Evidence from Tinshemet Cave in Israel suggests behavioural uniformity across Homo groups in the Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic circa 130,000–80,000 years ago
Résumé
The south Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic (mid-MP; ~130-80 thousand years ago (ka)) is remarkable for its exceptional evidence of human morphological variability, w it h c on te mp or aneous fossils of Homo sapiens and Neanderthal-like hominins. Yet, it remains unclear whether these hominins adhered to discrete behavioural sets or whether r eg io na l-scale intergroup interactions could have homogenized mid-MP behaviour. Here we report on our discoveries at Tinshemet Cave, Israel. The site yielded articulated Homo remains in association with rich assemblages of ochre, fauna and stone tools dated to ~100 ka. Viewed from the perspective of other key regional sites of this period, our findings indicate consolidation of a uniform behavioural set in the Levantine mid-MP, consisting of similar lithic technology, an increased reliance on large-game hunting and a range of socially elaborated behaviours, comprising intentional human burial and the use of ochre in burial contexts. We suggest that the development of this behavioural uniformity is due to intensified inter-population interactions and admixture between Homo groups ~130-80 ka.
Studies on the mid-Middle Palaeolithic (mid-MP; ~130-80 thousand years ago (ka)) document an increased pace of out-of-Africa hominin dispersals and provide a growing body of evidence that southwest Asia was the stepping stone for an Asia-wide expansion of Homo sapiens 1,2 . The Levant during this period is marked by exceptional evidence of synchronous human morphological variability within the region, including fossil evidence of highly variable populations 3-6 . This variability is expressed on the inter-site level with archaic Neanderthal-like fossils reported at Nesher Ramla 5 and H. sapiens-like fossils at Skhul and Qafzeh caves 3,4,7 , between the Skhul and Qafzeh fossils 8-11 , and on the intra-site level within the Qafzeh human fossil assemblage 6-8,11-14 . This variability has been a source of major debate about the anatomical affinities of Levantine mid-MP hominins. Skhul and Qafzeh hominins have been variously seen as variable populations of archaic H. sapiens 7,15-17 , distinct human types or hybrids 3,
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