Spread and Technology of Neanderthals in Periglacial Environment – STONE

该石头项目旨在确定波兰、乌克兰和罗马尼亚东部关键考古遗址之间的技术联系，以了解旧石器时代晚期尼安德特人在冰缘地区的扩散情况。最近的遗传分析显示，在90Ky BP之后，种群从西欧转向阿拉泰地区，这表明尼安德特人的迁徙模式比之前想象的要大。从这个角度来看，普鲁特河和德涅斯特河可能是尼安德特人在寒冷的气候振荡期间从中欧向南部东部地区扩散的主要走廊。这一假设可以解释自MIS5d以来从法国东部到高加索地区的技术稳定性，为尼安德特人适应猛犸草原生物群的低生物量环境开辟了新的场景。项目Stone旨在将尖端方法应用于岩石学研究，提供：a)准确重建在波兰、乌克兰和东罗马关键考古遗址执行的技术策略。b)了解Micoquian和Levlois-Mousterian相聚落类型的变异性。C)重新评估承载着Micoquian/Lvallois-Mousterian工具包的考古水平的年表，以便将尼安德特人的职业与气候波动联系起来。d)评估欧亚中旧石器时代环境与文化多样性之间的关系。到目前为止，KeilMessergruppen和东部Micoquian被认为是欧洲旧石器时代晚期的两个不同的相。然而，从来没有讨论过这些地区之间的技术差异是什么，以及波兰作为连接中部和东部地区的门户的作用，在这些地区，当地和外国的技术行为可能会发生融合。石头项目的预期成果是了解中欧和东欧“Micoquian”/Lvallois-Mousterian相的技术行为和定居动态，揭示生活在冰缘环境中的尼安德特人的行为可塑性。这些信息将是理解旧石器时代晚期尼安德特人人口扩张的关键，并挑战只有智人能够分散在大片领土上的根深蒂固的范式。该项目的成果将开启关于尼安德特人人口结构的新的科学辩论，并填补在理解喀尔巴西亚和北高加索之间地区所使用的技术战略方面的空白。

The STONE project aims to determine the technological connections between the key archaeological sites of Poland, Ukraine, and eastern Romania in order to understand the diffusion of Neanderthals in the periglacial areas during the Late Middle Palaeolithic. Recent genetic analysis reveals a population turnover from Western Europe to the Altai region, after 90 ky BP suggesting that the Neanderthals mobility patterns were larger than previously envisaged. In this perspective, the Prut and Dniester Rivers could have acted as main corridors of dispersal of Neanderthals from Central Europe to the eastern southern territories during the cold climatic oscillations. This hypothesis could explain the technological stability from eastern France to the Caucasus since the MIS 5d, opening new scenarios on the adaptability of Neanderthals to the low-biomass environment of the Mammoth steppe biome.The project STONE aims to apply cutting-edge methods in lithic studies providing:a) Accurate reconstruction of the technological strategies performed in the key archaeological sites in Poland, Ukraine, and eastern Romania.b) Understanding of the variability in the types of settlements in the Micoquian and Levallois- Mousterian facies. c) Reassessment of the chronology of the archaeological levels bearing the Micoquian/Levallois-Mousterian toolkit in order to contextualize the Neanderthals occupations with the climatic fluctuations.d) Evaluation of the relationship between the environments and the cultural diversification in the Eurasian Middle Palaeolithic.Thus far, the Keilmessergruppen and the Eastern Micoquian have been considered as two distinct facies of the late Middle Palaeolithic in Europe. However, it has never been discussed what the technological variability between these regions is and the role of Poland as a gate of connections between the Central and the Eastern regions, where a fusion of local and foreigner technical behaviours could have occurred. The expected results of the STONE project are the understanding of the technical behaviours and the settlement dynamics of the “Micoquian”/Levallois-Mousterian facies in Central and Eastern Europe revealing the behavioural plasticity of Neanderthals living in periglacial environments. This information will be pivotal for understanding the Neanderthals demographic expansion during the Late Middle Palaeolithic and challenging the rooted paradigm that only Homo sapiens was able to disperse over large territories. The project results will open new scientific debates on Neanderthals population structures and fill the gap on the comprehension of the technological strategies used in the area between the Carpathians and the northern Caucasus.