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There are several characteristics that can be used to identify Acheulean workshops. However, the direct flaking of raw-material outcrops can be an important step in Acheulean lithic production that is missing from the current trait list. Here, we define and introduce the first systematically documented evidence of what we refer to as ‘flake harvesting’ at Wonderboom in Gauteng, South Africa. The presence of flakes and cores from the excavated Acheulean deposit, with similar dimensions and in similar condition to those associated with the nearby flake-harvesting localities, indicate that the behaviour was associated with the Acheulean. We explain that collecting flakes in this manner is different from quarrying, and provide a recording protocol that can be applied to other localities. This could help to explore whether the behaviour has been missed previously, or whether it is a uniquely localised development. We provide a summary of Acheulean workshop traits reported by other researchers, demonstrating that several of these traits are present at Wonderboom, so that the site can now be thought of in terms of a workshop, amongst other things, and flake harvesting can be added to the list. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of the archaeological record unearthed in the SHK fluvial landscape represents a noteworthy dataset to study in greater detail the expression of inter-assemblage variability during the formally labelled Developed Oldowan/Acheulean interface in Olduvai Gorge. A precise stratigraphic interval, laterally continuous, and preserving fractions of anthropogenic activity at different points of the same fluvial network makes it feasible to identify the variable techno-economic ways in which hominins responded to the local paleo-landscape in a short time unit. In this work we present the results of the comparative techno-economic study of the three lithic collections retrieved from the time unit defined by an isochronous litho-stratigraphic volcanic horizon deposited in the fluvial landscape of SHK Main site and SHK Extension. The combined use of this isochrone plus the archaeo-stratigraphic method to refine time-averaging constraints offers for the first time an assessment of the nature of technological variation within different fractions of the same fluvial landscape at ~ 1.5 Ma in Middle Bed II. The goal of this analysis is to look closely at inter-assemblage variability in a unit of time with a coherent degree of synchronicity and to add new data to the Developed Oldowan/Acheulean gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the biomechanical and cognitive aspects involved in tool manipulation, hand size emerges as a critical factor. Males, on average, exhibit greater grip strength attributed to larger hand dimensions. Beyond mere physical factors, cognitive components tied to visuospatial abilities also influence stone tool use. However, the intricate relationship between hand size, grip strength, and ergonomic patterns necessitates further exploration. Here, we study the ergonomic pattern of phalanx flexion during the manipulation of Lower Paleolithic stone tools (choppers and handaxes) to understand the nuanced interplay between hand dimensions and grasping behaviors in Lower Paleolithic stone tool use. The static hand posture during the comfortable grasping of each tool is measured using a motion capture hand glove. Flexions are measured at the metacarpophalangeal joint, the proximal interphalangeal joint and the distal interphalangeal joint of each finger. Our investigation into Lower Paleolithic stone tool manipulation reveals gender-based differences in phalanx flexion, with hand dimensions showing correlation only in pooled samples. However, these associations diminish when analyzing males and females separately. This study suggests a minimal link between hand size and grasping behavior within our sample, hinting at the influence of cognitive, behavioral, and motor factors. Exploring lifestyle and psychometric profiles could provide further insights. In the context of early human technology, our results prompt considerations on the evolution of the hand-tool interaction system, linking our tool-dependent culture to our phylogenetic history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gruta da Aroeira (Torres Novas, Portugal), with evidence of human occupancy dating back ∼ 400,000 years, is one of very few Middle Pleistocene cave sites to provide a fossil hominin cranium in association with Acheulean bifaces and the by-products of fire usage. Zooarchaeological, taphonomic and tooth-wear analyses suggest that the accumulation of the faunal remains and their modification are anthropogenic. Large game constituted the basis of subsistence, with equids and cervids being preferentially targeted. Woodland and open landscapes formed the ecosystems supporting the populations of the mammals that were preyed upon by the inhabitants of the site. Most of the animal carcasses were carried to, and fully butchered at the site, which was used as a residential base camp. The features of the Aroeira faunal assemblage foreshadow the subsistence strategies developed by the hunter-gatherers of the Middle and the Upper Palaeolithic and testify to their very ancient roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The edges of stone tools have significant technological and functional implications. The nature of these edges–their sharpness, whether they are concave or convex, and their asymmetry–reflect how they were made and how they could be used. Similarly, blunt portions of a tool’s perimeter hint at how they could have been grasped or hafted and in which directions force could be applied. However, due to the difficulty in accurately measuring the complex 3D geometry of tool edges with traditional methods, their attributes are often overlooked. When they are analyzed, they have traditionally been assessed with visual qualitative categories or unreliable physical measurements. We introduce new computational 3D methods for automatically and repeatably measuring key attributes of stone tool edges. These methods allow us to automatically identify the 3D perimeter of tools, segment this perimeter according to changes in edge angles, and measure these discrete edge segments with a range of metrics. We test this new computational toolkit on a large sample of 3D models of handaxes from the later Acheulean of the southern Levant. Despite these handaxes being otherwise technologically and morphologically similar, we find marked differences in the amount of knapped outline, edge angle, and the concavity of their edges. We find many handaxes possess blunt portions of perimeter, suitable for grasping, and some handaxes even possess more than one discrete sharp edge. Among our sample, sites with longer occupations and more diverse toolkits possessed handaxes with more diverse edges. Above all, this paper offers new methods for computing the complex 3D geometry of stone tool edges that could be applied to any number of artifact types. These methods are fully automated, allowing the analysis and visualization of entire assemblages.

