103 results on '"Shipton C"'
Search Results
2. Biface Knapping Skill in the East African Acheulean: Progressive Trends and Random Walks
- Author
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Shipton, C.
- Published
- 2018
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3. A new 44,000-year sequence from Asitau Kuru (Jerimalai), Timor-Leste, indicates long-term continuity in human behaviour
- Author
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Shipton, C., O’Connor, S., Jankowski, N., O’Connor-Veth, J., Maloney, T., Kealy, S., and Boulanger, C.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Uniformity and diversity in handaxe shape at the End of the Acheulean in Southwest Asia
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Shipton, C., Groucutt, H., Scerri, E., and Petraglia, m, M.
- Abstract
This study examines parameters, causes, and spatio-temporal patterns of handaxe shape variation from Tabun cave in the Levant, and Khall Amayshan 4B and Khabb Musayyib in northern Arabia. These assemblages span the range of most pointy to most rounded handaxes found anywhere during the Acheulean. The AGMT3D program is used to conduct high resolution geometric morphometric analysis of handaxe form from 3D models. Shape variation is tested against blank type, allometry, and reduction intensity. None of these factors appears to be a strong influence, but there are significant assemblage-wise differences in form, suggesting the different shapes were intentionally produced. The analysis quantifies a pattern of high diversity in the assemblages from Tabun versus low diversity in the shorter occupations at the Arabian sites. We suggest possible explanations of emerging specificity in utilitarian functions, as well as the manifestation of social identities in artefacts at the end of the Acheulean. Introduction Materials and Methods Results Discussion
- Published
- 2023
5. Handaxe reduction and its influence on shape: An experimental test and archaeological case study
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Shipton, C. and Clarkson, C.
- Published
- 2015
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6. Flake scar density and handaxe reduction intensity
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Shipton, C. and Clarkson, C.
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- 2015
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7. Generativity, hierarchical action and recursion in the technology of the Acheulean to Middle Palaeolithic transition: A perspective from Patpara, the Son Valley, India
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Shipton, C., Clarkson, C., Pal, J.N., Jones, S.C., Roberts, R.G., Harris, C., Gupta, M.C., Ditchfield, P.W., and Petraglia, M.D.
- Published
- 2013
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8. Intersections, Networks and the Genesis of Social Complexity on the Nyali Coast of East Africa
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Shipton, C., Helm, R., Boivin, N., Crowther, A., Austin, P., and Fuller, D. Q.
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- 2013
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9. Increases in cell elongation, plastid compartment size and phytoene synthase activity underlie the phenotype of the high pigment-1 mutant of tomato
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Cookson, P. J., Kiano, J. W., Shipton, C. A., Fraser, P. D., Romer, S., Schuch, W., Bramley, P. M., and Pyke, K. A.
- Published
- 2003
10. The Role of Photosystem II D1 Apoprotein Metabolism in the Physiology of Photoinhibition
- Author
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Shipton, C. A., Marder, J. B., Barber, J., and Baltscheffsky, M., editor
- Published
- 1990
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11. Human occupation of the Kimberley coast of northwest Australia 50,000 years ago
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Norman, K, Shipton, C, O'Connor, S, Malanali, W, Collins, P, Wood, R, Saktura, WM, Roberts, RG, and Jacobs, Z
- Subjects
Archeology ,Global and Planetary Change ,Geology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
The peopling of Sahul (the combined landmass of New Guinea and Australia) is a topic of much debate. The Kimberley region of Western Australia holds many of Australia's oldest known archaeological sites. Here, we review the chronological and archaeological data available for the Kimberley from early Marine Isotope Stage 3 to the present, linking episodes of site establishment and the appearance of new technologies with periods of climatic and sea-level change. We report optical ages showing human occupation of Widgingarri 1, a rockshelter located on the Kimberley coast of northwest Australia, as early as 50,000 years ago, when the site was located more than 100 km from the Late Pleistocene coastline. We also present the first detailed analysis of the stone artefacts, including flakes from ground stone axes, grinding stones and ground haematite recovered from the deepest excavated layer. The high proportion of flakes from ground axe production and resharpening in the earliest occupation phase emphasises the importance of this complex technology in the first peopling of northern Sahul. Artefact analyses indicate changes in settlement patterns through time, with an increase in mobility in the terminal Pleistocene and a shift to lower mobility during the late Holocene. The optical ages for Widgingarri 1 mean that the Kimberley now contains the greatest number of sites in Sahul with earliest occupation dated to more than 46,000 years ago, overlapping with the time of initial occupation of sites in other regions across the continent.
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- 2022
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12. Conditions for continuity in human behaviour: A new sequence spanning 44,000 years from Asitau Kuru (Jerimalai), Timor-Leste, Wallacea
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Shipton, C., O’Connor, S., Jankowski, N., O’Connor-Veth, J., Maloney, T., Kealy, S., Boulanger, Clothilde, Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique (HNHP), and Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
[SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS - Abstract
International audience
- Published
- 2019
13. Upregulation of two ripening-related genes from a non-climacteric plant (pepper) in a transgenic climacteric plant (tomato)
- Author
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Kuntz, M., Chen, H. C., Simkin, A. J., Römer, S., Shipton, C. A., Drake, R., Schuch, W., and Bramley, P. M.
