Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

Achyuthan, Hema Toba Ash and Palaeoenvironments in India during the Late Pleistocene Toba ash, which has been dated to~74 ka, at the end of MIS-5/4 boundary, is well documented in the South China Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The ash bed is an excellent stratigraphic marker horizon to validate correlation between continental and marine records. 74 ka is the age of the youngest Toba eruption in northern Sumatra. The dispersal of ashes from Sumatra in both western and eastern directions points towards two contrasting wind directions and indicates that the Toba eruption probably happened during the Southeast Asian summer monsoon season, and (b) the volume of erupted magma was larger than previously interpreted. Association of Paleolithic artefacts relative to the ash bed in several archaeological sites in central (Dodka, and Narmada valley), western (Bori, Morgaon) and southern Cuddapah basins (Yelaru valley, Sagarelu valley, Jurreru Valley) indicate that in spite of a voluminous eruption and deposition of Toba ash, humans continued to occupy the landscape. The voluminous ash fall probably would have also triggered hominin movements and dispersal. The 74 ka ash fall changed the vegetational canopy dwindling it to a shrub coppice landscape and drier, water starved region. This is supported by the occurrence of silicified rhizoliths in the lithounits above and below the ash bed. There is evidence of younger ash layers (10 ka, 28 ka, 60 ka) in the marine cores from the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean indicating the Toba eruption has taken place several times since 74 ka. The Toba tephra and well-dated layers can be used as an effective tool in the correlation of late Quaternary sedimentary sequences and hominin dispersal across India. Blinkhorn, James, Haslam, Michael, Ditchfield, Peter, & Fuller, Dorian Landscape Reconstruction for the Jurreru Valley: The Pre-Toba Palaeoenvironmental Scene Numerous sites in the Jurreru Valley, south India, contain ash deposits resulting from the Youngest Toba Tuff eruption 74,000 years ago. These deposits have effectively sealed the pre-Toba landscape, including evidence of hominin activity and details of palaeoenvironment. To investigate this landscape, a total station survey was undertaken to provide precise topographic data regarding this buried surface and the location of archaeological and geological sites. Macromorphological studies of sediment profiles give evidence for the depositional environments at and around the archaeological sites of JWP3 and JWP22, where archaeological deposits relating to the pre-Toba period have been identified. Isotopic analysis from sediment samples from JWP3 provide data regarding the gross make up of floral communities, based upon the ratio of isotopes relating to C3 and C4 plants, and offers a broad indicator of climatic change. Palaeobotanical analysis of tree and leaf fossils/casts identified at a number of sites offer a much more direct view of the biotic communities of the Jurreru valley prior to the Toba eruption. Geospatial data is used to integrate these different strands of palaeoenvironmental evidence to contextualise the pre-Toba archaeological sites. The topographic study is also used to suggest the immediate impact the deposition of YTT ash had upon the Jurreru valley landscape. The results of this study suggest that: i) woodland environments were slowly giving way to grassland communities; ii) archaeological sites appear to be situated to exploit a body of standing water; iii) ash deposits had a significant impact upon valley floor topography.

