With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Jonathan Haws (University of Louisville) and Dr. Michael Benedetti (University of North Carolina Wilmington) will lead a three-year geoarchaeological study along the coast of central Portugal. The project brings together an international team of archaeologists, geologists, paleoecologists, and physical geographers to study Neanderthal and early modern human responses to environmental change during the Paleolithic. Portugal is recognized as a key location in archaeological, paleobotanical, and oceanographic studies, and coastal landscapes are increasingly recognized as a key setting for understanding Neanderthal extinction and establishment of modern human populations in Western Europe. This study will establish new evidence of Paleolithic settlement in coastal wetlands, beaches, and dune fields to test hypotheses about this important transition in human history. Haws and Benedetti are focusing efforts on the Estremadura coast north of Lisbon, where a unique geologic history has preserved sedimentary evidence of the Paleolithic coastline including several Neanderthal sites. In particular, extensive Pleistocene sand deposits in the region record landscape response to abrupt cold and arid phases of the last glacial stage.
This interdisciplinary project will foster a deeper understanding of coupled anthropogenic and geomorphic system responses, and will shed light on human decision-making in the face of dramatic environmental change. Thus, on an overarching level the results stand to inform environmental policy and planning decisions.
This geoarchaeological project is built around two main objectives: (1) conducting detailed excavations at newly-discovered coastal Neanderthal sites (Praia Rei Cortiço and Mira Nascente) and a cave site near the coastal margin (Gruta das Pulgas); and (2) establishing a chronology of coastal geomorphic response to climate and sea level change in the study area. The methods employed will include analysis of stone tools, animal bones, paleosols and sediments, palynology, and geochemical fingerprinting of ancient depositional environments. Age control will be established by radiocarbon dating of organic matter and optically-stimulated luminescence of quartz sand grains.
The archaeological and geoscience objectives of this project are complementary; both test emerging models of response to climate change in physical and human landscapes. The archaeological component addresses models of technological efficiency, subsistence strategies, and use of coastal resources in the Paleolithic. Geodynamic models involve the relative importance of climate change versus sea level fluctuations as controls on hillslope erosion, fluvial aggradation, and aeolian dune building.
The broader impacts of this project include collaborative partnerships between the American research team and colleagues at the University of Algarve in Faro, Portugal. The project offers a combination of scientific engagement and cultural enrichment for student participants, including first-generation college students from working poor and rural backgrounds in Kentucky and North Carolina. With the support of the participating universities, these students will develop independent research projects and co-author papers and presentations of results. The project also raises the profile of American research teams in international Quaternary science, and contributes to the long-term goal of connecting paleoenvironmental research efforts across the North Atlantic basin.
The overarching goal of this work was to improve the resolution of archaeological and paleoenvironmental data sets for Western Europe, and thus to broaden the spatial and temporal scales over which hypotheses about human settlement and resource use can be tested. This work builds upon our previous research that found evidence for Neanderthal settlement of coastal wetlands, which have been preserved by the unique sea level and tectonic history of the study area. The project was built around three research objectives: (1) Conduct detailed archaeological excavations and sedimentological studies at two newly-discovered coastal Middle Paleolithic sites; (2) Establish the chronology of coastal geomorphic response to rapid climate change in the study area and determine its relationship to the Paleolithic archaeological record; (3) Begin new excavations in collaboration with Portuguese colleagues in a nearby cave system that contains records complementary to the coastal sites. The main outcome of the project was that we were able to contribute significant new knowldege about Neanderthal ecology. Given the new work at Praia Rei Cortiço, we can show that Neanderthals utilized coastal wetlands in western Iberia during the Last Interglacial period. While the details of how communities Neanderthal used these coastal landscapes continue to emerge, it is clear that Neanderthals exploited a wide variety of coastal habitats. Our conclusion is that the fresh water sources were relatively abundant during most of the Last Interglacial, based on the reconstruction of rainfall in southern Europe. However, by the end of this period, the availability of fresh water may have focused on wetland environments, such as Praia Rei Cortiço, creating a coastal niche with a powerful attraction to the Neanderthals who inhabited the region. The benefits of this project include a deeper understanding of earth system responses and human decision-making in the face of dramatic environmental change. Thus, the results stand to inform environmental policy and planning decisions. Beyond research findings, the project provided scientific engagement and cultural enrichment for student participants, who joined an international research team in the process of scientific discovery. Student participants learned field methods, develop independent study and thesis projects, generate data, and co-author works with the project team. The PIs and their institutions have demonstrated commitment to undergraduate involvement and mentoring student research during previous NSF-funded projects. Many of these students have been from under-represented groups including women and first-generation college students from working-class and rural backgrounds. The project has strengthened our partnerships with American and Portuguese colleagues, creating new collaborative research opportunities for students and scientists alike.