- Published
- 1998
14. Hierarchical Organization in the Acheulean to Middle Palaeolithic Transition at Bhimbetka, India
- Author
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Shipton, C., primary
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- 2016
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15. Hominin dispersal into the Nefud Desert and Middle Palaeolithic settlement along the Jubbah Palaeolake, Northern Arabia
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Petraglia, M, Alsharekh, Abdullah M, Breeze, P, Clarkson, Christopher, Crassard, Remy, Drake, Nick A, Groucutt, Huw, Jennings, R, Parker, Adrian, Parton, A, Roberts, Richard, Shipton, C, Matheson, Carney, Al-Omari, A, Veall, M, Petraglia, M, Alsharekh, Abdullah M, Breeze, P, Clarkson, Christopher, Crassard, Remy, Drake, Nick A, Groucutt, Huw, Jennings, R, Parker, Adrian, Parton, A, Roberts, Richard, Shipton, C, Matheson, Carney, Al-Omari, A, and Veall, M
- Abstract
The Arabian Peninsula is a key region for understanding hominin dispersals and the effect of climate change on prehistoric demography, although little information on these topics is presently available owing to the poor preservation of archaeological sites in this desert environment. Here, we describe the discovery of three stratified and buried archaeological sites in the Nefud Desert, which includes the oldest dated occupation for the region. The stone tool assemblages are identified as a Middle Palaeolithic industry that includes Levallois manufacturing methods and the production of tools on flakes. Hominin occupations correspond with humid periods, particularly Marine Isotope Stages 7 and 5 of the Late Pleistocene. The Middle Palaeolithic occupations were situated along the Jubbah palaeolake-shores, in a grassland setting with some trees. Populations procured different raw materials across the lake region to manufacture stone tools, using the implements to process plants and animals. To reach the Jubbah palaeolake, Middle Palaeolithic populations travelled into the ameliorated Nefud Desert interior, possibly gaining access from multiple directions, either using routes from the north and west (the Levant and the Sinai), the north (the Mesopotamian plains and the Euphrates basin), or the east (the Persian Gulf). The Jubbah stone tool assemblages have their own suite of technological characters, but have types reminiscent of both African Middle Stone Age and Levantine Middle Palaeolithic industries. Comparative inter-regional analysis of core technology indicates morphological similarities with the Levantine Tabun C assemblage, associated with human fossils controversially identified as either Neanderthals or Homo sapiens.
- Published
- 2012
16. Chloroplastic prenylated proteins
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Parmryd, Ingela, Shipton, C A, Swiezewska, E., Dallner, G., Andersson, B., Parmryd, Ingela, Shipton, C A, Swiezewska, E., Dallner, G., and Andersson, B.
- Abstract
By in vivo [3H]mevalonate labelling of spinach combined with biochemical analysis, evidence is provided for the existence of protein prenylation in chloroplasts. Approximately 20 prenylated polypeptides were resolved by SDS-PAGE followed by autoradiography. Thermolysin treatment of intact chloroplasts revealed that about 40% of the prenylated polypeptides were associated with the cytoplasmic surface of the outer envelope membrane. The remaining portion was present in thylakoids and/or the inner envelope membrane. The majority of the prenylated polypeptides were associated with larger membrane protein complexes. A farnesyl protein transferase activity was found to be associated with the thylakoid membrane.
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- 1997
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17. Protein prenylation in spinach--tissue specificity and greening-induced changes.
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Parmryd, I, Shipton, C A, Andersson, B, Dallner, G, Parmryd, I, Shipton, C A, Andersson, B, and Dallner, G
- Abstract
Etiolated spinach seedlings, as well as petioles and blades of leaves of green seedlings, were labeled with [3H]mevalonate to study protein prenylation in several plant developmental stages. The polypeptide prenylation pattern of the leaf petiole and the leaf blade differed considerably, although some prenylated proteins were present in both tissues. During greening several prenylated polypeptides in the 30- to 46-kDa molecular mass region and two at 15 kDa became more abundant, while others in the 21.5- to 30-kDa region and one at 62 kDa showed a relative decrease. However, the relative amount of several of the prenylated polypeptides did not appear to be altered during the greening process. In etiolated seedlings, more thioether-linked farnesol than geranylgeraniol was found, whereas in seedlings grown under normal light conditions the converse situation prevailed.
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- 1997
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18. Identification of spinach farnesyl protein transferase : Dithiothreitol as an acceptor in vitro
- Author
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Parmryd, Ingela, Shipton, C. A., Swiezewska, E., Andersson, B., Dallner, G., Parmryd, Ingela, Shipton, C. A., Swiezewska, E., Andersson, B., and Dallner, G.
- Abstract
Spinach seedlings were found to contain farnesyl protein transferase. The enzyme is activated by Zn2+, but not by Mg2+. The pH optimum is approximately 7.0 and maximal activity is obtained at 40-45 degrees C. The apparent Km for the farnesyl diphosphate substrate is 7 microM. Western blotting of soluble proteins with an antiserum raised against mammalian farnesyl protein transferase demonstrated a specific cross-reactivity with the spinach enzyme. The antiserum preferentially recognises the beta-subunit of the heterodimeric farnesyl protein transferase, and the corresponding spinach polypeptide has a molecular mass of 42 kDa on SDS/PAGE. The enzyme can employ dithiothreitol as an acceptor for the farnesyl moiety and catalyses the formation of a thioether linkage between these substrates. On the basis of this discovery, a new method was developed utilising the hydrophobicity of the reaction product, and its interaction with poly(propylene). During in vivo labelling, the plants took up dithiothreitol, which inhibited the incorporation of [3H]mevalonate metabolites into proteins, indicating that dithiothreitol might be isoprenylated in vivo as well as in vitro. However, isoprenylation of some proteins remains unaffected by dithiothreitol suggesting the existence of different isoprenylation mechanisms. Thus, it is demonstrated that plants possess farnesyl protein transferase, which resembles its mammalian and yeast homologues.
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- 1995
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19. Isoprenylation of plant proteins in vivo : Isoprenylated proteins are abundant in the mitochondria and nuclei of spinach
- Author
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Shipton, C. A., Parmryd, Ingela, Swiezewska, E., Andersson, B., Dallner, G., Shipton, C. A., Parmryd, Ingela, Swiezewska, E., Andersson, B., and Dallner, G.
- Abstract
Protein isoprenylation in vivo is demonstrated using spinach seedlings labeled with [3H]mevalonate. This report provides evidence for the occurrence of a large number of isoprenylated proteins in plants. Seedlings, without roots, were labeled quantitatively through the cut stem. Mevinolin treatment of the seedlings resulted in increased incorporation of radiolabel into proteins. Approximately 30 labeled bands could be detected after autoradiography of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis-separated polypeptides, ranging in molecular mass from 6 to 200 kDa. Methyl iodide hydrolysis resulted in the release of covalently bound farnesol, geranylgeraniol, phytol, and some unidentified isoprenoid compounds from mevalonate-labeled proteins. It was found that all cellular fractions contained some isoprenylated proteins, although most were located in the mitochondria and nuclei. Subfractionation of the nucleus revealed that the majority of isoprenylated proteins in this compartment were components of the nuclear matrix. The results demonstrate that in vivo labeling of a complex organism can be performed using a plant system in order to study protein isoprenylation and distribution of modified proteins in different cellular compartments.
- Published
- 1995
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20. Photoinduced degradation of the D1 polypeptide in isolated reaction centers of photosystem II: evidence for an autoproteolytic process triggered by the oxidizing side of the photosystem.
