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Middle-Upper Palaeolithic Transition Papers by José-Manuel Maíllo-Fernández

The majority of archaeological remains found at El Castillo in northern Iberia were excavated bet... more The majority of archaeological remains found at El Castillo in northern Iberia were excavated between
1910 and 1914 by Hugo Obermaier. Since the 1980s El Castillo has been studied through a detailed
analysis of Obermaier's original excavation notes, the cleaning and study of the extant section, and the
excavation of material in the shelter entrance. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from the modern (1980s
onwards) excavation suggested that unit 18, corresponding to Aurignacian Delta of the 1910s excavation,
was significantly earlier than other Aurignacian assemblages in western Europe. Combined with a
reanalysis of the lithic and osseous industry, these dates led to the suggestion that material in unit 18 and
Aurignacian Delta was a transitional industry, showing a gradual transformation of the Mousterian into
the Upper Palaeolithic. The conclusion has profound implications for understanding the appearance of
the Upper Palaeolithic in western Europe. However, the theory has been heavily debated, with criticism
focusing on the analysis of the lithic and bone assemblage as well as the chronology. We focus on the
latter, and assess whether the original dates were accurate, whether they were well associated with the
archaeology, and whether there was vertical and lateral variation in the age of the assemblages within
unit 18 and Aurignacian Delta. New radiocarbon dates on humanly modified bone suggest that in the
new area of excavation, unit 18 is found to be earlier than 42 cal kBP, with no evidence of material of a
younger age. In contrast, in the old excavation area, Aurignacian Delta does include material of a younger
age. This suggests that discussion of the Transitional Aurignacian can only include material from unit 18,
in the new area of excavation.

Quaternary International, 359-360, 462-478., 2015

The long sequence of El Castillo cave contains Units 12 and 14, attributed to the Gravettian. Thi... more The long sequence of El Castillo cave contains Units 12 and 14, attributed to the Gravettian. This paper presents a revision of the lithic industry and the fauna recovered during H. Obermaier's 1910–1914 excavations of the site, as well as a number of new datings that enable us to chronologically place the above Gravettian occupations as one of the oldest in Europe. Unit 14 is dated between 34 and 33 ka cal BP and Unit 12 between 30 and 28 ka cal BP.

The cave's oldest Gravettian level, Unit 14, presents techno-typological features typical of the first phases of the Gravettian in the Cantabro-Pyrenean region, such as Noailles burins, although it also shows some common elements with the Evolved Aurignacian. The youngest Gravettian unit, Unit 12, is characterised by laminar production from bipolar prismatic cores and a greater, albeit still discreet, presence of dorsal pieces. In terms of the fauna, Unit 14 is represented by red deer, chamois and horse, whereas Unit 12 is represented by red deer and horse, a hint as to what would later become the characteristic composition of Late Upper Palaeolithic faunal assemblages. The lithic and chronological characteristics of the Gravettian at El Castillo and the Cantabro-Pyrenean region lead us to believe in a mosaic formation of this techno-complex.

Journal of Lithic Studies, vol. 1 (2), 2014

The lithic record, together with archaeozoological remains, makes up the most abundant assemblage... more The lithic record, together with archaeozoological remains, makes up the most abundant assemblages at
European Palaeolithic sites. During many decades in the twentieth century, the classical typological analysis (the
Bordesian paradigm) has been used to articulate the sequencing of the different cultural and chronostratigraphic
units. At the same time, since the 1960s an alternative methodology known as Analytical Typology, proposed by
Georges Laplace, has been available. The sophistication of the statistical procedures used by Analytical Typology
is the reason given by many prehistorians for avoiding this approach, in the same way that the limitations in the
quantification of the results ended up discrediting Bordes and Sonneville-Bordes’ method. As a first paradox, the
same reasoning (in the opposite direction) rules out both methodologies. In addition, by ignoring the typological
approach, we give new life to technological analysis, where qualitative information is provisionally prioritised over
quantitative data. If we aim to describe the process of transition or change, then, as we have said on various
occasions, the reading of the lithic record should be holistic, and cover typometrical features, the raw materials,
technology, function and certainly typological traits. The alleged difficulties about the description of the different
variables, their quantification and statistical analysis have been solved for some time in Laplace’s methodological
proposal. Ignorance of this methodology cannot be given as an excuse, fifty years after it was first formulated.