The paper examines recently reported Acheulean and Middle Stone Age archaeological occurrences in near-coastal plains on the western periphery of the Red Sea (Sudanese coast) with the aim of illuminating the role of the region in hominin survival, and possibly as an out-of-Africa dispersal conduit. Using a Viewshed analysis in ArcGIS, the study sought to assess the extent to which the seashore may have been visible from the archaeology-bearing localities during conditions similar to the present or those more humid interglacial phases than today. The purpose of the Viewshed analysis is to gauge the range of habitat-options hominins had on the western periphery of the Red Sea. The result demonstrates that the seashore would have been visible from most of the archaeological sites. Thus, it is reasonable to surmise that the coastal margin may have remained an integral part of the space exploited by the hominins that inhabited the nearby inland plains. However, the observation cannot be regarded as attesting all the areas deemed visible were necessarily exploited by hominins. Overall, the archaeological evidence from the study area broadens our understanding of the range of environments hominins occupied in Africa prior to and during their expansion to Eurasia. A proximate goal of the paper is to drive archaeological research attention to near-coastal landscapes, as such places may provide a potent vantage point to assess hominin engagement with the seashore. I conclude with an appeal to the paleoanthropological community to expand field-centered research to the vast understudied regions of Africa so as to capture hominin experiences across diverse ecosystems of the continent. Only then will we be able to discern hominin biogeographic range at different periods and theorize about the ecological drivers of our species' success.

The edges of stone tools have significant technological and functional implications. The nature of these edges–their sharpness, whether they are concave or convex, and their asymmetry–reflect how they were made and how they could be used. Similarly, blunt portions of a tool's perimeter hint at how they could have been grasped or hafted and in which directions force could be applied. However, due to the difficulty in accurately measuring the complex 3D geometry of tool edges with traditional methods, their attributes are often overlooked. When they are analyzed, they have traditionally been assessed with visual qualitative categories or unreliable physical measurements. We introduce new computational 3D methods for automatically and repeatably measuring key attributes of stone tool edges. These methods allow us to automatically identify the 3D perimeter of tools, segment this perimeter according to changes in edge angles, and measure these discrete edge segments with a range of metrics. We test this new computational toolkit on a large sample of 3D models of handaxes from the later Acheulean of the southern Levant. Despite these handaxes being otherwise technologically and morphologically similar, we find marked differences in the amount of knapped outline, edge angle, and the concavity of their edges. We find many handaxes possess blunt portions of perimeter, suitable for grasping, and some handaxes even possess more than one discrete sharp edge. Among our sample, sites with longer occupations and more diverse toolkits possessed handaxes with more diverse edges. Above all, this paper offers new methods for computing the complex 3D geometry of stone tool edges that could be applied to any number of artifact types. These methods are fully automated, allowing the analysis and visualization of entire assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Acheulean in Britain is represented by a substantial corpus of sites in southern England informing our understanding of human occupation in northwest Europe during the Middle Pleistocene. Improvements to the resolution of the terrestrial chronology of this period have led to a revival of interest in the question of the shape of the iconic Acheulean handaxe. The recognition of morphological patterns among and across handaxe assemblages stems from well-dated fluvial deposits. In the meantime, sites excluded from the past decade's reappraisals are at risk of neglect, not least the historically significant site of Kent's Cavern, Devon. Metrical and statistical analyses were complemented by geometric morphometric analyses of a sample of handaxes from the site and compared against samples from several securely dated sites. The results indicate that the Acheulean of Kent's Cavern may substantially pre-date the well-known occupations at High Lodge and Boxgrove and is likely to be coeval with the suggested presence of hominins along the former Bytham River during MIS 15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

En 1960, el hallazgo de un bifaz de cuarcita en la excavación de Santimamiñe planteó la posibilidad de que hubiera habido ocupaciones achelenses en la cueva. Sin embargo, esta cuestión no ha sido valorada en las intervenciones arqueológicas posteriores ni considerada en las síntesis sobre el primer poblamiento de Bizkaia. La localización de ésta y otras piezas de aspecto arcaico en los almacenes del Arkeologi Museoa, unido a la publicación en línea de los diarios de campo de Barandiarán, nos ha permitido valorar la posibilidad de que hubiera existido una ocupación del Paleolítico Inferior en la cueva de Santimamiñe. ABSTRACT: In 1960, the discovery of a quartzite biface in the excavation of Santimamiñe raised the possibility that there had been Acheulean occupations preserved in the cave; however, this question has not been assessed in subsequent archaeological interventions or considered in the syntheses on the first human settlement of Bizkaia. We have carefully reviewed the available documentation about the discovery and the context of this biface, in the newspapers and in the field notes recorded by J.M. Barandiarán during the excavation of Santimamiñe. Thanks to these data, we have been able to demonstrate the existence of ancient deposits preserved next to the S wall of the cave vestibule, in which J.M. Barandiarán located the biface and two choppers, nowadays preserved in the Arkeologia Museoa’s storerooms. The technological and morphological characteristics of the biface, similar to those of the Galería site at Atapuerca, suggest an Acheulean attribution. This attribution would fit the chronological range proposed for the formation of speleothem episodes in the passage between the vestibule and the “Salón area (ca 300,000 and 100,000 BP). All this would imply the existence of an episode of occupation during the Acheulean at Santimamiñe, of which there may still be evidence.

The article considers the characteristics of the stone inventory from the sites Ainikab 3, Ainikab 4 and Ainikab 6 of the Early Paleolithic located on the 145-meter terrace of the Usisha River in Central Dagestan. Based on the generalization of paleogeographic data, the age of the terrace deposits has been established in a wide range within the first half of the Middle Pleistocene. The stone industries of the sites are mono raw material, based on the use of local Cretaceous flint of various shades of gray. Knapping of raw materials is characterized by the simplest methods of obtaining flakes mainly by unidirectional longitudinal removal without preliminary cores preparation. Flakes were the main type of blanks for tools, including for large cutting, splitting and crushing tools. In addition, flint fragments and nodules were used as blanks. The tools include unifacial and bifacial choppers, heavy-duty picks of triangular cross-section or a pointed end, flat picks, various retouched tools on flakes and fragments (scrapers, knives, notched tools, points, retouched flakes). The most significant feature of the industry under consideration, which distinguishes it from the older Oldowan complexes of Central Dagestan, is the presence of archaic forms of bifaсes in the tool set. These finds are the earliest known bifaсes in inner Dagestan and one of the oldest in the North Caucasus. The bifaсes are diagnostic for Acheulean. The presence of these tools together with piсks and other cutting tools in the stone inventory of the sites makes it possible to define the stone industry of these sites as Acheulean. These finds make it possible to include the inner Dagestan in the spread area of the Acheulean culture of the North Caucasus thereby expanding its territory.

