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Paleogenetics reveals that imported domestic horses replaced native wild ones in Transcaucasia and Anatolia before 2000 BCE., Despite the important roles that horses have played in human history, particularly in the spread of languages and cultures, and correspondingly intensive research on this topic, the origin of domestic horses remains elusive. Several domestication centers have been hypothesized, but most of these have been invalidated through recent paleogenetic studies. Anatolia is a region with an extended history of horse exploitation that has been considered a candidate for the origins of domestic horses but has never been subject to detailed investigation. Our paleogenetic study of pre- and protohistoric horses in Anatolia and the Caucasus, based on a diachronic sample from the early Neolithic to the Iron Age (~8000 to ~1000 BCE) that encompasses the presumed transition from wild to domestic horses (4000 to 3000 BCE), shows the rapid and large-scale introduction of domestic horses at the end of the third millennium BCE. Thus, our results argue strongly against autochthonous independent domestication of horses in Anatolia.

We investigate the local marine reservoir effect at Kalba, United Arab Emirates (UAE), between the Neolithic and Bronze Age with respect to possible changes through time and mollusk species diversity. Two distinctive species living in close proximity to the mangrove of Khor Kalba provide insights into ocean circulation patterns in this coastal environment. The species selected are the bivalve Anadara uropigimelana, and the gastropod Terebralia palustris. They have been an important local food resource for humans since at least the Neolithic. Our results show that for the Neolithic and Bronze Age, the reservoir effects ΔR are quite different for the species selected. For Anadara spp. the ΔR decreases from 576 ± 90 to 112 ± 44 years, while for Terebralia spp. the reduction ranges from 389 ± 66 to −19 ± 36 years. These results are coeval with other multi-proxies (stalagmite records and sea level changes) for the middle Holocene, and suggest that the main cause of the decreasing reservoir effect is a changing – in this case declining - sea level and an increasingly drier climate.

We recently started a systematic approach to determine the reservoir age in southeast Arabia and its dependence on mollusk species and their environment. This part of the study concentrates on local reservoir age and stable isotopes of the lagoonal species Terebralia palustris and Anadara uropigimelana at Khor Kalba, Oman Sea. Environmental and nutritive influences on mollusks are reflected in the radiocarbon and stable isotope signal. We found a local reservoir age of A. uropigimelana of about 940 yr and that of T. palustris as 800 yr. Sclerochronological analyses yielded information about seasonality of growth and death in A. uropigimelana. The modern shell of Periglypta reticulata shares food resources and habitat with Anadara sp., of which we did not find a modern specimen. It provided information on response to changes in temperature in the lagoonal system needed for suitability as reflecting climatic conditions. We were interested in carbon pathways of the mangrove in Kalba and a mangrove planted anew on a former mangrove sediment in Ajman. Being an obvious source of charcoal and food of T. palustris makes this information necessary. Further analyses will be performed to interpret changes in reservoir age in complex lagoonal systems as reaction to environmental variability.

Grey wolves (Canis lupus) are one of the few large terrestrial carnivores that maintained a wide geographic distribution across the Northern Hemisphere throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene. Recent genetic studies have suggested that, despite this continuous presence, major demographic changes occurred in wolf populations between the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, and that extant wolves trace their ancestry to a single late Pleistocene population. Both the geographic origin of this ancestral population and how it became widespread remain a mystery. Here we analyzed a large dataset of novel modern and ancient mitochondrial wolf genomes, spanning the last 50,000 years, using a spatially and temporally explicit modeling framework to show that contemporary wolf populations across the globe trace their ancestry to an expansion from Beringia at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum - a process most likely driven by the significant ecological changes that occurred across the Northern Hemisphere during this period. This study provides direct ancient genetic evidence that long-range migration has played an important role in the population history of a large carnivore and provides an insight into how wolves survived the wave of megafaunal extinctions at the end of the last glaciation. Moreover, because late Pleistocene grey wolves were the likely source from which all modern dogs trace their origins, the demographic history described in this study has fundamental implications for understanding the geographical origin of the dog.

