Near Eastern Late Archaic Humans - article ; n°2 ; vol.21, pg 9-24

Trinkaus E.

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Paléorient - Année 1995 - Volume 21 - Numéro 2 - Pages 9-24
Near Eastern late archaic humans represent a regional lineage of Late Pleistocene hominids, whose phylogenetic relationship to Near Eastern early modern humans is probably distant. Most of their postcranial features, plus some dental and facial ones, appear to be characteristic of non-habiline archaic Homo in general and are variably shared with Near Eastern early modern humans. They also show marked encephalization and associated pelvic and spinal canal changes, a decrease in facial robusticity, ecogeographical patterning in body shape, and regional features with affinities to the European Neandertals. Among the last is their maintenance of an enlarged nasal region and long face combined with the Late Pleistocene facial gracilization evident through time in the Near Eastern late archaic human sample. These hominids contrast with Near Eastern early modern humans in a mosaic pattern, depending upon the biological complex considered.
Les hommes archaïques tardifs du Proche-Orient constituent une lignée d'Hominidés du Pléistocène supérieur probablement sans relation phylogénétique étroite avec les hommes modernes anciens de la même région. La plupart de leurs caractères post-crâniens et certains de leurs caractères faciaux et dentaires semblent caractériser l'ensemble des représentants archaïques du genre Homo post-habilis et sont partagés de façon variable par les hommes modernes du Proche-Orient. Ces hommes montrent par ailleurs une encéphalisation marquée avec des modifications associées du canal spinal et de la région pelvienne, une réduction de la robustesse faciale, un modelage éco-géographique de la forme corporelle et des caractères régionaux qui les rapprochent des Néanderthaliens européens. Parmi ce dernier ensemble de caractères, on trouve la persistance d'une cavité nasale et d'une face allongée, à laquelle s'applique le phénomène de gracilisation faciale du Pléistocène supérieur, évident au cours du développement chronologique de la série des hommes archaïques tardifs du Proche-Orient. Ces Hominidés se distinguent des Hommes modernes anciens du Proche-Orient de façon variable, suivant les complexes biologiques considérés.
16 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