In western Europe, the Middle Pleistocene is marked by Acheulean settlement and their diversification after the MIS 12. The Arago cave recovery of numerous human settlements correlate to MIS 14, 13 and MIS 12 making it an important site for the understanding of the Lower Palaeolithic in Southwestern Europe. It is also an important site for the understanding of palaeoenvironments and palaeobiodiversity as it has yielded rich faunal associations. The faunal associations allow us to observe three climatic stages within this study: two cold ones and a mild one. Small vertebrates, with their abundance and their diversity, are particularly useful for observing these periods, which historically have been correlated to glacial or interglacial stages. If the first cold phase, dated 438 ± 31 ka, is correlated to the Marine Isotopic Stage 12 (MIS 12), the correlation of the following phases to isotopic stages can be discussed. They may correspond to climatic variations of the MIS 12. Indeed, the latest studies about palaeoclimatic reconstitution which allow us to define the evolution of the palaeo-temperature show that these differences are relatively small. Therefore, instead of a correlation to MIS 12, 13 and 14, the medium complex of the Arago cave could belong solely to MIS 12. The correlation of these environmental changes to other global data, notably the isotopic curve, is challenging because there are various local factors influencing faunal association. We propose here both hypotheses and discuss the various factors which influence the distribution and the representation of the small vertebrate species present on the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the biomechanical and cognitive aspects involved in tool manipulation, hand size emerges as a critical factor. Males, on average, exhibit greater grip strength attributed to larger hand dimensions. Beyond mere physical factors, cognitive components tied to visuospatial abilities also influence stone tool use. However, the intricate relationship between hand size, grip strength, and ergonomic patterns necessitates further exploration. Here, we study the ergonomic pattern of phalanx flexion during the manipulation of Lower Paleolithic stone tools (choppers and handaxes) to understand the nuanced interplay between hand dimensions and grasping behaviors in Lower Paleolithic stone tool use. The static hand posture during the comfortable grasping of each tool is measured using a motion capture hand glove. Flexions are measured at the metacarpophalangeal joint, the proximal interphalangeal joint and the distal interphalangeal joint of each finger. Our investigation into Lower Paleolithic stone tool manipulation reveals gender-based differences in phalanx flexion, with hand dimensions showing correlation only in pooled samples. However, these associations diminish when analyzing males and females separately. This study suggests a minimal link between hand size and grasping behavior within our sample, hinting at the influence of cognitive, behavioral, and motor factors. Exploring lifestyle and psychometric profiles could provide further insights. In the context of early human technology, our results prompt considerations on the evolution of the hand-tool interaction system, linking our tool-dependent culture to our phylogenetic history.

The use of bone tools by early humans has provided valuable insights into their technology, behaviour and cognitive abilities. However, identifying minimally modified or unshaped Palaeolithic osseous tools can be challenging, particularly when they are mixed with bones altered by natural taphonomic processes. This has hampered the study of key technical innovations, such as the use of bones, antlers and teeth as hammers or pressure-flakers to work (knap) stone tools. Bones chewed by carnivores can resemble osseous knapping tools and have sometimes been mistaken for them. In this paper, we review recent advances in the study of osseous knapping tools with a focus on two Palaeolithic sites in the UK, the Acheulean Horse Butchery Site at Boxgrove and the Magdalenian site of Gough's Cave, where knapping tools were mis-attributed to carnivore chewing. These osseous knapping tools are investigated using microscopy, high-resolution imaging and comparisons with experimental knapping tools. This allows for new insights into human behaviour at these sites and opens fresh avenues for future research.