Taxonomic over-splitting of extinct or endangered taxa, due to an incomplete knowledge of both skeletal morphological variability and the geographical ranges of past populations, continues to confuse the link between isolated extant populations and their ancestors. This is particularly problematic with the genusEquus.To more reliably determine the evolution and phylogeographic history of the endangered Asiatic wild ass, we studied the genetic diversity and inter-relationships of both extinct and extant populations over the last 100,000 years, including samples throughout its previous range from Western Europe to Southwest and East Asia. Using 229 bp of the mitochondrial hypervariable region, an approach which allowed the inclusion of information from extremely poorly preserved ancient samples, we classify all non-African wild asses into nine clades that show a clear phylogeographic structure revealing their phylogenetic history. This study places the extinct European wild ass,E. hydruntinus, the phylogeny of which has been debated since the end of the 19thcentury, into its phylogenetic context within the Asiatic wild asses and reveals recent gene flow events between populations currently regarded as separate species. The phylogeographic organization of clades resulting from these efforts can be used not only to improve future taxonomic determination of a poorly characterized group of equids, but also to identify historic ranges, interbreeding events between various populations, and the impact of ancient climatic changes. In addition, appropriately placing extant relict populations into a broader phylogeographic and genetic context can better inform ongoing conservation strategies for this highly endangered species.

Background Climatic and environmental fluctuations as well as anthropogenic pressure have led to the extinction of much of Europe’s megafauna. The European bison or wisent (Bison bonasus), one of the last wild European large mammals, narrowly escaped extinction at the onset of the 20th century owing to hunting and habitat fragmentation. Little is known, however, about its origin, evolutionary history and population dynamics during the Pleistocene. Results Through ancient DNA analysis we show that the emblematic European bison has experienced several waves of population expansion, contraction, and extinction during the last 50,000 years in Europe, culminating in a major reduction of genetic diversity during the Holocene. Fifty-seven complete and partial ancient mitogenomes from throughout Europe, the Caucasus, and Siberia reveal that three populations of wisent (Bison bonasus) and steppe bison (B. priscus) alternately occupied Western Europe, correlating with climate-induced environmental changes. The Late Pleistocene European steppe bison originated from northern Eurasia, whereas the modern wisent population emerged from a refuge in the southern Caucasus after the last glacial maximum. A population overlap during a transition period is reflected in ca. 36,000-year-old paintings in the French Chauvet cave. Bayesian analyses of these complete ancient mitogenomes yielded new dates of the various branching events during the evolution of Bison and its radiation with Bos, which lead us to propose that the genetic affiliation between the wisent and cattle mitogenomes result from incomplete lineage sorting rather than post-speciation gene flow. Conclusion The paleogenetic analysis of bison remains from the last 50,000 years reveals the influence of climate changes on the dynamics of the various bison populations in Europe, only one of which survived into the Holocene, where it experienced severe reductions in its genetic diversity. The time depth and geographical scope of this study enables us to propose temperate Western Europe as a suitable biotope for the wisent compatible with its reintroduction. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-016-0317-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Key to the understanding of Pleistocene human dispersals and settlement dynamics is knowledge about the distribution of human habitats in space and time. To add information about the characteristics of inhabited environments along the South Arabian dispersal route, this paper presents paleo-environmental data from deposits excavated at Jebel Faya (FAY-NE1) in the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE. The sedimentary sequence at FAY-NE1 spans a period of about 125,000 years, including the last interglacial and the Holocene. Particle size and phytolith content of samples from two sediment columns were analyzed, including both archaeology bearing layers and archaeologically sterile layers. The results demonstrate that human occupation of the site is related to pluvial periods. Assemblage C, dated to about 127–123 ka, was deposited during a wet phase with an environment characterized by an increased proportion of C 3 grasses. Grassland with sedges but lacking tree cover characterize ecological conditions during the youngest of the Paleolithic occupation periods, Assemblage A, dated to about 45–40 ka. Environmental conditions during periods lacking archaeological remains are characterized by the absence of vegetation cover during phases of desiccation. There is no evidence for human presence at the site between 38 and 11 ka.

Stratified sites at Jebel Faya in the Central Region of the Emirate of Sharjah provide evidence for successive ‘facies’ of the Neolithic period. The oldest facies — found at FAY-NE 1 — yielded 14C dates in the late ninth millennium cal BC and is characterised by blade arrowheads which are morphologically similar to PPNB points. With 14C dates from the late eighth and early seventh millennia cal BC, a techno-complex of large flint artefacts from FAY-NE10 represents the second Neolithic facies in the area. A sheep tooth from FAY-NE10, associated to the third facies — characterised by trihedral rods — provides evidence for a Neolithic economy. The respective layer contains numerous small fragments of cremated human bone. It dates to around 6000 cal BC. The fourth facies corresponds to the well-known ‘Arabian Bifacial Tradition’ and has radiocarbon dates from just before 5000 cal BC to just after 4000 cal BC. The Final Neolithic — found at shell-middens on the coast of the Gulf of Oman — is to date not represented in the interior.