Robert Sala Ramos (Ed.), Pleistocene and Holocene Hunter-Gatherers In Iberia And The Gibraltar Strait: the current Archaeological record , 2014

Nature, 512, 306–309., 2014

The timing of Neanderthal disappearance and the extent to which they overlapped with the earliest... more The timing of Neanderthal disappearance and the extent to which they overlapped with the earliest incoming anatomically modern humans (AMHs) in Eurasia are key questions in palaeoanthropology. Determining the spatiotemporal relationship between the two populations is crucial if we are to understand the processes, timing and reasons leading to the disappearance of Neanderthals and the likelihood of cultural and genetic exchange. Serious technical challenges, however, have hindered reliable dating of the period, as the radiocarbon method reaches its limit at ~50,000 years ago. Here we apply improved accelerator mass spectrometry 14C techniques to construct robust chronologies from 40 key Mousterian and Neanderthal archaeological sites, ranging from Russia to Spain. Bayesian age modelling was used to generate probability distribution functions to determine the latest appearance date. We show that the Mousterian ended by 41,030–39,260 calibrated years BP (at 95.4% probability) across Europe. We also demonstrate that succeeding ‘transitional’ archaeological industries, one of which has been linked with Neanderthals (Châtelperronian), end at a similar time. Our data indicate that the disappearance of Neanderthals occurred at different times in different regions. Comparing the data with results obtained from the earliest dated AMH sites in Europe, associated with the Uluzzian technocomplex, allows us to quantify the temporal overlap between the two human groups. The results reveal a significant overlap of 2,600–5,400 years (at 95.4% probability). This has important implications for models seeking to explain the cultural, technological and biological elements involved in the replacement of Neanderthals by AMHs. A mosaic of populations in Europe during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition suggests that there was ample time for the transmission of cultural and symbolic behaviours, as well as possible genetic exchanges, between the two groups.

Andreas Pastoors & Bärbel Auffermann (eds.): Pleistocene foragers on the Iberian Peninsula: Their culture and environment . Festschrift in honour of Gerd-Christian Weniger for his sixtieth birthday . Wissenschaftliche Schriften des Neanderthal Museums 7 , Mettmann 2 0 1 3 ., 2013

This paper presents a review of the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition, with a special focus on... more This paper presents a review of the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition, with a special focus on
the Iberian Peninsula. Additionally, it assesses the human revolution hypothesis with evidence of
modern behaviour from Iberia prior to the appearance of the Aurignacian. Lastly, the hypothesis of
Homo sapiens sapiens’ arrival to Europe prior to the Upper Palaeolithic and the transitional technocomplexes
is proposed.

The end of Aurignacian and the beginning of Gravettian in the Cantabrian region: a techno-typologic perspective, 2012

We review the state of knowledge of the relationship, from the lithic industry perspective, betw... more We review the state of knowledge of the relationship, from the lithic industry perspective,
between Evolved Aurignacian and the beginning of Gravettian in the Cantabric region. First
we question if it is possible to identify an evolved Aurignacian in the Cantabrian region and
how the evidence of this area fits with the classic model of southwestern France and, secondly,
we describe the manifestations associated with the oldest Gravettian industry, its techno-typological
features and their possible links with evolved Aurignacian.
Taking into account techno-typological data we have measured the degree of change between
these two technocomplexes from a regional perspective. The results of this comparison contradict
the idea of an exogenous origin of Gravettian in Western Europe and allow re-questioning
the hypothesis of a multiple origin.