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Shipton, C A, primary and Barber, J, additional
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- 1991
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21. Stone tool experiments and reduction methods at the Acheulean site of Isampur Quarry, India.
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Shipton, C. B. K., Petraglia, M. D., and Paddayya, K.
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- 2009
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22. Chloroplastic prenylated proteins
- Author
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Parmryd, I., Shipton, C. A., Swiezewska, E., Dallner, G., and Andersson, B.
- Published
- 1997
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23. Primary structure characterization of the photosystem II D1 and D2 subunits.
- Author
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Sharma, J, Panico, M, Shipton, C A, Nilsson, F, Morris, H R, and Barber, J
- Abstract
Mass spectrometry techniques have been applied in a protein mapping strategy to elucidate the majority of the primary structures of the D1 and D2 proteins present in the photosystem II reaction center. Evidence verifying the post-translational processing of the initiating methionine residue and acetylation of the free amino group, similar to those reported for other higher plant species, are presented for the two subunits from pea plants (Pisum sativum L.). Further covalent modifications observed on the D1 protein include the COOH-terminal processing with a loss of nine amino acids and phosphorylation of Thr2. In addition, the studies reported in this paper provide the first definitive characterization of oxidations on specific amino acids of the D1 and D2 proteins. We believe that these oxidations, and to a much lesser extent the phosphorylations, are major contributors to the heterogeneity observed during the electrospray analysis of the intact subunits reported in the accompanying paper (Sharma, J., Panico, M., Barber, J., and Morris, H. R. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 33153-33157). Significantly, all of the regions that have been identified as those particularly susceptible to oxidation are anticipated (from current models) to be in close proximity to the redox active components of the photosystem II complex.
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- 1997
24. Isoprenylation of plant proteins in vivo. Isoprenylated proteins are abundant in the mitochondria and nuclei of spinach.
- Author
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Shipton, C A, Parmryd, I, Swiezewska, E, Andersson, B, and Dallner, G
- Abstract
Protein isoprenylation in vivo is demonstrated using spinach seedlings labeled with [3H]mevalonate. This report provides evidence for the occurrence of a large number of isoprenylated proteins in plants. Seedlings, without roots, were labeled quantitatively through the cut stem. Mevinolin treatment of the seedlings resulted in increased incorporation of radiolabel into proteins. Approximately 30 labeled bands could be detected after autoradiography of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis-separated polypeptides, ranging in molecular mass from 6 to 200 kDa. Methyl iodide hydrolysis resulted in the release of covalently bound farnesol, geranylgeraniol, phytol, and some unidentified isoprenoid compounds from mevalonate-labeled proteins. It was found that all cellular fractions contained some isoprenylated proteins, although most were located in the mitochondria and nuclei. Subfractionation of the nucleus revealed that the majority of isoprenylated proteins in this compartment were components of the nuclear matrix. The results demonstrate that in vivo labeling of a complex organism can be performed using a plant system in order to study protein isoprenylation and distribution of modified proteins in different cellular compartments.
- Published
- 1995
25. When is a handaxe a planned-axe? exploring morphological variability in the Acheulean.
- Author
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Clark J, Shipton C, Moncel MH, Nigst PR, and Foley RA
- Subjects
- Animals, Tool Use Behavior, Fossils, Humans, Europe, Africa, Hominidae anatomy & histology, Archaeology
- Abstract
The handaxe is an iconic stone tool form used to define and symbolise both the Acheulean and the wider Palaeolithic. There has long been debate around the extent of its morphological variability between sites, and the role that extrinsic factors (especially raw material, blank type, and the extent of resharpening) have played in driving this variability, but there has been a lack of high-resolution examinations of these factors in the same study. In this paper, we present a 2D geometric morphometric analysis of 1097 handaxes from across Africa, the Levant, and western Europe to examine the patterning of this variability and what it can tell us about hominin behaviour. We replicate the findings of previous studies, that handaxe shape varies significantly between sites and entire continental regions, but we find no evidence for raw material, blank type, or resharpening in determining this pattern. What we do find, however, is that markers of reduction trajectory vary substantially between sites, suggesting that handaxes were deployed differently according to hominin need at a given site. We argue this is reflective of a continuum of reduction strategies, from those focused on the maintenance of a sharp cutting edge (i.e. direct use in cutting activities), to those focused on maintaining tip shapes, and perhaps a corresponding production of flakes. Implications for hominin behavioural flexibility are discussed., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Clark et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
- Published
- 2024
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26. Abrupt onset of intensive human occupation 44,000 years ago on the threshold of Sahul.
- Author
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Shipton C, Morley MW, Kealy S, Norman K, Boulanger C, Hawkins S, Litster M, Withnell C, and O'Connor S
- Subjects
- Humans, History, Ancient, Geologic Sediments, Africa, Animals, Fossils, Archaeology, Human Migration history
- Abstract
Archaeological evidence attests multiple early dispersals of Homo sapiens out of Africa, but genetic evidence points to the primacy of a single dispersal 70-40 ka. Laili in Timor-Leste is on the southern dispersal route between Eurasia and Australasia and has the earliest record of human occupation in the eastern Wallacean archipelago. New evidence from the site shows that, unusually in the region, sediment accumulated in the shelter without human occupation, in the window 59-54 ka. This was followed by an abrupt onset of intensive human habitation beginning ~44 ka. The initial occupation is distinctive from overlying layers in the aquatic focus of faunal exploitation, while it has similarities in material culture to other early Homo sapiens sites in Wallacea. We suggest that the intensive early occupation at Laili represents a colonisation phase, which may have overwhelmed previous human dispersals in this part of the world., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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- 2024
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27. Tear Proteomics in Infants at Risk of Retinopathy of Prematurity: A Feasibility Study.
