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Human evolutionary ecology stands to benefit by integrating theory and methods developed in movement ecology, and in turn, to make contributions to the broader field of movement ecology by leveraging our species' distinct attributes. In this paper, we review data and evolutionary models suggesting that major changes in socio-spatial behaviour accompanied the evolution of language. To illustrate and explore these issues, we present a comparison of GPS measures of the socio-spatial behaviour of Hadza hunter–gatherers of northern Tanzania to those of olive baboons (Papio anubis), a comparatively small-brained primate that is also savanna-adapted. While standard spatial metrics show modest differences, measures of spatial diversity, landscape exploration and spatiotemporal displacement between individuals differ markedly. Groups of Hadza foragers rapidly accumulate a vast, diverse knowledge pool about places and things over the horizon, contrasting with the baboon's narrower and more homogeneous pool of ecological information. The larger and more complex socio-spatial world illustrated by the Hadza is one where heightened cognitive abilities for spatial and episodic memory, navigation, perspective taking and communication about things beyond the here and now all have clear value. This article is part of the theme issue 'The spatial–social interface: a theoretical and empirical integration'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothesized main drivers of megafauna extinctions in the late Quaternary have wavered between over-exploitation by humans and environmental change, with recent investigations demonstrating more nuanced synergies between these drivers depending on taxon, spatial scale, and region. However, most studies still rely on comparing archaeologically based chronologies of timing of initial human arrival into naïve ecosystems and palaeontologically inferred dates of megafauna extinctions. Conclusions arising from comparing chronologies also depend on the reliability of dated evidence, dating uncertainties, and correcting for the low probability of preservation (Signor–Lipps effect). While some models have been developed to test the susceptibility of megafauna to theoretical offtake rates, none has explicitly linked human energetic needs, prey choice, and hunting efficiency to examine the plausibility of human-driven extinctions. Using the island of Cyprus in the terminal Pleistocene as an ideal test case because of its late human settlement (~14.2–13.2 ka), small area (~11 000 km2), and low megafauna diversity (2 species), we developed stochastic models of megafauna population dynamics, with offtake dictated by human energetic requirements, prey choice, and hunting-efficiency functions to test whether the human population at the end of the Pleistocene could have caused the extinction of dwarf hippopotamus (Phanourios minor) and dwarf elephants (Palaeoloxodon cypriotes). Our models reveal not only that the estimated human population sizes (n = 3000–7000) in Late Pleistocene Cyprus could have easily driven both species to extinction within < 1000 years, the model predictions match the observed, Signor–Lipps-corrected chronological sequence of megafauna extinctions inferred from the palaeontological record (P. minor at ~12–11.1 ka, followed by P. cypriotes at ~10.3–9.1 ka). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that having a reputation for being prosocial is a critical part of social status across all human societies. It has also been argued that prosocial behavior confers benefits, whether physiological, such as stress reduction, or social, such as building allies or becoming more popular. Here, we investigate the relationship between helping reputation (being named as someone others would go to for help), and hair-derived chronic stress (hair cortisol concentration). In a sample of 77 women and 62 men, we found that perceived helping reputation was not related to chronic stress. Overall, the results of our study suggest that, in an egalitarian society with fluid camp membership and widely practiced generosity such as the Hadza, helping reputation does not necessarily boost stress-related health benefits through prestige-signaling mechanisms observed in hierarchical, large-scale societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we analyse the mobility of complex hunter-gatherers in the Lower Paraná wetland (South America) through δ18O values. To do this, we characterise the isotopic composition of water and bioapatite of stenoic and sedentary species from the region and the surrounding Pampa plain, and then we compare them with those obtained in human bones recovered at local archaeological sites. The results show that humans appear to have developed spatial stability strategies within certain areas, which is consistent with archaeological models of social circumscription among these pre-Columbian populations. Other finding of this study shows that any organism that moves along the middle and lower Paraná valley will not present differences in its δ18O values, but small transverse movements will produce significant variations, which relativises to some degree, the concept of 'local' and 'non-local' in the region. This study also addresses the methodological problems related to the characterisation of δ18O values in irregular environments, highlighting the importance of developing baselines based on local biocenoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study represents the first extensive residue analysis of prehistoric pottery from northern Belgium. It examines pottery use and culinary practices across the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition, from the late 6th to the early 4th millennium cal BC. Residue analyses were performed on more than 200 samples from nine archaeological sites, representing different cultural groups from this transitional phase. This includes the analysis of charred food residues encrusted on the vessel surfaces by elemental analysis-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA-IRMS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), stereomicroscopic analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), as well as the analysis of absorbed lipids by gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). This study provides the first evidence of ruminant dairy fats in Early Neolithic Limburg pottery, supporting the hypothesis that this pottery was produced and used by LBK farmers rather than hunter-gatherer populations. The first indigenous pottery of the Swifterbant culture was frequently used to process freshwater fish (often together with plant foods) and ruminant meat, although several of the studied vessels likely contained mixtures of resources which could also include porcine products. Ruminant dairy is nearly absent from this pottery. Similar results were obtained for pottery of the subsequent Michelsberg culture/Group of Spiere of the late 5th and early 4th millennium cal BC. The limited presence of ruminant dairy fats in this pottery contrasts with the findings for Middle Neolithic pottery from neighbouring regions, providing further evidence for the existence of regional variations in pottery use or culinary practices throughout prehistoric NW Europe. However, our current view of pottery use during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in northern Belgium might be biased by the difficulties in distinguishing between wild and domesticated ruminant adipose fats as well as in detecting plant foods through lipid residue analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract It has been suggested that having a reputation for being prosocial is a critical part of social status across all human societies. It has also been argued that prosocial behavior confers benefits, whether physiological, such as stress reduction, or social, such as building allies or becoming more popular. Here, we investigate the relationship between helping reputation (being named as someone others would go to for help), and hair-derived chronic stress (hair cortisol concentration). In a sample of 77 women and 62 men, we found that perceived helping reputation was not related to chronic stress. Overall, the results of our study suggest that, in an egalitarian society with fluid camp membership and widely practiced generosity such as the Hadza, helping reputation does not necessarily boost stress-related health benefits through prestige-signaling mechanisms observed in hierarchical, large-scale societies.

Abstract Consensus holds that pottery technology came to Central Europe from the Northern Balkans with independent pottery traditions existing concurrently in Eastern Europe. An unusual grass-tempered pottery dating back to around 5800 cal BC found in lake sediments at Santovka, Slovakia, predated the earliest known Neolithic pottery in the region (~ 5500 cal BC), suggesting unexplored narratives of pottery introduction. Analyses of the pottery’s technology, origin, and grass temper shedding light on ceramic traditions' spread can unveil mobility patterns and community lifestyles. Our findings indicate a non-local provenance, low temperature firing, Festugc sp. grass temper and unique rectangular or cylindrical vessel shapes which align with Eastern European hunter-gatherer practices. Moreover, the pottery style and technology have no analogies in the contemporary Danubian pottery traditions and have more similarities to those of the Eastern traditions. The pottery's raw materials likely originated from distant areas, indicating extensive territorial access for its creators. Our findings imply late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers as the probable artisans and with implications for the site's significance in the late Mesolithic landscape.

Perspectives on human–animal relationships are changing in archaeology and related disciplines. Analytical models that distinguish foraging from food production remain popular, but scholars are beginning to recognize greater variability in the ways people understood and engaged with animals in the past. In southern Africa, researchers have observed that wild animals were economically and socially important to recent agropastoral societies. However, archaeological models emphasize cattle keeping and downplay the role of hunting among past farming groups. To address this discrepancy and investigate human–wild animal interactions over the last ~ 2000 years, we examined zooarchaeological data from 54 southern African Iron Age (first and second millennium AD) farming sites. Diversity and taxonomic information highlights how often and what types of animals people hunted. Comparisons with earlier and contemporaneous forager and herder sites in southern and eastern Africa show that hunting for social and economic purposes characterized the spread of farming and rise of complex societies in southern Africa. The long-term cultural integration of wild animals into food-producing societies is unusual from a Global South perspective and warrants reappraisal of forager/farmer dichotomies in non-Western contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research contributes to the reconstruction of the knowledge and the dynamics of the use of spaces with plant resources, on a regional scale, between 8100 and 4500 years BP in the southern Argentine Puna, taking into account that during this period, which corresponds to the Middle Holocene, there were climatic changes that affected the distribution and density of resource patches and optimal/non-optimal or marginal areas. The Holocene is characterized in the Puna by a pronounced aridity that deepens during the mentioned period, therefore changes related to the distribution of plant resources have occurred. Framed in this perspective, this work focuses on the Cueva Salamanca 1 site, located in the middle-lower course of the Las Pitas River, microregion of Antofagasta de la Sierra, Catamarca. The general objective is to continue the analysis of the production of technofactures in this site, emphasizing the catchment areas and the origin of the resources used as raw materials. The knowledge of the species used and their origin determined the steps to follow from a methodological point of view: surveys around the archaeological site, collection and identification of plant species that develop in the area, identification of archaeological species through studies of comparative anatomy in relation to the current taxa present in the microregion, using the SI Herbarium for the identification of