Cultural and biological transformations in the Late Middle Pleistocene (420-200 ka ago) at Qesem Cave, Israel: In search for a post-Homo erectus lineage in the Levantine corridor

以色列Qesem洞穴中更新世晚期（420-200年前）的文化和生物转变：在黎凡特走廊寻找后直立人谱系

• 批准号: 277455454
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Thorsten Uthmeier
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2014-12-31 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/277455454?language=en
• 关键词: Cultural; biological; transformations; Late; Middle

Qesem Cave is an exceptionally well preserved prehistoric site in Israel, firmly dated to the Late Middle Pleistocene. Absolute dates place stratigraphical sequence in a time range between 420.000 and 200.000 years ago. All lithic assemblages so far excavated are assigned to the Acheuleo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex of the late Lower Palaeolithic period in the Levant. Stratigraphically, the Acheuleo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex repeatedly postdates the Lower Palaeolithic Acheulian and predates the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian at several other sites in the region. A recent study of human dental remains from Qesem Cave concluded that the cave was inhabited by an unknown, new post-Homo erectus hominin lineage closely related to modern humans. The richness of archaeological finds, including human remains, stone-tools, faunal remains of large mammals, small mammals as well as reptiles, and features such as hearths, provides an unrivalled opportunity to illuminate one of the most significant stages of human biological and cultural evolution in this hitherto little known time period. The project focuses on (1) the beginning of the human occupation of Qesem Cave, (2) the end of the Lower Palaeolithic and the beginning of the Middle Palaeolithic at Qesem Cave, and (3) the relation between the industries of the Acheuleo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex. The latter is represented by two of the three industries, the Amudian and the Yabrudian. Their contemporaneity in Qesem Cave challenges the common cultural interpretation of the Acheuleo-Yabrudian industries. Investigations comprise excavations in the lowermost and uppermost part of the cave filling and in the find scatter around a complex hearth structure dated to 300.000 years ago. The excavations as well as the analysis of the archaeological finds are embedded in an extensive research program that incorporate studies into the geoarchaeology of the sequence, the absolute dating of excavated layers, the environment of human activities, and lithic artefacts. The latter are designed to elucidate the operational sequence of the primary production of artefacts, the recycling of tools, and tool function. The research concerns the challenging nexus, some 420-200 ky ago, between the biological, cultural and behavioural evolution of modern man and his adaptation to the environment. Considering the quality of the site of Qesem Cave, the project aims at contributing important information about the hominin evolution in the Levant after the disappearance of Homo erectus in the Levante by connecting culture, biological evolution and environment.

Qesem Cave是以色列一个保存非常完好的史前遗址，可以确定为中更新世晚期。绝对年代将地层序列置于420.000至200.000年前的时间范围内。迄今为止挖掘出的所有石器组合都被分配到黎凡特旧石器时代晚期的阿舍利奥-雅布鲁迪亚文化综合体。在地层学上，阿舍利奥-雅布鲁德文化复合体在该地区的其他几个地点一再晚于旧石器时代早期的阿舍利奥文化，早于旧石器时代中期的莫斯特文化。最近对Qesem洞穴人类牙齿遗骸的研究得出的结论是，该洞穴居住着一种未知的、新的后直立人古人类谱系，与现代人类密切相关。丰富的考古发现，包括人类遗骸，石器工具，大型哺乳动物，小型哺乳动物以及爬行动物的动物群遗骸，以及炉床等特征，为阐明这一迄今鲜为人知的时期人类生物和文化进化的最重要阶段之一提供了无与伦比的机会。该项目侧重于（1）人类占领Qesem洞穴的开始，（2）Qesem洞穴旧石器时代早期的结束和旧石器时代中期的开始，以及（3）Acheuleo-Yabrudian文化综合体各行业之间的关系。后者的代表是三个产业中的两个，即阿穆迪亚和雅布鲁迪亚。他们在Qesem洞穴的同时代性挑战了Acheuleo-Yabrudian工业的共同文化解释。调查包括在洞穴填充物的最低和最高部分的挖掘，以及在可追溯到30万年前的复杂炉床结构周围的发现。考古发现的挖掘和分析被嵌入到一个广泛的研究计划中，该计划将研究纳入序列的地质考古学，挖掘层的绝对年代测定，人类活动的环境和石器。后者旨在阐明人工制品的初级生产、工具的回收利用和工具功能的操作顺序。这项研究关注的是大约420-200千年前现代人的生物、文化和行为进化与其对环境的适应之间具有挑战性的联系。考虑到Qesem洞穴遗址的质量，该项目旨在通过将文化，生物进化和环境联系起来，为直立人在黎凡特消失后黎凡特的人类进化提供重要信息。