Geological processes and site structure: Assessing integrity at a Late Paleolithic open‐air site in northern France

The difficulty of reading the archaeological record of caves and rock shelters is becoming increasingly obvious to Paleolithic researchers. Although some open‐air sites are thought to avoid such taphonomic complications, interpreting their archaeological record is less straightforward than assumed. Postdepositional processes may obscure structure in configurations of features and artifacts. Recently developed techniques for the excavation and analysis of Paleolithic cave sites can be applied to open‐air sites before spatial patterning is interpreted for inferences about prehistoric social organization. Analysis of the orientation of elongated artifacts on the occupation surface of the late Upper Paleolithic site of Verberie, France, is employed for evaluation of the integrity of site structure. Results indicate spatial structure largely undisturbed by geological processes. The lack of disturbance in the configuration of archaeological materials allows for a behavioral interpretation of those remains. The proposition that Verberie was a hunting campsite for initial carcass processing is supported. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Paleolithic burnt bone horizons from the Swabian Jura: Distinguishing between in situ fireplaces and dumping areas

Hohle Fels Cave is one of several Upper Paleolithic sites on the eastern extension of the Swabian Alb in southwestern Germany. Several phases of excavations have been conducted since 1870. The archaeological inventories comprise a broad range of artifacts produced from stone, bone, teeth, ivory, and antler. The site has also yielded Paleolithic rock art, sculpture, and engravings. The Pleistocene inventories unearthed so far belong to the Magdalenian, Gravettian, and Aurignacian; Middle Paleolithic horizons may well be uncovered as excavations continue. The chronology of three main occupation phases has been established with numerous ¹⁴C measurements. The Magdalenian dates to about 13,000 yr B.P., and the richest Gravettian deposit contains a burnt bone‐layer extending over ca. 12 m² that dates to about 29,000 yr B.P. The underlying Aurignacian horizons predate 30,000 yr B.P. The Gravettian burnt bone layer (archaeological layer IIcf) is a key horizon because of its distinct composition and color and its large horizontal extension. Layer IIcf has been examined using a combination of analytical techniques including micromorphological analysis of thin sections with polarizing light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy for fabric and identification of mineral and biogenic constituents. The bone mineral composition was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electron probe microanalytical techniques. These investigations in tandem with the field observations indicate intense burning of bones as fuel. The micromorphological and contextual archaeological data suggest that layer IIcf is a secondary dump rather than an in situ accumulation. This deposit and other Paleolithic burnt deposits in the Swabian Jura appear to reflect intense periods of winter occupation in these caves. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Late Neanderthals at Jarama VI (central Iberia)?

Previous geochronological and archaeological studies on the rock shelter Jarama VI suggested a late survival of Neanderthals in central Iberia and the presence of lithic assemblages of Early Upper Paleolithic affinity. New data on granulometry, mineralogical composition, geochemical fingerprints and micromorphology of the sequence corroborate the previous notion that the archaeological units JVI.2.1 to JVI.2.3 are slackwater deposits of superfloods, which did not experience significant post-depositional changes, whereas the artifact-rich units JVI.3 and JVI.1 mainly received sediment inputs by sheetwash and cave spall. New AMS radiocarbon measurements on three samples of cut-marked bone using the ultrafiltration technique yielded ages close to, or beyond, the limit of radiocarbon dating at ca. 50 ¹⁴C ka BP, and hence suggest much higher antiquity than assumed previously. Furthermore, elevated temperature post-IR IRSL luminescence measurements on K feldspars yielded burial ages for subunits JVI.2.2 and JVI.2.3 between 50 and 60 ka. Finally, our reappraisal of the stone industry strongly suggests that the whole sequence is of Mousterian affinity. In conclusion, Jarama VI most probably does not document a late survival of Neanderthals nor an Early Upper Paleolithic occupation in central Iberia, but rather indicates an occupation breakdown after the Middle Paleolithic.     