The basic precondition for the transformation of animals into “commodities” – defined as useful articles or facilities – is their immediate availability for the intended purpose. This is certainly not the case for animals living free in the wild. Domestication – or at least taming – is therefore the basic precondition for human use of live animals for whatever purpose. Research into the origins of animal domestication has a long tradition, which began with Charles Darwin (1868) and continues to the present day (e.g. Clutton-Brook (1999); Hongo et al. (2009); Conolly et al. (2011)). Definitions of domestication vary, but there is basic agreement that – in biological terms – domestication can be understood as separation of a domestic sub-population from the original wild population of the same species. Domestication must therefore be seen both as an anthropogenic and a biological process.

Alignment of the HVR sequences obtained in the present study. Alignment of the sequences originating from the samples listed in Table S1 using the primers listed in Additional file 1: Table S6. (PPTX 131 kb)

Distribution of the SNP density along the mitogenome for sequences analyzed in this study. Each bison mitogenome was aligned pairwise to the same outgroup, the bovine mitogenome reference sequence. The quantity of SNPs in 50 bp-long sliding windows (step of 5 bp) is plotted in ordinate alongside the length of the mitogenome in abscissa. Protein and RNA coding genes, and the HVR are schematized below in green, purple and pink, respectively. (PPTX 271 kb)

Description of the samples that yielded genetic results and of their sites of origin. (DOCX 761 kb)

Schematic representation of the two hypotheses describing the mtDNA segregation pattern between B. p taurus, B. bonasus, and B. priscus/bison. Species tree and embedded mtDNA tree are shown with the age estimate of the two nodes and the 95 % HPD bar are represented to scale using the values estimated with the Bayesian analyses of the complete mitogenomes presented in Fig. 3. Hypothesis 2 of the post-speciation gene flow requires a rapid speciation event taking place just during the short time-interval between the two nodes. This hypothesis appears less parsimonious because speciation is clearly gradual since it has not yet completely prevented interfertility between Bos and Bison even 800 kyr after the hypothesized rapid speciation event. (PPTX 45 kb)

Map showing the location of the various sites in Western Europe that yielded the samples described in this study. (PPTX 1296 kb)

Small fragments of cremated human bone, clearly representing numerous individuals, were found in a stratified Neolithic context in a small cave at Jebel Faya in the Central Region of the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. With radiocarbon dates between 6500 and 5800 cal BC, they are among the earliest well-documented cases of cremations in south-west Asia. Taxonomic identification of the small burned bone fragments is based on morphological and histological analysis. The deposits are to date the oldest human remains found in south-east Arabia and represent a phase during the Middle Neolithic for which no other types of burials have yet been documented.

Kesslerloch Cave in Switzerland is one of the major Magdalenian sites in Central Europe. During a recent reanalysis of the faunal remains, we identified a cranial fragment and teeth of the domestic dog. The large maxillar fragment was directly dated to 12.225±45 bp (KIA-33350) or c. 14.100-14.600 BP. The finds are metrically well below the natural variability of wolves from both Palaeolithic and recent times and even show slight morphological differences to the wild wolves from the site. We argue that the maxilla fragment must now be considered the earliest indisputable directly dated evidence of a domestic dog. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The results of two seasons of research at Hamriya and Tell Abraq (Sharjah, UAE) by an international team of researchers are presented. The research has revealed extensive evidence for occupation from c. 5000 BC to the recent past adjoining lagoon areas that face the Arabian Gulf. C14 analysis of shells has contributed to understanding the chronology of settlement and also assisted our understanding of species-specific deviation from the global reservoir effect.