- Author
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Shipton C, Aitken J, Atkinson S, Burchmore R, Hamilton R, Mactier H, McGill S, Millar E, and Houtman AC
- Subjects
- Humans, Infant, Newborn, Female, Male, Infant, Mass Spectrometry methods, Retinopathy of Prematurity diagnosis, Retinopathy of Prematurity metabolism, Feasibility Studies, Proteomics methods, Tears chemistry, Tears metabolism, Biomarkers metabolism, Biomarkers analysis, Gestational Age, Eye Proteins metabolism, Eye Proteins analysis, Infant, Premature
- Abstract
Purpose: This feasibility study investigated the practicability of collecting and analyzing tear proteins from preterm infants at risk of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). We sought to identify any tear proteins which might be implicated in the pathophysiology of ROP as well as prognostic markers., Methods: Schirmer's test was used to obtain tear samples from premature babies, scheduled for ROP screening, after parental informed consent. Mass spectrometry was used for proteomic analysis., Results: Samples were collected from 12 infants, which were all adequate for protein analysis. Gestational age ranged from 25 + 6 to 31 + 1 weeks. Postnatal age at sampling ranged from 19 to 66 days. One infant developed self-limiting ROP. Seven hundred one proteins were identified; 261 proteins identified in the majority of tear samples, including several common tear proteins, were used for analyses. Increased risk of ROP as determined by the postnatal growth ROP (G-ROP) criteria was associated with an increase in lactate dehydrogenase B chain in tears. Older infants demonstrated increased concentration of immunoglobulin complexes within their tear samples and two sets of twins in the cohort showed exceptionally similar proteomes, supporting validity of the analysis., Conclusions: Tear sampling by Schirmer test strips and subsequent proteomic analysis by mass spectrometry in preterm infants is feasible. A larger study is required to investigate the potential use of tear proteomics in identification of ROP., Translational Relevance: Tear sampling and subsequent mass spectrometry in preterm infants is feasible. Investigation of the premature tear proteome may increase our understanding of retinal development and provide noninvasive biomarkers for identification of treatment-warranted ROP.
- Published
- 2024
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28. Plant, pigment, and bone processing in the Neolithic of northern Arabia-New evidence from Use-wear analysis of grinding tools at Jebel Oraf.
- Author
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Lucarini G, Guagnin M, Shipton C, Radini A, Alsharekh AM, and Petraglia M
- Subjects
- Arabia, Artifacts, Archaeology methods, Bone and Bones
- Abstract
Archaeological sites with surface hearths are a ubiquitous feature across the arid zones of the Arabian interior. At Jebel Oraf, in the Jubbah basin of the Nefud Desert of northern Arabia, numerous grinding stone fragments were found in association with hearths, though the original purpose of these stones was unclear owing to the poor preservation of faunal and botanic remains. Here we describe results from use-wear analysis on five grinding tools at Jebel Oraf, demonstrating that such artefacts were used during the Neolithic for plant processing, bone processing, and pigment production. Grinding stones were often broken up after initial use and fragments were subsequently re-used for alternative purposes, before finally being placed on hearths or discarded. More specifically, plants were ground or prepared and possibly cooked in the hearths, and bones were processed as well. The analyses also highlight the importance of pigment processing at Neolithic sites and provide a link to painted rock art. The frequent use of pigment in the archaeological record suggests that pigment was widely used, and that Neolithic painted art may have been more common than the surviving images suggest., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Lucarini et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
- Published
- 2023
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29. A pilot project evaluation of a novel heads-up viewing system compared to desktop microscopes commonly used for ophthalmic simulation.
- Author
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Hind J, Shipton C, and Lockington D
- Subjects
- Humans, Pilot Projects, Face, Eye, Microscopy
- Published
- 2023
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30. Potential cost of assumptions within a visual assessment.
- Author
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Shipton C, Ramaesh K, and Lockington D
- Subjects
- Male, Humans, Visual Acuity, Eyeglasses, Sexual Behavior
- Abstract
We report a man in his 80s who described sudden unilateral loss of vision, resulting in extensive urgent investigations by the accident and emergency department team. Subsequent evaluation of visual acuity with pinhole demonstrated significant improvement, triggering further questioning. It transpired that he was mistakenly wearing his wife's glasses, which accounted for his visual symptoms. This case illustrates the importance of a stepwise approach to visual assessment, and avoiding assumptions, as using the simple pinhole test could have avoided extensive investigations and their subsequent costs., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)
- Published
- 2023
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31. Talking Dead. New burials from Tron Bon Lei (Alor Island, Indonesia) inform on the evolution of mortuary practices from the terminal Pleistocene to the Holocene in Southeast Asia.
- Author
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Samper-Carro SC, O'Connor S, Mahirta, Kealy S, and Shipton C
- Subjects
- Burial methods, Humans, Indonesia, Morgue, Archaeology methods, Mortuary Practice
- Abstract
Burial elaborations are a human behaviour that, in recent contexts can inform on social diversification, belief systems, and the introduction of new practices resulting from migration or cultural transmission. The study of mortuary practices in Mainland and Island Southeast Asia has revealed complex and diverse treatments of the deceased. This paper contributes to this topic with the description of three new burials excavated in Tron Bon Lei (Alor Island, Indonesia) dated to 7.5, 10, and 12 kya cal BP. In addition to the bioskeletal profiles and palaeohealth observations, we propose the adoption of archaeothanatological methods to characterise burial types in the region. Through the analysis of skeletal element representation, body position, articulation, and grave associations, we provide an example of a holistic approach to mortuary treatments in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Our results provide significant new data for understanding the evolution and diversification of burial practices in Southeast Asia, contributing to a growing body of literature describing prehistoric socio-cultural behaviour in this region., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Published
- 2022
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32. Stone toolmaking difficulty and the evolution of hominin technological skills.
- Author
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Muller A, Shipton C, and Clarkson C
- Subjects
- Animals, Archaeology, Motivation, Technology, Hominidae, Time Perception
- Abstract
Stone tools are a manifestation of the complex cognitive and dexterous skills of our hominin ancestors. As such, much research has been devoted to understanding the skill requirements of individual lithic technologies. Yet, comparing skill across different technologies, and thus across the vast timespan of the Palaeolithic, is an elusive goal. We seek to quantify a series of commensurable metrics of knapping skill across four different lithic technologies (discoids, handaxes, Levallois, and prismatic blades). To compare the requisite dexterity, coordination, and care involved in each technology, we analysed video footage and lithic material from a series of replicative knapping experiments to quantify deliberation (strike time), precision (platform area), intricacy (flake size relative to core size), and success (relative blank length). According to these four metrics, discoidal knapping appears to be easiest among the sample. Levallois knapping involved an intricate reduction sequence, but did not require as much motor control as handaxes and especially prismatic blades. Compared with the other Palaeolithic technologies, we conclude that prismatic blade knapping is set apart by being a skill intensive means of producing numerous standardised elongate end-products., (© 2022. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2022
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33. Author Correction: Multiple hominin dispersals into Southwest Asia over the past 400,000 years.
