Deciphering sedimentary archives of Neanderthals and Early Anatomically Modern Humans - A micromorphological study at the key site of Fumane cave, Northern Italy

破译尼安德特人和早期解剖学现代人类的沉积档案——意大利北部富马内洞穴关键地点的微形态学研究

• 批准号: 408333614
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Martin Kehl
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2017-12-31 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/408333614?language=en
• 关键词: Deciphering; sedimentary; archives; Neanderthals; Early

Fumane cave is a key site for the study of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic (MP/UP) with extraordinary rich archaeological assemblages of Mousterian, Uluzzian and Aurignacian periods involved. The corresponding layers provide a wealth of information on the behaviour of Late Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans and on their living conditions during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, a period of strong millennial-scale environmental changes. The cultural transition is documented with very high temporal resolution in a well-exposed sediment sequence, about two meter thick. It has been excavated over a large surface area. This exceptional situation is unknown from other sites in Europe and provides the unique opportunity for an in-depth and highly detailed study of the MP/UP transition. In addition, signatures of climate change during MIS 3 may be identified in sediment composition and structural features allowing for direct correlation of human occupation and climate change. The microstratigraphic approach can also provide important information for understanding chronostratigraphy of this site. At Fumane, sediments of the MP/UP transition have not yet been investigated in detail. This proposal applies for a comprehensive micromorphological study aiming at a thorough understanding of site formation processes, microstratigraphy and cave use at Fumane. Indicators of climate change, such as diachronic changes in aeolian input or frost will be assessed. The most important questions are whether continuity or discontinuity in human occupation can be deduced from the sedimentary record and whether these can be correlated with palaeoenvironmental change. The investigation will benefit from an exceptionally large collection of more than 170 thin sections prepared from sediment layers of Fumane, which are available for our investigation. The micromorphological study will be supported by digital image analyses of thin sections aiming at more reliable estimates of the relative abundance of sediment components. It is further planned to establish an online database for thin sections in order to improve dissemination of micromorphological results. The gearchaeological approach will yield seminal data on microstratigraphy and spatial variability of sediment properties at the key site Fumane. Based on this deep insight we expect a thorough understanding of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in the Northern Mediterranean and of the possible relation between human occupation and palaeo-environmental change

富马内洞穴是研究旧石器时代中晚期（MP/UP）的关键地点，其中涉及Mousterian，Uluzzian和Aurignacian时期的考古组合非常丰富。相应的地层提供了大量关于晚期尼安德特人和解剖学上的现代人的行为以及他们在海洋同位素阶段（MIS）3的生活条件的信息，这是一个强烈的千年尺度环境变化时期。文化的过渡是非常高的时间分辨率记录在一个良好暴露的沉积物序列，约两米厚。它被挖掘了很大的面积。这种特殊情况是欧洲其他工厂所不知道的，为深入和非常详细地研究MP/UP过渡提供了独特的机会。此外，气候变化的签名在MIS 3可以确定在沉积物成分和结构特征，允许人类活动和气候变化的直接相关性。显微地层学方法也可为该遗址年代地层学研究提供重要信息。 在富马内，尚未对MP/UP过渡的沉积物进行详细研究。本提案适用于全面的微形态研究，旨在彻底了解富马内的场地形成过程、微地层学和洞穴使用。将评估气候变化指标，如风成输入或霜冻的历时变化。最重要的问题是人类活动的连续性或不连续性是否可以从沉积记录中推断出来，以及这些是否可以与古环境变化相关联。调查将受益于一个非常大的收集170多个薄切片制备的沉积层的富马内，这是我们的调查。微形态学研究将得到薄片数字图像分析的支持，目的是更可靠地估计沉积物成分的相对丰度。还计划建立一个薄片在线数据库，以改进微形态学结果的传播。gearchaeological方法将产生关于关键地点富马内沉积物特性的微观地层学和空间变异性的开创性数据。基于这一深刻的见解，我们期望对地中海北方旧石器时代中期到晚期的过渡以及人类活动与古环境变化之间的可能关系有一个全面的了解