Anne-Marie Tillier

Archaeological Evidence for the Emergence of Language, Symbolism, and Music—An Alternative Multidisciplinary Perspective

In recent years, there has been a tendency to correlate the origin of modern culture and language with that of anatomically modern humans. Here we discuss this correlation in the light of results provided by our first hand analysis of ancient and recently discovered relevant archaeological and paleontological material from Africa and Europe. We focus in particular on the evolutionary significance of lithic and bone technology, the emergence of symbolism, Neandertal behavioral patterns, the identification of early mortuary practices, the anatomical evidence for the acquisition of language, the development of conscious symbolic storage, the emergence of musical traditions, and the archaeological evidence for the diversification of languages during the Upper Paleolithic. This critical reappraisal contradicts the hypothesis of a symbolic revolution coinciding with the arrival of anatomically modern humans in Europe some 40,000 years ago, but also highlights inconsistencies in the anatomically–culturally modern equation and the potential contribution of anatomically “pre-modern” human populations to the emergence of these abilities. No firm evidence of conscious symbolic storage and musical traditions are found before the Upper Paleolithic. However, the oldest known European objects that testify to these practices already show a high degree of complexity and geographic variability suggestive of possible earlier, and still unrecorded, phases of development.

Brief communication : An early Case of Hydrocephalus, the Middle Paleolithic Qafzeh 12 Child (Israel)

Remains of 15 hominids were recovered within a Mousterian archaeological context in the cave of Qafzeh, Israel. Dated to ca. 95 kyr BP, this skeletal material has been crucial for understanding biological, chronological, and cultural aspects of anatomically modern ancient Homo sapiens. The high proportion of children (N = 8) in Qafzeh Cave is unique among Middle Palaeolithic sites and encourages the search for skeletal evidence of disease and trauma. We report on the case of one child, Qafzeh 12, ca. 3 years old (according to modern human reference standards), who manifests some outstanding skeletal abnormalities that indicate hydrocephalus.

New Neandertal remains from the Grotte du Bison at Arcy-sur-Cure, France.

a UMR 7041, ArScAn, Laboratoire d’Ethnologie préhistorique, Maison René Ginouvès, 21 allée de l’Université, 92023 Nanterre Cedex, France b Kunstkamera Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology, a, 3 Universitetskaya nab., Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia c Department of Anthropology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA d Laboratoire de Palynologie, CEPAM, 250 avenue Albert Einstein, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560 Valbonne, France e INRAP et UMR 7041, ArScAn, Équipe Anthropologie des techniques, espaces et territoires au Plio-pléistocène, Maison René Ginouvès, 21 allée de l’Université, 92023 Nanterre Cedex, France f Laboratoire d’Anthropologie des Populations du Passé, UMR 5199-PACEA, Université Bordeaux1, avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence cedex, France

Speech and the Neanderthals

The ability to communicate by speech was a crucial step in human evolution and there has been much controversy concerning the point at which it occurred. The recent discovery at Kebara of a well-preserved hyoid bone some 60,000 years old suggests that Neanderthal man had developed the anatomical structures necessary to articulate words. This in itself does not prove that such articulation occurred. But contributory evidence, such as endocranial casts indicates that the necessary brain differentiation had also developed. Further, what we know of the social organisation of Neanderthals suggests that some form of communication by speech was necessary.

Direct dating of the ''Gravettian'' Balla child's skeleton from Bukk Mountains (Hungary): unexpected results

Direct dating performed on the Ballas child skeleton evidenced that the remains are more recent as initially presumed and could be attributed to the Neolithic.

The Earliest Homo Sapiens (Sapiens): Biological, Chronological and Taxonomic Perspectives

Over the last twenty years the debate over the origin of modern Man has broadened, the supporters of a theory of regional diversification of Homo sapiens being often opposed by those holding to the single source theory (the ‘Out of Africa’ model). At the same time, the idea of Homo neanderthalensis as a separate species was being resurrected, supported by bone classification typology and drawing on arguments derived from palaeogenetic analyses, which buttressed the case for the existence of distinct species and for privileging an African origin for modern humans. The prospects offered by palaeogenetic research to find answers for the questions concerning the relationship between modern humans and Neanderthals throw up numerous questions and all the obstacles have not yet been removed. Palaeoanthropology, from its point of view, casts major doubt on the thesis according to which man has always evolved in the same direction.

Reconstructing cultural behavior from dental wear studies: Is para-facets analysis approach scientifically valid?

