Originally posted by seer
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a–e, The age of the artefacts is constrained by the reversed polarity (a), the palaeobotany indicating deposition towards the end of an interglacial cycle, that is, cooling limb of odd-numbered isotope stage (b), combination of biostratigraphically significant mammals (c), and palaeogeographical context when the River Thames entered the North Sea at this site (e). This evidence indicates that the artefacts date from either MIS 21 (866–814 kyr) or 25 (970–936 kyr), which are the most prominent warm stages (that is, those most likely to have supported deciduous forest and other thermophilous plants—see Supplementary Information 1) in the period spanning 0.99–0.78 Myr. With the exception of Happisburgh 3, all European Early Pleistocene sites are located south of 45°N (d). The oxygen isotope record used to provide the climate record is the LR04 stack.
Early Pleistocene human occupation at the edge of the boreal zone in northwest Europe
Parfitt et al
Nature 466, 229–233 (08 July 2010)
Abstract: The dispersal of early humans from Africa by 1.75 Myr ago led to a marked expansion of their range, from the island of Flores in the east to the Iberian peninsula in the west. This range encompassed tropical forest, savannah and Mediterranean habitats, but has hitherto not been demonstrated beyond 45° N. Until recently, early colonization in Europe was thought to be confined to the area south of the Pyrenees and Alps. However, evidence from Pakefield (Suffolk, UK) at ~0.7 Myr indicated that humans occupied northern European latitudes when a Mediterranean-type climate prevailed6. This provided the basis for an ‘ebb and flow’ model, where human populations were thought to survive in southern refugia during cold stages, only expanding northwards during fully temperate climates. Here we present new evidence from Happisburgh (Norfolk, UK) demonstrating that Early Pleistocene hominins were present in northern Europe >0.78 Myr ago when they were able to survive at the southern edge of the boreal zone. This has significant implications for our understanding of early human behaviour, adaptation and survival, as well as the tempo and mode of colonization after their first dispersal out of Africa
link to whole paper
Parfitt et al
Nature 466, 229–233 (08 July 2010)
Abstract: The dispersal of early humans from Africa by 1.75 Myr ago led to a marked expansion of their range, from the island of Flores in the east to the Iberian peninsula in the west. This range encompassed tropical forest, savannah and Mediterranean habitats, but has hitherto not been demonstrated beyond 45° N. Until recently, early colonization in Europe was thought to be confined to the area south of the Pyrenees and Alps. However, evidence from Pakefield (Suffolk, UK) at ~0.7 Myr indicated that humans occupied northern European latitudes when a Mediterranean-type climate prevailed6. This provided the basis for an ‘ebb and flow’ model, where human populations were thought to survive in southern refugia during cold stages, only expanding northwards during fully temperate climates. Here we present new evidence from Happisburgh (Norfolk, UK) demonstrating that Early Pleistocene hominins were present in northern Europe >0.78 Myr ago when they were able to survive at the southern edge of the boreal zone. This has significant implications for our understanding of early human behaviour, adaptation and survival, as well as the tempo and mode of colonization after their first dispersal out of Africa
link to whole paper
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