Project description
The story of early human migration
The migration of modern humans from Africa into Eurasia is one of the most significant events in human history, but many details remain unclear. By around 50 000 years ago, early humans ventured into regions inhabited by Neanderthals and Denisovans, sparking questions about their interactions and movement patterns. Key archaeological sites, such as Ksar Akil in Lebanon, hold crucial evidence, but their potential has been underexplored. Understanding these migrations is vital for piecing together the broader picture of human evolution. The ERC-funded Disperse project aims to change this by analysing stone tools, dating the site accurately, and reconstructing its climate history. The project will enhance our knowledge of early human migrations and their environments.
Objective
The diaspora of modern humans from Africa into Eurasia and beyond is one of the seminal chapters in the history of our species. Modern humans emerged in Africa by 250-300,000 years ago. Their several subsequent dispersals outwards must have followed one of two routes, the most likely being across the Sinai Peninsula and Levantine corridor. Here, they would have encountered resident Neanderthals and beyond, into Eurasia, the Denisovans. A major dispersal of modern humans by ~50,000 years ago, hypothesised to be linked with the Initial Upper Palaeolithic, is paralleled by further development of aspects of behavioural modernity; the increased presence of symbolic objects, art, new types of technology and the ability to adapt and survive in novel and challenging environments. The Lebanese site of Ksar Akil is the ‘type site’ for the Palaeolithic in the key Levant region. First excavated in the 1930s/40s, and again in the 1970s, it contains a deep ~23m sequence. Sadly, despite its importance, its potential has never been realised, but is clear that it can contribute greatly to our understanding of human presence, climate and environmental changes over the last ~90,000 years. This project plans to reveal this by applying the latest sediment DNA approaches to determine the presence of different hominins through the archaeological sequence, dating the site reliably for the first time, analysing its stone tool remains and generating a paleoenvironmental and climatic history. In parallel we will collate new and unpublished data from a range of similar Palaeolithic sites from across Eurasia, to test hypotheses concerning the movement of early human groups into and out of the region. The project will contribute a strong legacy value, for local Lebanese archaeology and students, as well as internationally in building a fuller and more nuanced understanding of the late period of human evolution.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- humanities history and archaeology archaeology
- social sciences sociology anthropology physical anthropology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2023-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1010 WIEN
Austria
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