MiddleEarth

Eurasian Hominin occupation history from the Middle to the Late Pleistocene

Central Eurasia, from the Caucasus up to the Tibetan Plateau, holds the geographic key in revealing the ebb-and-flow of hominin species distributions across the Eurasian continent during the Pleistocene, as well as their animal resource usage. Using state of the art palaeoproteomics methods integrated with zooarchaeological research, this project will start to explore the subsistence strategies and population dynamics of Pleistocene hunter-gatherers in Central Eurasia. Palaeoproteomic methods will be applied to a unique collection of hominin fossils from the region, allowing the development of a spatiotemporal understanding of Neanderthal, Denisovan, and modern human presence across the region. Simultaneously, palaeoproteomic methods will be utilised to reveal the faunal communities in which hominin lifeways were embedded, including their subsistence strategies. This will provide unprecedented insights into Middle and Late Pleistocene hominin population dynamics in the Eurasian heartlands.

Proteomic screening

We will conduct ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) screening of bone fragments associated with hominin occupation. This will provide insights into faunal community composition. For the same specimens, traditional zooarchaeological analysis will be performed as well, further providing taphonomic insights, clues to carnivore activity, and hominin subsistence strategy information.

Proteomic dental enamel sexing

For the main faunal taxa present at each archaeological site, we will perform dental enamel sexing. This will provide unique insigthts into the genetic sex composition of hunted prey, potentially providing insights into a male- or female-biased acquisition strategy by Pleistocene hunter-gatherers.

Hominin proteomes

Only a few hominin fossils are available from the vast Central Eurasian region. Where possible, we will conduct both amelogenin sexing of dental enamel and phyloproteomic analysis of skeletal proteomes. This will provide insights into the spatiotemporal dynamics of hominin presence, and absence, across the region. Possible hominins present include Neanderthals, modern humans, and the enigmatic but largely unknown Denisovans.

This project has received funding from the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF) through a Sapere Aude Starting Grant research grant (#5251-00074).

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