New dates and palaeoenvironmental evidence for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic occupation of Higueral de Valleja Cave,southern Spain

A research programme has been set up at Higueral de Valleja Cave in southern Spain to investigate the late survival and eventual extinction of the southern Iberian Neanderthals and the arrival of modern humans. Of key interest in the first phase of research was to understand the depositional environment in the entrance chamber of the cave and to establish whether palaeoenvironmental and dating samples could be retrieved from the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sequences. The outcome is a series of OSL, TL and radiocarbon dates showing that the cave was occupied by Neanderthal populations in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, if not earlier, and by modern human Solutrean populations during the last glacial maximum. Cave sediments provisionally indicate that the lower Middle Palaeolithic sequence (X–VIII) formed in warm and humid environments and the upper sequence (VIII–V) formed when the climate was cooler and drier. The presence of long grass phytoliths and of the small mammals Microtus duodecimcostatus, Microtus brecciensis and Apodemus sylvaticus in the upper sequence indicates that a range of habitat types persisted near the cave including grassland, scrubby vegetation, patchy tree cover and ponds. This raises the possibility that environmental factors were key factors in the late survival of Neanderthal populations at the cave.     

Electrical resistivity surveys as indicators of site potential: Examples from a rock shelter in Southwestern France and a cave in Southern Albania

Electrical resistivity surveys have been conducted, in conjunction with follow-up auger and test excavations, to optimize the excavation potential within two European closed sites. The first site, Pont d'Ambon II rock shelter, is situated on the Dronne River in the Department of the Dordogne, southwestern France. It is located ∼100 m south of Pont d'Ambon I rock shelter, from which late Upper Paleolithic cultural material has been recovered. Auger testing within Pont d'Ambon II yielded results predicted by evaluation of the electrical data, including an area which contains cultural material. A second area contained a large, near-surface limestone block, which probably resulted from a rock fall. The second site is located in a cave near the town of Konispol, Albania, in the southernmost part of the country. Its cultural deposits range in age from the Iron Age to at least Late Paleolithic times. Interpretation of the electrical resistivity data from Konispol Cave indicates that thick, relatively undisturbed sediments cover the floor in central portions of the cave. Only in one area near the entrance are limestone blocks likely to impair excavation efforts. Results from a test excavation, associated with an anomaly in the electrical data, uncovered a large, carefully constructed hearth. These data indicate that preliminary geophysical surveys at many archaeological sites can optimize excavation potential. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

北京石花洞结构特征及发育演化过程研究

北京石花洞是中国北方已探明洞穴中次生碳酸盐沉积规模最大、种类最丰富的洞穴;石花洞的景观美学价值和科学价值,在我国北方岩溶洞穴中占有重要地位。2013年7月,为了获取石花洞发育规模、空间结构等基本数据,采用国际通用洞穴测量方法,运用激光测距仪、罗盘和倾角仪,辅以Onstation洞穴绘图软件和ArcMap10软件对石花洞洞穴开展了全面的调查和测绘。结果显示:(1) 石花洞洞穴系统整体呈北西西-南东东向展布,长度为5 639 m,洞底投影面积为37 096 m2,洞底高差为172 m,洞内最高点海拔约为265 m,最低点海拔约为93 m。洞穴系统的发育演化主要受地层产状与北东向和北西向两组断层控制;(2) 石花洞洞穴系统分为五层,自上而下,各层洞道平均海拔依次为249 m, 211 m, 154 m, 111 m和95 m;(3) 最底第五层季节性地下河洞道长1 638 m,自西北向东南方向贯穿整个洞穴系统,依干湿季水文条件的差别,地下水以季节性涨落为主要特征,有多段有水通道;地下河道下游末端为叉状河道,崩塌明显,洞壁上无明显流纹发育;(4) 综合石花洞地下河走向和流向、洞穴发育控制因素和区域地层产状特征、石花洞与周边洞穴的空间位置关系,推测孔水洞是石花洞洪水期的排泄口。      

