Periodic Reporting for period 4 - PALEOCHAR (PALEOCHAR: Insights into the Neanderthals and their demise from the study of microscopic and molecular charred matter in Middle Palaeolithic sediments)
Período documentado: 2020-03-01 hasta 2021-08-31
Specifically, the PALEOCHAR project examines how Neanderthal diet, fire technology, settlement patterns, and surrounding vegetation were affected by changing climatic conditions. To do so, the project integrates methodologies from micromorphology and organic geochemistry. A key and innovative aspect of the proposal is the consideration of microscopic and molecular evidence that is both organic and charred in nature. Climatic changes and behavioural responses were examined at two Iberian sites which represent two key points along the Neanderthal timeline, finding significant climatic fluctuation and revealing a diversity of adaptations in fire technology.
The results of this project made important contributions to the development of new methods for archaeological research, trained a new generation of skilled geoarchaeologists knowledgeable in microstratigraphy and applied chemistry, and yielded new insights into the Neanderthals and their demise. Regarding the Neanderthals, we achieved a millennial-scale paleoclimatic reconstruction of the regional conditions at El Salt and Abric del Pastor sites that bring us closer to understanding the palaeoenvironmental context for the disappearance of Neanderthals in Eastern Iberia. We also discovered and characterized previously undocumented pit-fire Neanderthal technology and investigated Neanderthal settlement patterns at very narrow time frames. On the methodological side, we developed a method to carry out in-situ, high-resolution identification of archaeological lipid biomarkers on resin-impregnated sediment slabs, and a method to characterize charred organic matter in micromorphological thin sections by means of Raman spectroscopy. We discovered anatomical part differences in plant wax lipids and their different transformations at different burning temperatures, identified animal fat pyromarkers (lipid compounds that form during burning) and their isotopic signatures for the distinction between different species, characterized the effects of burning in the lipid content of animal dung, moss and Hydrogen isotope ratios in alkanes, and established a QuEChERS-based method combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the analysis of alkanes in sediments.
At present, the AMBILAB (Archaeological Micromorphology and Biomarkers Research Lab) has a prestigious reputation within the international scientific community as an important international hub for training and research in microcontextual geoarchaeology focusing on the organic record.
The new lab and project has been presented at different international academic institutions, renowned researchers have visited the facilities and have given us specialized seminars for the project, and three international workshops have been held within the project’s framework. The PALEOCHAR webpage contains basic information on the project (http://paleochar.webs.ull.es/) and the AMBILAB webpage encapsulates all the research activity that has stemmed from the PALEOCHAR project (https://wp.ull.es/ambilab/). We produced two open-access videos to disseminate our approach among the general public (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djO11po0vso; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWW4QMO9puo&t=7s). Our results have been presented in the main international conferences within the field and others and published 14 articles in high-impact peer-reviewed journals with open access (see the PALEOCHAR website for links to the specific publications). There are 4 additional papers ready for submission.