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Laboratory for the Study of Human Cultural Evolution

@hcelab.bsky.social

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▪️Paleolithic archaeology ⛏️ Excavations ▪️Population interactions & human behaviors during the early/middle paleolithic 📍Levant and Central Asia ▪️Head; Prof. Yossi Zaidner 🏛️ Hebrew University of Jerusalem www.hcelabhuji.com www.tinshemetcave.com

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Laboratory for the Study of Human Cultural Evolution @hcelab.bsky.social · Mar 11

📢 After many years of hard work at Tinshemet Cave, here is the first general publication discussing the stratigraphy, dates, lithics, fauna, ochre, etc
Thanks to all the co-authors and excavators who joined us during the past 9 seasons! 🤩

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Evidence from Tinshemet Cave in Israel suggests behavioural uniformity across Homo groups in the Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic circa 130,000–80,000 years ago - Nature Human Behaviour

The Middle Palaeolithic of southwest Asia witnessed interactions and knowledge sharing between archaic and modern humans ~130,000–80,000 years ago. These interactions led to increased behavioural comp...

www.nature.com

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Roberto Sáez @robertosaezm.bsky.social · Aug 16

"The results yield a finite age suggesting that the Petralona cranium has a minimum age of 286 ± 9 ka"
New U-series dates on the Petralona cranium, a key fossil in European human evolution www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

www.sciencedirect.com

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Dr. Roman Garba @romangarba.bsky.social · Aug 16

Very sad news today. Anthony E. Marks has passed away. He conducted pioneering prehistoric research in the Nile Valley, the southern Levant and Arabia, producing seminal works on the Palaeolithic. In 2023, aged 85, he still joined the @arduq.bsky.social excavations in Dhofar, Oman. Rest in peace.

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Lucy Timbrell @lucytimbrell96.bsky.social · Aug 12

Join us at the MPI-GEA or online for a free symposium on Quantifying Complexity in Stone Tools on the 21st of October! 🪨

With a keynote lecture by Charles Perreault. Full speaker list will be released soon!

Secure your spot here: shh-cloud.gnz.mpg.de/index.php/ap...

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MU-Peter Shimon 🀄️ @mu-peter.bsky.social · Aug 4

How Women Shaped Human Evolution Through Food Processing 🏺🧪
www.sapiens.org/biology/huma...

An anthropologist highlights the revolutionary role of food processing and dietary diversity—practices often led by women—that were just as crucial to humans surviving and thriving as hunting.

A Pumé man and woman hunt and gather foods on the Venezuelan savanna.

Russell D. Greaves

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Marion Prévost @marionprevost.bsky.social · Aug 2

Check out my latest paper! 🪨

Occupational Dynamics at Unit III of the Middle Paleolithic Site of Nesher Ramla, Israel | Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology share.google/MmooyB6iFqs6...

Occupational Dynamics at Unit III of the Middle Paleolithic Site of Nesher Ramla, Israel - Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology

This paper presents the results of spatial analyses of Unit III in Nesher Ramla, Israel, an open-air mid-Middle Paleolithic site. Featuring numerous anthropogenic features (e.g., hearths and artifact ...

share.google

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Laboratory for the Study of Human Cultural Evolution @hcelab.bsky.social · Jul 31

We made it to the news this week;)

"A 100,000-year-old burial site in Israel "
www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/art...

#prehistory #archaeology #funerary #paleolithic

A 100,000-year-old burial site in Israel is changing what we know...

SHOHAM, Israel (AP) - Archaeologists believe they have found one of the oldest burial sites in the world at a cave in Israel, where the well-preserved...

www.dailymail.co.uk

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Laboratory for the Study of Human Cultural Evolution @hcelab.bsky.social · Jul 31

A glimpse into our excavation at Tinshemet Cave!
Slow process but amazing finds!
One more month to go this season with hopefully nice results coming! 🦴⛏️💀

youtu.be/etGVHIBDHIw?...