The extinct aurochs (Bos primigenius primigenius) was a large type of cattle that ranged over almost the whole Eurasian continent. The aurochs is the wild progenitor of modern cattle, but it is unclear whether European aurochs contributed to this process. To provide new insights into the demographic history of aurochs and domestic cattle, we have generated high-confidence mitochondrial DNA sequences from 59 archaeological skeletal finds, which were attributed to wild European cattle populations based on their chronological date and/or morphology. All pre-Neolithic aurochs belonged to the previously designated P haplogroup, indicating that this represents the Late Glacial Central European signature. We also report one new and highly divergent haplotype in a Neolithic aurochs sample from Germany, which points to greater variability during the Pleistocene. Furthermore, the Neolithic and Bronze Age samples that were classified with confidence as European aurochs using morphological criteria all carry P haplotype mitochondrial DNA, suggesting continuity of Late Glacial and Early Holocene aurochs populations in Europe. Bayesian analysis indicates that recent population growth gives a significantly better fit to our data than a constant-sized population, an observation consistent with a postglacial expansion scenario, possibly from a single European refugial population. Previous work has shown that most ancient and modern European domestic cattle carry haplotypes previously designated T. This, in combination with our new finding of a T haplotype in a very Early Neolithic site in Syria, lends persuasive support to a scenario whereby gracile Near Eastern domestic populations, carrying predominantly T haplotypes, replaced P haplotype-carrying robust autochthonous aurochs populations in Europe, from the Early Neolithic onward. During the period of coexistence, it appears that domestic cattle were kept separate from wild aurochs and introgression was extremely rare.

Despite Paleolithic research dating back to the 1860s, little evidence for parietal art has been documented in the caves of Central Europe. However, on August 3, 1998, Patrick Russel, a member of the excavation team at Hohle Fels cave, located near Schelklingen, Germany (fig. 1), recovered a painted rock fragment from an archaeological horizon containing abundant Magdalenian artifacts. The find was photographed in situ and belongs to geological stratum 1k. This fragment of limestone preserves a double row of seven and a truncated double row of four dark-red, subcircular dots and provides new evidence for rock paiting in Central Europe. While an earlier age cannot be ruled out, stylistic and contextual arguments suggest that the depiction dates to the Magdalenian (Conard and Floss 1999). The rich Magdalenian layers of Hohle Fels are well documented and date to ca. 13,000 b.p. (Blumentritt and Hahn 1991, Housley et al. 1997, Conard and Uerpmann 1999).

Animal burials from a graveyard at Mleiha in the interior of the Sharjah Emirate (U.A.E.) are described and documented with regard to the archaeozoology of the represented species. These are two horses, nine dromedaries, and three camel hybrids. The hybrids represent crossbreeds between two-humped Bactrian camels and one-humped Arabian dromedaries where the latter species has been the female parent. According to their central position in the graveyard, the hybrids seem to have been status animals. One of the horses was in a similar position while the other was in a peripheral grave together with a dromedary.

The timing of the dispersal of anatomically modern humans (AMH) out of Africa is a fundamental question in human evolutionary studies. Existing data suggest a rapid coastal exodus via the Indian Ocean rim around 60,000 years ago. We present evidence from Jebel Faya, United Arab Emirates, demonstrating human presence in eastern Arabia during the last interglacial. The tool kit found at Jebel Faya has affinities to the late Middle Stone Age in northeast Africa, indicating that technological innovation was not necessary to facilitate migration into Arabia. Instead, we propose that low eustatic sea level and increased rainfall during the transition between marine isotope stages 6 and 5 allowed humans to populate Arabia. This evidence implies that AMH may have been present in South Asia before the Toba eruption (1).

International audience; The prey choice of extinct cave lions Panthera spelaea was determined using bone collagen isotopic signatures in the Belgian Ardennes and the Swabian Jura between 40,000 and 25,000 years ago as well as in the Late-glacial of the northwestern Alp foreland and of the Paris Basin. More than 370 specimens of large carnivorous and herbivorous mammals from 25 sites coeval with cave lion were analyzed. The isotopic results point to an individualistic prey choice for cave lions, with some individuals more oriented on reindeer and others on young cave bears. The isotopic signatures and therefore dietary choice of cave lions did not overlap with those of cave hyenas, indicating competitive exclusion between the large predators. The most recent western European cave lions seem to have been consuming mainly reindeer until the local extirpation of this prey species, which coincides chronologically with their own extinction. This restricted prey choice may be involved in the extinction of this large predator in Western Europe. Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.

