Human Movement
Bronze Age copper supply in Mediterranean France: First results from lead isotope and chemical analyses of hoarded metalwork
Thibault Lachenal et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science, January 2026
Abstract:
Copper supply networks in southern France are analysed on the basis of a study of five hoards of metal objects dating from the end of the Early Bronze Age (c. 17th-16th BCE) to the end of the Late Bronze Age (c. 9th BCE). A total of 73 inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy elemental analyses were performed and 48 objects belonging to the different groups that could be identified from the elemental compositions were targeted for lead isotope analysis (multicollector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry). The results clearly show that the same source was used for the various objects in each hoard, but that copper from different origins was used depending on the period. This reveals evolving supply networks that can be linked to the cultural interactions observed during this period. Towards the end of the Early Bronze Age or the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age (c. 17th-16th BCE), axe-ingots were imported into southern France along the Rhone corridor. The origin of the copper from which they are made could potentially be the Vosges massif. On the other hand, one of the major contributions of this study is to have demonstrated the use of copper originating from the Southeastern Alps during a late phase of the Middle Bronze Age and up to the Late Bronze Age (c. 14th-11th BCE). A form of packaging for this Alpine copper was as pick-ingots, and it was probably in this form that it arrived in southern France. This network was interrupted around the 9th century BCE and the populations of southern France returned to the exploitation of local minerals (Cabrières-Péret district). This research highlights the link between trade networks and cultural dynamics, showing that the circulation of raw materials also helps strengthen relations between communities.
Pathways at the Iberian Crossroads: Dynamic Modeling of the Middle–Upper Paleolithic Transition
Yaping Shao et al.
PLoS ONE, December 2025
Abstract:
Archaeological and genomic data provide essential yet static insights into human expansion, offering limited understanding of the underlying dynamic processes. As a complementary alternative, we present a high-resolution model of population dynamics and apply it to reconstructing the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic Transition (MUPT) in Iberia. Through ensemble simulation, we examine Neanderthal (NEA) persistence, modern human (AMH) arrival, and possible interbreeding. The model maps population networks, mobility, and interactions, showing NEAs were confined mainly in coastal refugia and already declining when AMHs arrived. Heinrich Event 5 likely accelerated NEA extinction through climate stress and demographic collapse. AMHs expanded rapidly into Cantabria, overlapping with NEAs and allowing for possibly 2–6% admixture. New dispersal corridors are predicted, showing AMHs moved along the Atlantic coast from southern France into Cantabria, then inland via the Duero Route into Portugal and central Mesetas. By linking climate, demography, and culture, our dynamic model offers a broader explanatory framework that enhances the interpretive power of archaeological and genomic records.
Genomic and morphometric evidence for Austronesian-mediated pig translocation in the Pacific
David Stanton et al.
Science, 1 January 2026
Abstract:
Several millennia of human-mediated translocation of non-native pig species (genus Sus) to the islands of Wallacea and Oceania have considerably altered local ecosystems. To investigate the timing and trajectory of these introductions, we conducted both genomic analyses of 576 pig nuclear genomes and a geometric morphometric analysis of 708 modern and ancient dental remains. Our analyses demonstrate that free-living and domestic pigs in Wallacea and Oceania have diverse ancestries resulting from the introduction of multiple sequential pig populations followed by gene flow. Despite the variability in their genomic ancestry, these pigs all have a distinct tooth morphology as well as a genetic link to the Chinese domestic pig populations that accompanied the dispersal of Austronesian language speakers ~4000 to 3000 years ago via Taiwan and the Philippines.
The earliest evidence of high-elevation ice age occupation in Australia
Amy Way et al.