- Author
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Groucutt HS, White TS, Scerri EML, Andrieux E, Clark-Wilson R, Breeze PS, Armitage SJ, Stewart M, Drake N, Louys J, Price GJ, Duval M, Parton A, Candy I, Carleton WC, Shipton C, Jennings RP, Zahir M, Blinkhorn J, Blockley S, Al-Omari A, Alsharekh AM, and Petraglia MD
- Published
- 2022
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34. Multiple hominin dispersals into Southwest Asia over the past 400,000 years.
- Author
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Groucutt HS, White TS, Scerri EML, Andrieux E, Clark-Wilson R, Breeze PS, Armitage SJ, Stewart M, Drake N, Louys J, Price GJ, Duval M, Parton A, Candy I, Carleton WC, Shipton C, Jennings RP, Zahir M, Blinkhorn J, Blockley S, Al-Omari A, Alsharekh AM, and Petraglia MD
- Subjects
- Animals, Anthropology, Arabia, Asia, History, Ancient, Paleontology, Tool Use Behavior, Hominidae, Human Migration history
- Abstract
Pleistocene hominin dispersals out of, and back into, Africa necessarily involved traversing the diverse and often challenging environments of Southwest Asia
1-4 . Archaeological and palaeontological records from the Levantine woodland zone document major biological and cultural shifts, such as alternating occupations by Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. However, Late Quaternary cultural, biological and environmental records from the vast arid zone that constitutes most of Southwest Asia remain scarce, limiting regional-scale insights into changes in hominin demography and behaviour1,2,5 . Here we report a series of dated palaeolake sequences, associated with stone tool assemblages and vertebrate fossils, from the Khall Amayshan 4 and Jubbah basins in the Nefud Desert. These findings, including the oldest dated hominin occupations in Arabia, reveal at least five hominin expansions into the Arabian interior, coinciding with brief 'green' windows of reduced aridity approximately 400, 300, 200, 130-75 and 55 thousand years ago. Each occupation phase is characterized by a distinct form of material culture, indicating colonization by diverse hominin groups, and a lack of long-term Southwest Asian population continuity. Within a general pattern of African and Eurasian hominin groups being separated by Pleistocene Saharo-Arabian aridity, our findings reveal the tempo and character of climatically modulated windows for dispersal and admixture., (© 2021. The Author(s).)- Published
- 2021
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35. 67,000 years of coastal engagement at Panga ya Saidi, eastern Africa.
- Author
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Faulkner P, Miller JM, Quintana Morales EM, Crowther A, Shipton C, Ndiema E, Boivin N, and Petraglia MD
- Subjects
- Africa, Eastern, Animals, Caves, Humans, Kenya, Mollusca genetics, Shellfish, Adaptation, Physiological physiology, Archaeology, Mollusca physiology
- Abstract
The antiquity and nature of coastal resource procurement is central to understanding human evolution and adaptations to complex environments. It has become increasingly apparent in global archaeological studies that the timing, characteristics, and trajectories of coastal resource use are highly variable. Within Africa, discussions of these issues have largely been based on the archaeological record from the south and northeast of the continent, with little evidence from eastern coastal areas leaving significant spatial and temporal gaps in our knowledge. Here, we present data from Panga ya Saidi, a limestone cave complex located 15 km from the modern Kenyan coast, which represents the first long-term sequence of coastal engagement from eastern Africa. Rather than attempting to distinguish between coastal resource use and coastal adaptations, we focus on coastal engagement as a means of characterising human relationships with marine environments and resources from this inland location. We use aquatic mollusc data spanning the past 67,000 years to document shifts in the acquisition, transportation, and discard of these materials, to better understand long-term trends in coastal engagement. Our results show pulses of coastal engagement beginning with low-intensity symbolism, and culminating in the consistent low-level transport of marine and freshwater food resources, emphasising a diverse relationship through time. Panga ya Saidi has the oldest stratified evidence of marine engagement in eastern Africa, and is the only site in Africa which documents coastal resources from the Late Pleistocene through the Holocene, highlighting the potential archaeological importance of peri-coastal sites to debates about marine resource relationships., Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: Michael D. Petraglia currently serves as an Academic Editor for PLOS ONE. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.
- Published
- 2021
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36. Collagen fingerprinting traces the introduction of caprines to island Eastern Africa.
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Culley C, Janzen A, Brown S, Prendergast ME, Wolfhagen J, Abderemane B, Ali AK, Haji O, Horton MC, Shipton C, Swift J, Tabibou TA, Wright HT, Boivin N, and Crowther A
- Abstract
The human colonization of eastern Africa's near- and offshore islands was accompanied by the translocation of several domestic, wild and commensal fauna, many of which had long-term impacts on local environments. To better understand the timing and nature of the introduction of domesticated caprines (sheep and goat) to these islands, this study applied collagen peptide fingerprinting (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry or ZooMS) to archaeological remains from eight Iron Age sites, dating between ca 300 and 1000 CE, in the Zanzibar, Mafia and Comoros archipelagos. Where previous zooarchaeological analyses had identified caprine remains at four of these sites, this study identified goat at seven sites and sheep at three, demonstrating that caprines were more widespread than previously known. The ZooMS results support an introduction of goats to island eastern Africa from at least the seventh century CE, while sheep in our sample arrived one-two centuries later. Goats may have been preferred because, as browsers, they were better adapted to the islands' environments. The results allow for a more accurate understanding of early caprine husbandry in the study region and provide a critical archaeological baseline for examining the potential long-term impacts of translocated fauna on island ecologies., (© 2021 The Authors.)
- Published
- 2021
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37. Earliest known human burial in Africa.
