The origin of the easternmost Neanderthals: comparative studies of the Sibiryachikha industry from the Russian Altai

化石DNA遗传分析的最新进展导致了关于不同尼安德特人群体之间以及尼安德特人，现代人和最近发现的“丹尼索瓦人”之间的分类关系的新假设。从考古学的角度研究这些关系的核心地区是俄罗斯阿尔泰，最近在那里发现了最东端的尼安德特人的化石以及该地区迄今为止未知的石器工业。该项目旨在通过使用考古数据并将其与从古生物学研究中推导出的现有假设进行比较，解决有关阿尔泰尼安德特人起源的问题。俄罗斯阿尔泰丰富的考古记录使这种具有挑战性的方法成为可能，该记录在区域范围内对其石器成分进行分析，然后与超区域范围内的类似行业进行比较。要做到这一点，标准的最新方法相结合的新方法，在调查的bifacial工具，如三维几何形态和空间分析，使用地理信息系统（GIS）。大规模的比较，多变量统计和使用阿尔泰，邻近的欧亚东部地区，近东以及中欧和东欧的数据进行，在与GIS分析的相互作用，有可能确定阿尔泰尼安德特人的祖先家园，并重建潜在的迁移路线。

Recent advances in genetic analysis of fossil DNA led to novel hypothesis about the taxonomic relations among different Neanderthal populations as well as between Neanderthals, modern humans and the recently discovered “Denisovans”. A core region to study these relations from an archaeological perspective is the Russian Altai, where recently the fossils of the easternmost Neanderthals were found together with a lithic industry hitherto unknown from that region. The project aims at solving the question about the origin of the Altai Neanderthals by using archaeological data and comparing these to existing hypothesis deduced from paleogenetic research. This challenging approach is made possible by the rich archaeological record from the Russian Altai, which is analyzed for its lithic artifact component on a regional scale and then compared to similar industries on a supra-regional scale. To do so, standard up-to date methods are combined with novel approaches in the investigating of bifacial tools such 3D geometric morphometrics and spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Large scale comparisons, conducted with multivariate statistics and using data from the Altai, the neighboring Eastern Eurasian regions, the Near East as well as Central and Eastern Europe will, in interplay with GIS analysis, make possible to determine the ancestral homeland of the Altai Neanderthal and to reconstruct potential migratory routes.