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

Boivin, Nicole, Petraglia, Michael, Haslam, Michael, Fuller, Dorian, & Allaby, Robin Out of Africa: New Hypotheses for the Expansion of Homo sapiens along the Indian Ocean Rim Geneticists have hypothesised that the movement of Homo sapiens from Africa to Southeast Asia was a single, rapid event, occurring at ca. 60 ka. Prevailing theories suggest that this swift population movement across the Indian Ocean rim was accomplished along coastal corridors. However, new archaeological research and chronometric dating of Middle Palaeolithic sites and industries in Arabia and South Asia suggests that the movement of Homo sapiens populations out of Africa may reach into OIS 5 and that transcontinental routes may have been used given the presence of favourable environments. Climatic fluctuations from OIS 5-3 would have created spatially heterogeneous ecological settings from Arabia to Southeast Asia, and changes in these vegetation zones would have had demographic effects on the demographic growth, expansion and contraction of foraging populations. Best guess reconstructions of vegetation zones from Arabia to Southeast Asia, together with mapping of dated archaeological sites, provides new information on the dispersal of modern humans along the Indian Ocean rim. Chivas, Allan R. Sedimentology and Geochemistry of Some Indian Stratigraphic Profiles Several sediment profiles from both the Son Valley and Kurnool District have been analysed, typically at 10 cm depth increments, for a variety of parameters, including particle size (by laser diffraction), carbonate content, mineralogy (XRD), bulk geochemistry (10 major elements, 30 trace elements, by XRF), organic matter content, and 13C and C/N of organic matter. Samples were inspected for larger microfossils (>63 m), but not for pollen or diatoms. No calcareous microfossils (ostracods, charophytes) were found. The profiles with the most complete data are Ghoghara main section (Son Valley) and Jwalapuram 22 (Jurreru Valley, Kurnool District). Limited data are available for sites Jwalapuram 138 and Jwalapuram 9. Each profile shows evidence of pedogenic processes, dominantly the development of calcrete, ranging from incipient dusting, to nodules to massive slabby horizons. Pedogenesis has dissolved any former calcareous primary mineralogy, and calcareous fossils, that might have been present. Samples with high carbonate content display enriched levels of Ca, Mg, and Sr, but not Ba. The latter is probably incorporated in feldspar (and locally within glass from the YTT), and Ba levels throughout profiles are little modified by pedogenesis, and can be used to trace mixing and transitions between sediment types, especially between primary tephra and siliciclastic sediment. The transition between primary fall tephra and reworked tephra is easily recognised, as progressive dilution of Ba, Rb, Pb, Th, Al 2 O 3 , Na 2 O and K 2 O. In the Son valley profile (Ghoghara) there is a long-term (whole of profile, 8 m thick) regular and progressive shift to higher values of V, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Fe, up-profile. This may be due to deep weathering processes, or continuous change in sedimentation source, including dilution of tephra content after YTT deposition. The limited available data on 13C and C/N ratios of bulk organic matter preserved in the Kurnool profiles indicate the contemporaneous presence of vegetation of a largely C3 type with a more minor contribution of C4 (typically grassland) vegetation.

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

Clarkson, Chris Evidence for Hominin Continuity Before and After the Toba Super-eruption in Southern India: The Jurreru Valley Sequence Recent excavations in the Jurreru Valley of southern India have revealed hominin occupation both immediately before and after the eruption of the Toba volcano 74,000 years ago. These Middle Palaeolithic assemblages from multiple sites demonstrate ongoing use of the valley for at least the period ~80-40 kya. Technological analysis of the lithic artefacts indicates strong continuities in flaked stone technology and raw material use pre and post Toba. Comparative analysis of core technologies from Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Australia indicate that the Jurreru pre and post-Toba core assemblages can be classified with modern human industries in Africa at around the inferred time of dispersals out of Africa as well as the earliest undisputed modern human occupations in Southeast Asia and Australia. Crowther, Alison, Blinkhorn, James, Haslam, Michael, Clarkson, Chris, & Shipton, Ceri Landscapes, Jwalapuram Locality 9 Rockshelter and Modern Human Behaviour The Jwalapuram Locality 9 rockshelter (Jurreru Valley, Kurnool District) preserves the longest dated microlithic sequence in India, extending back at least 35,000 years and continuing into the Holocene. Here we present the stratigraphic and chronometric framework for the lithic technological sequence of 50,000+ artefacts, along with nonlithic artefacts, fauna, palaeoenvironmental indicators, human skeletal remains, and preliminary lithic functional analysis. These data are considered from three perspectives: (a) the spatio-temporal context of the wider Jurreru Valley sequence and landscape; (b) the theoretical issues surrounding the concept of modern human behaviour; and (c) the paradigmatic implications of the demographic and dispersal patterns indicated by early microlithic industries in South Asia. Deraniyagala, S.U. Pleistocene Lithic Assemblages within Coastal Sediments in Sri Lanka Sri Lankas north-western, northern and south-eastern coasts are endowed with a distinctive set of sediments referred to as the Iranamadu Formation (IFm). They comprise basal fluviatile gravels at modal heights of ca. 8, 15, 30 and 50 metres above sea level, capped by deeply weathered (latosol) coastal dunes reaching over 10m in thickness. These deposits are of considerable significance since they frequently contain evidence of prehistoric human habitations. They, particularly the gravels, are also proxies for Pleistocene climate change in equatorial South Asia: the depositional environments of the gravels can be interpreted in terms of the prevailing rainfall configurations, which in turn would have been dependent on the Southwest Monsoons manifestations in the rainshadow of the islands central mountains. The IFm was initially researched by E.J. Wayland around 1915, followed by a more indepth investigation by Deraniyagala (1992) in the 1970s. The latter has postulated that the gravels related to the then prevailing sea levels, modified by local tectonic uplift. A tentative chronology was proposed by him on these grounds, extending back into the Middle Pleistocene. This was followed by TL dating of two sets of the dunes to ca. 75,000 and 28,000 BP (Singhvi et al. 1986). Subsequently, OSL dates, once again tentative, of Abeyratne (1996) and the Oxford Archaeological Laboratory (unpublished)