Human bones from 100,000 years ago in Israel offer clues about the origins of burial rites

YouTube video by AP Archive

youtu.be

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Laboratory for the Study of Human Cultural Evolution @hcelab.bsky.social · Jul 11

⛏️The 10th season of excavations at Tinshemet Cave has started !!

#fieldworkfriday
#MiddlePaleolithic
#burial
#Levallois

Laboratory for the Study of Human Cultural Evolution @hcelab.bsky.social · Jul 9

New international Master degree in prehistoric archaeology!

Laboratory for the Study of Human Cultural Evolution @hcelab.bsky.social · Mar 7

📢 A new master degree program in prehistoric archaeology is opening at the Hebrew university!
The program will focus on the Levantine Paleolithic and includes fieldwork at amazing sites!

#prehistory #master #diploma #university

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Meir Orbach @meirzooarch.bsky.social · Jun 24

🧵1/5
📢 New paper out in Journal of Archaeological Science!
We present a regional analysis of fallow deer in Middle Paleolithic Levant and propose a methodological refinement for aging that has major implications for understanding human hunting behavior.
Open Access: doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...

Redirecting

doi.org

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fderrico.bsky.social @fderrico.bsky.social · Jun 27

www.science.org/doi/full/10....

Unveiling the multifunctional use of ochre in the Middle Stone Age: Specialized ochre retouchers from Blombos Cave

Seven ochre artifacts from Blombos Cave show evidence of lithic retouching and pressure flaking, revealing specialized MSA tools.

www.science.org

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Chris Stringer @chrisbstringer.bsky.social · May 30

A filmmaker showcases archaeologists unearthing tiny lithics that evidence the presence of hunters from 13,000 years ago in what is today Michigan www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...

Excavating the Traces of Ice Age Foragers

A filmmaker showcases archaeologists unearthing tiny lithics that evidence hunters from 13,000 years ago in what is today Michigan.

www.sapiens.org

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Yannis Oikonomou @yannismicrooikon.bsky.social · May 14

Happy to be sharing my 1st PhD paper, result of our group research in the Armenian Highlands #TransCause Project! The article explores the formation processes of Ararat-1 Cave (Armenia) under multiproxy geoarchaeology! It is published on QSR (open-access): www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Unravelling the formation processes and depositional histories of the Middle Palaeolithic Ararat-1 Cave, Armenia: A multiscalar and multiproxy geoarchaeological approach

The sedimentary sequence of Ararat-1 Cave encapsulates an intricate depositional archive (Marine Isotope Stage 3), crucial for our understanding of th…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Professor Amy Roberts @profamyroberts.bsky.social · May 5

Our latest research with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation is now available.

Professor Amy Roberts @profamyroberts.bsky.social · May 5

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A new method for fingerprinting ochre sources using mineral magnetic measurements

Fingerprinting of iron-rich natural pigments commonly known as ochre, provides the opportunity to trace the cultural movement of these ochres in the a…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Marion Prévost @marionprevost.bsky.social · May 4

Congrats @anispringflower.bsky.social !!

Chris Stringer @chrisbstringer.bsky.social · May 4

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Assessing seasonality and mobility from a fragmented faunal assemblage: the case of Amud Cave (Israel) - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

In this paper we investigate the seasonality of site occupation at Amud Cave (Israel). This site presents a long sedimentary sequence featuring two main late Middle Paleolithic occupation phases (70 –...

link.springer.com

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Laboratory for the Study of Human Cultural Evolution @hcelab.bsky.social · Apr 27

Last day in Denver! Some of our lab members presented their research at the Paleoanthropology Society annual meeting and at the #SAA2025Denver !