With this contribution, we provide a species and edible part list for the foodplant population of the Wonderboom landscape at the eastern end of the Magaliesberg range in Gauteng, South Africa, as a current proxy to hypothesise about past foraging behaviours. The greater Magaliesberg region is an ancient, relatively stable ecotone between the Grassland and Savanna Biomes, with its roots in the plateau uplift at ~ 4 Ma. We present the foraging landscape (foraging-scape) in a three-tier model at intervals of ~ 12.5 km, ~ 35 km, and ~ 70 km to assess proportional increases in foodplant species and edible parts when the foraging range is increased. We demonstrate that foraging within a ~ 12.5 km radius from the site provides an exceptionally rich foodplant landscape today. Thus, if the foodplant fitness potential during the Middle Pleistocene was roughly similar, it is reasonable to hypothesise that the Wonderboom foragers may have had little reason—apart from perhaps famine or drought—to go beyond a daily range for collecting plant foods. The Wonderboom ~ 12.5 km radius surface area is broadly similar to the footprint of the Cradle of Humankind ~ 40–70 km to its southwest. Directly comparing their foodplant species inventories shows that currently, 185 more foodplants grow around Wonderboom than in the Cradle. Our results suggest that the ecotone locality of Wonderboom, between the Grassland Biome to the south and the Savanna Biome to the north, may have had adaptive advantages in terms of its foodplant foraging potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between tool form and function is fundamental to hominin behaviour and evolution. Acheulean handaxes are known for their general consistency across more than a million years and three continents, albeit with some variation in size and shape. However, the influence of this variation on cutting has only rarely been studied, mostly in either butchery or generalized cutting tasks. Yet evidence indicates that handaxes were used for woodworking by at least 1.5 mya. Here, we experimentally tested whether woodworking could have exerted selective pressures on handaxe form. Additionally, these data were compared with a previous experiment that tested flakes during woodworking. For handaxes, no significant relationships were detected in woodworking efficiency. Accordingly, woodworking likely did not exert strong selective pressures on handaxe variability. However, the effectiveness shown by handaxes further demonstrates the functional flexibility of this technology, which is likely a factor contributing to their use over broad temporal, geographical and ecological spans. When comparing handaxes with flakes, only the smallest flakes were found to be significantly less efficient than handaxes. Therefore, the functional demands of woodworking were likely influencing hominin technological decisions about flake morphology, or the selection of flakes for woodworking, more than they were handaxe morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New excavations in the lower part of the sequence dated between 670 and 695 ka by 40Ar/39Ar and ESR-U-Th at Notarchirico revealed layers with lithic and bone remains attesting several phases of human occupations. Some of these occupations are located at the top of residual pebble/cobble lags along former water channels, while others are more disturbed. All the layers yield faunal and lithic remains. Here, we aim to discuss the interpretative limits of traces of hominin occupations in such Early Palaeolithic sites through a multidisciplinary approach focusing on depositional and post-depositional processes in sedimentary units applied on the micro/macro-mammal remains, artefacts (surfaces, micro-wear traces), and spatial distribution of the archaeological material. These data are then compared with those from M. Piperno’s previous excavations in the upper part of the sequence (610–670 ka). As is often the case in open-air deposits and wetland environments, the majority of the bone surface modifications are related to natural abrasion caused by trampling and water flow. By contrast, the lithic material provides more relevant results both on taphonomic processes before and after the hominin occupations and function of the site. Despite the strong impact of post-depositional processes on archaeological material, evidence of hominin activities can nonetheless be inferred, shedding light on early hominin occupations of western Europe at the MIS 17/MIS 16 transition. The discussion takes penecontemporaneous open-air sites into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological analysis is a critical component in the study of archaeological artefacts. Handaxes are some of the most iconic tools of the Palaeolithic era, and the study of their morphology can provide important insights into their creation, use, and development throughout early human evolution. While many studies exist for the study of handaxe morphology, little consensus exists as to what methods should be applied. Here the most reliable means of analysing handaxe morphology are explored; based on the use of simulated 2D toy datasets, we compare two widely used methods, geometric morphometrics, and elliptic Fourier analysis, and find that the latter is more reliable and powerful for differentiating between different handaxe groups. As a product of these analyses, a debate is proposed regarding the most reliable methods for studying handaxe morphology. In addition, the present study cautions against the use of certain statistical tests, such as canonical variates analysis, when sample sizes are too small. From this perspective, the research conducted highlights the importance of selecting the most appropriate methods for certain types of morphological analyses for lithic technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first Lower Palaeolithic (Acheulean) sites ever excavated in India are located in the Burhabalang river valley of the Mayurbahnj district of Orissa. It reveals that the Mayurbhanj Acheulean site complex has been under the scanner of prehistoric archaeologists for a long period. However, it is unfortunate to say that, despite being studied for nearly one century by several scholars, the implementiferous beds of the Burhabalang River valley have not been studied in detail till now. The present article brings forward an attempt to fathom the nature and the mode of origin of the Acheulean artifact-bearing beds of the Burhabalang river valley near Baripada town of Orissa. In this study approach of geo-archaeology is adopted to study and compare physical features like various geomorphological and lithological attributes of several Acheulean sites of this region. Besides, an attempt is made to understand the nature of occurrence of Acheulean artifact bearing-beds of this region and the mode of origin of these implementiferous beds too. Results of this study reveal that probably Acheulean artifacts bearing ferricrete horizons of the Burhabalang river valley were deposited some time during the middle Pleistocene, under the influence of a much more humid monsoonal climate. Perhaps prehistoric humans with Acheulean artifacts roamed in the river valleys of this region when deposition of ferruginous sedimentation or ferricrete was taking place. During the later time under the influence of a much drier climate ferruginous duricrust developed at the top of ferricrete sediments and Acheulean artifacts are now found deposited in the hard duricrust horizon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the emergence of the Acheulean is well documented in East Africa at ~1.7 Ma, subsequent developments are less well understood and to some extent controversial. Here, we provide robust evidence regarding the time period between 1.6 Ma and 1.2 Ma, based on an interdisciplinary approach to the stratigraphic sequences exposed in the Gombore gully of Melka Kunture, in the upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia. Throughout the Pleistocene, the environment differed significantly from elsewhere in Africa because of the elevation at 2000 m asl, the cooler and rainy climate, the Afromontane vegetation, the development of endemic animal species, and the recurrent impact of volcanic activity. At Gombore IB, dated ~1.6 Ma, remains of Homo erectus/ergaster have been discovered, associated with a rich early Acheulean assemblage. The techno-typological analysis of the lithic record from Gombore Iγ (~1.4 Ma) and Gombore Iδ (~1.3 Ma), where substantial areas have been excavated, and the contrasting evidence from Gombore OAM Test Pit C (~1.2 Ma), suggest that the scarcity or lack of large flakes and large cutting tools at the two earlier sites is possibly not just the outcome of sampling bias, but rather of the adaptation of H. erectus / ergaster to the local resources, in a relatively isolated environment. The sites of Gombore gully provide new evidence on the complex pattern of human evolution and adaptation in East Africa during the Lower Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents initial results from excavations at Maritime Academy, Frindsbury, which produced several handaxes, two of which can be classed as 'giant handaxes'. Artefacts were recovered from fluvial deposits in the Medway Valley and are thought to date from the Marine Isotope Stage 9 interglacial. This article focuses on the largest of these handaxes and presents metrical data for the artefact and initial comparison with similar artefacts from the British Palaeolithic.