Paleoclimatic changes as indicated by the quaternary Karstic Cave deposits in China

This paper describes the paleoclimatic changes reflected by karstic cave deposits during the Quaternary Period in China. the study was based on comprehensive analyses of the spore and pollen, paleontological, and paleoanthropological fossils as well as various kinds of sedimentological features preserved in those cave deposits. the caves studied include those containing fossils of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens in the Zhoukoudian area some 50 km southwest of Beijing and Shenxiandong (the Immortal Cave) in Leishui County, Jiangsu Province, about 120 km southeast of Nanjing. These deposits, which range in thickness from two to 40 meters, have been carefully investigated and have been shown to be representative of portions of the Quaternary. the paleoclimatic fluctuations as recorded in these cave deposits have been well correlated with glacial cycles within the Brunhes Normal Epoch based on the oxygen isotope scale determined from deep ocean cores.     

雪玉洞母岩沉积地质特征及其对次生沉积物的影响

为了研究洞穴母岩对洞穴系统及次生沉积物产生的影响,以重庆丰都雪玉洞母岩为研究对象,对其沉积地质特征进行了详细的研究,同时还探讨母岩的沉积地质特征与洞穴发育及次生沉积物特征之间的关联。结果表明,雪玉洞的母岩层位为下三叠统飞仙关组第二段,其沉积相为颗粒滩。母岩的岩性为砂屑灰岩、鲕粒灰岩、砾屑灰岩, 夹少量微晶灰岩。母岩和洞穴次生沉积物的主要矿物成分是低镁方解石（LMC, low magnesium calcite）。母岩较低的Mg/Ca导致洞穴滴水的Mg/Ca也较低,这使得组成次生沉积物的低镁方解石晶体快速侧向生长,并导致方解石晶体纯净、粗大且自形程度高。雪玉洞母岩顶底板岩层沉积期稳定的滩间海沉积环境有助于形成高强度的厚层微晶灰岩从而为洞穴系统的发育提供有效的支撑。这表明洞穴母岩的沉积地质特征会在物质基础的层面对洞穴系统的发育以及洞穴次生沉积物的特征产生显著影响。      

A preliminary study of natural environmental change and its impact on early Late Paleolithic people in the northeast central Korean Peninsula during Marine Istope Stage 3 (40–30k cal a bp)

We comprehensively analyzed sediments obtained from an archeological excavation. A trench sediment profile of Maedun Cave (MC), South Korea, was analyzed geoarchaeologically. Multi-proxy analyses (palynomorphs, grain size, magnetic susceptibility, animal bones and artifacts) reflected the vegetation, hydroclimate and lives of prehistoric people at Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (ca. 40–30k cal a bp ) in the early Late Paleolithic. The palynoflora consisted of pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs. Under the air-circulation system in the cave, anemophilous pollen flowed in during the day, whereas waterborne pollen and spores, and freshwater algae, were transported by flooding during the summer monsoon rainy season. Mixed conifer and deciduous broad-leaved forest with an understory of pteridophytes flourished around the north-east central Korean Peninsula during MIS 3. Freshwater algae and grass pollen records may reflect precipitation intensity. It is assumed that they had flowed in during flooding caused by high precipitation during the enhanced East Asian summer monsoon, corresponding to Dansgaard–Oeschger (D/O) events 5 and 8 of δ¹⁸O GISP2 and Hulu Cave. The prehistoric people hunted herbivorous animals in the area around MC and sheltered inside it seasonally. They also used the grains of oats growing near the dwelling as a source of food.     

