https://cir.cenieh.es/handle/20.500.12136/5 2026-07-24T21:48:28Z 2026-07-24T21:48:28Z Sánchez-Romero, Laura Benito-Calvo, Alfonso https://cir.cenieh.es/handle/20.500.12136/3599 2026-07-16T01:00:16Z 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Inferring the role of hominids at Torralba: spatial analysis of original excavation data Authors: Sánchez-Romero, Laura; Benito-Calvo, Alfonso Abstract: Torralba has been a key locality for Middle Pleistocene paleoanthropology since its discovery by the Marqués de Cerralbo in the early 1900s. It yielded numerous elephant bones and lithic artifacts, leading to its first interpretation as an elephant kill site, and provoking subsequent studies and debates about that interpretation. After Cerralbo, Torralba was excavated by a multidisciplinary team led by the American paleoanthropologist F. Clark Howell between 1961 and 1963. This work generated a large body of documentation, including maps, photographs, catalogs, drawings, and notes. Here, we present previously unpublished stratigraphic sections and georeferenced and digitalized distribution maps. Combined with newly digitized archival photographs of the original excavations, these resources provide long sought and critically important spatial and stratigraphic positioning of 1,541 bones, 428 artifacts and 1,678 additional stones (among other elements). The work was carried out considering all these elements, discussing their possible stratigraphic attribution through the study of distribution and orientation patterns by applying spatial analysis methods. The results have provided important data regarding the importance of recovering documentation from old excavations and processing it with innovative analytical methods, as well as regarding the formation processes of the deposit that bear directly on previous behavioral inferences and provide valuable data for future studies.

2026-06-01T00:00:00Z Sánchez-Martínez, Javier Rafart-Vidal, Eulàlia Benito-Calvo, Alfonso Martínez-Moreno, Jorge Sánchez de la Torre, Marta https://cir.cenieh.es/handle/20.500.12136/3596 2026-05-16T01:00:12Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Variations in human ecodynamics in the southern Pyrenees: chert procurement and use at Cova Gran de Santa Linya during the Upper Paleolithic Authors: Sánchez-Martínez, Javier; Rafart-Vidal, Eulàlia; Benito-Calvo, Alfonso; Martínez-Moreno, Jorge; Sánchez de la Torre, Marta Abstract: The southern slope of the Pyrenees is rich in siliceous resources, particularly chert. This material, widely distributed across the region, was the primary raw material exploited by anatomically modern humans (AMH) during the Upper Paleolithic. However, it remains unclear whether the procurement strategies employed during this period—marked by multiple climatic fluctuations and chrono-cultural phases remained consistent or changed over time. To address this question, an archaeopetrological characterization of chert was conducted on the core and retouched tool assemblages from the Upper Paleolithic sequence at Cova Gran de Santa Linya. This analysis aims to identify the sedimentary origins of the silicifications and infer potential procurement zones to detect variations in lithic organization and procurement strategies over time. The study distinguishes two main types of silicifications: cherts formed in a continental hypersaline (evaporitic) sedimentary environment, likely associated with the Garumnian facies of the Tremp Formation, and cherts derived from a continental lacustrine environment, available in various geological formations within the Pre-Pyrenean Marginal Ranges and the Ebro Valley. Additionally, marine-origin cherts were identified, in formations located both on the southern and northern foothills of the Pyrenees. This preliminary approach suggests a primary procurement strategy in the transverse valleys of the southern Pyrenees and the Ebro Depression. The presence of marine-origin cherts, whose outcrops are located at a greater distance, suggests a certain permeability towards northern territories within the Pyrenean range. Furthermore, we detected a shift in raw material use and management throughout the Upper Paleolithic, particularly from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) onwards, where evaporitic chert varieties decrease in favor of lacustrine varieties. This progressive changes in raw material use coincides with parallel re-organisation of technology during the Magdalenian. Long-distance tracers are mainly identified on the onset of the LGM, likely indicating broader mobility and procurement strategies as a resilient response to harsh climate conditions and resources availability.