non-local species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research reflection is to revisit the foundations upon which we constitute our understanding of the good life. Specifically, we think it is important for our field to unmoor itself from the myth that the advent of agriculture led to increased leisure time. To make our case, we recount two strikingly different narratives of the settings in which leisure is proported to flourish that we believe help us make sense of the current 21st century paradox of the most technologically advanced globalized society yearning for leisure, but endlessly falling short of its aspirations. In contrast, we revisit ethnographies of the Ju/'hoansi, hunter-gatherers in the Kalahari Desert of sub-Saharan Africa. Despite cyclical famine, drought, colonial incursions and de facto post-colonial rule, the Ju/'hoansi held superior leisure time to people living in Western societies, begging the question of why our field has paid them so little attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Changes in lifestyle and dietary habits that hunter‐gatherer populations have undergone in recent decades have often led to rising obesity rates with disastrous consequences for their health. Objectives: The associations between dietary habits and weight status were studied in 238 "Ju/'hoansi" San (93 women and 145 men) aged between 18 and 65 years in northern Namibia in 1987. Weight status was estimated based on the World Health Organization body mass index (BMI) categories, and dietary habits were recorded using food recall methods. Anthropometrics and weight status were compared with those of a sex‐ and age‐matched sample of "Ju/'hoansi" San people collected by Nancy Howell in 1968/69. Results: Body weight had increased significantly among "Ju/'hoansi" San people from 1968/69 to 1987. The number of underweight people decreased from 1968/69 to 1987. In 1987, most participants (60.9%) were of normal weight. Overweight was found in 1.3% of the women, but not among men. No participants were obese. Less than 4% of the women and less than 2% of the men consumed exclusively traditional hunter‐gatherer food. Westernized food products were significantly (p < 0.001) more common among men and younger people. Dietary patterns were significantly associated with weight status. The less traditional the diet, the higher the BMI (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The transition to domestic agricultural and westernized foods was positively associated with increasing BMI. Overweight, however, was still an extremely rare condition in this population in 1987. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to propose new approaches for interpretations and inferences in the archaeological contexts of outdoor sites related to hunter-gatherer groups who occupied the ecosystems of the Brazilian Cerrado neotropical savannas which, due to the scarcity of elements that can corroborate the identification and characterization of a possible sociocultural dynamics around the use of natural resources, have their economic and subsistence models based on ethnographic analogies and correlations. From the perspective of archaeological and ethnoarchaeological studies, we propose the use of analogies, correlations and discussions with contemporary groups, using natural resources of the forests as their main source of food and materials, as a way to reconstruct past dynamics through the application of models in archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we study the relationships between plants and extinct megafauna by examining the characteristics of the vegetation in the central region of Argentina (i.e. Espinal, Monte, and Chaco phytogeographic regions). First, we study the size, shape, quantity, and characteristics of fruits and seeds. We also evaluate the presence of mechanical (spinescence and wood density) and chemical (secondary metabolic compounds) defenses against high rates of herbivory. Complementarily, we assess the importance these plants had for human populations, using archeological, ethnographic, and current data. A high percentage of the analyzed plants met the criteria proposed for fruits and seeds dispersed by megafauna, together with a high frequency of spinescence, high density woods, and secondary metabolites. We propose that these traits cannot be explained by the herbivory pressure of extant fauna in the area, but rather developed in interaction with currently extinct fauna. We suggest that Pleistocene megafaunal extinction had important consequences in the region due to their role as ecosystem engineers and to vegetation's characteristics, which were probably strongly shaped by megafauna activities. Among these consequences, we discuss the loss of certain interactions between these animals and vegetation, such as loss of seed dispersal mechanisms, shrub invasion, and increased susceptibility of vegetation to fire. Other effects for hunter-gatherer groups were the generation of highly regulated mobility patterns and the formation of barriers for the dispersal of prey. Finally, we also discuss the importance of these plants for human populations as food, construction material, medicines and firewood. Likewise, the role of humans as "heirs" of the megafauna in the propagation of tree and shrub species is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today's biodiversity crisis fundamentally threatens the habitability of the planet, thus ranking among the primary human challenges of our time. Much emphasis is currently placed on the loss of biodiversity in the Anthropocene, yet these debates often portray biodiversity as a purely natural phenomenon without much consideration of its human dimensions and frequently lack long-term vistas. This paper offers a deep-time perspective on the key role of the evolving human niche in ecosystem functioning and biodiversity dynamics. We summarize research on past hunter–gatherer ecosystem contributions and argue that human–environment feedback systems with important biodiversity consequences are probably a recurrent feature of the Late Pleistocene, perhaps with even deeper roots. We update current understandings of the human niche in this light and suggest that the formation of palaeo-synanthropic niches in other animals proffers a powerful model system to investigate recursive interactions of foragers and ecosystems. Archaeology holds important knowledge here and shows that ecosystem contributions vary greatly in relation to different human lifeways, some of which are lost today. We therefore recommend paying more attention to the intricate relationship between biodiversity and cultural diversity, contending that promotion of the former depends on fostering the latter. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the final Late Holocene, there was a socio‐economic reorganization among the people in the central‐western of Santa Cruz, Argentina. Analysis of bone collagen revealed that hunter–gatherer groups maintained a consistent diet rich in steppe animal protein for the past 3000 years. However, there was a change in bioapatite δ13C values in the last 1000 years, indicating a shift in the whole diet that was not reflected in the protein component. This article seeks to evaluate the differential consumption of resources over time and between sexes among hunter–gatherer populations in the region. A total of 39 adult individuals of both sexes, recovered from stone burial structures with different chronologies, were analyzed. Quantitative diet reconstruction was achieved through the use of the Bayesian mixing model known as Food Reconstruction Using Isotopic Transferred Signals (FRUITS). The results show that the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) was the most consumed animal throughout the studied period, considering both temporal and sex differences. Additionally, there is an increased importance of plant consumption in the last millennium, particularly among females. However, this can be the result of overrepresentation of this resource in our food web samples, due to the impossibility of resolving the origin of the carbon for the formation of bioapatite values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we study diet composition of prehistoric human populations of Northwest Patagonia by exploring the combination of two different approaches frequently used in bioarchaeology, Bayesian isotope mixing models, and zooarchaeological analysis. For this purpose, we compiled a large dataset of previously published δ13C and δ15N human and resource values, as well as zooarchaeological data, corresponding to the Middle–Late Holocene and distributed throughout Northwest Patagonia. We first propose a replicable approach to divide the region into different areas comprising human individuals that shared the same available resources and perform isotope mixing models at individual level using default (i.e., uninformative) prior distributions in the Bayesian mixing models. Then, we explore a potential complementation of isotopic and zooarchaeological evidence by introducing the frequency of zooarchaeological assemblages with the different resources, as well as NISP, as priors in the Bayesian mixing models to guide diet estimations. Additionally, we use these frequencies to analyze the possible absence of some important resources in previous analyses. Based on the species distribution and geographical location of bioarchaeological sites, we divided the region into five areas (Northwest and Northeast Neuquén, South Neuquén/Rio Negro, and Southwest and Central‐east Mendoza) that differ in the resources available for potential human consumption. The results obtained show high diet variability among these areas, with individuals from Northwest and Northeast Neuquén consuming mainly large animals (i.e., guanaco and rhea, respectively) and South Neuquén/Rio Negro and Center‐east and Southwest Mendoza consuming a larger diversity of resources. Our results show that considering zooarchaeological priors in the analyses results in diet composition estimations more in line with the ecological diversity present in the region than previous estimations. We propose that approaches like this, which are common in ecological studies, should be considered in bioarchaeology to make more robust estimates of diet composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work reported in this article explores stone knapping learning processes through the study of a Late Upper Palaeolithic workshop in the Italian Alps, so as to contribute to the framework of today's debate on social learning. Social learning is an essential process for human evolution as it fosters the development of brain districts, the building of knowledge and the acquisition of new skills. Results suggest that knapping learning was likely a structured activity at the site. Moreover, this analysis helped the reconstruction of the social organisation and composition of this past group of hunter-gatherers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupation of the foraging niche requires an extensive body of ecological knowledge, and humans rely heavily on social learning to master this curriculum in a safe, efficient, timely manner. This presents a formidable information management problem: In the absence of writing, how did ancestral hunter-gatherer societies accurately store and transmit their accumulated knowledge from generation to generation? Pronounced patterns in forager oral story corpora suggest a partial answer. Cross-culturally, these stories exhibit similar themes, genres, and characters, which in turn map onto critical domains of ecological knowledge. These stories also exhibit pronounced consistencies in their formal properties, predictably utilizing strategies that engage attention (e.g., ostensive communication) and facilitate memorization (e.g., repetition, rhythm, imagery). These patterns suggest that storytelling is an information technology that addresses key problems posed by our entry into the information niche: in conjunction with other forms of symbolic behavior (e.g., ritual, visual art, song, dance, games) storytelling provides a mnemonic framework for encoding accumulated knowledge, rules for faithfully copying it, and regular occasions for refreshing and transmitting it. Collectively, these behaviors may have been instrumental in the emergence of cumulative culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the interplay of environmental change and human demographic shifts among late Pleistocene and Holocene populations in the hyper-arid context of the