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Martinón-Torres M, d'Errico F, Santos E, Álvaro Gallo A, Amano N, Archer W, Armitage SJ, Arsuaga JL, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Blinkhorn J, Crowther A, Douka K, Dubernet S, Faulkner P, Fernández-Colón P, Kourampas N, González García J, Larreina D, Le Bourdonnec FX, MacLeod G, Martín-Francés L, Massilani D, Mercader J, Miller JM, Ndiema E, Notario B, Pitarch Martí A, Prendergast ME, Queffelec A, Rigaud S, Roberts P, Shoaee MJ, Shipton C, Simpson I, Boivin N, and Petraglia MD
- Subjects
- Animals, Bone and Bones anatomy & histology, Child, Preschool, Cultural Evolution history, Dentition, History, Ancient, Hominidae anatomy & histology, Hominidae classification, Humans, Kenya, Burial history, Fossils, Skeleton anatomy & histology
- Abstract
The origin and evolution of hominin mortuary practices are topics of intense interest and debate
1-3 . Human burials dated to the Middle Stone Age (MSA) are exceedingly rare in Africa and unknown in East Africa1-6 . Here we describe the partial skeleton of a roughly 2.5- to 3.0-year-old child dating to 78.3 ± 4.1 thousand years ago, which was recovered in the MSA layers of Panga ya Saidi (PYS), a cave site in the tropical upland coast of Kenya7,8 . Recent excavations have revealed a pit feature containing a child in a flexed position. Geochemical, granulometric and micromorphological analyses of the burial pit content and encasing archaeological layers indicate that the pit was deliberately excavated. Taphonomical evidence, such as the strict articulation or good anatomical association of the skeletal elements and histological evidence of putrefaction, support the in-place decomposition of the fresh body. The presence of little or no displacement of the unstable joints during decomposition points to an interment in a filled space (grave earth), making the PYS finding the oldest known human burial in Africa. The morphological assessment of the partial skeleton is consistent with its assignment to Homo sapiens, although the preservation of some primitive features in the dentition supports increasing evidence for non-gradual assembly of modern traits during the emergence of our species. The PYS burial sheds light on how MSA populations interacted with the dead.- Published
- 2021
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38. The Middle to Later Stone Age transition at Panga ya Saidi, in the tropical coastal forest of eastern Africa.
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Shipton C, Blinkhorn J, Archer W, Kourampas N, Roberts P, Prendergast ME, Curtis R, Herries AIR, Ndiema E, Boivin N, and Petraglia MD
- Subjects
- History, Ancient, Humans, Kenya, Archaeology, Forests, Technology history, Tropical Climate
- Abstract
The Middle to Later Stone Age transition is a critical period of human behavioral change that has been variously argued to pertain to the emergence of modern cognition, substantial population growth, and major dispersals of Homo sapiens within and beyond Africa. However, there is little consensus about when the transition occurred, the geographic patterning of its emergence, or even how it is manifested in the stone tool technology that is used to define it. Here, we examine a long sequence of lithic technological change at the cave site of Panga ya Saidi, Kenya, that spans the Middle and Later Stone Age and includes human occupations in each of the last five Marine Isotope Stages. In addition to the stone artifact technology, Panga ya Saidi preserves osseous and shell artifacts, enabling broader considerations of the covariation between different spheres of material culture. Several environmental proxies contextualize the artifactual record of human behavior at Panga ya Saidi. We compare technological change between the Middle and Later Stone Age with on-site paleoenvironmental manifestations of wider climatic fluctuations in the Late Pleistocene. The principal distinguishing feature of Middle from Later Stone Age technology at Panga ya Saidi is the preference for fine-grained stone, coupled with the creation of small flakes (miniaturization). Our review of the Middle to Later Stone Age transition elsewhere in eastern Africa and across the continent suggests that this broader distinction between the two periods is in fact widespread. We suggest that the Later Stone Age represents new short use-life and multicomponent ways of using stone tools, in which edge sharpness was prioritized over durability., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2021
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39. Monumental landscapes of the Holocene humid period in Northern Arabia: The mustatil phenomenon.
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Groucutt HS, Breeze PS, Guagnin M, Stewart M, Drake N, Shipton C, Zahrani B, Omarfi AA, Alsharekh AM, and Petraglia MD
- Abstract
Between 10 and six thousand years ago the Arabian Peninsula saw the most recent of the 'Green Arabia' periods, when increased rainfall transformed this generally arid region. The transition to the Neolithic in Arabia occurred during this period of climatic amelioration. Various forms of stone structures are abundant in northern Arabia, and it has been speculated that some of these dated to the Neolithic, but there has been little research on their character and chronology. Here we report a study of 104 'mustatil' stone structures from the southern margins of the Nefud Desert in northern Arabia. We provide the first chronometric age estimate for this type of structure - a radiocarbon date of ca. 5000 BC - and describe their landscape positions, architecture and associated material culture and faunal remains. The structure we have dated is the oldest large-scale stone structure known from the Arabian Peninsula. The mustatil phenomenon represents a remarkable development of monumental architecture, as hundreds of these structures were built in northwest Arabia. This 'monumental landscape' represents one of the earliest large-scale forms of monumental stone structure construction anywhere in the world. Further research is needed to understand the function of these structures, but we hypothesise that they were related to rituals in the context of the adoption of pastoralism and resulting territoriality in the challenging environments of northern Arabia., (© The Author(s) 2020.)
- Published
- 2020
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40. Anterior segment optical coherence tomographic characterisation of keratic precipitates.
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Shipton C, Hind J, Biagi J, and Lyall D
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- Cornea, Endothelium, Corneal, Humans, Tomography, Optical Coherence, Corneal Transplantation, Eye Diseases
- Abstract
Background/objectives: Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) can be used to visualise keratic precipitates (KPs) on the corneal endothelium. However, there has been no correlation between characteristic clinical appearances of KPs and AS-OCT morphology. We wished to assess the potential diagnostic role of AS-OCT in patients presenting with inflammatory eye disease and KPs., Subjects/methods: Six patients with inflammatory KPs were compared to one patient with infective interface keratitis following Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) and one patient with endothelial pigment. AS-OCT was performed in each case and morphological features of the KPs were compared. Reflectivity of KPs was also compared numerically by measuring their relative lightness., Results: AS-OCT images in acute and active inflammation generally demonstrated hyperreflective KP variants in comparison to conditions with moderate or longstanding inflammation. In the patient with infective interface keratitis, KPs were evident on the endothelial surface but no changes could be identified at the graft-host interface. There were no significant differences between infective and inflammatory KPs to help distinguish between the two. Endothelial pigment deposits were clearly differentiated from keratic precipitates with smaller, poorly defined deposits on the endothelium surface which were isoreflective to the cornea., Conclusion: Hyperreflective KPs could be suggestive of newly deposited KPs and active inflammation; they may also be increased in KPs of herpetic origin. AS-OCT should not be used to differentiate infective infiltrate from inflammatory KPs if a patient were to present with post-operative inflammation and interface infection should still be suspected even if only endothelial deposits are identified on AS-OCT. AS-OCT may be used as a diagnostic and monitoring tool to assess response to treatment in cases where anterior segment inflammation of uncertain aetiology is present., (Crown Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2020
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41. Early ground axe technology in Wallacea: The first excavations on Obi Island.
