The Lower Paleolithic is commonly considered as a long period ca. 3.3 to 0.3 Ma, from the earliest evidence of a lithic production to the apparition of new core technologies, such as the Levallois.). Several Hominins (i.e. Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo antecessor….) as well as different “cultural traditions” (for instance Oldowan and Acheulean) have coexisted or have succeeded one another. Considering also the geographical extension (Africa, Asia and Europe), we observe different Lower Palaeolithic cultural expressions under distinct environmental contexts and chronologies. Due to their latitudinal and longitudinal distribution, these traditions cover various climatic phases including roughly long and intense cold and cool periods.
Taking into account this idea of mosaic features, what exactly is the Lower Paleolithic and what are the environmental interactions that could explain the variability of hominin adaptation?
We aim to investigate the variability of the Lower Palaeolithic cultural traditions across spatial and temporal scales, raising questions about possible interaction between humans and climatic/environmental conditions:
(1) Were there common trends through the whole Lower Paleolithic independently of the environmental contexts?;
(2) How hominins adapted to northern and cold conditions?;
(3) How the raw material availability and the geological background influenced the Lower Palaeolithic traditions variability?
(4) Can we identify, during the Lower Palaeolithic, phenomena of convergence in hominin behavior and/or cognition flexibility to various geographical areas?
(5) Can we define the Homo migration events in relation to the diffusion of Lower Palaeolithic cultures?
Increasing high-resolution paleoclimate proxies in many sites allow us to discuss the relationships between the environmental and archeological data, and the meaning of the lithic and faunal assemblages through technological and subsistence strategies.
Multidisciplinary research is necessary to deeply understand patterns of hominin behaviors during the Lower Paleolithic and adaptation to an important variety of climatic/environmental contexts overtime for this long period of time.
This Research Topic proposes to assemble a series of papers that relate hominin behavior and detailed environmental data by the available multiple proxies. Authors should focus both on continental and local cases to describe the different types of adaptations to environmental conditions and test them over time. Methodological developments are also a way to focus on case studies in order to discuss the quality of records and the best methods to highlight the influence of climate on the hominin responses and strategies, and the resilience of populations through innovations, dispersals, networks of sites. These approaches will bridge the gap between archeological data and the earth sciences.
The Lower Paleolithic is commonly considered as a long period ca. 3.3 to 0.3 Ma, from the earliest evidence of a lithic production to the apparition of new core technologies, such as the Levallois.). Several Hominins (i.e. Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo antecessor….) as well as different “cultural traditions” (for instance Oldowan and Acheulean) have coexisted or have succeeded one another. Considering also the geographical extension (Africa, Asia and Europe), we observe different Lower Palaeolithic cultural expressions under distinct environmental contexts and chronologies. Due to their latitudinal and longitudinal distribution, these traditions cover various climatic phases including roughly long and intense cold and cool periods.
Taking into account this idea of mosaic features, what exactly is the Lower Paleolithic and what are the environmental interactions that could explain the variability of hominin adaptation?
We aim to investigate the variability of the Lower Palaeolithic cultural traditions across spatial and temporal scales, raising questions about possible interaction between humans and climatic/environmental conditions:
(1) Were there common trends through the whole Lower Paleolithic independently of the environmental contexts?;
(2) How hominins adapted to northern and cold conditions?;
(3) How the raw material availability and the geological background influenced the Lower Palaeolithic traditions variability?
(4) Can we identify, during the Lower Palaeolithic, phenomena of convergence in hominin behavior and/or cognition flexibility to various geographical areas?
(5) Can we define the Homo migration events in relation to the diffusion of Lower Palaeolithic cultures?
Increasing high-resolution paleoclimate proxies in many sites allow us to discuss the relationships between the environmental and archeological data, and the meaning of the lithic and faunal assemblages through technological and subsistence strategies.
Multidisciplinary research is necessary to deeply understand patterns of hominin behaviors during the Lower Paleolithic and adaptation to an important variety of climatic/environmental contexts overtime for this long period of time.
This Research Topic proposes to assemble a series of papers that relate hominin behavior and detailed environmental data by the available multiple proxies. Authors should focus both on continental and local cases to describe the different types of adaptations to environmental conditions and test them over time. Methodological developments are also a way to focus on case studies in order to discuss the quality of records and the best methods to highlight the influence of climate on the hominin responses and strategies, and the resilience of populations through innovations, dispersals, networks of sites. These approaches will bridge the gap between archeological data and the earth sciences.