Speleogenesis of Selected Caves beneath the Lunan Shilin and Caves of Fenglin Karst in Qiubei, Yunnan

Yunnan is famous for its attractive karst landscapes especially shilins, fengcong and fenglin. The development of caves beneath the shilins in the vicinity of Lunan is closely connected with the formation of shilins. Most of the waters percolating through shilins run through the caves beneath them and are responsible for their formation. The study of cave speleogenesis deepens knowledge about both the development of shilins and karst structure. In the vicinity of the Lunan Shilin, speleological, morphological and structural geological studies of four karst caves have been accomplished. At Puzhehei, Qiubei, which is characterised by numerous fenglin, fengcong and caves, speleological and morphological studies have been performed. Cave sediments for paleomagnetic analyses have been taken from all studied areas (samples CH 1-9). Karst caves in SE Yunnan are probably much older than the age of the cave sediments (<780,000 years B.P.). The studied areas are located in the vicinity of the Xiaojiang fault (N-S     

Formation processes of cemented features in karstic cave sites revealed using stable oxygen and carbon isotopic analyses: A case study at middle paleolithic Amud Cave,Israel

Hearths are important archaeological features, serving to infer past practices related to hominin subsistence and social behaviors. The identification of hearths is not always straightforward due to post‐depositional processes. In karstic cave environments in particular it is not always easy to distinguish, in the field or in the laboratory, between geogenic and anthropogenic cemented features because both are composed of calcite. Here we present a novel study in which bulk oxygen and carbon isotopic analyses were used in order to unequivocally identify anthropogenic calcite derived from hearths in the Neanderthal site of Amud Cave (Israel). We demonstrate that the isotopic composition of wood ash is distinctively different from that of geogenic calcite. The linear relationship observed between carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of the various sediment types in Amud Cave is interpreted as a mixing line between wood ash and geogenic calcite, thus enhancing our understanding of the origins of sedimentological variability at the site and showing that not all of the cemented sediments in Amud Cave should be regarded as hearths. Our study suggests that the relative abundance of validated hearths in the various areas of the cave may be associated with Neanderthal use of space in Amud Cave. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Steppe lion remains imported by Ice Age spotted hyenas into the Late Pleistocene Perick Caves hyena den in northern Germany

Upper Pleistocene remains of the Ice Age steppe lion Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) have been found in the Perick Caves, Sauerland Karst, NW Germany. Bones from many hyenas and their imported prey dating from the Lower to Middle Weichselian have also been recovered from the Perick Cave hyena den. These are commonly cracked or exhibit deep chew marks. The absence of lion cub bones, in contrast to hyena and cave bear cub remains in the Perick Caves, and other caves of northern Germany, excludes the possibility that P. leo spelaea used the cave for raising cubs. Only in the Wilhelms Cave was a single skeleton of a cub found in a hyena den. Evidence of the chewing, nibbling and cracking of lion bones and crania must have resulted from the importation and destruction of lion carcasses (4% of the prey fauna). Similar evidence was preserved at other hyena den caves and open air sites in Germany. The bone material from the Perick and other Central European caves points to antagonistic hyena and lion conflicts, similar to clashes of their modern African relatives.     

河北临城崆山白云洞溶洞地貌和沉积特征及其影响因素*

河北崆山白云洞发育在以中寒武统张夏组厚层鲕粒灰岩为主的碳酸盐岩地层中。通过对洞穴结构、形态以及沉积物特征的观测分析,结合区域地质演化、古气候演变研究,认为：（1）白云洞由3层洞穴构成,上层为大型厅堂状,中层和下层为狭窄廊道状。洞穴展布受控于NNW、NE和近EW向断裂。（2）洞穴发育形态、规模不仅与岩性和构造有关,还取决于洞穴形成时期的构造稳定性及与之耦合的气候条件,其成层分布是间歇性构造抬升的结果。（3）溶洞沉积物形态多样,其中毛细水沉积的网状卷曲石、协同沉积的玉簪对净瓶等极为罕见。（4）溶洞发育过程中历经多次坍塌,损毁严重。现今的白云洞岩石破碎,结构稳定性差,易遭破坏。研究白云洞地貌和沉积特征及影响因素,对预测其未来变化、保护洞穴旅游资源有重要意义。     