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Shipton C, O'Connor S, Kealy S, Mahirta, Syarqiyah IN, Alamsyah N, and Ririmasse M
- Subjects
- Animals, Fossils, Archaeology, Islands, Tool Use Behavior
- Abstract
The first excavations on Obi Island, north-east Wallacea, reveal three phases of occupation beginning in the terminal Pleistocene. Ground shell artefacts appear at the end of the terminal Pleistocene, the earliest examples in Wallacea. In the subsequent early Holocene occupation phase, ground stone axe flakes appear, which are again the earliest examples in Wallacea. Ground axes were likely instrumental to subsistence in Obi's dense tropical forest. From ~8000 BP there was a hiatus lasting several millennia, perhaps because increased precipitation and forest density made the sites inhospitable. The site was reoccupied in the Metal Age, with this third phase including quadrangular ground stone artefacts, as well as pottery and pigs; reflecting Austronesian influences. Greater connectivity at this time is also indicated by an Oliva shell bead tradition that occurs in southern Wallacea and an exotic obsidian artefact. The emergence of ground axes on Obi is an independent example of a broader pattern of intensification at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in Wallacea and New Guinea, evincing human innovation in response to rapid environmental change., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Published
- 2020
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42. Homo neanderthalensi s and the evolutionary origins of ritual in Homo sapiens .
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Nielsen M, Langley MC, Shipton C, and Kapitány R
- Subjects
- Animals, Archaeology, Ceremonial Behavior, Cultural Evolution, Neanderthals psychology
- Abstract
There is a large, if disparate, body of archaeological literature discussing specific instantiations of symbolic material culture and the possibility of ritual practices in Neanderthal populations. Despite this attention, however, no single synthesis exists that draws upon cognitive, psychological and cultural evolutionary theories of ritual. Here, we review the evidence for ritual-practice among now-extinct Homo neanderthalensis , as well as the necessary cognitive pre-conditions for such behaviour, in order to explore the evolution of ritual in Homo sapiens . We suggest that the currently available archaeological evidence indicates that Neanderthals may have used 'ritualization' to increase the successful transmission of technical knowledge across generations-providing an explanation for the technological stability of the Middle Palaeolithic and attesting to a survival strategy differing from near-contemporary H. sapiens . This article is part of the theme issue 'Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
- Published
- 2020
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43. Isotopic evidence for initial coastal colonization and subsequent diversification in the human occupation of Wallacea.
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Roberts P, Louys J, Zech J, Shipton C, Kealy S, Carro SS, Hawkins S, Boulanger C, Marzo S, Fiedler B, Boivin N, Mahirta, Aplin K, and OʼConnor S
- Subjects
- Animals, Asia, Australia, Dental Enamel metabolism, Humans, Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared, Tooth metabolism, Biodiversity, Carbon Isotopes metabolism, Geography, Oxygen Isotopes metabolism
- Abstract
The resource-poor, isolated islands of Wallacea have been considered a major adaptive obstacle for hominins expanding into Australasia. Archaeological evidence has hinted that coastal adaptations in Homo sapiens enabled rapid island dispersal and settlement; however, there has been no means to directly test this proposition. Here, we apply stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis to human and faunal tooth enamel from six Late Pleistocene to Holocene archaeological sites across Wallacea. The results demonstrate that the earliest human forager found in the region c. 42,000 years ago made significant use of coastal resources prior to subsequent niche diversification shown for later individuals. We argue that our data provides clear insights into the huge adaptive flexibility of our species, including its ability to specialize in the use of varied environments, particularly in comparison to other hominin species known from Island Southeast Asia.
- Published
- 2020
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44. Trajectories of cultural innovation from the Middle to Later Stone Age in Eastern Africa: Personal ornaments, bone artifacts, and ocher from Panga ya Saidi, Kenya.
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d'Errico F, Pitarch Martí A, Shipton C, Le Vraux E, Ndiema E, Goldstein S, Petraglia MD, and Boivin N
- Subjects
- Archaeology, Humans, Kenya, Cultural Evolution
- Abstract
African Middle Stone Age (MSA) populations used pigments, manufactured and wore personal ornaments, made abstract engravings, and produced fully shaped bone tools. However, ongoing research across Africa reveals variability in the emergence of cultural innovations in the MSA and their subsequent development through the Later Stone Age (LSA). When present, it appears that cultural innovations manifest regional variability, suggestive of distinct cultural traditions. In eastern Africa, several Late Pleistocene sites have produced evidence for novel activities, but the chronologies of key behavioral innovations remain unclear. The 3 m deep, well-dated, Panga ya Saidi sequence in eastern Kenya, encompassing 19 layers covering a time span of 78 kyr beginning in late Marine Isotope Stage 5, is the only known African site recording the interplay between cultural and ecological diversity in a coastal forested environment. Excavations have yielded worked and incised bones, ostrich eggshell beads (OES), beads made from seashells, worked and engraved ocher pieces, fragments of coral, and a belemnite fossil. Here, we provide, for the first time, a detailed analysis of this material. This includes a taphonomic, archeozoological, technological, and functional study of bone artifacts; a technological and morphometric analysis of personal ornaments; and a technological and geochemical analysis of ocher pieces. The interpretation of the results stemming from the analysis of OES beads is guided by an ethnoarcheological perspective and field observations. We demonstrate that key cultural innovations on the eastern African coast are evident by 67 ka and exhibit remarkable diversity through the LSA and Iron Age. We suggest the cultural trajectories evident at Panga ya Saidi were shaped by both regional traditions and cultural/demic diffusion., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2020
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45. Human occupation of northern India spans the Toba super-eruption ~74,000 years ago.
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Clarkson C, Harris C, Li B, Neudorf CM, Roberts RG, Lane C, Norman K, Pal J, Jones S, Shipton C, Koshy J, Gupta MC, Mishra DP, Dubey AK, Boivin N, and Petraglia M
- Abstract
India is located at a critical geographic crossroads for understanding the dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa and into Asia and Oceania. Here we report evidence for long-term human occupation, spanning the last ~80 thousand years, at the site of Dhaba in the Middle Son River Valley of Central India. An unchanging stone tool industry is found at Dhaba spanning the Toba eruption of ~74 ka (i.e., the Youngest Toba Tuff, YTT) bracketed between ages of 79.6 ± 3.2 and 65.2 ± 3.1 ka, with the introduction of microlithic technology ~48 ka. The lithic industry from Dhaba strongly resembles stone tool assemblages from the African Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Arabia, and the earliest artefacts from Australia, suggesting that it is likely the product of Homo sapiens as they dispersed eastward out of Africa.
