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

Fumane 洞穴是研究旧石器时代中晚期 (MP/UP) 的关键地点，其中涉及莫斯特时期、乌鲁兹时期和奥里纳克时期的极其丰富的考古组合。相应的图层提供了有关晚期尼安德特人和解剖学上的现代人类的行为及其在海洋同位素阶段 (MIS) 3（这是一个千禧年规模的强烈环境变化时期）的生活条件的大量信息。文化变迁以非常高的时间分辨率记录在约两米厚、暴露良好的沉积物序列中。它已在大面积的区域内被挖掘。这种特殊情况是欧洲其他地点所不知道的，并且为深入、高度详细地研究 MP/UP 过渡提供了独特的机会。此外，MIS 3期间气候变化的特征可以通过沉积物成分和结构特征来识别，从而将人类居住和气候变化直接联系起来。微观地层学方法还可以为了解该地点的年代地层学提供重要信息。 在 Fumane，MP/UP 转变的沉积物尚未得到详细研究。该提案适用于全面的微形态学研究，旨在彻底了解 Fumane 的遗址形成过程、微地层学和洞穴利用。将评估气候变化指标，例如风输入或霜冻的历时变化。最重要的问题是人类占领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。这项调查将受益于由 Fumane 沉积层制备的 170 多个薄片的大量收集，这些薄片可供我们的调查使用。微形态研究将得到薄片数字图像分析的支持，旨在更可靠地估计沉积物成分的相对丰度。还计划建立薄片在线数据库，以改善微形态结果的传播。齿轮考古学方法将产生关键地点 Fumane 的微地层学和沉积物性质空间变化的重要数据。基于这一深刻见解，我们期望对地中海北部旧石器时代中晚期的过渡以及人类占领与古环境变化之间可能的关系有透彻的了解