Last Neanderthal and early Homo sapiens occupations in the Bawa Yawan Rockshelter, Kermanshah, West-Central Zagros Mountains (Iran).

尼安德特人的命运以及他们被解剖学上的现代人（AMH）所取代，成为古人类学家和考古学家最感兴趣的问题。最近的古遗传学分析证明，AMH与包括尼安德特人和丹尼索瓦人在内的古人类有过杂交。与旧石器时代研究相关的遗传学研究表明，AMH与尼安德特人的最后接触发生在晚更新世（MIS 3）的欧亚大陆西部。最近对40个遗址的重新测年分析表明，莫斯特技术的终结和尼安德特人很可能的消失并不局限于特定的地区，而是发生在41-39 kya之间，在欧亚大陆西部的不同地方。研究还表明，气候变化和AMHs竞争条件的结合使尼安德特人灭绝。在很长一段时间内，现代研究方法之外的一个关键地区是扎格罗斯山脉。近年来，申请人在扎格罗斯山脉中西部的Kermanshah地区启动了一个项目，旨在追踪中期（MP）到上旧石器时代（UP）之间的过渡时期。新的研究结果是，在大约150到100公里的范围内，发现了260多个与MP、UP和上石器时代职业有关的洞穴、岩石庇护所和露天场所。在研究的第二阶段，对克尔曼沙地区巴瓦亚万岩洞进行了试验开挖。在该遗址的两个季节的挖掘结果是：a)在六个地质层（GH）中发现了三个考古技术建筑群序列，即MP， UP和上颌石器时代（GH）， b)发现了一颗尼安德特人牙齿，c)揭示了一个带有MP和UP石器文物的过渡层，d) GH5牙齿周围的一些木炭样本的年代在40至45 kya之间，表明尼安德特人在该地区的晚期占领。巴瓦亚万的这些初步结果表明，在西亚一个关键地区，就尼安德特人的命运和AMH人群的替代过程进行进一步研究具有很大的潜力。拟议的项目将采用多学科方法，包括现代挖掘方法，超滤AMS放射性碳定年，u系列和OSL，遗址形成过程，遗址内空间分析，石器文物和动物分析。这些学科对于回答以下问题是必要的：a-巴瓦亚万考古沉积物的时间顺序如何？b- GH2中MP和UP石器制品的存在是两个不同的人类群体同时使用该遗址的结果，还是不同种群在不同季节使用该遗址的结果？c-巴瓦亚万的GHs是否符合基于全球记录的大陆气候变化模式，还是受局部气候条件的影响？d-尼安德特人的牙齿是一个单一的发现，还是有更多的人类骨骼遗骸等待在更大的挖掘中被发现？

The fate of Neanderthals and their replacement by anatomically modern humans (AMH) became of greatest interest among paleoanthropologists and archaeologists. Recent palaeogenetics analyses have proved that AMH interbred with ancient humans including Neandertals and Denisovans. Genetic studies associated with Palaeolithic researches indicate that last contacts between AMH and Neanderthals have occurred in western Eurasia during Late Pleistocene (MIS 3). A recent re-dating analysis of 40 sites shows that the end of Mousterian technology and most probably the disappearance of Neanderthals are not limited to specific areas, but occurred in a period between 41–39 kya in different places across Western Eurasia. Researches also suggest that a combination of climatic changes and competitive condition with AMHs extirpated Neanderthals. A key area that was outside of modern research methods for a long time, is the Zagros Mountains. During recent years the applicant has started a project in the region of Kermanshah in the West-Central Zagros Mountains, which aims to track the transitional period between Middle (MP) to Upper Palaeolithic (UP). The new research resulted into the discovery of more than 260 caves, rockshelters and open-air sites associated with MP, UP and Epipalaeolithic occupations in an area of around 150 to 100 km. In the second phase of the research a test excavation in Bawa Yawan Rockshelter in the Kermanshah Region was conducted. Two seasons of excavation in this site resulted in: a) the discovery of a sequence of three archaeological techno-complexes namely MP, UP and Epipalaeolithic embedded in six geological horizons (GH), b) the recovery of a Neanderthal tooth, c) revealing a transitional layer with MP and UP lithic artefacts, d) a few charcoal samples around the tooth in GH5 were dated between 40 to 45 kya, indicating a late Neanderthal occupation in the area. These preliminary results in Bawa Yawan show its high potential for further research in respect of Neanderthal’s fate and replacement process by AMH population in one of the key areas in Western Asia. The proposed project will use multidisciplinary approaches including modern excavation methods, ultrafiltration AMS radiocarbon dating, U-series and OSL, site formation processes, intra-site spatial analyses, analysis of lithic artefacts and faunal. These disciplines are necessary to answer the following questions:a- How is the chronological sequence of the archaeological deposits in Bawa Yawan?b- Is the presence of MP and UP lithic artefacts in GH2 the result of using the site by two different hominin groups simultaneously or in different seasons by different populations? c- Do the GHs in Bawa Yawan fit into the continental climatic change model based on the world-wide records or was the study area affected by local climatic condition? d- Is the Neanderthal tooth a single find or are there more hominin skeletal remains waiting to be discovered in an extended excavation?