Central Namib Gravel plains, Western Namibia. This paper applies a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach to arid-zone hunter-gatherer mobility patterns and settlement systems based on variability among ethnographically and historically observed groups. It then applies this model in examining issues related to the Middle-to-Later Stone Age transition at the sites of Erb Tanks and the Mirabib rock shelter. This model suggests that, among modern arid-zone foragers, population density is by far the strongest factor influencing mobility and settlement systems, with higher population densities favoring longer residential site usages and shorter residential moves within smaller territories. In contrast, environmental variables having to do with annual rainfall, rainfall seasonality, and effective temperature affect mobility and settlement systems in ambiguous and statistically insignificant ways. This paper closes by arguing that regional-scale population increases signaled by various features of Later Stone Age archaeological patterning led to local population expansions in the Central Namib Desert, and that this in turn caused a range of recognizable cultural shifts that were strongly linked with adaptations to aridity.

Este artículo tiene como objetivo proponer nuevos enfoques para interpretaciones e inferencias en los contextos arqueológicos de sitios al aire libre relacionados con grupos de cazadores-recolectores que ocuparon los ecosistemas de las sabanas neotropicales de los cerrados brasileños que, debido a la escasez de elementos que puedan corroborar la identificación y caracterización de una posible dinámica sociocultural en torno al uso de los recursos naturales, tienen sus modelos económicos y de subsistencia basados en analogías y correlaciones etnográficas. Desde la perspectiva de los estudios arqueológicos y etnoarqueológicos, proponemos el uso de analogías, correlaciones y discusiones con grupos contemporáneos, que utilizan los recursos naturales de los bosques como principal fuente de alimentación y materiales, como una forma de reconstruir dinámicas del pasado mediante la aplicación de modelos en arqueología. ENGLISH: This paper aims to propose new approaches for interpretations and inferences in the archaeological contexts of outdoor sites related to hunter-gatherer groups who occupied the ecosystems of the Brazilian Cerrado neotropical savannas which, due to the scarcity of elements that can corroborate the identification and characterization of a possible sociocultural dynamics around the use of natural resources, have their economic and subsistence models based on ethnographic analogies and correlations. From the perspective of archaeological and ethnoarchaeological studies, we propose the use of analogies, correlations and discussions with contemporary groups, using natural resources of the forests as their main source of food and materials, as a way to reconstruct past dynamics through the application of models in archaeology.

The hypothesis of a pre-historic occupation of the Malvinas/Falkland Islands is reviewed. The strength of the different lines of evidence presented by different authors is discussed, and the main difficulties are pointed out. Previous analyses sustained a pre-European human presence on the basis of the recovery of macrofossil charcoal in peat bogs up to 10,500 cal BP, anecdotal evidence for the presence of canoes during the nineteenth century, the surface findings of lithic projectile points and one bone harpoon, the interpretation of sea mammal bone piles as resulting from the activities of native maritime nomads, and the presence of an extinct canid-like fox (Dusicyon australis) considered as transported to the islands by native groups. After the discussion of all these potential markers, our conclusion is that the evidence for a pre-European human presence in the islands is still insecure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we compare the patterns of demographic changes in populations from Northwest Patagonia and central‐south Chile throughout the Late Pleistocene–Holocene obtained from absolute dates with those resulting from molecular genealogies. We have found that temporal distributions of frequencies of absolute dates constitute a more sensitive demographic indicator than molecular data to make inferences at small spatial scales in the region. Moreover, even though the latter has proven to be very informative about old demographic processes, it represents a less reliable source of information for more recent ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Mesolithic and Neolithic, foragers dwelling in the Eastern Baltic, Scandinavia and Fennoscandia regions buried some of their dead on lake islands or other coastal sites. Based on ethnographic accounts, these sites are often understood as liminal places where water separates the lands of the dead and the living. In this paper, we take a more relational view of place and suggest that a particular combination of spatial perception of landscape and the dynamic nature of coastal sites might have contributed to the social agency of these places, resulting in their use as places for ritual activity. By exploring two Mesolithic–Neolithic burial places, Donkalnis and Spiginas (western Lithuania), with sensory archaeological and artistic approaches, we suggest that the ancient foragers of this region buried human bodies in these locations to be part of the place itself. Similar to other depositional acts, this could have been done to mark the location or communicate with the surrounding world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a transmission time investment model for integrating the tenets of human behavioral ecology and cultural evolutionary theory to investigate agency and optimality in the social transmission of lithic technologies. While the cultural transmission process is often overlooked in discussions of optimality, we view it as a critical area for the application of adaptive reasoning to further understand the mechanisms responsible for change in lithic technologies. The proposed model modifies a technological intensification model based on the marginal value theorem (Bettinger et al. Journal of Archaeological Science, 33(4), 538–545, 2006; Mohlenhoff and Codding Evolutionary