Les résultats d'un sondage effectué en 1989 dans la grotte ď Öküzini — présentés ici— apportent, avec les travaux récents dans la grotte voisine de Karain В, une contribution à la connaissance du peuplement de la région ď Antalya jusqu'au début de l'Holocène. Alors que vers 12 500 BP Karain servait uniquement de station de chasse, Öküzini témoigne d'une utilisation plus grande des ressources végétales. La région semble alors avoir été exploitée en fonction des saisons.

Some 60 000 finds offish bones from Bronze-Age harbour sites on the Arabian shores of the Irano-Arabian Gulf were evaluated with regard to their contribution to the understanding of the role of fisheries within the subsistence activities of the inhabitants. Fishing grounds and potential technologies - as reflected in the spectra offish species - were analysed. Both coastal and open waters were exploited at all sites, the catches usually reflecting an opportunistic approach rather than selective fishing techniques. At the evaluated sites neither tunas at the upper end of the size spectrum nor sardines or other small fish were of any economic importance. On the whole the contribution offish to human nutrition at all sites was very important, although detailed quantifications are impossible due to differential taphonomic loss offish bones versus the remains of other leftovers of Bronze-Age food., Environ 60 000 fragments d'ossements de poissons ont été analysés, provenant de gisements de l'âge du Bronze localisés sur la côte arabe du golfe Arabo-Persique afin d'apprécier le rôle de la pêche dans les activités liées à la subsistance des habitants. L 'étude des milieux marins exploités et des techniques de capture s 'est faite à partir de l'analyse des spectres des espèces de poissons retrouvés. Dans tous les sites, les zones littorales et les zones pélagiques ont été exploitées. Les captures témoignent plutôt d'une approche opportuniste que d'une technique de pêche sélective. Les sites passés en revue montrent que ni les thons à l'extrémité supérieure du spectre, ni les sardines ou autres petits poissons n 'ont joué un rôle économique important. Toutefois, la contribution de la pêche pour la nutrition humaine était partout très importante. Il reste malheureusement impossible de quantifier cette importance par rapport aux autres restes alimentaires de l 'âge du Bronze car des facteurs taphonomiques différentiels ont affecté ceux-ci., Uerpmann Margarethe, Uerpmann Hans-Peter. Fish exploitation at Bronze Age harbour sites in the Arabian Gulf area. In: Paléorient, 2005, vol. 31, n°1. Anciennes exploitations des mers et des cours d'eau en Asie du Sud-Ouest. Approches environnementales. pp. 108-115.

Based on the animal bone finds from the excavations at Troia and Kumtepe the development of subsistence economy in the Troad is outlined. Stable proportions between the domestic animals developed during the final fourth millennium b.c. at Kumtepe and were gradually modified in response to population development through the prehistoric and historic periods of Troia. A marked deviation from the basic pattern only occurs during period Troia IV. A climatic deterioration is made responsible for this shift. The dependence of faunal spectra and species proportions on environmental versus socio-economic factors is discussed.

This paper describes how the study of animal bones from archaeological sites ('osteo‐archaeology') may contribute to our reconstruction of cultural and economic history. Methods of identification, quantification and sex and age determination are critically reviewed. The basic problem of relating bone debris at archaeological sites to a prehistoric animal population is discussed.

The Konya basin in south central Turkey, which is now largely dry, was formerly occupied by an extensive lake1,2. Although the lake is generally considered to be of glacial age, its precise chronology has remained uncertain3. We report here preliminary 14C dates on shells which suggest that lake level attained its last maximum 23,000–17,000 yr ago. We further propose that its subsequent retreat reflects a late glacial climate that was dry as well as cold.

Le Neolithique en tant que periode prehistorique est defini par la presence des animaux domestiques, particulierement des ovins et/ou des caprines. Les ancetres sauvages de ces animaux vivent au Proche-Orient. Il n’a pas existe une domestication separee en Mediterranee occidentale. Des eleveurs anciens de mouton sont arrives dans le Midi de la France avant que le Neolithique cardial n’occupe la zone cotiere.

First evidence of prehistoric coastal adaptations along the Arabian shores of the Indian Ocean is being recovered at Qurum in the Sultanate of Oman. The cluster of shell‐middens currently excavated relates to a small population of fishermen of the 5th and 4th millennia B.C. having a strongly maritime‐oriented culture. The economy was based on local resource intensification, but stock‐breeding of goats and cattle was practised as well, suggesting early contacts with farming groups and the spreading of domesticates through coastal interchanges.