Hominin cultural and biological contact during MIS 4-2 on the Palearctic and Saharo-Arabian intersection: Northern edge of the Iranian Plateau

上更新世古人类多样性及其对西南亚新环境的适应是古人类学研究的基本问题。由于其地理位置，位于亚洲西南部的伊朗高原是人类在非洲、欧洲、中亚和远东之间迁徙的十字路口，因此在人类进化史上发挥了重要作用。此外，伊朗高原古北地区和撒哈拉-阿拉伯地区两个不同生物地理领域的接近和交织，可能在我们的生物文化交流和进化中发挥了重要作用。拟议的项目重点是位于这两个领域交汇处的阿尔博尔斯山脉南部山麓的Sorheh岩洞。这种特殊情况假设，在MIS 4-3至MIS 2的漫长时期内，该地区反复居住着来自北部和西部的不同人类：来自南里海走廊和扎格罗斯山脉的尼安德特人，以及来自南部的智人：来自伊朗中央高原内部的智人。在Sorheh的初步调查表明，在黎凡特、东欧和西伯利亚有新的人类行为和定居系统，即最初的上旧石器时代（IUP）。对其物质文化的分析将通过应用最新的和新颖的科学代理来进行。除了岩石技术类型、微形态和区系分析外，还首次采用了sedaDNA、ZooMS和稳定同位素。收集样本进行绝对测年，包括OSL和14C测年，是本研究的重要基础，因为Sorheh提供了伊朗高原IUP的第一个年代史。该项目计划重新评估含有IUP材料的分层岩石收藏，包括古北极Zagros山脉的Warwasi和Bawa Yawan岩石掩体，以及撒哈拉-阿拉伯地区伊朗中央高原的Mirak露天遗址。这些方法的结合将首次揭示伊朗高原IUP的自然地理、年代地层学和人为图像。考虑到这一点，这项研究可以帮助我们从生理和行为上解读IUP古人类。

The Upper Pleistocene hominin diversity and adaptation to the new environments of southwestern Asia are basic issues in Paleoanthropology. Due to its location, the Iranian Plateau in southwestern Asia functioned as crossroads for hominin migrations between Africa, Europe, Central Asia and the far East, thus playing an influential role in the history of human evolution. In addition, proximity and the intertwining of two different biogeographical realms of Palearctic and Saharo-Arabian zones in the Iranian Plateau, potentially, played an important role in biocultural exchanges and evolution of our lineage. The proposed project focuses on Sorheh Rockshelter of southern piedmonts of the Alborz Mountains located at the intersection of these two realms. This special condition hypothesizes that this region was repeatedly populated by different hominins arriving from the north and west: Neanderthals from Southern Caspian Corridor and Zagros Mountains, and from the south: Homo sapiens from inner parts of the Iranian Central Plateau, during long period of MIS 4-3 towards MIS 2.The preliminary investigations at Sorheh indicates novel hominin behavioral and settlement systems, known as Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) in the Levant, eastern Europe and Siberia. The analysis of its material culture will be carried out by applying the most updated and novel scientific proxies. In addition to lithic techno-typological, micromorphological and faunal analyses, sedaDNA, ZooMS and stable isotope are employed for the first time. Collecting samples for absolute dating including OSL and 14C dates is an important foundation for this research, for Sorheh provided the first chronological history on the IUP in the Iranian Plateau. The project plans to reassess stratified lithic collections suspended to contain IUP materials including Warwasi and Bawa Yawan rockshelters in the Zagros Mountains of Palearctic and Mirak open air site in the Iranian Central Plateau of the Saharo-Arabian realm.A combination of these methods will unravel for the first time, a physiogeographic, chronostratigraphic and anthropogenic picture of the IUP in the Iranian Plateau. Given that, this research can aid in deciphering the IUP hominins both physically and behaviorally.