Trabajos de prehistoria, Jan 1, 2005

African Papers by José-Manuel Maíllo-Fernández

The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arg... more The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arguments in favour and against the existence of warfare before the development of sedentary societies. Here we report on a case of inter-group violence towards a group of hunter-gatherers from Nataruk, west of Lake Turkana, which during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene period extended about 30 km beyond its present-day shore. Ten of the twelve articulated skeletons found at Nataruk show evidence of having died violently at the edge of a lagoon, into which some of the bodies fell. The remains from Nataruk are unique, preserved by the particular conditions of the lagoon with no evidence of deliberate burial. They offer a rare glimpse into the life and death of past foraging people, and evidence that warfare was part of the repertoire of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers.

Quaternary International

The Central Sahara is an area of great interest in human evolution partly because it currently ex... more The Central Sahara is an area of great interest in human evolution partly because it currently exhibits some of the most extreme desert conditions in the world, and partly because of its geographical location – in a nexus of relationships with sub-Saharan Africa, Mediterranean Africa, and Western Asia. Fieldwork in the Ubari sand sea and the Messak (Fazzan, Libya) through the Desert Migrations Project has identified numerous Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites both along the shores of interdunal palaeolakes and on the mountainous plateaus of the area, such as the Messak Settafet. In this paper, we describe some of the evidence for the MSA in Fazzan, and discuss it in the context of the African MSA more generally. We show that this MSA record exhibits considerable typological and technological variation, and discuss the implications for hypotheses relating to the colonization of desert environment and the expansion of hominins out of sub-Saharan Africa.

The majority of archaeological remains found at El Castillo in northern Iberia were excavated bet... more The majority of archaeological remains found at El Castillo in northern Iberia were excavated between
1910 and 1914 by Hugo Obermaier. Since the 1980s El Castillo has been studied through a detailed
analysis of Obermaier's original excavation notes, the cleaning and study of the extant section, and the
excavation of material in the shelter entrance. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from the modern (1980s
onwards) excavation suggested that unit 18, corresponding to Aurignacian Delta of the 1910s excavation,
was significantly earlier than other Aurignacian assemblages in western Europe. Combined with a
reanalysis of the lithic and osseous industry, these dates led to the suggestion that material in unit 18 and
Aurignacian Delta was a transitional industry, showing a gradual transformation of the Mousterian into
the Upper Palaeolithic. The conclusion has profound implications for understanding the appearance of
the Upper Palaeolithic in western Europe. However, the theory has been heavily debated, with criticism
focusing on the analysis of the lithic and bone assemblage as well as the chronology. We focus on the
latter, and assess whether the original dates were accurate, whether they were well associated with the
archaeology, and whether there was vertical and lateral variation in the age of the assemblages within
unit 18 and Aurignacian Delta. New radiocarbon dates on humanly modified bone suggest that in the
new area of excavation, unit 18 is found to be earlier than 42 cal kBP, with no evidence of material of a
younger age. In contrast, in the old excavation area, Aurignacian Delta does include material of a younger
age. This suggests that discussion of the Transitional Aurignacian can only include material from unit 18,
in the new area of excavation.

Quaternary International, 359-360, 462-478., 2015

The long sequence of El Castillo cave contains Units 12 and 14, attributed to the Gravettian. Thi... more The long sequence of El Castillo cave contains Units 12 and 14, attributed to the Gravettian. This paper presents a revision of the lithic industry and the fauna recovered during H. Obermaier's 1910–1914 excavations of the site, as well as a number of new datings that enable us to chronologically place the above Gravettian occupations as one of the oldest in Europe. Unit 14 is dated between 34 and 33 ka cal BP and Unit 12 between 30 and 28 ka cal BP.

The cave's oldest Gravettian level, Unit 14, presents techno-typological features typical of the first phases of the Gravettian in the Cantabro-Pyrenean region, such as Noailles burins, although it also shows some common elements with the Evolved Aurignacian. The youngest Gravettian unit, Unit 12, is characterised by laminar production from bipolar prismatic cores and a greater, albeit still discreet, presence of dorsal pieces. In terms of the fauna, Unit 14 is represented by red deer, chamois and horse, whereas Unit 12 is represented by red deer and horse, a hint as to what would later become the characteristic composition of Late Upper Palaeolithic faunal assemblages. The lithic and chronological characteristics of the Gravettian at El Castillo and the Cantabro-Pyrenean region lead us to believe in a mosaic formation of this techno-complex.

