Introductory Biology
Correlates of Vocal Tract Evolution in Late Pliocene and Pleistocene Hominins
Axel Ekström et al.
Human Nature, March 2025, Pages 22-69
Abstract:
Despite decades of research on the emergence of human speech capacities, an integrative account consistent with hominin evolution remains lacking. We review paleoanthropological and archaeological findings in search of a timeline for the emergence of modern human articulatory morphological features. Our synthesis shows that several behavioral innovations coincide with morphological changes to the would-be speech articulators. We find that significant reductions of the mandible and masticatory muscles and vocal tract anatomy coincide in the hominin fossil record with the incorporation of processed and (ultimately) cooked food, the appearance and development of rudimentary stone tools, increases in brain size, and likely changes to social life and organization. Many changes are likely mutually reinforcing; for example, gracilization of the hominin mandible may have been maintainable in the lineage because food processing had already been outsourced to the hands and stone tools, reducing selection pressures for robust mandibles in the process. We highlight correlates of the evolution of craniofacial and vocal tract features in the hominin lineage and outline a timeline by which our ancestors became 'pre-adapted' for the evolution of fully modern human speech.
Cattle domestication revisited: Middle Nile evidence suggests independent origins in Africa 10,000 years ago
Marta Osypińska et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science, May 2025
Abstract:
New zooarchaeological discoveries in the Middle Nile support the scenario that proto-pastoralist communities arrived from the sub-Saharan region with large ruminants at the beginning of the Holocene. Until now, it has been accepted that domesticated cattle arrived in Africa in 6000 BCE from the Middle East. New osteometric data from Letti Desert 2 (LTD2) in Sudan analysed through point-scale method as well as age-profile suggest that cattle could had been domesticated independently in Africa at the same time as in the Middle East, that is around 10,000 years ago.
Facial approximation of a Late Pleistocene human fossil in the Yahuai Cave, southern China
Wuyang Shui et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science, May 2025
Abstract:
An almost complete human cranium, alongside a partial mandible dating to approximately 16,000 BP, was discovered in the Yahuai (YH) Cave in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China. The estimation of facial appearance has captivated both the academic community and the general public, potentially influencing perceptions of the characteristics and evolutionary history of Homo sapiens. The aim of this research was to explore a computerized method integrating geometric morphometrics and three-dimensional (3D) computer graphics to: 1) examine the morphological variations of the YH skull in comparison to contemporary humans; 2) estimate 3D facial appearance using various facial soft tissue thickness depths and the facial morphology of contemporary humans; and 3) capture morphological variations in the approximated face to provide insights into the facial traits of the Late Pleistocene individual. The results indicate that the YH skull is relatively distinct from contemporary human skulls, and this is reflected in morphological dissimilarities in the approximated face. We discuss the methods involved in computerized facial approximation, which has the potential to contribute to estimating the facial appearances of other Late Pleistocene human skulls.
Written in 'her' bones: Cremation and identity in Roman Beirut
Vana Kalenderian et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science, May 2025
Abstract:
At the time of its annexation in the 1st c. BC, cremation was not a customary practice in the Roman province of Syria. This contrasts with the western provinces of the Empire, where burning the body for burial remained the method of choice until the turn of the 2nd c. AD. As such, the discovery of cremation burials in the Roman Near East raises questions about the identities and origins of the buried individuals. This article focuses on one such example from Berytus, the first Roman colony in the Near East (modern Beirut, Lebanon). It implements a multidisciplinary approach through osteological, chemical, and material analyses to explore various aspects of mortuary practice and identity. Osteological and isotopic results indicate that the buried individual was likely a female of non-local origin. On the other hand, FTIR-ATR analysis, along with the macroscopic examination of the bones, suggest the burning of a fresh body at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, exceptional environmental conditions led to the formation of calcite crystals within the urn and on the human remains, which were identified using Raman spectroscopy. Similarly, unique burial conditions resulted in the preservation of textile pseudomorphs, which offer rare insights into body treatment practices that are typically absent from the archaeological record of the Levantine coast. By contextualizing the different bioarchaeological and material findings, this study reconstructs the life-history of the interred individual and examines the social and cultural significance of this burial within the context of the Roman colonization of Beirut.
Prehistoric colour palettes decoded by painted pottery analysis: The vivid past of the Early Neolithic Galabnik settlement mound (southwestern Bulgaria) over time
Tanya Dzhanfezova, Yana Tzvetanova & Aneta Bakamska
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, May 2025
Abstract:
The pigments utilised for decoration of Early Neolithic painted pottery (ca 6000-6500 cal BC) mark advanced chaîne opératoire stages, associated with the making of visually effective ceramic vessels. Considered as reflecting the genuinely intertwining technological, symbolic and aesthetic aspects of everyday life, representable wares from Galabnik -- a long-lived settlement mound in southwestern Bulgaria, consisting of ten building horizons -- are analysed chemically, macro- and microscopically (PXRD, SEM and optical microscopy). The established variability, much greater than previously thought, demonstrates the dynamic local development of the newly introduced pottery craft. These major technological components, encoding intentional acts and raw materials awareness, are considered along with transformations of know-how over time, as well as of the effects of post-depositional alteration. Traditional ways of doing and potential innovative approaches are illustrated by the application of calcareous raw materials and fine white clays for the white colours; of hematite-based paints and hematite-enriched clay slips for the red hues; and of magnetite-bearing materials used for the brown and the black paints. The choice of pigments is thus indicative of the locally dynamic ceramic technology, associated with the new ways of sedentary life, yet perhaps not completely detached from earlier, Pre-Neolithic approaches.