Anthropology, 26(5), 218–227, 2017) to explore how transmissibility may have affected the complexity of socially transmitted lithic production systems during the Pleistocene. This transmission investment model is contrasted with a passive demographic model derived from traditional explanations for changes in lithic technologies. To highlight how optimal considerations of transmissibility may have affected the long-term evolution of lithic technologies, we apply this model to three Pleistocene archaeological case studies investigating increases and decreases in lithic technological complexity. We propose that technological changes in each of these case studies is consistent with the predictions of the model, suggesting that time management strategies may have played a role in the long-term evolution of Pleistocene technologies. It is unlikely that transmission constraints alone were wholly responsible for the observed patterns, and future research should refine the measures of time availability and cost used here, as well as explore the interplay between transmission investment and other optimizing and social constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment theory postulates that there is a particular style of caregiving that, because of its interaction with our evolved psychology, is most likely to result in healthy psychological development. Attachment research has been criticized because most studies have been conducted with Western populations. Critics argue this has (a) overemphasized the importance of sensitive responsive caregiving and (b) limited our understanding of multiple nonmaternal caregiving (allomothering). Here, we analyze the extent of sensitive responsiveness and structural properties of allomothering networks among Mbendjele hunter-gatherers who reside in the Republic of Congo. Humans lived as hunter-gatherers for the majority of our evolutionary history, thus studying contemporary hunter-gatherers can offer insight into the caregiving children may be psychologically adapted to. Based on 12-hr focal follows of 18 children (0–4 years old; 10 male), we constructed caregiving networks across the domains of responding to crying, physical contact, interactive care, and proximity. Crying was virtually always responded to rapidly via comforting and never via scolding. Children received physical contact and care for the majority of the day. Allomothering accounted for 40%–50% of caregiving in each domain. While allomaternal networks were large, they were highly concentrated—the majority of a child's allocare was provided by just a few caregivers. Due to high caregiver:child ratios, "sharing" of caregivers was limited—a child typically had several allomothers who directed a majority of their allomaternal effort to him/her. These findings add to our understanding of the level and sources of sensitive responsive caregiving that children may be evolutionarily primed to expect. Public Significance Statement: Children may be evolutionarily primed to expect exceptionally high levels of physical contact and care, swift soothing responses to their crying, and personal attention from several caregivers beyond their biological parents. Therefore, the provision of affordable high-quality childcare support, which goes beyond effective supervision, should be prioritized. Higher caregiver:child ratios and stability of key caregivers in nurseries and institutional care may be important for minimizing risks to well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWhat constraints and conditions are conducive to the innovation of more advanced watercraft technology? This paper explores this question by modeling ancient voyages in the Channel Island region of southern California. The Chumash and Tongva cultures of this region invented an advanced form of boat, the sewn plank canoe, around 500 CE. This new technology led to a rapid increase in maritime travel and transformed the maritime political economy of the region. In this paper we use agent-based ocean voyage modeling to examine the capacities of a range of indigenous boat types to travel important routes in the Channel Region at different times of the year. Our results indicate that while several different boat types would have been conducive for voyaging from the mainland coast to adjacent islands such as Limuw (Santa Cruz) and Pimu (Catalina), voyages to outlying islands, including Tuqan (San Miguel) and especially Haraasnga (San Nicolas), would have been difficult for much of the year in dugout or reed boats. We argue that early mariners plying these routes would have been under strong pressure to innovate faster and more seaworthy craft, possibly leading to the eventual development of the sewn plank canoe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasal fracture is the most common type of facial fracture in modern populations and is usually related to interpersonal violence. Nevertheless, this type of injury has been scarcely studied in bioanthropological field. In this study, it was characterized and discussed the oldest known Southern Patagonia individual presenting nasal fracture, among other lesions, most probably resulting from interpersonal violence. We reanalysed the individual 2 from Orejas de Burro 1 site dated from Late Holocene, the nasal fossae and other skull bones to study nasal fractures using a recent method developed by Magalhães et al. (2020). Orejas de Burro 1 -2- presented nine fractures, four of them in the nasal area and showing different timing: one postmortem, two perimortem, and one antemortem. The other facial lesions consisted of four diastatic fractures and one in the fragile septum. The individual presented a high-energy injury resulting in intense bone disruption and displacement of nasal and facial bones produced by a lateral blow, which may be related to an episode of interpersonal violence. While some likely options are regionally known, it is highly difficult to assess the cause of the injury and the blunt object associated with this episode since there is a situation of equifinality. This is the oldest known record case reported of a nasal fracture in Southern Patagonia and one of the oldest of South America. Also, it is the early evidence of traumatic injury, possibly due to an episode of interpersonal violence.

