso ,&nbsp;José-Manuel Maíllo-Fernández ,&nbsp;Natalia Abellán-Beltrán ,&nbsp;Macarena Moral ,&nbsp;Irene González-Molina ,&nbsp;Irene Solano-Megías ,&nbsp;Sofía Luzón-Ruiz ,&nbsp;Juan Marín ,&nbsp;Adrián Álvarez-Vena ,&nbsp;David Martín-Perea ,&nbsp;Ana Neira ,&nbsp;Federico Bernaldo de Quirós ,&nbsp;Andoni Tarriño","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103715","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103715","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores the mobility and raw material circulation of Neanderthals at the El Castillo cave, located in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula, with a particular focus on flint. The levels analyzed (XXab–XXf1.1) date between 45 and 70 ka BP, corresponding to the Mousterian period and, in some cases, to the Vasconian facies. Most of the flint varieties are of local origin (&lt;10–30 km), but six additional sources have been identified, both regionally (30–120 km) and tracer (120–250 km), as well as a variety that would fall under the supertracer range (&gt;250 km). These findings provide insights into patterns of lithic resource acquisition. Based on these data, together with the technotypological data and the quantitative representation of the different varieties of raw materials, it is proposed that the territory of these Neanderthals was larger than expected. Beyond their home range, they may have had an even larger ‘social territory,’ covering more than 600 km in length, from the Oviedo basin (Piedramuelle flint) to the Adour River (Tercis flint), including the Upper Ebro Basin (Treviño flint). Furthermore, this broad geographical region and the dates from the levels at El Castillo align with the spatial distribution of the Mousterian with cleavers or the Vasconian. The technotypological analysis of these assemblages suggests that the Vasconian may be more closely related to a broad view of the group and the sharing of ideas, rather than representing a strictly defined technological tradition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 103715"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ilium morphological variation during growth in forager populations","authors":"Marla MacKinnon ,&nbsp;Lesley Harrington ,&nbsp;Libby W. Cowgill ,&nbsp;Helen K. Kurki","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103717","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103717","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human pelvic morphology has often been described in terms of an evolutionary compromise between bipedalism, encephalization, and obstetrics; however, recent research has argued that the pelvis is more biologically plastic than previously thought. Variation in pelvic form exists among adult modern human populations, but the factors influencing this variation, and when it manifests during growth, remain to be understood. The aim of this study is to investigate patterns of growth and development of the ilium and to consider factors that may influence variation. The presence of variation in lower limb strength emerging during growth between populations with differing foraging strategies prompted an investigation into whether the same variation extends to the pelvis. Ilium morphology was examined using a geometric morphometrics approach in an ontogenetic sample of bony ilia from four forager populations, two of whom pursued terrestrial foraging strategies (Later Stone Age southern Africa, Indian Knoll) and two of whom pursued marine foraging strategies (Point Hope, Sadlermiut) (<em>n</em> = 161). Principal component analysis shows population-based patterning in ilium morphology from birth which may reflect a combination of climatic adaptation, body shape differences, and neutral evolutionary processes. Ontogenetic allometry also appears to be a driver of morphological variation in the ilium during growth. These results have implications for the study of ilium shape differences among fossil hominin ilia and demonstrate that global patterning in ilium morphology is present even in the youngest members of a population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 103717"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144513813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continuity and innovation in the Late Acheulian: Technological and functional analysis of scrapers from Jaljulia, Southern Levant (500–300 ka)","authors":"Vlad Litov ,&nbsp;Flavia Marinelli ,&nbsp;Cristina Lemorini ,&nbsp;Ran Barkai","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103716","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103716","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lower Paleolithic human adaptations were facilitated by the Acheulian stone toolkit, composed of various implements. Flake scrapers, a ubiquitous component of Acheulian toolkits, have received comparatively little scholarly attention despite their widespread presence and long temporal span. This paper presents a technotypological and functional analysis of Late Acheulian scrapers from the Late Lower Paleolithic localities of Jaljulia, Israel, dated to 500–200 ka. Traditional Acheulian scraper production at the site was supplemented by a limited number of uncharacteristic large flake scrapers, a trajectory that subsequently diminished, as well as by recurrent scrapers shaped by stepped and scaled-stepped Quina-like retouch. Our observations indicate that scrapers with distinct working edge attributes were predominantly used for both scraping and cutting activities. The emergence of Quina-like retouch within a Late Acheulian context marks a significant development in the evolution of Paleolithic scrapers. Late Acheulian toolmakers produced Quina-like scrapers alongside other scraper types, preceding and coinciding with the broad adoption of the Quina method in the subsequent Acheulo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex. Our results challenge the notion of Acheulian technological stagnation, highlighting the capability of <em>Homo erectus</em> to implement innovations into predominantly traditional toolkits. We propose a possible Acheulian origin for other technologies and cultural markers considered post-Acheulian as well.