- Published
- 2020
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46. The expansion of later Acheulean hominins into the Arabian Peninsula.
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Scerri EML, Shipton C, Clark-Balzan L, Frouin M, Schwenninger JL, Groucutt HS, Breeze PS, Parton A, Blinkhorn J, Drake NA, Jennings R, Cuthbertson P, Omari AA, Alsharekh AM, and Petraglia MD
- Subjects
- Animals, History, Ancient, Paleontology, Saudi Arabia, Technology, Tool Use Behavior, Animal Distribution, Archaeology methods, Biological Evolution, Hominidae psychology
- Abstract
The Acheulean is the longest lasting cultural-technological tradition in human evolutionary history. However, considerable gaps remain in understanding the chronology and geographical distribution of Acheulean hominins. We present the first chronometrically dated Acheulean site from the Arabian Peninsula, a vast and poorly known region that forms more than half of Southwest Asia. Results show that Acheulean hominin occupation expanded along hydrological networks into the heart of Arabia from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 7 until at least ~190 ka ̶ the youngest documented Acheulean in Southwest Asia. The site of Saffaqah features Acheulean technology, characterized by large flakes, handaxes and cleavers, similar to Acheulean assemblages in Africa. These findings reveal a climatically-mediated later Acheulean expansion into a poorly known region, amplifying the documented diversity of Middle Pleistocene hominin behaviour across the Old World and elaborating the terminal archaic landscape encountered by our species as they dispersed out of Africa.
- Published
- 2018
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47. Correction: Acheulean technology and landscape use at Dawadmi, central Arabia.
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Shipton C, Blinkhorn J, Breeze PS, Cuthbertson P, Drake N, Groucutt HS, Jennings RP, Parton A, Scerri EML, Alsharekh A, and Petraglia MD
- Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200497.].
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- 2018
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48. Acheulean technology and landscape use at Dawadmi, central Arabia.
- Author
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Shipton C, Blinkhorn J, Breeze PS, Cuthbertson P, Drake N, Groucutt HS, Jennings RP, Parton A, Scerri EML, Alsharekh A, and Petraglia MD
- Subjects
- Actinobacteria, Animals, Arabia, Fossils, Geography, Technology, Archaeology methods, Hominidae classification, Tool Use Behavior
- Abstract
Despite occupying a central geographic position, investigations of hominin populations in the Arabian Peninsula during the Lower Palaeolithic period are rare. The colonization of Eurasia below 55 degrees latitude indicates the success of the genus Homo in the Early and Middle Pleistocene, but the extent to which these hominins were capable of innovative and novel behavioural adaptations to engage with mid-latitude environments is unclear. Here we describe new field investigations at the Saffaqah locality (206-76) near Dawadmi, in central Arabia that aim to establish how hominins adapted to this region. The site is located in the interior of Arabia over 500 km from both the Red Sea and the Gulf, and at the headwaters of two major extinct river systems that were likely used by Acheulean hominins to cross the Peninsula. Saffaqah is one of the largest Acheulean sites in Arabia with nearly a million artefacts estimated to occur on the surface, and it is also the first to yield stratified deposits containing abundant artefacts. It is situated in the unusual setting of a dense and well-preserved landscape of Acheulean localities, with sites and isolated artefacts occurring regularly for tens of kilometres in every direction. We describe both previous and recent excavations at Saffaqah and its large lithic assemblage. We analyse thousands of artefacts from excavated and surface contexts, including giant andesite cores and flakes, smaller cores and retouched artefacts, as well as handaxes and cleavers. Technological assessment of stratified lithics and those from systematic survey, enable the reconstruction of stone tool life histories. The Acheulean hominins at Dawadmi were strong and skilful, with their adaptation evidently successful for some time. However, these biface-makers were also technologically conservative, and used least-effort strategies of resource procurement and tool transport. Ultimately, central Arabia was depopulated, likely in the face of environmental deterioration in the form of increasing aridity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Published
- 2018
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49. Publisher Correction: 78,000-year-old record of Middle and Later Stone Age innovation in an East African tropical forest.
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Shipton C, Roberts P, Archer W, Armitage SJ, Bita C, Blinkhorn J, Courtney-Mustaphi C, Crowther A, Curtis R, Errico F, Douka K, Faulkner P, Groucutt HS, Helm R, Herries AIR, Jembe S, Kourampas N, Lee-Thorp J, Marchant R, Mercader J, Marti AP, Prendergast ME, Rowson B, Tengeza A, Tibesasa R, White TS, Petraglia MD, and Boivin N
- Abstract
The originally published version of this Article contained an error in Fig. 3, whereby an additional unrelated graph was overlaid on top of the magnetic susceptibility plot. Furthermore, the Article title contained an error in the capitalisation of 'Stone Age'. Both of these errors have now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
- Published
- 2018
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50. 78,000-year-old record of Middle and Later stone age innovation in an East African tropical forest.
- Author
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Shipton C, Roberts P, Archer W, Armitage SJ, Bita C, Blinkhorn J, Courtney-Mustaphi C, Crowther A, Curtis R, Errico F, Douka K, Faulkner P, Groucutt HS, Helm R, Herries AIR, Jembe S, Kourampas N, Lee-Thorp J, Marchant R, Mercader J, Marti AP, Prendergast ME, Rowson B, Tengeza A, Tibesasa R, White TS, Petraglia MD, and Boivin N
- Abstract
The Middle to Later Stone Age transition in Africa has been debated as a significant shift in human technological, cultural, and cognitive evolution. However, the majority of research on this transition is currently focused on southern Africa due to a lack of long-term, stratified sites across much of the African continent. Here, we report a 78,000-year-long archeological record from Panga ya Saidi, a cave in the humid coastal forest of Kenya. Following a shift in toolkits ~67,000 years ago, novel symbolic and technological behaviors assemble in a non-unilinear manner. Against a backdrop of a persistent tropical forest-grassland ecotone, localized innovations better characterize the Late Pleistocene of this part of East Africa than alternative emphases on dramatic revolutions or migrations.
- Published
- 2018
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