Volcanic ash layers illuminate the resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans to natural hazards

John Lowe; Nick Barton; Simon P. E. Blockley; Christopher Bronk Ramsey; Victoria L. Cullen; William Davies; Clive Gamble; Katharine Grant; Mark Hardiman; Rupert Housley; Christine S. Lane; Sharen Lee; Mark Lewis; Alison MacLeod; Martin A. Menzies; Wolfgang Mueller; Mark Pollard; Catherine Price; Andrew P. Roberts; Eelco J. Rohling; Chris Satow; Victoria C. Smith; Chris B. Stringer; Emma L. Tomlinson; Dustin White; Paul G. Albert; Ilenia Arienzo; Graeme Barker; Dusan Boric; Antonio Carandente; Lucia Civetta; Catherine Ferrier; Jean-Luc Guadelli; Panagiotis Karkanas; Margarita Koumouzelis; Ulrich C. Mueller; Giovanni Orsi; Joerg Pross; Mauro Rosi; Ljiljiana Shalamanov-Korobar; Nikolay Sirakov; Polychronis C. Tzedakis

doi:10.1073/pnas.1204579109

Volcanic ash layers illuminate the resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans to natural hazards

John Lowe, Nick Barton, Simon P. E. Blockley, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Victoria L. Cullen, William Davies, Clive Gamble, Katharine Grant, Mark Hardiman, Rupert Housley, Christine S. Lane, Sharen Lee, Mark Lewis, Alison MacLeod, Martin A. Menzies, Wolfgang Mueller, Mark Pollard, Catherine Price, Andrew P. Roberts, Eelco J. RohlingChris Satow, Victoria C. Smith, Chris B. Stringer, Emma L. Tomlinson, Dustin White, Paul G. Albert, Ilenia Arienzo, Graeme Barker, Dusan Boric, Antonio Carandente, Lucia Civetta, Catherine Ferrier, Jean-Luc Guadelli, Panagiotis Karkanas, Margarita Koumouzelis, Ulrich C. Mueller, Giovanni Orsi, Joerg Pross, Mauro Rosi, Ljiljiana Shalamanov-Korobar, Nikolay Sirakov, Polychronis C. Tzedakis

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Marked changes in human dispersal and development during the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition have been attributed to massive volcanic eruption and/or severe climatic deterioration. We test this concept using records of volcanic ash layers of the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption dated to ca. 40,000 y ago (40 ka B.P.). The distribution of the Campanian Ignimbrite has been enhanced by the discovery of cryptotephra deposits (volcanic ash layers that are not visible to the naked eye) in archaeological cave sequences. They enable us to synchronize archaeological and paleoclimatic records through the period of transition from Neanderthal to the earliest anatomically modern human populations in Europe. Our results confirm that the combined effects of a major volcanic eruption and severe climatic cooling failed to have lasting impacts on Neanderthals or early modern humans in Europe. We infer that modern humans proved a greater competitive threat to indigenous populations than natural disasters.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	13532-13537
Journal	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume	109
Issue number	34
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1204579109
Publication status	Published - 21 Aug 2012

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Lowe, J., Barton, N., Blockley, S. P. E., Ramsey, C. B., Cullen, V. L., Davies, W., Gamble, C., Grant, K., Hardiman, M., Housley, R., Lane, C. S., Lee, S., Lewis, M., MacLeod, A., Menzies, M. A., Mueller, W., Pollard, M., Price, C., Roberts, A. P., ... Tzedakis, P. C. (2012). Volcanic ash layers illuminate the resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans to natural hazards. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(34), 13532-13537. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1204579109

@article{f8bd4d91659e41f4842e71faea111bfb,

title = "Volcanic ash layers illuminate the resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans to natural hazards",

abstract = "Marked changes in human dispersal and development during the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition have been attributed to massive volcanic eruption and/or severe climatic deterioration. We test this concept using records of volcanic ash layers of the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption dated to ca. 40,000 y ago (40 ka B.P.). The distribution of the Campanian Ignimbrite has been enhanced by the discovery of cryptotephra deposits (volcanic ash layers that are not visible to the naked eye) in archaeological cave sequences. They enable us to synchronize archaeological and paleoclimatic records through the period of transition from Neanderthal to the earliest anatomically modern human populations in Europe. Our results confirm that the combined effects of a major volcanic eruption and severe climatic cooling failed to have lasting impacts on Neanderthals or early modern humans in Europe. We infer that modern humans proved a greater competitive threat to indigenous populations than natural disasters.",

author = "John Lowe and Nick Barton and Blockley, {Simon P. E.} and Ramsey, {Christopher Bronk} and Cullen, {Victoria L.} and William Davies and Clive Gamble and Katharine Grant and Mark Hardiman and Rupert Housley and Lane, {Christine S.} and Sharen Lee and Mark Lewis and Alison MacLeod and Menzies, {Martin A.} and Wolfgang Mueller and Mark Pollard and Catherine Price and Roberts, {Andrew P.} and Rohling, {Eelco J.} and Chris Satow and Smith, {Victoria C.} and Stringer, {Chris B.} and Tomlinson, {Emma L.} and Dustin White and Albert, {Paul G.} and Ilenia Arienzo and Graeme Barker and Dusan Boric and Antonio Carandente and Lucia Civetta and Catherine Ferrier and Jean-Luc Guadelli and Panagiotis Karkanas and Margarita Koumouzelis and Mueller, {Ulrich C.} and Giovanni Orsi and Joerg Pross and Mauro Rosi and Ljiljiana Shalamanov-Korobar and Nikolay Sirakov and Tzedakis, {Polychronis C.}",