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

have corroborated these and produced dates of ca. 125,000 and 80,000 BP for the basal gravels at 15m and 8m asl respectively. The traces of human presence were confined to lithic artifacts, which have been analysed in some detail. What is important is that the 50-m gravels, dated to ca. 125,000 OSL BP, yielded a few non-geometric backed microliths. They represent an advanced level of technology which archaeologists ascribe to anatomically modern humans. Should this, in fact, have been the case, it would invalidate the currently prevailing concept that modern humans had not spread out of Africa prior to ca. 80,000 BP. Concerning the significance of the IFm for palaeoclimatic investigations, it is appropriate to cite R.W. Fairbridge in his review of Deraniyagalas publication (1992) in Geoarchaeology (1997, vol. 12(7)): [It] brings into focus the extraordinarily useful position occupied by Sri Lanka in helping solve one of the planet Earths most elusive climatic challenges. Ditchfield, Peter Sedimentary Facies, Depositional Histories and Palaeoenvironments of the Son and Jurreru River Valleys The Jurreru and Son river valleys differ widely in size and complexity and show contrasting styles of valley development and sedimentary deposits. The Jurreru valley has a relatively small catchment and hydrological throughput with minor fluvial deposits and a dominance of alluvial and wetland sedimentary facies. In contrast, the Son valley is part of a much larger fluvial system. The Son valley has a highly complex history of formation and the basin has a much higher degree of compartmentalisation resulting in complex lateral facies associations relating to a much more varied and complex palaeoenvironmental setting. However, despite these differences there are some striking similarities in the archaeological record from these two locations both within the Middle Palaeolithic and in the underlying Acheulean assemblage, which can be used to assess environmental preferences and behavioural plasticity. Depositional models for the two basins will be presented which will provide an improved framework for palaeoenvironmental and archaeological survey and interpretation. Eksambekar, Sanjay The State of the Art of Phytolith Research in Indian Archaeology Phytolith analysis is gaining importance in Indian archaeology in response to various research problems. Phytoliths range up to 250 microns in size and are composed of opal silica - SiO 2 and other traces of Al, Fe, Mn, P, Cu, N and organic carbon. Phytoliths are present in the roots, leaves, stem and the rest of the plant body parts including inflorescences. These materials are widespread in the plant kingdom but they are mostly found in monocotyledons as they are major accumulators of silica. Phytolith analysis has proved to be an important proxy for examining both the palaeoenvironment and also the cultural record, including evidence of diet and food processing. Phytoliths are capable of indicating cold, hot and humid climates. Unlike pollen, phytoliths survive for thousands of years in extreme conditions. Phytoliths can be extracted from the minerogenic deposits, which are usually less suitable for the reconstruction of the past vegetation through microfossils such as pollen and spores. The material also provides a good indication of ecological changes at micro- and macro-levels. They also help us to understand land-use patterns, the relationship between humans and the landscape, and the floral community of areas. This paper highlights the status and scope of phytolith

