Project description
Rewriting human prehistory in Central Asia
Long before modern humans were thought to have arrived in Eurasia, advanced stone tool technologies were already present in Central Asia. Recent discoveries in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan reveal that blade tools resembling those of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) date back as far as 77 000 years, which is prior to what was expected. This raises a crucial question: did modern humans reach the region earlier than previously believed, or did Neanderthals or Denisovans develop similar techniques independently? The ERC-funded INASIA project seeks to answer this by studying new cave sites, using a multidisciplinary approach to uncover who made these tools, how they lived, and whether they interacted with other human species, reshaping our understanding of early human migration.
Objective
The Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) is a term describing lithic assemblages dated roughly to 50–40 kya in the Near East, Central Europe and North-Eastern Asia, which show traits of the emergence of blade technology, traditionally associated with the expansion of modern human groups. Several sites with IUP traits have also been recently recognised in West Central Asia (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), but astonishingly they date to a period between 77 and 43 kya (Obi-Rakhmat, Khudji, Katta Sai 2, Khodjakent, Kuksaray 2, Ertash Sai 2).
Through this project, we aim to answer the question of whether there were indeed modern human groups who lived in Western Central Asia at this time and left behind lithic assemblages with IUP traits. This would make them the earliest known modern human migration waves into Eurasia. Alternatively, these assemblages were produced by Neanderthals or even Denisovans, who inhabited Central Asia prior to modern human expansion. This would question the widely repeated hypothesis of a relationship between blade technology and modern human groups.
To answer the question, we will study new cave sites in the region to collect palaeoecological, zooarchaeological and palaeoanthropological data. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we plan to reveal not only who made these IUP assemblages, but also study their subsistence strategies and settlement continuity between 77 and 43 kya within the changing palaeoenvironmental conditions.
By answering this question, we will either confirm an early modern human migration to Eurasia and challenge the current paradigm of Euro-Levantine blade technology emergence, or alternatively challenge the other major paradigm of a direct relationship between blade technology emergence with modern human expansion. In either case, we will clarify to what extent the phenomena we call the Upper Palaeolithic “revolution” was driven solely by modern humans, and whether it was stimulated by interactions with Neanderthals and/or Den
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 archaeology ethnoarchaeology
- social sciences political sciences political transitions revolutions
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
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.
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
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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-2024-COG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
00-927 WARSZAWA
Poland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.