The dynamics of the transition between late Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans (AMHs) are the subject of intense debate: the location and duration of the coexistence of these two hominins,... Show moreThe dynamics of the transition between late Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans (AMHs) are the subject of intense debate: the location and duration of the coexistence of these two hominins, as well as their relation and cultural exchanges that could have occurred during this transitional period also known as the Middle Palaeolithic to Upper Palaeolithic Transition.Timing these hominins is crucial in archaeology and paleoanthropology. The precise chronological position of the different cultural facies, as well as the human remains associated with them, are therefore key elements that delineate the chronological framework within which Neanderthals and AMHs could have interacted. While there is increasing evidence of admixture and co-existence of the two hominin species in central and eastern Europe, Belgium might show a different scenario: radiocarbon analyses, using the compound specific radiocarbon dating approach (CSRA) made on bone implements related to the Late Mousterian and the Early Aurignacian as well as late Neanderthal remains, highlight a hiatus in the occupation of the territory. Our new data tend to confirm that Neanderthals and AMHs did not coexist in this region. It seems that in northwest Europe, Neanderthals evolved and went extinct without any influence from modern humans. Show less
The Altai region has yielded a cluster of Middle and Upper Paleolithicstratified sites that have been recently excavated using a multidisciplinaryapproach. These sequences provide key evidence... Show moreThe Altai region has yielded a cluster of Middle and Upper Paleolithicstratified sites that have been recently excavated using a multidisciplinaryapproach. These sequences provide key evidence illustrating changes inmaterial culture corresponding to the transition from the Middle to theUpper Paleolithic. In Europe, this phenomenon is associated with thereplacement of Neandertals by modern humans. Based on this archeologicaldata set, local scholars have put forward a scenario of regional transitionto explain the emergence cultural and biological modernity. Recentdevelopments in ancient DNA studies, however, have complicated thismodel by showing that Neandertals were present in the Altai Mountainsuntil forty thousand years ago. In addition, a previously unknown genomehas been sequenced, demonstrating the presence of another type ofhominin in the region, the so-called ‘Denisovans’. The presence ofanatomically modern humans is confirmed by at least thirty thousandyears ago in Siberia. Based on a taphonomic and technological analysis ofthe Kara-Bom and Ust-Karakol laminar assemblages, the study presentedin this volume takes a close look at the early development of Upper Paleolithictechnical traditions in the Altai. The alternative chrono-culturalmodel presented as an attempt to conciliate archeological, environmental,genetic and paleontological data has substantial implications for ourunderstanding of the Late Pleistocene peopling of Asia. Show less