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

proxies in Indian archaeology, including preliminary evidence of the phytolith record from Kurnool. Fuller, Dorian Q Environments, Demography and the Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene Archaeological Record South Asia presents hunter-gather populations with a diverse range of environments, from the Thar desert, through semi-arid savannahs to wet tropical rainforests, which offer varying resources and support for various populations sizes. Climate changes through the Pleistocene and Early Holocene have shifted and altered these environments: pushing, pulling and extirpating human populations. This presentation explores best guess reconstructions of vegetation zones of the terminal Pleistocene at 3530 kya (OIS 3), 20 kya (OIS 2), the early Holocene (11,500-8200 BP) and the later midHolocene (6000-4000 BP) for their likely impact on the distribution and density of human populations and subsistence adaptations. Around 35,000 years ago much of monsoonal India offered a rich mosaic of tropical deciduous woodland and savannah, while the northwestern subcontinent and the Iranian Plateau were inhospitable desert and semi-desert. The LGM made dry regions drier, expanded grasslands and probably caused additional population packing in several parts of India. Over both of these periods, however, the distribution of archaeological sites suggests a focus on savannahwoodland hunting and gathering adaptations. In the Early Holocene interglacial, higher rainfall led to unprecedented expansion woodland and closing of the canopy. In several parts of India human groups responded by intensifying management of the landscape through vegetation burning, evident in available microcharcoal record, which as ethnographical examples illustrate can be a strategies to maintain savannah and woodland margin habitats which are rich in edible plants and provide good hunting. This period also allowed expansion to the northwest, which was also being (re)populated by expanding populations from Western Asia (e.g. Anatolia, Taurus-Zagros mountains). Populations expanding from the west had demographic advantages provided by West Asian farming. The mid-Holocene saw further drying which maintained naturally the woodland-savanna habitats, but human manipulation of the environment shifted towards a focus on particular key food plant species in the form of cultivation. Demographic expansion from the northwest and the introduction of livestock put new pressures on Indian savanna foragers and likely contributed to their new food production adaptations. Gatti, Emma Preliminary Observations on the Stratigraphy of the Son River Sediments: The YTT, Seasonality and Post-eruptive River Response During the 2009 field season several sites in the Son River Valley were examined to investigate the stratigraphy of the underlying sediments. In particular, attention was directed at establishing the relationship, occurrence and lateral variability of the Young Toba Tuff (YTT, dated at 74 2 ka BP). The aim of these investigations was to determine the impact of the ash fall on the river system sedimentation and the general environmental setting. The modern Son river is a shallow meandering sand-bed stream with extensive floodplain surfaces and in-channel bars composed predominantly of sand. The river is confined between cliff-like banks which comprise terrace accumulations of earlier late Middle to Late Pleistocene sediments. The occurrence of the modern cliffed valley demonstrates that since the deposition of these terrace-like sediments, the river has incised its valley and appears to be migrating broadly southwards.

