Universität zu Köln

Guran, Saman H. ORCID: 0000-0002-7668-8804 (2025). Middle Palaeolithic Human occupations, cultural behaviours and demographic dynamics during MIS 5a to late 3 in the Bawa Yawan Rockshelter, Kermanshah, West-Central Zagros Mountains. Quaternary Science Reviews, 367. pp. 1-24. Elsevier. ISSN 02773791

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Abstract

[Artikel-Nr.: 109523] Despite many years of research into the Middle Palaeolithic in the Zagros Mountains, numerous aspects of this period have not yet been sufficiently investigated. The topics of Middle Palaeolithic’s cultural behavioures, temporal changes, chronology, and the nature of the transition from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic in this region have led to various opinions and debates. Three seasons of archaeological excavations at the Bawa Yawan Rockshelter, located in the west-central Zagros, have uncovered a continuous stratigraphic sequence spanning from the Middle to the Epipalaeolithic periods. The site yielded in situ Neanderthal remains along with a sub- stantial assemblage of lithic and faunal materials. The findings suggest a relatively homogeneous Mousterian lithic trajectory throughout the Middle Palaeolithic period, with slight variations likely reflecting differences in hunting strategies. Furthermore, these data indicate a cyclical pattern in population size dynamics, likely in response to climatic variations during the late Marine Isotope Stage 5a to the middle of 3. The data reveal that the Neanderthals, after a relatively substantial period in late MIS 5, experienced a demographic stagnation in MIS 4. The same data shows that their population grew significantly just before extinction around 45,000 to 40,000 years ago. This article represents a step forward in understanding human evolution during the Late Pleistocene in the Zagros Mountains, within the territory of Southwestern Asia.

Item Type:	Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Guran, Saman H. UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7668-8804 UNSPECIFIED
Contributors:	Contribution Name Email Redactor Magri, Donatella UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-806431
Identification Number:	10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109523
Journal or Publication Title:	Quaternary Science Reviews
Volume:	367
Page Range:	pp. 1-24
Number of Pages:	24
Date:	November 2025
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	02773791
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
Subjects:	History of ancient world
['eprint_fieldname_oa_funders' not defined]:	Publikationsfonds UzK
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/80643