Universität zu Köln

Richter, Juergen, Hauck, Thomas, Vogelsang, Ralf, Widlok, Thomas, Le Tensorer, Jean-Marie and Schmid, Peter (2012). Contextual areas of early Homo sapiens and their significance for human dispersal from Africa into Eurasia between 200 ka and 70 ka. Quat. Int., 274. S. 5 - 25. OXFORD: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. ISSN 1873-4553

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Abstract

The African origin of our species has essentially been accepted as a scientific fact, but evolutionary advantages connected with the reasons and circumstances of modern human dispersal remain widely unexplained or controversial. Consequently, this paper provides an overview of the natural and cultural context of earliest AMH (Anatomically Modern Humans). According to the locations and dating of AMH fossils, the focus is on E-Africa. NE-Africa and the Middle East within a time range from 200 ka to 70 ka. At least three different contextual areas appear to have existed at the time, two of them in E-Africa and NE-Africa, dominated by Bifacial-plus-Levallois technology, and the third one in the Middle East, mostly connected with an only-Levallois technology. A comparison with some non-AMH sites from Eurasia displays similarity of technological principles between artifact assemblages from African AMH sites and Eurasian non-AMH (early Neanderthal) sites on the one hand, and dissimilarity between African AMH sites and Middle Eastern AMH sites on the other hand. This is particularly surprising if environmental contexts are taken into account tropical in Africa and glacial in Eurasia. Thus, compared to their archaic neighbors (particularly early Neanderthals), earliest modern humans currently seem to lack any specific cultural fingerprint and their demographic success may not be explained by behavioral superiority alone. The idea of a small group of early AMH people migrating out of Africa, enabled by cultural superiority over their neighbors appears highly questionable in the light of archaeological evidence. Moreover, the concept of virtual migration routes deserves a revision if ethnodemographic evidence about spatial behavior of hunter-gatherers is taken into account. The proposed concept of contextual areas serves as a methodological alternative, comprising linked cultural and environmental features. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Richter, Juergen UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Hauck, Thomas UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Vogelsang, Ralf UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Widlok, Thomas UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Le Tensorer, Jean-Marie UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Schmid, Peter UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-481585
DOI:	10.1016/j.quaint.2012.04.017
Journal or Publication Title:	Quat. Int.
Volume:	274
Page Range:	S. 5 - 25
Date:	2012
Publisher:	PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Place of Publication:	OXFORD
ISSN:	1873-4553
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language MIDDLE STONE-AGE; LOWER OMO VALLEY; PORC-EPIC CAVE; LATE-PLEISTOCENE; NAZLET-KHATER; BURIAL SITE; U-SERIES; PALEOLITHIC BURIAL; CRANIAL REMAINS; PLUVIAL PERIODS Multiple languages Geography, Physical; Geosciences, Multidisciplinary Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/48158