It is common knowledge, that in archaic populations teeth were used as tools, this behavior can be studied by evaluating attrition patterns. Parafacets were defined as nonmasticatory wear areas that have no antagonist matching wear facets. The presence of the parafacets led to far-reaching conclusions regarding cultural interactions between Near Eastern Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans. This study was aimed to examine the identification of parafacets in some of the Qafzeh specimens. Based on findings of our research we suggest that the attrition facets mistakenly considered as parafacets are in fact the result of the static and dynamic occlusion. Therefore the observations induce much less dramatic interpretation. We here propose several guidelines that would be beneficial in that they aim to evaluate the parafacets with heightened accuracy.

Nouvelles données sur l'édification des molaires et l'estimation de l'âge dentaire des enfants par imagerie médicale et 3D : apports et perspectives

RésuméLes méthodes d’estimation de l’âge des enfants se fondent sur des référentiels pouvant être biaisés. L’évolution technologique aidant, l’imagerie médicale et 3D peuvent être utilisées pour améliorer ou développer des méthodes moins subjectives. Ces nouvelles approches conduisent également à identifier de nouveaux critères d’estimation de l’âge au décès. Aussi, pour en proposer, il est essentiel de s’appuyer sur un échantillon de référence, dont il faut connaître les caractéristiques et qui offre un aperçu de la variabilité populationnelle. Cette variabilité, comparée à celle des taxons fossiles, permet d’apporter de nouvelles informations sur le développement dentaire de ces derniers et d’approfondir la réflexion sur l’estimation de l’âge des sujets immatures en général et des fossiles en particulier. En effet, à travers cette étude, nous nous proposons de fournir des améliorations méthodologiques aux méthodes de Moorrees et al. 1963a, b et de proposer de nouvelles pistes dans l’estimation de l’âge des enfants grâce à l’imagerie médicale et 3D à travers les volumes dentaires. Une première application de ces propositions à l’enfant néanderthalien Châteauneuf 2 a été effectuée. Elle rend compte de l’importance des critères sélectionnés pour l’estimation de l’âge, produisant des écarts plus importants que pour des enfants modernes. De plus, elle met en avant le développement différentiel des premières molaires permanentes entre les deux arcades dentaires.AbstractAge estimation methods vary considerably and are based on reference frameworks that may be biased. New technologies, including medical and 3D imaging, are contributing to the development of improved and less subjective methods, and can identify new characteristics to support estimations of age at death. The use of a reference sample with known characteristics (origin, age, sex, etc.) is essential to develop new standards for age estimation. Comparing variability within a well characterized sample with the variability of fossil specimens provides new information on dental maturation and further insights for juvenile age estimation. Here, we propose an improvement to the juvenile age estimation methods of Moorrees et al. based on dental volumes derived from medical and 3D imaging. Its initial application to the Châteauneuf 2 Neanderthal child demonstrated the importance of the criteria selected for age estimation, which produced larger differences than in modern children, and brought out differences between the two arches in the rate of maturation of the first permanent molars.

The Maglemosian skeleton from Koelbjerg, Denmark revisited: identifying sex and provenance

ABSTRACT The Koelbjerg individual, dated c. 8500 cal BC, represents the earliest human skeletal remains described from Scandinavia. Based on ancient DNA, strontium isotope and statistical anthropological analyses the individual’s sex, haplogroup and geographical provenance are here analysed and discussed. In contrast to previous claims, our genetic and anthropological analyses show that this individual was a male. Additionally, the strontium isotope ratio of one of his first molars indicates that he most likely grew up locally.

Ontogenetic Variation in Late Pleistocene Homo Sapiens from the Near East

Since the last conference held in Tokyo on the subject of “The Evolution and Dispersal of Modern Humans in Asia” (Akazawa et al. 1992), recent discoveries in Middle Paleolithic caves such as Amud in Israel (Rak et al. 1994) and Dederiyeh in Syria (Akazawa et al. 1993, 1995) have refocused attention on the significance of studies devoted to immature individuals. Ontogenetic studies are thus reintroduced into the debate on the origins of modern humans and their evolutionary relationship to Neandertals. The location of the Dederiyeh and Amud Caves in the Near East reinforced the significance of the discoveries with regard to the uniqueness of this geographic region. Indeed, the history of human populations in this region during the Middle Paleolithic is complex, as it was occupied by two morphologically different populations. Early anatomically modern humans are known from the Skhul and Qafzeh Caves while other hominids with European Neandertal affinities were the inhabitants of sites such as Amud, Tabun, and Kebara in Israel and Shanidar in Iraq. Because the archaeological records left by the two human groups are not significantly distinct, many scholars propose a model based on biological differences such as reproductive patterns, infant mortality, and life expectancy in order to explain geographical dispersal and prevalence of early modern humans. Most of the ontogenetic studies attempt to establish different parameters of maturation between early modern humans and Neandertals, yet few of them pay attention to methodological problems involved in conducting paleoauxological investigations.