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

Preliminary observations on the Ghoghara sites suggest that the YTT overlies a distinctive unit of stratified sand and gravel. The ash accumulated consistently in the fluvial environment, particularly on the floodplain. The ash is, in turn, buried by a several metres of silt-dominated fine-grained sediments and capped by a palaeosol (Holocene). This overall fining-upward sequence appears to reflect a decline in the river flow energy and possible infill of an early course of the river valley floor. The re-equilibration of the river following the ash deposition might have taken place in a relatively short time. The impact of the ash on the system is also connected to the season during which the eruption occurred. The study of the sedimentary structures implies that the ash deposition possibly took place during the dry season, and that the monsoon rains might have contributed to the deposition of the subsequently reworked ash noted in several sections. Further work will be directed towards elucidating these hypotheses concerning the responses of the river and contemporaneous changes to the surrounding environment, as well as establishing a chronology for these and related events. To this end, it will be necessary to investigate the detailed sedimentology of the pre- and postdepositional characteristics of the sediments, together with the geomorphology of the area. Harris, Clair, & Clarkson, Chris Stone Artefact Assemblages from the Middle Palaeolithic Dhaba Locality, Madhya Pradesh The Dhaba Locality is situated on the northern bank of the Middle Son River, Madhya Pradesh, India. The landscape consists of Holocene terracing adjacent to the river, rising into Pleistocene terraces of sand and silt that run diagonally across a basement of shale. Of the three trenches in the Pleistocene terraces excavated in 2009 season, two have been analysed (Dhaba 1 and Dhaba 2). All three sites overlap each other stratigraphically with Dhaba 3 being the most elevated, and Dhaba 1 being the lowest. Middle Paleolithic artifacts were recovered in all trenches, with some microlithic artifacts present in the upper layers of Dhaba 3 (not yet analysed). Despite decades of survey and excavation in the Middle Son, this is the first large Middle Paleolithic assemblage recovered from the region in a stratified context that does not contain handaxes or cleavers. The site is located less than a kilometre upstream of the original Rehi Toba ash deposit described by Williams (1982), and therefore provides only large Middle Palaeolithic site yet discovered close to Toba ash deposits in the Middle Son. Initial analysis suggests technological similarities with the lithic assemblages found above and below Toba ash in the Jurreru Valley, Southern India. Haslam, Michael, & Petraglia, Michael The Framework of the Project: Overview of Research Sites Every review of South Asian Late Pleistocene prehistory calls for further detailed archaeological exploration and accompanying chronometric dates from the region. The Kurnool District (southern India) and Middle Son Valley (north-central India) Archaeological Projects were established to address this gap, with a central focus on identifying technological and environmental trends before, during and after the Toba super-eruption of 74,000 BP. In this paper we introduce the key sites discovered by these projects, which include dozens of excavated localities selected from hundreds of sites identified during systematic surveys. These sites range from the Acheulean to the Iron Age, and include the only known South Asian localities directly associated with Toba

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

tephra deposits. This overview provides the background context for the other papers presented at this conference. Haslam, Michael, Petraglia, Michael, Korisettar, Ravi, & Bai, Jhardhana Archaeology and Toba Ash Sites in the Jurreru River Valley The most direct means of assessing the impact of the Toba super-eruption on Indian hominins is to find sites where archaeological materials are associated with Toba tephra. In this paper we discuss the relationship of Toba deposits to archaeological remains in the Jurreru River Valley, Andhra Pradesh. We discuss the sedimentological and palaeoenvironmental records from Jwalapuram Locality 3, the only radiometrically constrained site in India with Toba ash and stone tools. We also introduce a new site, Jwalapuram 22, which preserves a Middle Palaeolithic occupation level resting on a palaeosol directly beneath the Toba tephra. We also consider recent research linking Toba to widespread environmental degradation in South Asia, in light of the Jurreru Valley evidence. Jones, Sacha Towards an Understanding of the Impacts of the ~74 ka Toba Supereruption on Hominin Population Dynamics in India The ~74 ka Toba supervolcanic eruption is argued to have resulted in rapid climatic deterioration, habitat destruction, and a human population bottleneck where the effective population size of Homo sapiens in Africa was reduced to only a few thousand individuals. Indeed, this spectacular eruption is often hypothesized to have shaped the genetic structure and diversity of human populations today. However, in recent years the severity of the Toba eruptions impact on both climate and humans has been contested. Past assessments of its human and ecological consequences have been predominantly theoretical, emphasizing evidence that is broadly coincidental with Toba rather than that which is directly associated with the eruption. The latter is provided by evidence from India where layers of ~74 ka Toba ash (YTT) exist in river valleys throughout the subcontinent. At a number of localities, lithic artefacts are found in stratified contexts underlying and overlying the ash. This paper reviews the current status of these YTTarchaeology associations and presents several models that hypothesize Tobas possible effects on hominins in India. These hypotheses are tested using data from archaeology, geology, palaeoclimatology and volcanology in order to infer the local- and regional-scale impacts of Toba on hominins and their habitats in India. Synthesizing all evidence, this paper will present a number of different models that hypothesize human evolutionary trajectories within India during the Upper Pleistocene and Tobas role therein. Rather than indicating that Toba resulted in an extinction of hominins throughout India, my preliminary studies suggest that the eruptions consequences were variable. A refugia hypothesis is presented which argues for variation in the scale of Tobas impact throughout India, driven by regional differences in monsoonal dynamics, geography and topography. [POSTER] Kaushik, Satya Dev Geoarchaeological and Environmental observations from the Pleistocene deposits of Central Narmada valley This poster describes the study of geoarchaeological, sedimentological and palaeoenvironmental processes, associated with Middle and Late Pleistocene sediments,