This study aims to evaluate the functionality of a sample of lithic tools from a multiproxy perspective. The artifacts come from a mid-Holocene hunter-gatherers’ occupation of the La Mesada site in Patagonia. The perspective involves the examination of use-wear traces, hafting wear, and organic micro-residues. The experimental program that supports this perspective is presented. Use-wear traces and organic residues were recognized in the distal portion of the archaeological artifacts. Meanwhile, some tools, in the proximal and middle portion, present alterations attributable to hafting in combination with animal and vegetable residues. The production sequence of a particular artifact design is discussed, with distinctive aspects regarding regional trends. Practices related to plant management were identified that allow the evaluation of mobility circuits and interchange mechanisms of these societies.

A brief overview of the history of food is intended to remind us of how food has changed throughout history, from entirely natural ingredients to the beginnings of food production. The beginning of food production, known as the agricultural revolution, is considered the most significant development in human history and the foundation of modern civilisation. But where does all of this lead us? Pessimists might say it leads to increasingly challenging conditions for human survival on our planet, while optimists believe there is still hope for sustainable development and better conditions, through changes in energy policies and the development of new technologies. The influence of phenotype on genotype throughout our evolution suggests that we probably tolerate best the foods we have consumed the longest and most throughout millions of years. This also applies to the ‘mere’ 150,000 years of Homo sapiens’ development. According to what we know today, we have consumed entirely natural food for the longest time, without cooking and preparation, and we began cooking food 300,000 years ago, we continued to consume primarily fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, and the meat of smaller animals, fish, and shellfish. Therefore, such a diet should be the basis of nutrition today. This does not mean that we should not consume all the foods available today, but that we can consume them occasionally as supplements to basic foods. The article describes twelve key points that have changed the types, quantities, and quality of food, all of which have had an impact on the population as well as its appearance and health. It sequentially describes natural foods, the beginnings of cooking food, and the beginnings of food production, which introduced various types of grains and new beverages, such as beer and wine, along with the discovery of spices, and changes in food in the modern era after the discovery of America (1492) and the sea route to India. This meant a significant exchange of food around the world, a substantial increase in sugar and white flour production, the emergence of tobacco, strong spirits, coffee, and tea as well as new methods of food preservation. Later, after the industrial revolution, there was mechanisation in agriculture, the discovery of artificial fertilisers (Haber-Bosch process), the development of pesticides, numerous new varieties of hybrid grains, the introduction of hormones and antibiotics into agricultural production, and the emergence of genetically modified foods. We also anticipate that the next important step will be the production of cultured tissue meat, as today’s technologies allow us to produce all tissues, even those of animals that no longer exist, gradually reducing the need to slaughter domestic and wild animals for food. The goal of this short history of food is to remind us of how our food changes rapidly and thoroughly, as do its quantity, quality, and flavours.

Archaeological investigations worldwide have focused on when and how humans permanently settled in high-altitude environments. Recent evidence from Xiada Co, Qusongguo, and Dingzhonghuzhuzi in western Tibet, where lithic artifacts and radiocarbon dates with original deposits were first accessed, provides new insights into human activities in this extreme environment during the early Holocene. This paper examines the mobility and land-use patterns of foragers in western Tibet from the perspectives of lithic analysis. Assemblages from three sites suggest homogenous technologies and raw material use, as well as potential interaction network of hunter-gatherers within the plateau during the early Holocene. It further argues that the material exponents and travel cost models of site location supported permanent occupation of the western Tibetan Plateau in this period.

