Search

In this article we present the new open-air Middle Pleistocene locality Marathousa 2, which was discovered during a double intensive and targeted field survey in the lignite mines of the Megalopolis basin (Greece). The locality is situated just below the Lignite Seam III of the Marathousa Member (Choremi Formation), and its similar stratigraphic position with the chronologically well-constrained locality Marathousa 1 (dated between 500 and 400 ka and correlated to the Marine Isotope Stage 12) indicates a comparable age for Marathousa 2. The locality most notably yielded dental and postcranial remains of Hippopotamus, with those found at the locality’s Area A most likely belonging to a single individual. The dimensions of the dental elements support an attribution to H. antiquus, a large-sized taxon, almost twice as large as the recent common H. amphibius, and with strong aquatic habits. Cut marks identified on a thoracic vertebra indicate hominin butchering of the carcass. Preliminary paleoenvironmental remarks based on the mammal and mollusk fauna, indicate that hominin activities took place at the margins of or near a perhaps cold freshwater water body, but with temperatures that allowed its persistence throughout the year, and perhaps under drier conditions compared to preceding and succeeding periods in the basin. In addition to the exploitation of elephants in Marathousa 1, Marathousa 2 provides further evidence of megafauna exploitation during the Middle Pleistocene in the Megalopolis Basin and one of the few examples of hippopotamus carcass processing during the Lower Paleolithic in Europe. Therefore, it advances our knowledge of the food acquisition strategies and subsistence behavior of Pleistocene Homo, and highlights the need for further research in the basin, where megafauna is well recorded., PaleoAnthropology, Vol. 2023 No. 1 (2023): (in progress)

In this article, we describe an almost complete macaque mandible from the Middle Pleistocene locality Marathousa 1 in the Megalopolis Basin of southern Greece. The mandible belonged to a male individual of advanced ontogenetic age and of estimated body mass ~13 kg. Comparative metric analysis of its teeth permits its attribution to the Barbary macaque Macaca sylvanus, a species that was geographically widely distributed in Western Eurasia during the Plio-Pleistocene. The dental dimensions of the Marathousa 1macaque fit better within the variation of the Early Pleistocene M. s. florentina and the Middle to Late Pleistocene M. s. pliocena rather than with the extant representative M. s. sylvanus. Moreover, principal component analysis reveals a better match with M. s. pliocena. However, because no clear-cut diagnostic criteria have been defined to differentiate these European fossil subspecies, we attribute the Marathousa 1 specimen to M. s.cf.pliocena, in agreement with the chronology of the locality. Previously known only from the Early Pleistocene of Greece by some isolated teeth, this is the first record of Macaca in the Middle Pleistocene of the country and one of very few in the eastern sector of the peri-Mediterranean region. We discuss the presence of macaques in the paleolake environment of Marathousa 1, as well as their predation risks from both carnivores and hominins present at the locality.

Following the discovery and excavation of the Lower Palaeolithic butchering locality Marathousa 1 (MAR-1; Megalopolis Basin, Peloponnesus, Greece), conducted by the Ephoreia of Paleoanthropology and Speleology, Greek Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, led to the discovery of a new open-air locality, Marathousa 2 (MAR-2), approximately 1.5 km eastern of MAR-1, where stratified fossils were identified on a profile of the Marathousa Member (Choremi Formation), directly below the Lignite Unit III of the Marathousa mine. Two areas were designated, both yielding so far mainly hippopotamid bones: Area A with (cervical and thoracic) vertebrae and ribs belonging to a single individual of Hippopotamus, as well as a mandibular fragment of a fallow deer (Dama sp.), and Area B, about 90 m NW, with isolated dental Hippopotamus specimens. The fossils in both areas occur in the same stratigraphic layer, which consists of brown, organic-rich, clayey fine sands with clay clasts. Although the vertebral plates fuse towards the end of the epiphyseal bone fusing sequence in mammals, the unfused plates of the vertebrae from Area A indicate that they belong to a juvenile-young individual. The study of the dental specimens revealed that they belong to the large-sized Hippopotamus antiquus. This species was present in Europe during the Early–Middle Pleistocene, and although its last occurrences are quite vague, it seems that it was replaced by the extant H. amphibius during the second half of the Middle Pleistocene . Hippopotamus antiquus is already known from MAR-1, dated to between 500 and 400 ka, and the similar stratigraphic position of MAR-2, indicates a comparable age for the locality. Hippopotamus antiquus was a largesized hippopotamid, more than twice as big as the extant H. amphibius, and was highly dependent on water and aquatic vegetation; therefore, its presence indicates the existence of large and permanent freshwater bodies, and, together with the presence of the fallow deer, temperate climatic conditions. The good state of preservation of the MAR-2 bones allows the identification of taphonomic modifications. Of particular importance is a Hippopotamus thoracic vertebra, which shows striations almost at the middle of the lateral side of the spinous process. The three-dimensional virtual reconstructions of the striations with the use of a confocal microscope enabled their micromorphological study and their identification as cut marks. The presence of cut marks indicate human modification of the vertebra by means of butchering activities, possibly attributed to filleting. In addition to the exploitation of straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) in MAR-1, MAR-2 constitutes further evidence of megafauna exploitation during the Middle Pleistocene in the Megalopolis Basin and one of the few examples of hippopotami carcass processing during the Lower Palaeolithic in Europe. As such, it contributes to the better knowledge of the food acquisition strategies and subsistence behavior of Pleistocene Homo, and emphasizes the need for further research in the basin.