year = "2012",

month = aug,

day = "21",

doi = "10.1073/pnas.1204579109",

language = "English",

volume = "109",

pages = "13532--13537",

journal = "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences",

issn = "0027-8424",

publisher = "National Academy of Sciences",

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Lowe, J, Barton, N, Blockley, SPE, Ramsey, CB, Cullen, VL, Davies, W, Gamble, C, Grant, K, Hardiman, M, Housley, R, Lane, CS, Lee, S, Lewis, M, MacLeod, A, Menzies, MA, Mueller, W, Pollard, M, Price, C, Roberts, AP, Rohling, EJ, Satow, C, Smith, VC, Stringer, CB, Tomlinson, EL, White, D, Albert, PG, Arienzo, I, Barker, G, Boric, D, Carandente, A, Civetta, L, Ferrier, C, Guadelli, J-L, Karkanas, P, Koumouzelis, M, Mueller, UC, Orsi, G, Pross, J, Rosi, M, Shalamanov-Korobar, L, Sirakov, N & Tzedakis, PC 2012, 'Volcanic ash layers illuminate the resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans to natural hazards', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 109, no. 34, pp. 13532-13537. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1204579109

TY - JOUR

T1 - Volcanic ash layers illuminate the resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans to natural hazards

AU - Lowe, John

AU - Barton, Nick

AU - Blockley, Simon P. E.

AU - Ramsey, Christopher Bronk

AU - Cullen, Victoria L.

AU - Davies, William

AU - Gamble, Clive

AU - Grant, Katharine

AU - Hardiman, Mark

AU - Housley, Rupert

AU - Lane, Christine S.

AU - Lee, Sharen

AU - Lewis, Mark

AU - MacLeod, Alison

AU - Menzies, Martin A.

AU - Mueller, Wolfgang

AU - Pollard, Mark

AU - Price, Catherine

AU - Roberts, Andrew P.

AU - Rohling, Eelco J.

AU - Satow, Chris

AU - Smith, Victoria C.

AU - Stringer, Chris B.

AU - Tomlinson, Emma L.

AU - White, Dustin

AU - Albert, Paul G.

AU - Arienzo, Ilenia

AU - Barker, Graeme

AU - Boric, Dusan

AU - Carandente, Antonio

AU - Civetta, Lucia

AU - Ferrier, Catherine

AU - Guadelli, Jean-Luc

AU - Karkanas, Panagiotis

AU - Koumouzelis, Margarita

AU - Mueller, Ulrich C.

AU - Orsi, Giovanni

AU - Pross, Joerg

AU - Rosi, Mauro

AU - Shalamanov-Korobar, Ljiljiana

AU - Sirakov, Nikolay

AU - Tzedakis, Polychronis C.

PY - 2012/8/21

Y1 - 2012/8/21

N2 - Marked changes in human dispersal and development during the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition have been attributed to massive volcanic eruption and/or severe climatic deterioration. We test this concept using records of volcanic ash layers of the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption dated to ca. 40,000 y ago (40 ka B.P.). The distribution of the Campanian Ignimbrite has been enhanced by the discovery of cryptotephra deposits (volcanic ash layers that are not visible to the naked eye) in archaeological cave sequences. They enable us to synchronize archaeological and paleoclimatic records through the period of transition from Neanderthal to the earliest anatomically modern human populations in Europe. Our results confirm that the combined effects of a major volcanic eruption and severe climatic cooling failed to have lasting impacts on Neanderthals or early modern humans in Europe. We infer that modern humans proved a greater competitive threat to indigenous populations than natural disasters.

AB - Marked changes in human dispersal and development during the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition have been attributed to massive volcanic eruption and/or severe climatic deterioration. We test this concept using records of volcanic ash layers of the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption dated to ca. 40,000 y ago (40 ka B.P.). The distribution of the Campanian Ignimbrite has been enhanced by the discovery of cryptotephra deposits (volcanic ash layers that are not visible to the naked eye) in archaeological cave sequences. They enable us to synchronize archaeological and paleoclimatic records through the period of transition from Neanderthal to the earliest anatomically modern human populations in Europe. Our results confirm that the combined effects of a major volcanic eruption and severe climatic cooling failed to have lasting impacts on Neanderthals or early modern humans in Europe. We infer that modern humans proved a greater competitive threat to indigenous populations than natural disasters.

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1204579109

DO - 10.1073/pnas.1204579109

M3 - Article

SN - 0027-8424

VL - 109

SP - 13532

EP - 13537

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

IS - 34

ER -

Volcanic ash layers illuminate the resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans to natural hazards

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