@marionprevost.bsky.social
@davidofagun.bsky.social
#YossiZaidner

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Laboratory for the Study of Human Cultural Evolution @hcelab.bsky.social · Apr 9

Our project “Soii Havzak Rockshelter: A New Middle-Upper Paleolithic Sequence in Central Asia” has been awarded a research grant from the Gerda Henkel Foundation!
The grant, awarded to Y. Zaidner, J-P. Buylaert, and S. Kurbanov, will support postdoctoral research by M. Prévost.

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TraceoLab @traceolab.bsky.social · Apr 8

We’re deeply concerned about the disappearance of our colleague Pierre Noiret. Please share and help us spread the word.
For more information please check: www.police.be/avis-de-rech...

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ICArEHB @icarehb.bsky.social · Apr 1

📢 New publication: "New Insights on an Old Excavation: Re-visiting the Late Middle Palaeolithic Site of Far’ah II, North-western Negev, Israel"
by Goder-Goldberger, M., Gilead, I., Paixão, E., et al., in J Paleo Arch (2025, Vol. 8, Article 13).
🔗 More info: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

New Insights on an Old Excavation: Re-visiting the Late Middle Palaeolithic Site of Far’ah II, North-western Negev, Israel - Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology

Revisiting collections from old excavations with new research objectives and analytical tools brings them to life and integrates them into evolving models of human-landscape interactions. This paper e...

link.springer.com

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Laura Sánchez-Romero @lausanrom.bsky.social · Mar 29

‼️Check out our latest publication on the old excavations at the Late Middle Paleolithic open-air site of Far’ah II (northwestern Negev) link.springer.com/article/10.1...

New Insights on an Old Excavation: Re-visiting the Late Middle Palaeolithic Site of Far’ah II, North-western Negev, Israel - Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology

link.springer.com

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Laboratory for the Study of Human Cultural Evolution @hcelab.bsky.social · Mar 27

@marionprevost.bsky.social postdoc in our lab presented our research on Nesher Ramla and Tinshemet Cave at Texas A&M University !

Marion Prévost @marionprevost.bsky.social · Mar 27

Glad for the opportunity to share our research projects at the Anthropology department at Texas A&M University @tamu.bsky.social
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@hcelab.bsky.social

#prehistory #homosapiens #Levallois #Neanderthal

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Emily Hallinan @eshallinan.bsky.social · Mar 25

Our new paper on 3D GM has all the models and script available for others to apply our method. We use it to demonstrate interregional variability of Nubian Levallois cores but it has broader potential for lithic studies #openscience #archaeology #3DGM @icarehb.bsky.social @jmcascalheira.bsky.social

João Cascalheira @jmcascalheira.bsky.social · Mar 25

📢 We have a new paper out!! Led by the incredible @eshallinan.bsky.social we introduce a novel application of three-dimensional geometric morphometrics (GM) to quantify the shape variability of Nubian Levallois cores. #archaeology #openscience @icarehb.bsky.social

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Quantifying Levallois: a 3D geometric morphometric approach to Nubian technology - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

Levallois technology, a hallmark of Middle Palaeolithic stone tool manufacture, involves sophisticated core reduction strategies that have major implications for understanding human cognitive and tech...

link.springer.com

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Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · Mar 24

Soii Havzak rockshelter, Tajikistan, is one of the only multilayered, stratified Palaeolithic sites in Central Asia. Excavation provides a rare opportunity to explore the understudied region's prehistoric chronology. 🏺

🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

A rocky landscape with a gorge running through it, labelled Soii Havzak. In the background, a river labelled Zeravshan River runs parallel to the gorge.

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Erella Hovers @ehovers.bsky.social · Mar 18

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Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · Mar 14

The Middle Palaeolithic of southwest Asia witnessed interactions and knowledge sharing between archaic and modern humans 130,000–80,000 years ago, which led to behavioural uniformity in groups across the region, according to a paper in Nature Human Behaviour. https://go.nature.com/4iqytnj 🏺 🧪

This is figure 4, which shows different types of ochre from Tinshemet Cave and their association with human and animal bones.

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