Presented here are the deinotheriid dental and postcranial remains from the Late Miocene localities Pikermi and Halmyropotamos (Greece). The study and comparison of the available juvenile dental material from Pikermi with other relevant specimens from Europe showed that it belongs to the huge-sized Deinotherium proavum (=D. gigantissimum). Additionally, several postcranial specimens from Pikermi, as well as from Halmyropotamos, present deinotheriid features, which distinguish them from elephantoids, and permit their attribution also to D. proavum. This species is known from the Turolian and represents the terminal evolutionary stage of the European deinotheres. Its presence in Pikermi and Halmyropotamos is compatible with the middle Turolian (MN 12) age of the localities. Additionally, the taxonomy of European deinotheres is discussed, as well as the biostratigraphical and geographical distribution of D. proavum. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.

The peri-Mediterranean and western Asian Plio-Pleistocene faunas are characterised by the sporadic presence of a palaeotragine taxon with a complex nomenclatural history, usually referred to the genus Mitilanotherium. Due to its rarity, its morphological characters are incompletely known. Recently excavated giraffid material in the Lower Pleistocene locality of Sésklo (Thessaly, Greece) includes an almost complete skull that provides a better knowledge of the taxon’s morphology. The skull is long with a proportionally elongate postorbital part. Dorsally it is very wide, and has a markedly flat cranial roof. The long ossicones emerge supraorbitally and are widely separated. The dentition is brachyodont with short premolar section with regard to other palaeotragines. A stratigraphically associated atlas is very large and robust, implying a very powerful neck. As indicated by the comparisons based on the new material, the samples previously referred to Mitilanotherium and related genera form a homogeneous conspecific group, similar to the Late Miocene palaeotragine species, especially those of the genus Palaeotragus. The main common features include the presence of simple supraorbital cranial appendages, the long postorbital part of the skull, and the long and slender metapodials. The implied close phylogenetic relationship between Mitilanotherium and Palaeotragus points to the synonymy between them, extending the stratigraphic range of Palaeotragus into the Pleistocene. Palaeotragus is a long lived, morphologically conservative genus spanning from about 10-11 to almost 1 million years ago. The Plio-Pleistocene species, P. inexspectatus, was adapted to open and dry habitats of the peri-Mediterranean and SW Asian region.

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of two different doses of ondansetron (8 mg vs. 24 mg) plus dexamethasone in the prevention of cisplatin (CDDP)-induced emesis and nausea (acute and delayed). The persistence of the anti-emetic efficacy during the second cycle of chemotherapy was also assessed. Eighty patients receiving high-dose CDDP (> 80 mg/m2) were randomized to have either ondansetron 8 mg plus dexamethasone 20 mg (8 mg group) or ondansetron 24 mg plus dexamethasone 20 mg (24 mg group), given intravenously as a single dose before the CDDP infusion. From days 2-5, all patients received oral ondansetron 8 mg twice daily. Seventy-five patients (38 in the 8 mg group and 37 in the 24 mg group) were evaluable for analysis. Among these, there were 24 patients who received ifosfamide (IFO) on the 2nd day of treatment these patients were evaluated separately for delayed emesis. Complete protection from acute emesis was obtained in 26 (68.4%) and 26 (70.3%) patients, in the two groups, respectively. Complete protection against acute nausea was achieved in 23 (60.5%) and 24 (64.9%) patients, respectively. With respect to the delayed emesis, complete protection was achieved in 14 (56%) and 13 (50%) patients not receiving IFO and in 4 (30.8%) and 3 (27.3%) of those receiving IFO. The figures for the delayed nausea were: 12 (48%) and 13 (50%), 2 (15.4%) and 2 (18.2%), respectively. Similar protection against emesis and nausea was recorded during the second cycle of chemotherapy. Both regimens have the same efficacy and thus, taking into account the cost-effectiveness, 8 mg of ondansetron plus dexamethasone in a single intravenous dose should be used for the prevention of high-dose CDDP-induced emesis. © 1996 S. Karger AG, Basel. 54 1 6 Cited By :13