Geoarchaeology of the Kostenki–Borshchevo sites,Don River Valley,Russia

The Kostenki–Borshchevo localities include 26 Upper Paleolithic sites on the first and second terraces along the west bank of the Don River, near Voronezh on the central East European Plain. Geoarchaeological research from 2001 through 2004 focused on sites Kostenki 1, 12, and 14, with additional work at Kostenki 11 and 16, and Borshchevo 5. The strata are grouped into three units (bottom up): Unit 1, > 50 ka, consists of coarse alluvium (representing upper terrace 2 deposits) and colluvium, overlain by fine‐grained sediments. Unit 2 includes archaeological horizons sealed within two sets of thin lenses of silt, carbonate, chalk fragments, and organic‐rich soils (termed the Lower Humic Bed and Upper Humic Bed) dating 50–30 ka. Separating the humic beds is a volcanic ash lens identified as the Campanian Ignimbrite Y5 tephra, dated elsewhere by Ar/Ar to ca. 40 ka. The humic beds appear to result from the complex interplay of soil formation, spring deposition, slope action, and other processes. Several horizons buried in the lower part of Unit 2 contain Upper Paleolithic assemblages. The springs and seeps, which are still present in the area today, emanated from the bedrock valley wall. Their presence may account for the unusually high concentration of Upper Paleolithic sites in this part of the central East European Plain. Unit 3, < 30 ka, contains redeposited loess with a buried soil (Gmelin Soil) overlain by a primary full‐glacial loess with an associated Chernozem (Mollisol), forming the surface of the second terrace. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Geophysical investigations in the El-Wad Cave,MT. Carmel,Israel

Measurements of the thickness of the sediment fill in the el-Wad Cave, Mt. Carmel, Israel were carried out using seismic refraction methods. The cave is one of the famous Mt. Carmel Caves, where finds of Mousterian to Natufian prehistoric cultures had been encountered. The survey discovered a series of karstic pits in several chambers in the cave, with good correlation between the dimension of the chambers and the thickness of the sediment fill. The deepest pit was found in the inner part of the cave, where the oldest archaeological material could be expected.     

New Quaternary Mammalian Faunas and Cave Deposits in the Zhoukoudian Area,Beijing

From 1985 to 1987, four new localities with abundant fossil mammals were dis-covered by Cao, Tian and others in the Zhoukoudian (Choukoutien) area, Beijing. They are theEast, West, Shangdian and Donglingzi caves. The East Cave fauna consists of 28 speices ofmammals and its age is middle Early Pleistocene. The East Cave assemblage shows that a tem-perature-falling event took place at around 1.20 Ma B.P. at Zhoukoudian. Sixteen species ofmammals were collected from the West Cave, which are mainly forms of late Early Pleistoceneage. The West Cave fauna represents a transitional fauna from the East Cave fauna (dry-cold)to the fauna (warm) at locality 9. The Shangdian Cave fauna is composed of four forms, beingMiddle Pleistocene in age. The Donglingzi Cave fauna contains 21 Late Pleistocene forms. Inthe cave two fossil horizons may be distinguished. The age of the lower horizon is early LatePleistocene, which is equivalent to that of the New Cave fauna; while the fauna of the upper ho-rizon may be correlated with the Upper Cave fauna.     

Chemical and physical control processes on the development of caves in the Injana Formation, Central Iraq