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

in the Hoshangabad and Sehore Districts of Madhya Pradesh in the Central Narmada Valley (India). The alluvial deposits, spanning from the Lower Pleistocene to the Holocene, have yielded evidence of vertebrate, lithic industries and associated palaeoenvironmental data. The stratigraphical sequence reveals distinct units such as Dhansi formation (Lower Pleistocene), Surajkund formation (Middle Pleistocene) and Benata formations (Upper Plesistocene). Metrical analyses of collected stone tools revealed a general continuity of the Acheulian industry in this region. Numerous vertebrate fossil specimens, including teeth and bones, contribute to revise the Quaternary bio-chronology. The occurrence of several flakes in the Dhansi formation (which is overlained by the Surajkund formation at the Bikori Budhani section) if confirmed, may extend the antiquity of human occupation to slightly earlier than the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary. Kivisild, Toomas Autosomal and Uniparental Patterns of Genetic Diversity in South Asia: Interplay between Demography and Selection Presently known genetic, palaeoanthropological and archaeological evidence is commonly interpreted in favor of the strong Garden of Eden version of Out of Africa dispersal according to which anatomically modern humans spread rapidly across Eurasia replacing completely any pre-existing hominin species. Genetic and cultural features of uniqueness of India can therefore be ascribed primarily to local long term evolution and differentiation with additional enrichment being due to contacts and gene flow from other neighboring populations and cultures over time. Because the vast majority of North Indian populations speak Indo-European languages which according to linguists were introduced to India only about three thousand years ago many genetic studies over the past decade have explored to what extent such recent cultural shifts are reflected in the genes of modern Indian populations. There is a substantial sharing of Y chromosome haplogroups which are younger than Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) between populations of the Indian subcontinent and Europe but there is no evidence that this overlap could be ascribed to a single large scale migration that would have occurred only a couple of thousand years ago. MtDNA evidence tallies the West Eurasian contribution to India, combining all possible episodes of gene flow since LGM, as not more than 25% in the northwestern states of Gujarat and Punjab and less than 10% elsewhere in India. Here in this talk autosomal evidence that has started to accumulate over the last years and some new data will be discussed in the context of models of population dispersals and contacts in South Asia. Genes that have been potentially targets of recent positive selection in India will be considered in the light of similar evidence for other world populations. Korisettar, Ravi The Basin Model: Geology, Environments, and Hominins Palaeoanthropologists and geneticists often indicate that the dispersal of hominins out of Africa was a coastal movement. However, there is considerable archaeological evidence to suggest that human populations used transcontinental zones for habitation and movement. Mapping of the Gondwana and Purana basins of the Indian subcontinent indicates that these physiogeographic zones were ideal for sustained human occupation based on the presence of freshwater (rivers, springs), high biomass concentration, and an abundance of lithic resources for stone tool manufacture. Though the Toba supereruption of 74 ka would have had ecological effects on hominin populations, the