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Penhill Farm is one of three newly reported Sundays River Valley Acheulean sites and collectively, with sites Atmar and Bernol Farms, is pushing back our understanding of Earlier Stone Age tool production strategies for this near-coastal region. Over the last few years, a series of papers have described important but minor components of the Penhill Farm assemblage through which several key trends have been identified in the way that formal tools were produced, and how cores were reduced to provide suitable tool blanks. The aim of this paper is to complete the description of the remaining artefacts at Penhill Farm, the majority of which consist of debris and debitage but also include samples of atypical artefacts as well as non-lithic materials. By applying a techno-typological and morphometric-based approach, this paper provides clarity on raw material preferences and variability, lithic reduction schemes and economisation, and on- versus off-site task variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In western Europe, the Middle Pleistocene is marked by Acheulean settlement and their diversification after the MIS 12. The Arago cave recovery of numerous human settlements correlate to MIS 14, 13 and MIS 12 making it an important site for the understanding of the Lower Palaeolithic in Southwestern Europe. It is also an important site for the understanding of palaeoenvironments and palaeobiodiversity as it has yielded rich faunal associations. The faunal associations allow us to observe three climatic stages within this study: two cold ones and a mild one. Small vertebrates, with their abundance and their diversity, are particularly useful for observing these periods, which historically have been correlated to glacial or interglacial stages. If the first cold phase, dated 438 ± 31 ka, is correlated to the Marine Isotopic Stage 12 (MIS 12), the correlation of the following phases to isotopic stages can be discussed. They may correspond to climatic variations of the MIS 12. Indeed, the latest studies about palaeoclimatic reconstitution which allow us to define the evolution of the palaeo-temperature show that these differences are relatively small. Therefore, instead of a correlation to MIS 12, 13 and 14, the medium complex of the Arago cave could belong solely to MIS 12. The correlation of these environmental changes to other global data, notably the isotopic curve, is challenging because there are various local factors influencing faunal association. We propose here both hypotheses and discuss the various factors which influence the distribution and the representation of the small vertebrate species present on the site.

Eastern Africa's Plio-Pleistocene palaeoanthropological record has shaped our understanding of human biological and cultural evolution. Over the years, raw material sourcing has emerged as an important research topic in lithic analysis as it can allow for the identification of resource extraction points and transport distances as a means to infer other aspects of hominin behaviour that are of high evolutionary significance. The goal of this article is to review and synthesise the aims, methods, challenges, and knowledge on raw material sourcing from Plio-Pleistocene contexts in Eastern Africa. Beginning with a review of the Oldowan and Acheulean records, four over-arching patterns are identified based on evidence from 130 localities. First, hominin toolmakers regularly exerted selective criteria when choosing raw materials by way of opportunistic and more specialised procurement strategies. Second, the fragmentation of technological activities across the palaeolandscape emerged as a behavioural characteristic among Oldowan toolmakers before the first appearance datum of the Acheulean. Third, hominins across Eastern Africa preferentially utilised igneous rock types followed by metamorphic and sedimentary lithologies mirroring the regional lithostratigraphy. Finally, Acheulean toolmakers largely mimicked their Oldowan counterparts in terms of raw material provisioning until the late Early Pleistocene, when they began to engage in qualitatively different behaviour best evidenced by stone transport over longer distances.This state of archaeological knowledge serves as the basis to then review the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of raw material sourcing followed by interpretive challenges. On a fundamental level, the identification of raw material sources is contingent on the implementation of a systematic sequence of analysis in which the resulting data abide to the provenance postulate. This serves to preface a devoted section on the array of analytical methods that can be successfully employed by archaeologists to source raw materials. Proven and innovative methods are identified by bringing into dialogue key factors such as accuracy, precision, reproducibility, discriminatory power, sensitivity, destructiveness, throughput, cost, ease, and the question of spatial scale. According to cost-benefit considerations, analytical methods that fall under the umbrella of geochemical fingerprinting are found to generally outperform macroscopic and petrographic techniques. It is also argued that characterising non-obsidian lithologies is best accomplished using more than one analytical method, with the understanding that once positive baseline results are obtained subsequent testing can be narrowed down from a methodological standpoint. Regardless of the characterisation method, it is imperative to implement effective means to analyse the resulting data, which constitutes this article's penultimate section. Ranging from traditional graphical data representations to multivariate statistics and emerging branches of artificial intelligence, there are countless means through which characteristic source signals can be identified regardless of rock type. The final section reviews common interpretive challenges when studying raw material provisioning in deep time. While the concepts of mobility, time-averaging, recycling, source differentiation, and selection criteria each present unique challenges, it is argued that they can be reasonably overcome by way of multidisciplinary lines of evidence. Ultimately, it is found that the future of raw material sourcing from Plio-Pleistocene contexts in Eastern Africa is promising given what is currently known along with the subfield's robust foundations.

Ha’il region in northwest Saudi Arabia is characterized by the presence of oases, flat plains, Paleo-lakes, and lava fields, which are some of the main landscape characteristics in which Palaeolithic sites have been found in the region. It is located on one of the routes of early hominin dispersal across Arabia. The ongoing archaeological research made by the Paleodeserts and Disperse projects have recorded several Acheulean and Middle Palaeolithic sites in such localities as Jubbah basin in the Nefud desert (Groucutt et al. 2021; Petraglia et al. 2015; 2019), yet large parts of the region are still unexplored. The ground archaeological survey conducted by the authors at Al-Huwaidy village, 70 km southwest of Ha’il town, has led to the discovery of a unique Palaeolithic site on the margin of a palaeo-oasis, close to a volcanic mountain. The archaeological site consists of an agglomeration spread of lithics covering an area of basaltic field and outcrops. Numerous handaxes have been documented on the surface and the profiles of current water canal shafts. The site setting and the quantity and quality of lithics from Large Cutting Tools (LCT), including typical handaxes, foliate handaxes, Acheulean cores and flakes, indicate that the site represents a new and interesting extension of Palaeolithic archaeology in the northwest of Arabia similar to Palaeolithic characteristics in the Jubbah basin. Thus, this discovery has a direct relevance in assessing the distribution of Palaeolithic sites in the Ha’il region, showing that they not only occur in the northern area (Nefud desert), but also in the different landscape (basaltic lava field) in the southern part of the region.