Journal of Lithic Studies, vol. 1 (2), 2014

The lithic record, together with archaeozoological remains, makes up the most abundant assemblage... more The lithic record, together with archaeozoological remains, makes up the most abundant assemblages at
European Palaeolithic sites. During many decades in the twentieth century, the classical typological analysis (the
Bordesian paradigm) has been used to articulate the sequencing of the different cultural and chronostratigraphic
units. At the same time, since the 1960s an alternative methodology known as Analytical Typology, proposed by
Georges Laplace, has been available. The sophistication of the statistical procedures used by Analytical Typology
is the reason given by many prehistorians for avoiding this approach, in the same way that the limitations in the
quantification of the results ended up discrediting Bordes and Sonneville-Bordes’ method. As a first paradox, the
same reasoning (in the opposite direction) rules out both methodologies. In addition, by ignoring the typological
approach, we give new life to technological analysis, where qualitative information is provisionally prioritised over
quantitative data. If we aim to describe the process of transition or change, then, as we have said on various
occasions, the reading of the lithic record should be holistic, and cover typometrical features, the raw materials,
technology, function and certainly typological traits. The alleged difficulties about the description of the different
variables, their quantification and statistical analysis have been solved for some time in Laplace’s methodological
proposal. Ignorance of this methodology cannot be given as an excuse, fifty years after it was first formulated.

Robert Sala Ramos (Ed.), Pleistocene and Holocene Hunter-Gatherers In Iberia And The Gibraltar Strait: the current Archaeological record , 2014

Nature, 512, 306–309., 2014

The timing of Neanderthal disappearance and the extent to which they overlapped with the earliest... more The timing of Neanderthal disappearance and the extent to which they overlapped with the earliest incoming anatomically modern humans (AMHs) in Eurasia are key questions in palaeoanthropology. Determining the spatiotemporal relationship between the two populations is crucial if we are to understand the processes, timing and reasons leading to the disappearance of Neanderthals and the likelihood of cultural and genetic exchange. Serious technical challenges, however, have hindered reliable dating of the period, as the radiocarbon method reaches its limit at ~50,000 years ago. Here we apply improved accelerator mass spectrometry 14C techniques to construct robust chronologies from 40 key Mousterian and Neanderthal archaeological sites, ranging from Russia to Spain. Bayesian age modelling was used to generate probability distribution functions to determine the latest appearance date. We show that the Mousterian ended by 41,030–39,260 calibrated years BP (at 95.4% probability) across Europe. We also demonstrate that succeeding ‘transitional’ archaeological industries, one of which has been linked with Neanderthals (Châtelperronian), end at a similar time. Our data indicate that the disappearance of Neanderthals occurred at different times in different regions. Comparing the data with results obtained from the earliest dated AMH sites in Europe, associated with the Uluzzian technocomplex, allows us to quantify the temporal overlap between the two human groups. The results reveal a significant overlap of 2,600–5,400 years (at 95.4% probability). This has important implications for models seeking to explain the cultural, technological and biological elements involved in the replacement of Neanderthals by AMHs. A mosaic of populations in Europe during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition suggests that there was ample time for the transmission of cultural and symbolic behaviours, as well as possible genetic exchanges, between the two groups.

Andreas Pastoors & Bärbel Auffermann (eds.): Pleistocene foragers on the Iberian Peninsula: Their culture and environment . Festschrift in honour of Gerd-Christian Weniger for his sixtieth birthday . Wissenschaftliche Schriften des Neanderthal Museums 7 , Mettmann 2 0 1 3 ., 2013

This paper presents a review of the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition, with a special focus on... more This paper presents a review of the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition, with a special focus on
the Iberian Peninsula. Additionally, it assesses the human revolution hypothesis with evidence of
modern behaviour from Iberia prior to the appearance of the Aurignacian. Lastly, the hypothesis of
Homo sapiens sapiens’ arrival to Europe prior to the Upper Palaeolithic and the transitional technocomplexes
is proposed.