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

Gondwana and Purana basins may have acted as refugia. Even under the worst climatic conditions, these basins would have remained attractive zones for human settlement as physical and biological resources, including freshwater springs, would have been available for use. The geological basins of the Jurreru River Valley and the Middle Son Valley are examined here to examine how populations may have coped with environmental changes in OIS 5-3. Mellars, Paul Models for the Modern Human Colonisation of South Asia: Genetic and Archaeological Perspectives There are currently two contrasting models for the modern human colonisation of South Asia. One postulates an early dispersal of modern humans from North-East Africa probably before the time of the Mt. Toba volcanic eruption (ca. 74,000 BP), and the subsequent, in situ evolution of the associated typically Middle Palaeolithic/MSA industries into those of the ensuing Indian microblade and microlithic tradition, at around 35,000 BP. The other model postulates a single dispersal of modern humans from Africa to Asia, belonging exclusively to the African L3 mitochondrial lineage, at around 55,000-60,000 BP, and bringing with it microblade technologies closely similar to the those of the earlier African Howiesons Poort industries. This paper will briefly compare and contrast these two models, and ask how far the two models can be systematically tested and evaluated in the course of future research. Miracle, Preston Site Use and Human Subsistence post-Toba in the Kurnool District, India. How did anatomically modern humans live and subsist in southern India after Toba? To what extent were global changes in Pleistocene climates during MIS 4-2 expressed in southern India, and how did people respond to these changing circumstances? Zooarchaeological studies of assemblages from the Billasurgam Caves (Cathedral and Charnal House Caves, and others) and Jurreru Valley rockshelters (Jwalapuram 9 and others) are starting to provide some preliminary answers to these questions. The Billasurgam Caves provide a unique, long-term record of palaeoenvironments, human subsistence practices, and site use in southern India. Although a basic taxonomic study and faunal list for these sites was published by Lydekker in 1886, the different sites and layers were largely treated together, and little attention was given to the agents of faunal accumulation and modification. In the first part of this paper I provide an overview of the faunal assemblages from the Billasurgam Caves, with particular focus on contrasts among the caves, stratigraphic changes, and their taphonomy. The sequence from the rockshelter of Jwalapuram 9 (JWP9) provides an opportunity to characterize and compare palaeoenvironments and human subsistence strategies at about 30,000 BP, prior to the last glacial maximum, to those between 16,00010,000 BP, during a period of climatic amelioration. Not only do the assemblages show shifts in faunal composition that are interpretable in terms of palaeoclimatic changes, but they also reveal a pattern of diversification and intensification of mollusc exploitation after 16,000 BP. Finally, I briefly touch on evidence of cave and rockshelter use during the Holocene to argue that hunting and gathering in the region needs to be viewed as a flexible strategy that was activated in response to particular opportunities and contexts, such as

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

intensified production and trade during the late Neolithic (ca. 3800 BP), and the rise of regional polities during the Megalithic period (ca. 3200 BP).

Oppenheimer, Stephen A Single Southern Exit of Modern Humans from Africa: Before or After Toba? During the Late Pleistocene, anatomically modern humans (AMH) dispersed out of Africa. Their routes obeyed the limitations placed on any large mammal dependent on daily drinking water, following certain climate-permissive corridors, first spreading north, with game, across the Sahara to the Levant during the Eemian interglacial (c.125 ka). However, they failed to continue to Europe, then occupied by Neanderthals. The savannah ecosystem in North Africa and the Middle East then dried up, and AMH vanished from the Levantine fossil record, being replaced there again by Neanderthals. There is no clear evidence of modern non-African DNA lineages surviving, i.e. showing sufficient age, to contradict this narrative. Genetic evidence indicates that AMH successfully left Africa later, as a single group, by the southern route to India. Their ability to make short but deliberate open water crossings allowed them to cross the mouth of the Red Sea from Eritrea, then Wallaces Line, to reach the isolated Sahul continent probably by 48,000 years ago and controversially by 6050,000 years ago. AMH only finally arrived in Europe from South Asia around 4550,000 years ago, probably linked to climatic amelioration during OIS-3. Dating our definitive exit without adequate fossil evidence has until recently relied on disputed genetic dates ranging from 85-40Kyr, with wide confidence intervals. At the top end, independent genetic arguments combined with ash-associated data from Malaysia (Oppenheimer, 2002, 2003, 2009) and from India (Petraglia et al. 2007)) support a preToba exit, although the consensus is still post-Toba. Recent evidence for purifying selection, introduced a bend in the mtDNA calibration line. Correction for this effect and recalibration has brought the age of the main exit lineage (L3) down to just below that of Toba, although relevant confidence intervals still include the Toba event. This weakening of the genetic argument puts more pressure on the archaeological evidence associated with Toba ash and the need for fossil data. Pal, J.N., & Dubey, A.K. The Archaeological Record of the Middle Son Valley and Prospect of the Future Study of Palaeoenvironment and Chronology The Son valleys in the Vindhyas in north-central India is, archaeologically, one of the most intensively studied regions of Indian subcontinent in context of prehistoric archaeology. A complete sequence of prehistoric cultures, with the evidence of transformational stages has been brought to light and the palaeo-environment of the region has also been reconstructed. The history of archaeological research in the area goes back to 1960s. But extensive researches were done in 1980 and 1982 and most recently in 2008-09, when several Palaeolithic sites were test excavated by international team of scholars. Four geological formations, Sihawal, Patpara, Baghor and Khetaunhi, were identified and studied. The localities containing YTT deposit were studied by archaeologists and geologists and other experts in detail and a new formation, the Khuteli formation has been added to this geological sequence. More than 6000 animal fossils mostly recovered from the Baghor coarse member were studied. A good number