2026-05-01T00:00:00Z Miller, Jennifer M. Shipton, Ceri Kourampas, Nikos Parés, Josep María Vonhof, Hubert Javad Shoaee, Mohammad Cueva-Temprana, Arturo Harding, Makayla Crowther, Alison Jurkenas, Dovydas Mutoro, Doreen Cerassoni, Jacopo Niccolò Fernandes, Ricardo Maroma, Christine Ndiema, Emmanuel Boivin, Nicole Petraglia, Michael D. https://cir.cenieh.es/handle/20.500.12136/3598 2026-05-27T01:00:15Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Cave morphology and human-mediated sediment deposition: Late Pleistocene to Holocene evolution of the cave floor at Panga ya Saidi, coastal Kenya Authors: Miller, Jennifer M.; Shipton, Ceri; Kourampas, Nikos; Parés, Josep María; Vonhof, Hubert; Javad Shoaee, Mohammad; Cueva-Temprana, Arturo; Harding, Makayla; Crowther, Alison; Jurkenas, Dovydas; Mutoro, Doreen; Cerassoni, Jacopo Niccolò; Fernandes, Ricardo; Maroma, Christine; Ndiema, Emmanuel; Boivin, Nicole; Petraglia, Michael D. Abstract: Panga ya Saidi (PYS), a cave situated in a forested upland near the coast of Kenya, contains an archaeological record that spans at least 78,000 years and is crucial for understanding the evolution of Homo sapiens populations in eastern Africa. Here we report on new systematic excavation, three-dimensional scanning, radiocarbon dating, and geoarchaeological analyses that provide insights on sedimentary dynamics, occupation patterns, and site-formation processes at PYS. Our data show that while unroofed parts of the cave probably contain the deepest stratigraphies, these are likely to be dominated by colluvial influx and yield limited cultural deposits. Sheltered zones near the chamber edges exhibit better stratigraphic integrity and higher artifact densities, with deposits exceeding 5.5 meters in thickness in the main excavation area. In this area, marked shifts in occupation intensity and sediment sources enable us to reconstruct the evolution of the inhabited cave space. Our findings underscore PYS as a key site for understanding human behavior, adaptation, and environmental interactions from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene, with implications for broader interpretations of the evolution of Homo sapiens populations in eastern Africa.

2026-05-01T00:00:00Z Lin, Sungui Zhao, Yuhao Xing, Song https://cir.cenieh.es/handle/20.500.12136/3595 2026-05-16T01:00:11Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Cranial Morphology of a 21,000-Year-Old Homo sapiens From Southwest China Authors: Lin, Sungui; Zhao, Yuhao; Xing, Song Abstract: Objectives This study reports a new hominin cranium, dated to 21,000 years ago, offering novel insights into the evolutionary pattern of the cranial morphology of the East Asian Homo sapiens over the past 40,000 years. Materials and Methods The cranium (22IVPP-H-Cr01) was scanned and virtually reconstructed. Its morphology was described and compared primarily with other fossil H. sapiens. To better contextualize cranial variation, specimens of Homo heidelbergensis, East Asian late Middle Pleistocene archaic Homo, Homo neanderthalensis, and recent H. sapiens were also added to the comparative sample. Additionally, cranial measurements were conducted on the 22IVPP-H-Cr01 and compared with those of other taxonomic groups to assess its evolutionary status through principal component analysis. Results The 22IVPP-H-Cr01 cranium represents a female aged ~35–40 years. It exhibits typical H. sapiens morphology while retaining ancestral traits, including pronounced prognathism, a broad interorbital region, and wide nasal aperture. Overall, the cranial configuration of 22IVPP-H-Cr01 appears more derived than pre-LGM (Last Glacial Maximum) H. sapiens yet more primitive than post-LGM H. sapiens in East Asia. Discussion Compared to East Asian pre-LGM H. sapiens, post-LGM populations exhibit significant morphological variability. The 22IVPP-H-Cr01 specimen from Southwest China, dated to the LGM, may represent a candidate link between these two chronological groups. This finding supports population continuity at least in southern East Asia over the past 40,000 years, contrasting with the local population replacement documented in northern East Asia.

2026-05-01T00:00:00Z