Towards a better resolution of the Interpleniglacial.

[Jacques Cinq-Mars]

Here is another paper, somewhat complementary to the one mentioned in my earlier post, and in which the authors focus on the western European mid-Pleniglacial period and, more specifically on the ever present matters of chronological (dating) uncertainties that correspond to the MP/UP transition.

d'Errico, Francesco,  and María Fernanda Sánchez Goñi. 2003. Neandertal extinction and the millennial scale climatic variability of OIS 3. Quaternary Science Reviews 22(8-9): 769-788.

Abstract:

Population models seeking climate as a triggering factor for the extinction of Neandertals and the colonisation of Europe by Anatomically Modern Humans are contradictory due to uncertainties in the dating methods, in the cultural attribution of archaeological layers and to the lack of terrestrial continuous and well-dated palaeoclimatic sequences. This is particularly the case for the Iberian Peninsula where Neandertal populations seem to have survived later than in other regions of Europe. A review of the available palaeoclimatic evidence for OIS3 of Iberia reveals that this mainly consists of low resolution, fragmentary, ill-dated and often ill-interpreted records. Correlation between palaeoenvironmental sequences from two IMAGES pollen-rich deep sea cores and archaeological data from western Europe (the electronic archive of the radiocarbon dates is available at QSR website http://www.elsevier.nl/locate/quascirev) indicates that Aurignacian moderns colonised France and the north of Iberia at the onset of the H4 event. During this cold episode a probable contraction of Neandertal populations is recorded in southern Iberia where no Aurignacian settlements are detected. Such a decline in population density is correlated with the particular desert-steppe-like environments, made up of Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae and Ephedra, characterising the H4 of this area. While reducing the size of Neandertal populations, this inhospitable environment may have favoured their persistence in this region. Mainly exploiting herds of herbivores adapted to Graminees-rich grasslands, the Aurignacian moderns were probably not interested in colonising these arid Mediterranean biotopes, and did that only after the H4 event.

[Jacques Cinq-Mars]

All,

In the wake of d'Errico and Sanchez Goñi somewhat controversial paper, here are, one year later, a series of interesting rejoinders recently published in QSR.

Jacques Cinq-Mars

Finlayson, Clive, Darren A. Fa, Geraldine Finlayson, Francisco Giles Pacheco, and J.R.Joaquin Rodríguez Vidal. 2004. Did the moderns kill off the Neanderthals? A reply to F. d'Errico and Sánchez Goñi. Quaternary Science Reviews 23(9-10): 1205-1209.

For access, click HERE.

d'Errico, Francesco and M.F.María Fernanda Sánchez Goñi. 2004. "A Garden of Eden for the Gibraltar Neandertals? A reply to Finlayson et al." Quaternary Science Reviews 23(9-10): 1210-1216.

Abstract:

Reflections on the possible role of climate in cultural change and human population replacement are still rare. In this respect, the comments provided by Finlayson and collaborators to our paper must be welcomed and considered as a valuable opportunity to go deeper into the mechanisms of such interactions. However, we find a number of contradictions and inconsistencies in the way in which they deal with the issue of Neandertal extinction, with minimal data to support their conclusions, and consider that in a number of instances they have inaccurately reported our views.

For access, click HERE.

Carrión, J. S. 2004. The use of two pollen records from deep sea cores to frame adaptive evolutionary change for humans: a comment on "Neanderthal extinction and the millennial scale climate variability of OIS 3" by F. d'Errico and M.F. Sánchez Goñi. Quaternary Science Reviews 23(9-10): 1217-1219.  

For access, click HERE.

Sánchez Goñi, M.F.S.María Fernanda and Francesco d'Errico. 2004. A stationary Mediterranean forest in southeastern Iberia during OIS 3? A reply to the comments by J.S. Carrión. Quaternary Science Reviews 23(9-10): 1219-1224.

For access, click HERE.

[Daryl Habel]

To all,

I have read d'Errico & Sanchez (2003) "Neanderthal extinction and the millennial scale climatic variability of OIS 3".  Whether one agrees with their conclusion or disagrees (see Finlayson et al. 2004, reference above and abstract below), this paper does indeed carry with it a tremendous amount of useful climatic information for the Iberian peninsula, brought up-to-date by correlating the former chronoclimatic framework with new data from two nearby offshore pollen-rich deep-sea cores.

Particularly interesting to me was their discussion of the "Les Cottes interstadial", which was originally delimited on the basis of pollen spectra from an archaeologically sterile layer lying sandwiched between the Chatelperronian and Quina levels (d'Errico & Sanchez Goni 2003:772), about which they point out:

'An additional problem is that the "archaeological version" of the Hengelo interstadial has been in some cases assimilated to the Les Cottes warming and called the "Hengelo-Les Cottes interstadial"....' (d'Errico & Sanchez Goni 2003:773).

It's been very clear to me for some time now that the Hengelo interstadial (s.s.), as delimited originally in the Netherlands and, as the interstadial is used by most Northern,  Central, and Eastern European researchers, is not the same as the "Les Cottes interstadial", but is often confused with, and significantly earlier than. the dating usually given for the Les-Cottes or "Hengelo-Les Cottes interstadial".

The d'Errico & Sanchez Goni (2003) paper explains all this wonderfully, as well as being chock full of excellent climatic and demographic charts.  I would recommend this paper for the charts themselves, which are among the best I've ever seen in one paper.

I also have an "in press" pdf of the Finlayson et al. paper and, since Jacques gives abstracts for some but not this one, I'll provide the abstract here:

Finlayson, C., Fa, D.A., Finlayson, G., Pacheco, F.G. & Vidal, J.R. (2004). Did the moderns kill off the neanderthals? A reply to the comments by d'Errico and Sanchez Goni. Quaternary Science Reviews. 23(9-10): 1205-1209.

[abstract]

"In a recent paper d'Errico and Sanchez Goni (2003) draw a distinction between climate and human action as mutually exclusive potential causes for the extinction of the Neanderthals.  They come to the conclusion that, because in their view climate cannot be demonstrated to have caused the Neanderthal extinction, by default it must have been caused by the arrival of the Moderns.  In their paper d'Errico and Sanchez Goni go as far as to state that "it is clear that the coup de grace to the last Neanderthals was given by competition with Moderns colonizing the South of the peninsula (Iberia) after the H4 event."  We disagree with this view and, as some of us have done previously (see Balter, 2001), we challenge students of the Neanderthal extinction to provide direct evidence of competition from Modern Humans on Neanderthals.  To date no such evidence has been put forward.  In this paper we remind d'Errico and Sanchez Goni (2003) and other claimants of Modern competitive exclusion over Neanderthals of the basic principles of ecology that they must first satisfy."

[end of abstract]

After reading Finlayson et al. (2004), I still have to say that the refutation of the d'Errico and Sanchez Goni (2003) hypothesis does, in no way, seriously refute the hard data on climate and the review presented in d'Errico and Sanchez Goni.  Mostly a disagreement on interpretation, as I read it.

My order for the OIS 3 Project "book" was placed with Oxbow about 3 weeks ago, but I was notified there would be a delay of about 30 days to allow re-stocking.   So it should arrive this week or next.  

Cheers,
Dar