This paper explores the implications of the conformation of formal burial areas in the southernmost limit of agricultural dispersion in South America. Previous research proposed the development of cemeteries or formal burial areas due to specialization in using specific habitats and the development of territorial ownership. From a paleoecological background, we hypothesize that hunter‐gatherers intensified resource exploitation and develop territoriality in population growth and pressure over resources. The expectation is that formal burial areas emerged in this context to legitimize the ties with the territory and ensure exclusive access to the land and its resources. To evaluate this hypothesis, we analyzed a mortuary context from southern Mendoza (Central Western Argentina), named Ojo de Agua, by describing the site's characteristics, burial modality, presence of grave goods, age at death profile, and evidence of violence. This site has two main conditions for handling our hypothesis: (1) the chronology and spatial localization coincide with the temporal and geographic dispersion of pre‐Hispanic cultigens; (2) systematic procedures during fieldwork led us to access a significant amount of information not available in other mortuary contexts of the area. Our results point to Ojo de Agua as a cemetery that emerged in the frame of increasing territoriality and conflict with neighboring groups and permitted us to improve our knowledge about the dynamic relationship between human population, environment, and cultural responses in the context of intensification and contact with food production. These results deepen recent studies in the same line but with a greater resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of entheseal changes requires knowing the biological profile of the sample analyzed, given that, mainly, the sex and age of the individuals influence the prevalence and degrees of the entheseal features. However, the bioarcheological record of several past populations presents isolated and commingled human bone remains, which constrains the estimation of such data. In this work, we propose to analyze the entheseal changes with the Coimbra method in a sample composed mainly of commingled human bone remains and, to a lesser extent, of semi‐complete individuals. For this purpose, we analyzed 312 bone elements from the upper and lower limbs of Late Mesolithic (Muge complex) and Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic archeological sites from Portugal. The results support previous information that individuals older than 40 present higher entheseal changes. In addition, body size has a low effect on entheseal changes and bone's biomechanical properties are positively correlated with some entheseal features. Some entheseal traits show higher prevalence during the Mesolithic, but there is mainly an increase in entheseal changes during the Neolithic. Although these differences could be due to different biological profiles between both samples, differences in lifestyle may also have contributed to the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) was an important member of Early and Mid-Holocene landscapes and animal communities in Northern Europe. Previous zooarchaeological research has established the alimentary roles of beavers for Mesolithic societies and their importance for fur procurement. In this paper, we develop an integrated biocultural approach to human-beaver interactions, examining the position of humans and beavers in Mesolithic and Early Neolithic multispecies systems. We contextualize beaver landscape agency in hydroactive environments with human behaviour, synthesizing currently available data on mammalian assemblages, ichtyofauna and beaver-related material culture across Northern Europe. This cross-cultural, diachronic analysis reveals previously overlooked facilitations of human behaviour by beaver practices and ecological legacies. We show that long-term trajectories of human-beaver cohabitation differed between northern European regions. While in Southern Scandinavia, human-beaver intersections witnessed major re-organizations during the Mid-Holocene, beavers retained a key role for human societies across Northeastern Europe throughout much of the Holocene and played an important part at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the Dutch wetlands. Divergent pathways are also evidenced by Mesolithic beaver-related material culture, highlighting the cultural keystone status of Castor fiber in higher latitude European landscapes. We argue that this keystone status is grounded in the supply of human hunting, fishing, and gathering affordances by the animals, pointing to the generative commensality between Mesolithic foragers and their beaver neighbours. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the importance of the beaver in the making of Early and Mid-Holocene forager societies in Northern Europe and illustrate the fruitfulness of deploying an integrated multispecies approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of the analysis of plant macroremains (except wood), primarily seeds and fruits, from Cabo San Pablo 2017 (CSP2017), an archaeological site close to the Atlantic coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. CSP2017 has a great diversity of archaeological materials, including faunal, lithic, carpological, and anthracological remains. The data are especially relevant due to the scarcity of information regarding plant use at coastal sites in the region. At CSP2017 eleven taxa were identified. The results obtained provide data on plant use at the site and, at the same time, enable discussion of the management and use of these types of resources on Isla Grande. By placing these results in context with previously studied coastal and hinterland sites, research at CSP2017 contributes to a better understanding of plant use by hunter-gatherers of the southernmost part of South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Revista del Museo de Antropología is the property of Museo de Antropologia - IDACOR and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista del Museo de Antropología is the property of Museo de Antropologia - IDACOR and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)