Nature Human Behaviour, December 2025, Pages 2471-2479
Abstract:
Australia’s Eastern Highlands have traditionally been viewed as a cold-climate barrier to Late Pleistocene (~35,000–11,700 years ago) mobility, with older evidence restricted to elevations below the periglacial zone. However, this model has not been adequately tested with regionally specific, high-resolution archaeological data. Here we report excavation results from a high-altitude (1,073 m) cave, Dargan Shelter, in the upper Blue Mountains, which indicate that occupation first occurred ~20,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum, making this the highest elevation Pleistocene site identified in Australia so far. Findings include multiple in situ hearths and 693 stone artefacts, several of which were sourced from sites along the mountain range, providing evidence for previously undetected interactions to the north and south and the repeated use of this cold-climate landscape during the Late Pleistocene. Our results align the Australian continent with global sequences, which indicate that cold climates were not necessarily natural barriers to human mobility and occupation.
Rolling through time: Scarab remains reveal 4,000 years of coastal pastoralism and biodiversity dynamics in western France
Lisa Richelmi et al.
Journal of Archaeological Science, January 2026
Abstract:
Erosion along the French Atlantic coastline is revealing unrecorded archaeological sites, while the shoreline retreat threatens this fragile heritage with irreversible loss. In waterlogged, anoxic sediments, insect remains are preserved in exceptional condition, enabling reconstruction of past human activities through archaeoentomological analysis. A diverse assemblage of dung beetles provides robust evidence of livestock farming from the Neolithic to Antiquity, revealing spatial and temporal variation in grazing intensity. High proportions of dung-associated species in a Middle Neolithic well indicate substantial herds as early as 5500 years ago. This provides the first evidence of coastal livestock farming in Neolithic France, illuminating a tipping point in the history of humankind. In other contexts, lower proportions imply limited grazing, potentially constrained by saline water sources. The diversity and dominance of aquatic and riparian taxa reflect a water-rich environment used for animal watering, while abundant pasture-associated taxa indicate an open landscape favorable to agropastoral practices. Comparisons between fossil and modern entomofaunas from the Gironde region reveal biodiversity shifts shaped by climatic change and human influence over millennia. These multi-millennial bioarchaeological archives offer unique insights into the deep history of biodiversity dynamics and inform debates on ecological change and evolution.
A near-continuous archaeological record of Pleistocene human occupation at Leang Bulu Bettue, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Basran Burhan et al.
PLoS ONE, December 2025
Abstract:
Prior research has indicated that the Indonesian island of Sulawesi was host to archaic hominins of unknown taxonomic affinity from at least 1.04 million years ago (Ma), while members of our own species (Homo sapiens) were probably established on this Wallacean landmass from at least 51.2 thousand years ago (ka), and possibly as early as 65 ka. Despite this, the paucity of well-dated Pleistocene archaeological sites from Sulawesi means that very little has been known about the pattern and timing of early human occupation of the island, including whether there is any evidence for overlap between archaic hominins and modern humans, and when and how the former went extinct. Here, we report the results of multiple seasons of deep-trench excavations at Leang Bulu Bettue, a limestone cave rock-shelter complex in the Maros-Pangkep karst region of South Sulawesi. Leang Bulu Bettue is the only site presently known on the island with an archaeological record ranging in age from the Middle to Late Pleistocene to late Holocene periods. Investigations at this site since 2013 have revealed an extensive sequence of stratified deposits down to a depth of about 8 m below the surface. Notably, there is evidence for animal butchery and stone artefact production including a stone ‘pick’ at around 132.3–208.4 ka followed by a major shift in human cultural activity during the Late Pleistocene. By around 40 ka, an earlier occupation phase (Phase I) characterised by a straightforward cobble-based core and flake technology and faunal assemblages dominated by extant dwarf bovids (Bubalus sp., anoas), but including now-extinct proboscideans, had been replaced by an entirely new occupation phase (Phase II) with a markedly distinct archaeological signature, including the first evidence for artistic expression and symbolic culture. We consider the implications of this behavioural disconformity for our understanding of the history of humans on Sulawesi, including the possibility it reflects the replacement of archaic hominins by modern humans.