The Azraq oasis in the Eastern Desert of Jordan has produced considerable stone artefacts attributed to the early Palaeolithic, yet relatively few data are available regarding the chronology and palaeoenvironmental contexts of the remains. In this study, we present stratigraphic, sedimentological, and micropalaeontological analyses of the Late Acheulean site SM1 located within the former Shishan Marsh, which we combine with geochronological and sedimentological data from 13 neighbouring geological exposures to reconstruct landscape evolution at the western margin of the Shishan Marsh. We then discuss the Late Quaternary palaeolandscapes of the Greater Azraq Oasis Area over the past c. 350 ka. Our work demonstrates that the central Azraq Basin experienced three local wetting-drying cycles since the late Middle Pleistocene that would have dramatically shifted the quantity and distribution of freshwater resources, ranging from expansive wetland landscapes to desert refugia characterised by isolated spring pools—changes that would have significantly impacted the mobility decisions and settlement patterns of Palaeolithic inhabitants. Our study highlights that developing long-term records of human-environment dynamics in arid environments requires a mosaic approach to palaeoenvironmental reconstruction that is nested within a well-developed understanding of landscape evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of lithic morphological variability during the Acheulean is a much-debated topic, especially in the late Acheulean of the Levant. To explore this issue, we present a 3D analysis of 260 handaxes from Jaljulia, a recently discovered late Acheulean site dated to ca. 500–300/200 ka. We employ a comprehensive suite of 3D methods aimed at reconstructing the technological and morphological choices enacted by the Jaljulia knappers. These methods include the precise calculation of orthogonal measurements, center of mass, surface area, edge length, and geometric morphometrics, as well as new metrics for quantifying handaxe outlines and distribution of mass. Scar density was used to reconstruct the handaxe reduction strategies employed at the site. Our analyses reveal that the Jaljulia handaxes are diverse in shape suggesting that they were made following a flexible reduction sequence involving an expedient selection of initial nodules of varying sizes. This reduction strategy was geared toward improving the refinement and outline quality of the handaxes, but not imposing any shape constraints. The expediency and relative crudeness of the handaxes from such a late Acheulean site belie the commonly held perception that handaxes improve through time during the Acheulean. This is true on an intra-site scale also, with the oldest excavation area containing the most refined and smooth-edged handaxes. Finally, we consider how this newfound morphological flexibility and expediency of nodule selection fit within the complex lithic variability occurring in the terminal phase of the Acheulean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports a newly discovered Acheulean assemblage in Tanzania's Northern Mbulu Plateau. Recent investigations in the region have documented surface scatters of artifacts spanning the Acheulean-Later Stone Age continuum. Most of these artifacts have been recovered from disturbed surface contexts, on foothills, plains, and river terraces. However, there were few areas where the Acheulean assemblages were in situ. Like at Oldupai Beds II–IV, the Acheulean of Mbulu Plateau consists of various bifacial large and small cutting tools, flaked and detached types, and nondescript forms. While at Oldupai the raw material includes quartzite and different types of lava, the Mbulu Plateau assemblage is almost exclusively quartzite. Though the focus of this report is on the Acheulean, the artifacts are found co-occurring on the surface with MSA and LSA forms and are in a surprisingly good state of preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of their inherent symbolic significance, personal ornaments gained a key role in the scientific debate regarding the emergence and evolution of symbolic behaviour; the presumed Acheulean beads discovered in the nineteenth century in northern Europe’s sites are considered crucial evidence of this. The fossils of the sponge Porosphaera globularis, because of their morphological characteristics, have been interpreted by some archaeologists as the starting point of this evolutionary path. In this work, the largest collection of Porosphaera globularis specimens is analysed, after remaining unpublished to this day. This was originally found in the French site of Saint-Acheul and preserved at the Civic Museums of Modena. An integrated analysis was carried out to understand whether these fossils were indeed used as beads; results revealed that they were actually not used as ornaments. This suggests the importance of finding strong arguments and evidence to support theories about the development of cognitive abilities in the genus Homo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current data seem to suggest that the earliest hominins only occupied the Northwest of Europe during favourable climatic periods, and left the area when the climate was too cold and dry, in the same way as Neandertal and even Homo sapiens. However, several sites in England and the North of France indicate that the earliest hominins, possibly Homo antecessor and/or Homo heidelbergensis, could adapt to cool environments and open grasslands without the use of fire. Recent discoveries of Acheulean lithic assemblages in early glacial fluvial deposits at Moulin Quignon in the Somme Valley in the Northwest of France reveal new knowledge on the earliest occupations in north-western territories and indicate hominins’ capacity to live above the c. 45th N. under a cold climate. The site shows evidence of occupations at the beginning of MIS 16 at around 650–670 ka. These findings bring to the forefront the possible ability, flexibility and resilience of Acheulean hominins at around 700 ka to extend to northern territories during transitional climatic periods (interglacial/glacial events), even if the climate was not fully favourable. Recent fieldwork has changed our interpretation of the timing and characteristics of the earliest Acheulean techno-complexes in Western Europe over a large geographical area, from Northwest Europe to the Mediterranean coast. In Western Europe, the earliest evidence, Moulin Quignon, is now dated to a narrow timeframe, between 700–650 ka, and is the northernmost evidence of biface production. This latter is earlier than British Acheulean records. Based on new findings at Moulin Quignon, we explore whether Acheulean traditions and associated new technological abilities could have facilitated the dispersal of hominins in Western Europe over large territories, regardless of climatic conditions. Changes in behavioural flexibility, and not only phenotypic changes in Homo groups, have to be investigated. Here, we examine the behavioural and technological abilities of hominins in north-western Europe in light of the available environmental data and compare them to those in southern areas between 700 and 600 ka. This event occurred at the end of the “Middle Pleistocene Transition” (MPT), a period marked by cyclical climate changes and vegetation and faunal turnovers (less competition with big carnivores). The extension of the grassland habitat into higher latitudes could have led to the opening and/or closing of migration corridors in these regions, probably favouring hominin expansion depending on tolerance to climate variability.