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 103716"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clavicular evidence for continued arboreality in Australopithecus afarensis","authors":"Hannah N. Farrell,&nbsp;Zeresenay Alemseged","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103714","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103714","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The emergence of the hominin lineage is marked by the transition to bipedalism, but debates persist regarding the role of arboreal behaviors during and after this shift. Uncertainties surrounding the locomotor habits of <em>Australopithecus</em> partly stem from the mosaic nature of their skeleton, with pelvic and lower limb traits principally indicating bipedalism, while upper limb morphology retains primitive features largely associated with arboreality in extant apes. Analyses of internal bone structure coupled with new fossil evidence may provide new insights in this regard. Here, we first describe the clavicles of the juvenile <em>Australopithecus afarensis</em> individual DIK-1-1, then the morphology is further investigated alongside adult <em>Au. afarensis</em>, as represented by KSD-VP-1/1, using geometric morphometrics and cortical cross-sectional geometry to identify and interpret potential functional signals. Our findings challenge the notion of a distinct modern human clavicular morphology as separate from chimpanzees, revealing significant overlap in external shape between <em>Homo</em> and <em>Pan</em>. Conversely, internal cortical geometry exhibits developmental plasticity in both extant apes and <em>Au. afarensis</em>, supporting its utility in exploring locomotor adaptations. Furthermore, similarities in internal cortical geometry between <em>Au. afarensis</em> and modern apes support hypotheses of continued arboreal behavior—including suspension and climbing—throughout life in the former. The discordance between external and internal morphology highlights the potential to identify unrecognized functional signals in hominin clavicles previously categorized as ‘primitive’ and cautions against oversimplified taxonomic assignments based solely on external shape. Ultimately, these results emphasize the importance of taking a comprehensive view of morphology to better understand locomotor evolution in early hominins and underscore the relevance of continued arboreality in <em>Au. afarensis</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 103714"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144470525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Neanderthal cervical spine revisited","authors":"Carlos A. Palancar ,&nbsp;Daniel García-Martínez ,&nbsp;Markus Bastir","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103704","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103704","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent studies have challenged the long-held notion that Neanderthals possessed a more stable and less lordotic cervical spine than modern humans. To investigate this hypothesis further, we conducted the first three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis focused on the Neanderthal cervical spine, examining 43 classic <em>Homo neanderthalensis</em> cervical vertebrae alongside 243 <em>Homo sapiens</em> cervical vertebrae from diverse populations, including the whole cervical spine (C1–C7). The Neanderthal sample comprises specimens from well-known individuals such as La Ferrassie 1, La Chapelle-aux-Saints 1, Kebara 2, Shanidar 2, Regourdou 1, and the Krapina group, ensuring completeness for a detailed analysis. Our results reveal a distinct morphological difference—that is greater in the lower levels—in the Neanderthal cervical spine, including a craniocaudally shorter and mediolaterally wider shape, longer spinous processes, and horizontally oriented articular facets. Contrary to earlier hypotheses, the study challenges the notion of reduced cervical lordosis in Neanderthals, proposing instead a potentially greater lordotic curvature than in modern humans, as evidenced by articulated mean forms and Cobb angle measurements. These findings suggest robust neck musculature adaptations in Neanderthals, potentially reflecting biomechanical responses to support the head and inhibit joint displacement. The study also highlights implications for respiratory biomechanics, with differences in the orientation of transverse processes (attachment site of the scalene muscle) potentially influencing neck muscle length and function, which could affect respiratory capacity in Neanderthals. In summary, our comprehensive examination sheds new light on the morphology and functional implications of the Neanderthal cervical spine, offering valuable insights into the intricate adaptations of Neanderthals and their implications for functional morphology and evolutionary biology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 103704"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144291513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The shape of technology to come: An examination of evolutionary relationships between bifacial and core technologies at the Lower-Middle Palaeolithic boundary across regions in Eurasia","authors":"Jayson P. Gill ,&nbsp;Nick Ashton ,&nbsp;Keith N. Wilkinson ,&nbsp;Boris Gasparyan ,&nbsp;Daniel S. Adler","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103702","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103702","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The origin of Levallois prepared core technology is a subject of debate among Palaeolithic archaeologists. While some argue for a single African origin for this style of core reduction, increasing support is found for a multiple-origin model in which Levallois technology independently evolves out of underlying technology in different regions of Africa and Eurasia. Within a multiple-origin framework, it has been proposed that the technology is realized through the evolution of either Late Lower Palaeolithic core technology or Acheulian bifaces. We explore these hypotheses by examining the relationships between early Levallois technology, proposed transitional types, and Lower Palaeolithic production systems in geographically discrete lithic assemblages in the Armenian Highlands and Britain. The sites of Nor Geghi-1 (Armenia) and Purfleet (Britain) are the focus of this study as they contain evidence for the in situ evolution of Levallois technology. Landmark-based geometric morphometrics is applied to high-quality three-dimensional scans of lithic artifacts from Lower-Middle Palaeolithic sites in the two regions. As this research is focused on morphological characteristics, we also explore factors outside of human decision-making that may affect shape diversity (i.e., raw material, size, reduction intensity). Our results indicate that the appearance of Levallois prepared core technology is likely the outcome of distinctive processes in the two regions. These results further support the growing body of research that argues for a multiple-origin model early prepared core production systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 103702"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144280660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}