The end of Aurignacian and the beginning of Gravettian in the Cantabrian region: a techno-typologic perspective, 2012

We review the state of knowledge of the relationship, from the lithic industry perspective, betw... more We review the state of knowledge of the relationship, from the lithic industry perspective,
between Evolved Aurignacian and the beginning of Gravettian in the Cantabric region. First
we question if it is possible to identify an evolved Aurignacian in the Cantabrian region and
how the evidence of this area fits with the classic model of southwestern France and, secondly,
we describe the manifestations associated with the oldest Gravettian industry, its techno-typological
features and their possible links with evolved Aurignacian.
Taking into account techno-typological data we have measured the degree of change between
these two technocomplexes from a regional perspective. The results of this comparison contradict
the idea of an exogenous origin of Gravettian in Western Europe and allow re-questioning
the hypothesis of a multiple origin.

Trabajos de prehistoria, Jan 1, 2005

The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arg... more The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arguments in favour and against the existence of warfare before the development of sedentary societies. Here we report on a case of inter-group violence towards a group of hunter-gatherers from Nataruk, west of Lake Turkana, which during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene period extended about 30 km beyond its present-day shore. Ten of the twelve articulated skeletons found at Nataruk show evidence of having died violently at the edge of a lagoon, into which some of the bodies fell. The remains from Nataruk are unique, preserved by the particular conditions of the lagoon with no evidence of deliberate burial. They offer a rare glimpse into the life and death of past foraging people, and evidence that warfare was part of the repertoire of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers.

Quaternary International

The Central Sahara is an area of great interest in human evolution partly because it currently ex... more The Central Sahara is an area of great interest in human evolution partly because it currently exhibits some of the most extreme desert conditions in the world, and partly because of its geographical location – in a nexus of relationships with sub-Saharan Africa, Mediterranean Africa, and Western Asia. Fieldwork in the Ubari sand sea and the Messak (Fazzan, Libya) through the Desert Migrations Project has identified numerous Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites both along the shores of interdunal palaeolakes and on the mountainous plateaus of the area, such as the Messak Settafet. In this paper, we describe some of the evidence for the MSA in Fazzan, and discuss it in the context of the African MSA more generally. We show that this MSA record exhibits considerable typological and technological variation, and discuss the implications for hypotheses relating to the colonization of desert environment and the expansion of hominins out of sub-Saharan Africa.

RESUMEN La transición entre el Paleolítico Medio y el Superior en Europa está íntimamente ligada ... more RESUMEN La transición entre el Paleolítico Medio y el Superior en Europa está íntimamente ligada al reemplazamiento de los Neandertales por los Humanos Modernos. Esto ha provocado una serie de hipótesis interpretativas que, en esencia, están relacionadas con la mejora tecnológica, el reemplazamiento biológico y la aculturación neandertal. En este trabajo presentamos un estado de la cuestión sobre esta transición cultural y presentamos una nueva hipótesis de trabajo ligada a una ocupación " fantasma " de los Humanos modernos en el continente. ABSTRACT The Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Europe is closely linked to the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans. This has led to a series of interpretative hypotheses which, in essence, are linked to technological improvements, biological replacement, and Neanderthal acculturation. This study presents the current state of research on this cultural transition and puts forward a new hypotheses linked to a " phantom " occupation by modern humans in the continent.

paleoanthropological, paleoetnological and archeological studies. 1st Edition. Brno: Institute of Archeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences; Masaryk University, 2015, 618 p. ISBN 978‐80‐7524‐000‐2; ISBN 978‐80‐210‐7781‐2. DOI: 10.5817/CZ.MUNI.M210‐ 7781‐2015

The multilevel sequence of El Castillo Cave contains one archeological unit attributable to the S... more The multilevel sequence of El Castillo Cave contains one archeological unit attributable to
the Solutrean techno‐complex (unit 10). We here present a revision of the classical data
and new radiocarbon dates, which allow a better understanding of the chronoarcheological
place of this industry. We also present new information regarding the faunal remains and
the hunting strategies based on the species present in this unit. In order to achieve this,
we use the ungulates NISP and MNI represented at the site, both derived from Obermaier’s
original excavation data.

