The effect of terrain on Neanderthal ecology in the Levant

Our study assesses the influence of differences in terrain and locomotor energetics on the land-use strategies and settlement patterns of Levantine Neanderthals and Modern Human – Early Upper Paleolithic groups through a digital application of site catchment analysis. Our findings indicate that Nean...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inQuaternary international Vol. 435; pp. 94 - 105
Main Authors Henry, Donald O., Belmaker, Miriam, Bergin, Sean M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Ltd 12.04.2017
Subjects
Ecology
Neanderthal
Site catchment analysis
Terrain
Neanderthal
Ecology
Terrain
Site catchment analysis
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Our study assesses the influence of differences in terrain and locomotor energetics on the land-use strategies and settlement patterns of Levantine Neanderthals and Modern Human – Early Upper Paleolithic groups through a digital application of site catchment analysis. Our findings indicate that Neanderthals habitually commanded smaller site exploitation territories (SETs), principally situated in the rugged Mediterranean Woodlands of the Levant, whereas early Upper Paleolithic groups generally enjoyed larger SETs and displayed a more generalized, wider settlement range encompassing both rugged woodland and more regular, level steppe landscapes. The broader implications of these findings may explain the biogeographic limits on the Neanderthal dispersal into Southwest Asia.
ISSN:1040-6182
1873-4553
DOI:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.10.023