Theme:
5. (Extreme) Environments – Islands, Coasts, Margins, Centres
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Neanderthals in Mediterranean Landscapes [PaM]
Content:
Neanderthals inhabited Eurasia during more than 300.000 years, being able to adapt to different ecological areas and diverse climatic conditions. Climate has always been considered a key factor influencing biogeographical rearrangement. Environmental changes may have played a fundamental role in the distribution of plant and animal communities, the availability of resources, and migration scenarios, thus affecting Neanderthal´s adaptive behaviour.
Neanderthals have traditionally been regarded as a species adapted to cold conditions, whereas the wide biogeographical area over which they spread and the vast period of time during which they lived seem to show a more complex reality. Another controversial issue is related to the causal factors that led them to their disappearance, given that this can be framed within a period of critical climatic episodes.
The Mediterranean region has been the subject of several studies in recent years, as it has been considered a biodiversity hotspot with a wide complexity of landscapes and habitats that may have acted as a refuge during periods of climatic instability. These characteristics may have been decisive for Neanderthal populations to settle and endure in this region, as reflected by the existence of several archaeological sites spanning from MIS5 until the progressive extinction of these populations in southern Iberia during MIS3. Is this endurance over time a consequence of a relatively stable climate and environmental conditions compared to other regions with more extreme habitats, or are there other causes behind this?
In this session, we would like to create a forum to discuss recent research and advances about the diverse environments Neanderthals inhabited across Southern Eurasia and their peninsulas in the Mediterranean context, covering different biogeographical areas and chronological periods. Interdisciplinary studies focused on bioarchaeological remains, such as palynology, anthracology, large and small mammal paleoecology or biomolecular approaches (stable isotopes; ZooMS) are welcome.
Keywords:
Palaeoenvironment, Palaeoclimate, Middle Paleolithic, Southern Europe, Palaeoecology, Mediterranean region
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
PaM
Main organiser:
Cristina Val-Peón (Germany) 1
Co-organisers:
Juan Ochando Tomás (Italy) 2
Mónica Fernández-García (Spain) 3
Affiliations:
1. Institute of Neotectonics and Natural Hazards, RWTH Aachen University, Lochnerstrasse 4-20, 52056 Aachen (Germany)
2. Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma (Italy)
3. Grupo de I+D+i EVOADAPTA (Evolución Humana y Adaptaciones durante la Prehistoria), Dpto. Ciencias Históricas, Universidad de Cantabria, Av. Los Castros 44, 39005 Santander (Spain)
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