VII JORNADAS DE REDES DE INVESTIGACIÓN EN INNOVACIÓN DOCENTE DE LA UNED

VI JORNADAS DE REDES DE INVESTIGACIÓN EN INNOVACIÓN DOCENTE DE LA UNED

Jornadas de Innovación Educativa, Vigo 2013, 2013

Maíllo-Fernández, J. M.Juntos y/o revueltos: reflexiones en torno al final de los neandertales, la aparición de los humanos modernos y los complejos transicionales en Europa, 2012

Espacio Tiempo y Forma. Serie I, Prehistoria y Arqueología, 2002

... FRANQOIS BON \ JOSÉ MANUEL MAÍLLO FERNÁNDEZ 2, DAVID ORTEGA I COBOS ^ RESUMEN ABSTRACT ... 13... more ... FRANQOIS BON \ JOSÉ MANUEL MAÍLLO FERNÁNDEZ 2, DAVID ORTEGA I COBOS ^ RESUMEN ABSTRACT ... 13 Serie I, Prehistoria y Arqueología, f. 15, 2002 Page 2. FRANQOIS BON, JOSÉ MANUEL MAÍLLO FERNANDEZ Y DAVID ORTEGA I COBOS ...

Espacio Tiempo y Forma. Serie I, Prehistoria y Arqueología, 2001

Espacio Tiempo y Forma. Serie I, Prehistoria y Arqueología, 2001

Trabajos de Prehistoria, 2005

MONTES, R. yLASHERAS, JA (eds.): Actas de la …, 2005

Munibe. Antropologia-arkeologia, 2007

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… , JA y MONTES …, 2005

... Los descubrimientos realizados en los últimos años en el yacimiento de la cueva de &a... more ... Los descubrimientos realizados en los últimos años en el yacimiento de la cueva de "El Castillo" implican que el modelo clásico de la introducción del Auriñaciense por grupos -fundamentalmente los humanos modernos-venidos desde fuera de Europa presenta demasiadas ...

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VI Jornadas de Redes de Investigación en Innovación Docente de la UNED, 2014

Espacio, tiempo y …, Jan 1, 2008

In this paper, which is a tribute to Professor Eduardo Ripoll, we want to present some results re... more In this paper, which is a tribute to Professor Eduardo Ripoll, we want to present some results related to theMiddle-Upper Paleolithic Transition in themid-east Cantabrian Region. Our reference sites are El Castillo and CuevaMorín in Cantabria and Lezetxiki and Labeko Koba in the Basque Country. Finally,we present some reflections concerning to some issues of theMiddle-Upper Paleolithic Transition.

El Neolítico en el Este de África se caracterizó por una cultura de pastoreo, ya que debido a las... more El Neolítico en el Este de África se caracterizó por una cultura de pastoreo, ya que debido a las condiciones climatológicas la agricultura presentaba muchas dificultades. En este programa se analizan el cómo y el por qué de la expansión de esta cultura por esta zona del continente africano.

El origen del mundo simbólico está asociado a lo que se conoce como comportamiento moderno. Este ... more El origen del mundo simbólico está asociado a lo que se conoce como comportamiento moderno. Este comportamiento trajo cambios en la cultura material y en el mundo simbólico, y afectó no solo a nuestra especie. También los neandertales parecen ser los autores de ciertas expresiones simbólicas. Hasta ahora se creía que el origen de este mundo simbólico estaba en Europa, pero hay también evidencias en África y, con las nuevos métodos de datación, arte rupestre de Asia (Sulawesi) ha demostrado ser tan antiguo como el europeo.