In the upper basin of the Guadiana River, especially in the sectors drained by its right-bank tributaries, the Bullaque and Becea rivers, important concentrations of Acheulean and Mousterian industries can be found in a superficial position. These industries have provided series containing tens of thousands of pieces. Deposits in stratigraphic position have also been identified, related to the fluvial terraces of the Guadiana and Jabalón rivers and some tributaries. Within the sector studied, in the province of Ciudad Real, the position of these deposits is related to alluvial fans developed on the slopes of the immediate reliefs. These fans, mainly composed of Lower and Middle Ordovician quartzite gravel, were eroded in their distal positions by the Bullaque and Becea rivers, forming very low terraces on which large concentrations of Acheulean and Mousterian lithic industry can be found. El Sotillo, the only known stratigraphic site in the area, was excavated in 2017–2019 and consists of several levels with Mousterian and Acheulean industry. We present the technological characteristics of the main Acheulean assemblage recognised at this site, for which numerical dates have been obtained placing its chronology in the second half of the Middle Pleistocene. The location of these sites, in surficial position and El Sotillo, allows us to recognise a territorial space with specific geographic characteristics and a very significant human impact.

The appearance of the Acheulean and the production of new bifacial tools marked a revolution in human behavior. The use of longer and complex operative chains, with centripetal and recurrent knapping, adapted to different raw materials, created long useful edges, converging in a functional distal end. How and why these handaxes vary has been the subject of intense debates. Britain provides a clearly defined region at the edge of the hominin occupied world for discussing variation in Acheulean assemblages. The environmental changes from MIS 15 to MIS 11 are significant in understanding population change, with probable breaks in evidence during MIS 14 and MIS 12, followed by several sites during the long stable climate of MIS11c. In this latter period, different Acheulean technological expressions appear to coexist in Britain. This paper draws together different studies, combining technology and geometric morphometrics to analyze handaxes from six British sites: Brandon Fields, Boxgrove (Q1B), High Lodge, Hitchin, Swanscombe (UMG), and Elveden. Compared to the earlier Acheulean of MIS 15, the assemblages of MIS 13 show increased standardization and the use of soft hammer percussion for thinning mid-sections and butts of tools, or sharpening tips through tranchet removals. Although there is regional population discontinuity through MIS12 there is no evidence of a marked change in technology after this glacial period. Rather, there is a development towards more intense shaping with the same underlying techniques, but with flexibility in imposed handaxe form. From MIS11 there appear to be distinctive localized traditions of manufacture, which suggest that a recognition of place and territories had developed by this time. These are expressed over medium time-scales of several thousand years and have significance for how we view cultural expression and transmission.

Northern Europe experienced cycles of hominin habitation and absence during the Middle Pleistocene. Fluvial gravel terrace sites in the east of Britain and north of France provide a majority of the data contributing to this understanding, mostly through the presence or absence of stone-tool artefacts. To date, however, relatively few sites have been radiometrically dated, and many have not been excavated in modern times, leading to an over-reliance on selectively sampled and poorly dated lithic assemblages. This includes Fordwich (Kent, UK), where over 330 bifaces were discovered through industrial quarrying in the 1920s. Here, we present the first excavation and dating of artefacts discovered in situ at Fordwich, alongside their technological analysis and relationship to those previously recovered. The site is demonstrated to retain deposits of Lower Palaeolithic artefacts, with 251 flakes, scrapers and cores identified to date. Infrared-radiofluorescence (IR-RF) dating of feldspar reveals 112 artefacts to have come from levels dating to at least 570 ± 36 to 513 ± 30 thousand years ago (ka) and are most plausibly assigned to an MIS 14 deposition, with artefacts produced during MIS 15 (approx. 560–620 ka). Indeed, these IR-RF samples provide minimum ages for artefacts. Combined with evidence from exposures linked to the original quarrying activities, a similar MIS 15 age is suggested for the more than 330 handaxe artefacts discovered in the 1920s. The remaining excavated artefacts come from levels dated to between 347 ± 22 and 385 ± 21 ka (MIS 10 or 11), with this later age interpreted to reflect post-MIS 14 deposition by substrate gullying and solifluction. These data demonstrate Fordwich to be one of the earliest Palaeolithic sites in northwestern Europe, and to retain the only large Acheulean handaxe assemblage directly dated to pre-MIS 13. Thus, Fordwich is determined to be a crucial piece of the pre-Anglian Palaeolithic puzzle in northern Europe.