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• Publié par: PALEORIENT
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1995
• Nombre de lectures: 34
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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Erik Trinkaus
Near Eastern Late Archaic Humans
In: Paléorient. 1995, Vol. 21 N°2. pp. 9-24.
Résumé
Les hommes archaïques tardifs du Proche-Orient constituent une lignée d'Hominidés du Pléistocène supérieur probablement
sans relation phylogénétique étroite avec les hommes modernes anciens de la même région. La plupart de leurs caractères post-
crâniens et certains de leurs caractères faciaux et dentaires semblent caractériser l'ensemble des représentants archaïques du
genre Homo post-habilis et sont partagés de façon variable par les hommes modernes du Proche-Orient. Ces hommes montrent
par ailleurs une encéphalisation marquée avec des modifications associées du canal spinal et de la région pelvienne, une
réduction de la robustesse faciale, un modelage éco-géographique de la forme corporelle et des caractères régionaux qui les
rapprochent des Néanderthaliens européens. Parmi ce dernier ensemble de caractères, on trouve la persistance d'une cavité
nasale et d'une face allongée, à laquelle s'applique le phénomène de gracilisation faciale du Pléistocène supérieur, évident au
cours du développement chronologique de la série des hommes archaïques tardifs du Proche-Orient. Ces Hominidés se
distinguent des Hommes modernes anciens du Proche-Orient de façon variable, suivant les complexes biologiques considérés.
Abstract
Near Eastern late archaic humans represent a regional lineage of Late Pleistocene hominids, whose phylogenetic relationship to
Near early modern humans is probably distant. Most of their postcranial features, plus some dental and facial ones,
appear to be characteristic of non-habiline archaic Homo in general and are variably shared with Near Eastern early modern
humans. They also show marked encephalization and associated pelvic and spinal canal changes, a decrease in facial
robusticity, ecogeographical patterning in body shape, and regional features with affinities to the European Neandertals. Among
the last is their maintenance of an enlarged nasal region and long face combined with the Late Pleistocene facial gracilization
evident through time in the Near Eastern late archaic human sample. These hominids contrast with Near Eastern early modern
humans in a mosaic pattern, depending upon the biological complex considered.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Trinkaus Erik. Near Eastern Late Archaic Humans. In: Paléorient. 1995, Vol. 21 N°2. pp. 9-24.
doi : 10.3406/paleo.1995.4614
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/paleo_0153-9345_1995_num_21_2_4614;
eastern late archaic humans Near
E. TRINKAUS
Abstract : Near Eastern late archaic humans represent a regional lineage of Late Pleistocene hominids, whose phylogenetic
relationship to Near Eastern early modern humans is probably distant. Most of their postcranial features, plus some dental and
facial ones, appear to be characteristic of non-habiline archaic Homo in general and are variably shared with Near Eastern early
modern humans. They also show marked encephalization and associated pelvic and spinal canal changes, a decrease in facial
robusticity, ecogeographical patterning in body shape, and regional features with affinities to the European Neandertals. Among
the last is their maintenance of an enlarged nasal region and long face combined with the Late Pleistocene facial gracilization
evident through time in the Near Eastern late archaic human sample. These hominids contrast with Near Eastern early modern
humans in a mosaic pattern, depending upon the biological complex considered.
Résumé : Les hommes archaïques tardifs du Proche-Orient constituent une lignée d'Hominidés du Pleistocene supérieur proba
blement sans relation phylogénétique étroite avec les hommes modernes anciens de la même région. La plupart de leurs caractères
post-crâniens et certains de leurs caractères faciaux et dentaires semblent caractériser l'ensemble des représentants archaïques du
genre Homo post-habilis et sont partagés de façon variable par les hommes modernes du Proche-Orient. Ces hommes montrent
par ailleurs une encéphalisation marquée avec des modifications associées du canal spinal et de la région pelvienne, une réduction
de la robustesse faciale, un modelage éco-géographique de la forme corporelle et des caractères régionaux qui les rapprochent des
N éanderthaliens européens. Parmi ce dernier ensemble de caractères, on trouve la persistance d'une cavité nasale et d'une face
allongée, à laquelle s'applique le phénomène de g racilisation faciale du Pleistocene supérieur, évident au cours du développement
chronologique de la série des hommes archaïques tardifs du Proche-Orient. Ces Hominidés se distinguent des Hommes modernes
anciens du Proche-Orient de façon variable, suivant les complexes biologiques considérés.
Key-words : Human paleontology, Late Pleistocene, Archaic Homo.
Mots clefs : Paléontologie humaine, Pleistocene supérieur, Homo archaïque.
The majority of these remains had been considered to be INTRODUCTION
closely related to the Neandertal lineage of central and west
ern Europe, due in part to the availability of comparable In the past decade, there has been a concerted effort to shed
material for most of the current century and in part to similight on the hominids that were associated with the emergence
larities in craniofacial structure between some of the Near of early modern humans across the Old World, with the Near
Eastern Middle Paleolithic hominids and the western EuroEast being one of the regions of primary focus. The interest
pean Neandertals. However, the two largest available samples, in the Near East is a product of its position as a geographical
those from Qafzeh and Skhul, are now recognized to be crossroads of the Old World, combined with the relative
craniofacial] y robust early modern humans, morphologically richness of the human fossil remains from its Middle Paleol
distinct from the Neandertals and other late archaic human ithic deposits. These fossil derive primarily from the
groups'. Consequently, considerations of the Near Eastern southern Levant (Israel), with additional material from the
Middle Paleolithic hominids consist primarily of deciphering more northern Levant (Lebanon and Syria) plus one large
the biological similarities and differences between these two sample and an isolated element from the northern Zagros
(Iraq and Iran). Given the abundance of associated partial
skeletons in this sample, these Near Eastern Middle Paleolithic
humans are one of the paleontologically best known samples 1. Howell, 1958; Stewart, 1960; Vandermeersch. 1981 Trinkaus, 1983,
1984a, 1993a; Rak, 1990; Holliday and Trinkaus, 1991. relevant to the nature and fate of regional late archaic humans.
Palécraent. vol. 21/2. p. 9-23. © CNRS Éditions. 1995 Manuscrit reçu le Ier août et accepté le 9 novembre 1995. ;
:
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10 E. Trinkaus
hominid groups, one late archaic and the other early modern, The relative geochronology of these fossil human remains
as well as their temporal and phylogenetic relationships. In has changed considerably in recent years12 and continues to
light of this, I review here our current knowledge of one of be revised as additional chronological determinations are
these Near Eastern hominid samples, the late archaic one2. made. As a result, it is possible to assign the fossil human
remains from at least the seven primary paleontological sites
to Late Pleistocene time periods, with varying degrees of
THE SAMPLES confidence. Any such assignments are likely to be provisional,
especially given the degree to which the relative geochrono
Near Eastern Middle Paleolithic hominid remains currently logy of these samples have evolved in the past decade.
derive from 12 sites. Of these, three Israeli sites (Amud, However, it appears unlikely that further revisions will enti
Kebara and Tabun) and one Iraqi site (Shanidar) have yielded rely negate those interpretations presented here which are
late archaic human fossils, both isolated remains and asso dependent upon such a chronology.
ciated partial skeletons3. Abundant early modern human r Consequently, the late archaic human sample can be diviemains derive from two Israeli sites, Qafzeh and Skhul4. In ded into two chronological samples, a last interglacial sample addition, one Syrian site (Dederiyeh) has recently yielded an (which may well include specimens dated between the teimmature late archaic partial skeleton as well as isolated rminal Middle Pleistocene to the initial early last glacial) and elements5, and Shovakh (Shubbabiq) in Israel6 yielded r an early last glacial one. The former includes remains from emains which have been attributed to the late archaic human Tabun Layer С and the earlier horizon of Shanidar Layer D sample. Incomplete remains from four sites, Bisitun (Iran)7, (Shanidar 2, 4 and 6 to 9). The latter includes the Amud, Hayonim (Israel)8, Shukbah (Israel)9 and Ksar 'Akil (Leba Dederiyeh, Kebara, upper Layer D Shanidar (Shanid