Homo Sapiens, cromañones, humanos modernos, son sinónimos para definir a nuestra especie, en defi... more Homo Sapiens, cromañones, humanos modernos, son sinónimos para definir a nuestra especie, en definitiva, a nosotros mismos. Conocer nuestro origen es responder a una de las cuestiones existenciales ¿de dónde venimos? La Prehistoria es una disciplina que intenta dar respuestas a esa pregunta.

Los arqueólogos son personas increíbles, capaces de hacer hablar hasta a las piedras. Esto ocurre... more Los arqueólogos son personas increíbles, capaces de hacer hablar hasta a las piedras. Esto ocurre, por ejemplo, con los instrumentos de piedra usados por nuestros antepasados prehistóricos. Mediante el uso de determinadas técnicas, pueden saber de qué forma se hicieron estas herramientas líticas y el uso que se les dio, así como la forma en que fueron empleadas. La traceología es el nombre del método usado para estudiar las marcas de uso que presentan estas herramientas.

by Marta Mirazon Lahr, Frances Rivera, Ronika K. Power, Federica Crivellaro, José-Manuel Maíllo-Fernández, Christopher Kiarie, Julie Lawrence, E. Mbua, Anne Muigai, Denis Misiko Mukhongo, Ann Van Baelen, Alex Wilshaw, and Robert Foley

The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arg... more The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arguments in favour and against the existence of warfare before the development of sedentary societies. Here we report on a case of inter-group violence towards a group of hunter-gatherers from Nataruk, west of Lake Turkana, which during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene period extended about 30 km beyond its present-day shore. Ten of the twelve articulated skeletons found at Nataruk show evidence of having died violently at the edge of a lagoon, into which some of the bodies fell. The remains from Nataruk are unique, preserved by the particular conditions of the lagoon with no evidence of deliberate burial. They offer a rare glimpse into the life and death of past foraging people, and evidence that warfare was part of the repertoire of inter-group
relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers.

This paper reports on the fifth season of fieldwork for the Palaeoanthropology part of the Desert... more This paper reports on the fifth season of fieldwork for the Palaeoanthropology part of the Desert Migrations Project. Previous seasons established an extensive archaeological map based on a wide survey of the rich record along the edges of the Ubari Sand Sea, a small area of the Messak Settafet, the Wadi al-Ajal, the Wadi ash-Shati and the Wadi Barjuj. These surveys, complemented with small excavations, demonstrated a deep prehistory to the Fazzan, with Mode 1 technologies, Acheulean, Mode 3 (classic Levallois, large balde technologies, and Aterian), and Late Stone Age and Neolithic assemblages, some with pottery and grinding stones. The focus of the 2011 season was the Wadi Barjuj. This is an extensive wadi system to the South of the Messak, running along the northern edge of the Murzuq Sand Sea, and draining towards the east. Geomorphologically, it comprises old channel cut and fill gravels, usually finely graded, with areas of ancient lacustrine duricrusts, some of which are elevated significantly above the landscape. Surveys, complementing those of 2008, revealed a particularly rich and extensive Holocene series of sites, with microliths, pottery and grinding stones. These sites indicate a dense early Holocene occupation which seems associated with both hunter-gatherers and pastoralists. In addition, there was a low frequency of MSA lithics (compared to other survey areas), although one extremely rich site (BJJ4) had a very large number of water-worn, highly diagnostic small bifaces, characteristics of some African MSA traditions. Acheulean was relatively rare. One restricted locality (BJJ6) provided further evidence for a Mode 1 presence in the region, similar to that reported earlier from the Messak and Wadi ash-Shati (Mirazon Lahr et al. 2009, 2010). The context for the finds suggests that at various points during the Pleistocene the Wadi Barjuj was a low lying, swampy and/or lacustrine region, possibly riverine at times, and attractive to hominin populations because of its relatively rich resource base. This paper describes the localities and finds underpinning these conclusions.