Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Archaeology Department, New Bulgarian University, 21 Montevideo Str., 1618 Sofia, Bulgaria.
J Hum Evol. 2021 Dec;161:103074. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103074. Epub 2021 Oct 8.
The behavioral dynamics underlying the expansion of Homo sapiens into Europe remains a crucial topic in human evolution. Owing to poor bone preservation, past studies have strongly focused on the Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) stone tool record. Recent excavations and extensive radiocarbon dating at Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria) pushed back the arrival of IUP H. sapiens into Europe to ca. 45,000 years ago. This site has exceptional bone preservation, and we present the study of 7431 faunal remains from across two IUP layers (I and J) and one Middle Paleolithic layer (K). We identified a shift in site use and occupation intensity through time, marked by increased find density and human modifications in Layer I. Alongside a decrease in carnivore presence and seasonality data demonstrating human presence in all seasons, this indicates a more frequent or prolonged occupation of the site by IUP groups. Contrarily, the dietary focus across the IUP and Middle Paleolithic layers is similar, centered on the exploitation of species from a range of habitats including Bos/Bison, Cervidae, Equidae, and Caprinae. While body parts of large herbivores were selectively transported into the site, the bear remains suggest that these animals died in the cave itself. A distinct aspect of the IUP occupation is an increase in carnivore remains with human modifications, including these cave bears but also smaller taxa (e.g., Canis lupus, Vulpes vulpes). This can be correlated with their exploitation for pendants, and potentially for skins and furs. At a broader scale, we identified similarities in subsistence behavior across IUP sites in Europe and western Asia. It appears that the first IUP occupations were less intense with find densities and human modifications increasing in succeeding IUP layers. Moreover, the exploitation of small game appears to be limited across IUP sites, while carnivore exploitation seems a recurrent strategy.
人类进入欧洲的行为动态仍然是人类进化中的一个关键话题。由于骨骼保存不佳，过去的研究主要集中在初始旧石器时代晚期（IUP）的石器记录上。最近在保加利亚的 Bacho Kiro 洞穴的挖掘和广泛的放射性碳测年工作将 IUP 人类进入欧洲的时间推回到大约 45000 年前。该遗址具有极好的骨骼保存条件，我们研究了来自两个 IUP 层（I 和 J）和一个中石器时代层（K）的 7431 个动物遗骸。我们发现随着时间的推移，遗址的使用和居住强度发生了变化，I 层的发现密度和人类改造明显增加。同时，食肉动物的存在减少，季节性数据表明人类在所有季节都存在，这表明 IUP 群体更频繁或更长时间地占据了该遗址。相反，IUP 和中石器时代层的饮食重点相似，集中在利用来自各种栖息地的物种，包括牛/野牛、鹿科、马科和羊科。虽然大型食草动物的身体部位被选择性地运入该遗址，但熊的遗骸表明这些动物是在洞穴内死亡的。IUP 居住的一个明显特点是，带有人类改造的食肉动物遗骸增加，包括这些洞穴熊，还有较小的分类群（如狼、狐狸）。这可以与它们被用于制作吊坠以及可能的皮毛相关联。在更广泛的范围内，我们发现欧洲和西亚的 IUP 遗址在生存行为上存在相似性。似乎第一批 IUP 居住者的活动强度较低，随后的 IUP 层的发现密度和人类改造增加。此外，IUP 遗址的小型猎物的开发似乎受到限制，而食肉动物的开发似乎是一种反复出现的策略。