The major river basins of the Iberian Peninsula that drain towards the Atlantic coast contain extensive Lower Palaeolithic (Acheulean) records associated with well-preserved fluvial terrace sequences. These open-air archaeological records are often difficult to constrain chronologically due to a lack of suitable material for dating (e.g., faunal remains) or because their Middle Pleistocene antiquity precludes the use of otherwise routinely applicable geochronometric techniques such as conventional optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. As a result, many important Iberian Acheulean sites lack precise and accurate chronologies, and their existing temporal frameworks are based solely on morphostratigraphic correlations with regional fluvial terrace systems. Here we present the first application of extended-range luminescence dating – namely multi-grain post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (pIR-IRSL) dating of K-feldspars and single-grain thermally transferred-OSL (TT-OSL) dating of quartz – to a series of terrace sequences in the Duero basin (central sector) and Guadiana basin, as well as associated Lower Palaeolithic sites of La Maya I, II and III along the Tormes River, Burganes (and related sites) along the Tera River, and Albalá along the Guadiana River. Additionally, we present results of a parallel electron spin resonance (ESR) quartz dating study of the Tormes River terrace (Duero basin), which has been undertaken independently on the same samples to enable stratigraphically paired dating comparisons. Our study indicates that sedimentary quartz from this sector of the Duero basin produces very weak TT-OSL signals, variable Al signal repeatability and below-average Ti signal fitting uncertainties, though it is still possible to determine consistent comparative ages using the measurements protocols employed here. For samples where both pIR-IRSL and TT-OSL signals were measured, the paired luminescence dating ages are in agreement at 1σ. Agreement between the quartz ESR and TT-OSL ages is also observed for one sample from the Tormes River. However, the ESR signals (both Al and Ti) of a second sample showed insufficient bleaching and age overestimation in comparison to the paired TT-OSL dataset. Comparison of our latest dating results with published chronological datasets point to some fluvial terraces of the Duero basin potentially having diachronous formation histories. Despite this, our combined chronological results show that the terrace systems are chronologically ordered and suggest that, regionally, the +8 to +34 m terraces likely post-date marine isotope stage (MIS) 10, whilst the +50 m terraces formed prior to, or during, MIS 10. The related Acheulean sites that contain lithic material in stratigraphic position are dated to MIS 9–7 (193–314 ka at 2σ age range), and temporally overlap with the early Middle Palaeolithic records in the Duero basin, also dated here to MIS 8–7 (or 159–259 ka at 2σ). Our results are consistent with previous observations regarding the chronological overlap of these two technologies in the region, and support the possibility of a non-linear pattern of replacement for the Acheulean in the Iberian Peninsula during the Lower to Middle Palaeolithic transition. • Paired single-grain TT-OSL and multi-grain pIR-IRSL 225 ages agree for all samples. • Luminescence and quartz ESR dating ages in agreement for some samples. • Low to mid elevation fluvial terraces (+8 to +34 m) formed after MIS10. • +50 m fluvial terraces formed prior to, or during, MIS 10. • Acheulean to early Middle Palaeolithic transition likely followed non-linear pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethiopia has well known paleontological and archaeological sites within the Rift Valley, but relatively little is known of the potential within the surrounding highlands. Here, we present three underexplored sites within and nearby Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital city: Fanta, Gemeda, and Koche. These sites were originally mapped in 2008 as part of a rescue project carried out in advance of construction at the Fanta site. As observed in surface contexts and within the modern stream cutbank, Fanta is rich in fossil and archaeological materials. The abundance of hippopotamids at this site (both on the surface and in situ) indicates the presence of a large body of water across the paleolandscape. The site is rich in alcelaphine bovids and equids, and thus likely represents a highland grassland environment. The surface of the site is also rich in artifacts that demonstrate morphologies of the Acheulean technological complex but the relationship of the stone tools to the fauna has yet to be determined. The other sites, Gemeda and Koche are not as rich as Fanta, but may represent other important highland sites. Since discovery, the sites remain underexplored apart from a large-area ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey at the Fanta site which revealed a vertical succession of reflection packages that have been used to interpret the nature of sedimentary deposits at and away from the exposures. We present the interpretation of previously unpublished GPR data from this survey nearest to the stream cutbank. Finally, all three sites, but especially Fanta, are under threat of destruction from urban development and encroachment, where some of the site has undergone damages and continues to face ongoing destruction. Despite this, the sites offer the opportunity to develop a center of research, education, and tourism with easy access of Ethiopia's growing and dynamic capital city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological sequence of la Noira (Centre region, France) yielded two phases of occupation: ca 700 ka (stratum a) and ca 450 ka (stratum c). No site between these two dates has yet been discovered in the area, and this chronological period has thus been interpreted as a gap in settlement from MIS 16 to MIS 12, two crucial phases of occupation in Western Europe. The record before the long glacial event MIS 12 has been traditionally associated with the onset of the Acheulean in Europe. From MIS 12, the record represents the earliest evidence of innovations, a clear shift in human evolution. Here, we compare these two levels (strata a and c), tracking the technological innovations during this time and combining technological analysis with geometric morphometrics with the use of 3D models comparison of the large cutting tools (LCTs). Stratum a yielded an Early Acheulean, one of the few evidences in Europe presents tools with mainly short shaping sequences on local millstone slabs, with special attention to tips, but with clear management of tool volume. Stratum c, dated to the MIS 11, differs in that both local millstone and flints from distant sources show longer shaping sequences, the use of soft hammers for several series of removals on tools, combined with final regularizing retouch on entire edges. The morphometric approach shows a morphological transition from oval to teardrop shapes for the thinnest tools. Our data suggest a clear technological filiation between strata a and c and in la Noira populations from MIS 16 and MIS 12, as suggested for innovations of core technologies and land-use patterns, and raise question on local human behavioural evolution over the Middle Pleistocene in Western Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides new data on the age and formation processes of Garba I (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash, Ethiopia). The site, one of the largest handaxe accumulations of the African Acheulean, was extensively excavated in the 1960s of the last century by J. Chavaillon but left largely unpublished. The chronology was also poorly constricted. Quartz grains dated through electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry now provide a minimum age of 538 ka for the archaeological layer. In addition, we make available new data allowing an updated interpretation of the stratigraphic sequence and spatial distribution, as well as a detailed taphonomic study of the lithic assemblage. Additional information on the archaeozoological and palaeobotanical record are integrated in the discussion. We conclude that the extensive accumulation of large cuttings tools (LCTs) is not the result of major sedimentary disturbance processes but rather the outcome of a distinct hominin behaviour, which possibly was not focused on the processing and consumption of large mammals. New research at Garba I allows new insights on the Acheulean sites with similar large accumulations of handaxes. Additionally, it contributes to a better understanding of the early Middle Pleistocene in Africa, an under-researched period of the Early Stone Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]