The caves that are present within the Injana Formation (Upper Miocene–Pliocene) which sometimes extend to be hosted within the Dibdibba Formation (Pliocene–Pleistocene) in the Tar Al-Najaf and Tar Al-Sayyed within the Najaf–Karbala district have been studied. The study aims to assess the genesis of caves and diagnose the factors affecting the building and the destruction of these caves through geologic time. For this reasons, intensive fieldwork as well as the mineralogical composition and microscopic interpretation were achieved to facilitate the investigation of cave-forming factors. Calcite, quartz, feldspar, dolomite, as well as clay minerals are the constituents of Injana Formation in the study area. The amount of insoluble residue is usually higher in weathered carbonates and in some other cases in fresh carbonate, which is not very common but it may occur. Caves appear to be hosted within the claystone beds and concentrated within Injana Formation, whereas the Dibdibba Formation seems to form the roof of the caves. The mechanism of building caves starts by microdissolution forming microfractures. Then with time, they have developed to be vertical joints. These joints were gradually enlarged as a result of claystone exfoliation along joint planes. Chemical weathering, physical weathering, and sedimentary structure (mud balls) play a key role in the processes of cave evolution. Some caves appear to be irregular, but others tend to be regular with rectangular shape, enough for hosting human beings. These caves may have been used as homes for the ancient human for his protection and improvement of his life. At the same time as the caves were formed, there were other natural factors working continuously that destroy the cave. These factors are dissolution, soil creep, and mass sliding. This work highly recommends for further contributions in terms of the archaeological investigation on these caves to discover the ancient civilization in this area, if any.     

塔里木盆地早海西期多期次风化壳岩溶洞穴层

洞穴层是识别多期次岩溶旋回的标志,是岩溶旋回连接沉积旋回及周期性海平面变化的纽带。本文通过古地貌恢复,将从钻井剖面中识别的洞穴层归位到早石炭世古地貌剖面中,根据洞穴层总是沿稳定古潜水面发育的特点划分对比洞穴层。通过洞穴层的形成条件、充填结构分析,推断洞穴层发育序次、洞穴层与其同时期形成的沉积地层的时空对应关系,并据此对洞穴层进行盆地范围内跨地区对比、总结斜坡及岛屿两种不同的洞穴层发育模式。研究结果表明,在早海西期,塔北、塔中、和田古隆起中、下奥陶统碳酸盐岩陆块内部发育了3个期次的风化壳岩溶洞穴层,其序次为下老上新,它们是在早石炭世间歇性海平面上升过程中形成的,其同时期形成的沉积地层分别为下石炭统东河砂岩段、生屑灰岩段、下泥岩段中上部。洞穴层内部多旋回“坍塌角砾-地下河沉积”组合是斜坡内陆区潜流面的迟后上升效应,洞穴层与洞穴等时层的时空对应关系对于大型古岩溶事件的断年及洞穴层的分布预测具有重要意义。     

Cryptotephra from the 74 ka BP Toba super-eruption in the Billa Surgam caves,southern India

The ～74 ka BP Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT), from the largest known Quaternary volcanic eruption, has been found for the first time as a non-visible (crypto-) tephra layer within the Billa Surgam caves, southern India. The occurrence of the YTT layer in Charnel House Cave provides the first calendrical age estimate for this much debated Pleistocene faunal sequence and demonstrates the first successful application of cryptotephrochronology within a cave sequence. The YTT layer lies ～50 cm below a major sedimentological change, which is related to global cooling around the MIS 5 to MIS 4 transition. Using this isochronous event layer the Billa Surgam Cave record can be directly correlated with other archaeological sites in peninsular India and palaeoenvironmental archives across southern Asia.     

State-of-the-art overview of the Loess Palaeolithic of Poland

In Poland, loess mainly occurs in the southern part of the country, in the Polish Uplands, and on the northern foreland of the Sudetes and the Carpathians. Most of these sediments come from the time of the last glaciation–the Vistulian (Weichselian) glaciation. Thin covers of loess from the penultimate glaciation have been preserved in Upper Silesia. Only a few sites from the Middle Palaeolithic remain in the loess. In the eastern part of Poland loess creates profiles several metres high. Discoveries in this zone represent the cultural sequence from the transition from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic. We know more traces of various cultures from the Upper Palaeolithic exist. The study attempts to synchronise profiles from selected archaeological open-air sites, outlines of the history of research on loess sites, and attempts to explain terminological and conceptual issues. The issue of loess in the cave site profiles will not be discussed in the article.