Universität zu Köln

Zerboni, Andrea, Richter, Jürgen ORCID: 0000-0003-2793-7867, Litt, Thomas, Lehmkuhl, Frank ORCID: 0000-0002-6876-7377, Hense, Andreas, Hauck, Thomas C., Leder, Dirk F., Miebach, Andrea, Parow-Souchon, Hannah, Sauer, Florian ORCID: 0000-0001-9687-4762, Schoenenberg, Jonathan ORCID: 0000-0002-0124-6665, Al-Nahar, Maysoon ORCID: 0000-0003-1852-3259 and Hussain, Shumon T. ORCID: 0000-0002-6215-393X (2020). Al-Ansab and the Dead Sea: Mid-MIS 3 archaeology and environment of the early Ahmarian population of the Levantine corridor. PLOS ONE, 15 (10). pp. 1-36. ISSN 1932-6203

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Our field data from the Upper Palaeolithic site of Al-Ansab 1 (Jordan) and from a pollen sequence in the Dead Sea elucidate the role that changing Steppe landscapes played in facilitating anatomically modern human populations to enter a major expansion and consolidation phase, known as the „Early Ahmarian“, several millennia subsequent to their initial Marine Isotope Stage 4/3 migration from Africa, into the Middle East. The Early Ahmarian techno-cultural unit covers a time range between 45 ka–37 ka BP. With so far more than 50 sites found, the Early Ahmarian is the first fully Upper Palaeolithic techno-cultural unit exclusively and undisputedly related to anatomically modern human populations. In order to better understand the potentially attractive features of the Early Ahmarian environmental context that supported its persistence for over 8,000 years, we carried out a decennial research program in Jordan and in the Dead Sea. This included (1) a geoscientific and archaeological survey program in the Wadi Sabra (Jordan) with a particular focus on excavations at the Early Ahmarian site of Al-Ansab 1 alongside the detailed analysis of Quaternary sediments from the same area and (2) palaeobotanical research based on Quaternary lake deposits from the Dead Sea. Our pollen data from the Dead Sea indicate slow, low frequency vegetational variation with expanding Artemisia steppe, from 60 to 20 ka BP (MIS 3–2). Here, we see a reciprocal assimilation of southern and northern Levantine vegetation zones thereby enhancing a long-lasting south-to-north steppe corridor. The same integration process accelerated about 40 ka ago, when forested areas retreated in the Lebanese Mountains. The process then extended to encompass an area from Southern Lebanon to the Sinai Peninsula. We argue that, at the same time, the carriers of the Early Ahmarian techno-cultural unit extended their habitat from their original Mediterranean biome (in the North) to the Saharo-Arabian biome (to the South). Our excavation of Al-Ansab 1, a campsite at the eastern margins of the Early Ahmarian settlement area, indicates far reaching annual movements of small, highly mobile hunter-gatherer groups. We assume a low degree of settlement complexity, still allowing for habitat extension of the Early Ahmarian into the margins of the Levantine corridor. Due to our radiometric dates, our combined archaeological and environmental record sheds light on an evolved phase of the Early Ahmarian, around 38 ka ago, rather than the starting phase of this techno-cultural unit. Possible application of our model to the starting phase of the Early Ahmarian remains an aspect of future research.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Zerboni, Andrea UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Richter, Jürgen UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-2793-7867 UNSPECIFIED Litt, Thomas UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Lehmkuhl, Frank UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-6876-7377 UNSPECIFIED Hense, Andreas UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Hauck, Thomas C. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Leder, Dirk F. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Miebach, Andrea UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Parow-Souchon, Hannah UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Sauer, Florian UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-9687-4762 UNSPECIFIED Schoenenberg, Jonathan UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-0124-6665 UNSPECIFIED Al-Nahar, Maysoon UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-1852-3259 UNSPECIFIED Hussain, Shumon T. UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-6215-393X UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-381318
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pone.0239968
Journal or Publication Title:	PLOS ONE
Volume:	15
Number:	10
Page Range:	pp. 1-36
Date:	2020
ISSN:	1932-6203
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 2: Archäologie, Altertumskunde und Kulturen des Mittelmeerraums > Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte > Abteilung A - Ältere Steinzeit
Subjects:	History of ancient world
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/38131