Theme:
2. Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital era: Bridging the Gaps
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Multidisciplinary Approaches to Human Behavior and Environmental Dynamics of Late Early Pleistocene and Middle Pleistocene Europe
Content:
The Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition (EMPT) (ca. 1.2 -0.5 ka) is marked by significant climatic, environmental, and cultural changes. They are transformations at different spheres that interplay with each other. It encompasses a faunal renewal with the extinction of the "Villafranchian" fauna and the diffusion of modern mammals. Culturally, it’s marked by the appearance of the Acheulean culture in Western Europe, a milestone in the evolution of Homo genus' technological behavior.
The biocultural changes documented during this period seem to have been abrupt. Nevertheless, this impression may result from the paucity of data, as well as the way researchers have approached the study of this period. For example, the European record provides no evidence of a clear transition between the Oldowan and the Acheulean, suggesting that the latter arrived along with a population influx. However, the limited paleoanthropological record does not allow us to reconstruct population dynamics. Regarding the second matter, the characterization of the behaviors of these human groups has primarily centered on certain technological aspects, particularly the study of Large Cutting Tools, paleoeconomic questions, subsistence behavior, and prey acquisition strategies. In Paleontology, both limitations act together, when the different taxonomies used, and the doubtful chronology of key sites jeopardize the identification and contextualization of bioevents.
This session aims to bring together researchers from diverse disciplines to provide an interdisciplinary approach to characterize the EMPT faunal renewal, the changes in human behavior, and the interplay between the natural and cultural spheres. Both case-specific research (e.g., presentation of archaeological and paleontological sites) or broader syntheses from a geographic and temporal perspective will be valued. These approaches may involve one or multiple disciplines, including lithic technology, taphonomy, taxonomy, paleoenvironmental reconstructions, computational modeling, and spatial analysis, among others.
Keywords:
Acheulean, Lithic Technology, Paleaontology, Taphonomy, Subsistence, Modelling
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:
Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Community (PaM)
Main organiser:
Carolina Cucart-Mora (France) 1
Co-organisers:
Diego Lombao Vázquez (Spain) 2,3,4
Antonio Pineda (France) 1,3
Beniamino Mecozzi (Italy) 5
Affiliations:
1. CNRS UMR 7194 HNHP, National Museum of Natural History, Institut de Paleontologie Humaine, Rue René Panhard, 75013 Paris, France
2. GEPN-AAT, Dpto. Historia, Facultade de Xeografía e Historia, USC, Praza da Universidade 1, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
3. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
4. UMR7194 – HNHP, MNHN Musée de l'Homme, 17 Place du Trocadéro, 75116, Paris, France
5. Department of Earth Sciences (PaleoFactory Lab), Sapienza University of Rome, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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