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

of Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites have been located in the valley. Of these many are in secondary context sites but some are in primary or semi-primary context. The factory sites in the Son valley are situated either on the medial ridge running almost parallel to the Son in the north or near its bank itself or on the foot of the Kaimur. Some selected sites of all the phases of the Palaeolithic have been put to trial excavation and the recovered artefacts have been analyzed. The recent investigations, especially keeping in mind the possible impact of Toba eruption to human population, has much significance. The work being done by the international team in the Son valley is to shed new light on the palaeoenvironment and chronology of the Palaeolithic cultures of the area. In this paper an attempt has been made to present the present status of the Palaeolithic sequence and future prospect for its study. Petraglia, Michael, & Haslam, Michael Toba and Human Evolution: Overview of Project Themes The Toba volcanic super-eruption of 74 ka is hypothesised to have led to global climatic cooling and substantial environmental changes. Researchers contend that the effects of the Toba super-eruption were so catastrophic that it nearly led to the extinction of Homo sapiens. The survival of Homo sapiens at the time of the Toba is considered to be the consequence of newly developed symbolic behaviours and social cooperation networks. According to such theories, once populations re-established themselves in Africa, they were then able to successfully disperse to the Levant and the rest of Eurasia between 6050 ka. The aim of this paper is to highlight aspects of these current theories and to offer alternate hypotheses for the evolution and dispersal of Homo sapiens. We will accomplish this by emphasising new and major findings from the Jurreru Valley and the Middle Son Valley of India. Roberts, Richard, Fenwick, Jacqui, Arnold, Lee, Jacobs, Zenobia, & Jafari, Yasaman Numerical Dating of Sediments associated with Volcanic Ash and Stone Artefacts in Southern and Northeastern India The identification of the Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT) in the Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh (southern India) and in the Middle Son Valley of Madhya Pradesh (northeastern India) is based largely on geochemical comparisons with YTT samples collected from the Toba caldera in northern Sumatra. At Jwalapuram in the Kurnool District, the time of deposition of the ash is constrained by numerical ages obtained from optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz grains extracted from sediments above and below the ash; the dated sediments are also associated with Middle Palaeolithic artefacts. Infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) ages for feldspar grains have been published for stratigraphic exposures in the Middle Son Valley, and in the adjacent valley of the Belan River, but the dated deposits are not associated directly with ash or artefacts. Aside from these few studies, there are no published numerical ages for these sites beyond the range of 14C dating (which can cover the last 50,000 years or so). A major program of OSL dating at Jwalapuram and in the Middle Son Valley is beginning to provide a numerical age framework for the archaeological assemblages and to assist with reconstructions of the contemporaneous environments. At Jwalapuram, additional OSL samples have been collected from several open-air excavations that have yielded stone artefacts and traces of Toba ash, and from nearby cave deposits that contain faunal assemblages. In this presentation, an update will be given of the progress made on OSL dating of these samples. We will also discuss the OSL dating results for samples from the Middle Son

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010

Conference Abstracts

The Toba Super-Eruption: A Critical Moment in Human Evolution?

Valley, focussing on those collected from (a) exposures with volcanic ash and (b) older deposits that contain artefacts. Shipton, Ceri, Haslam, Michael, & Roberts, Richard The Final Acheulean of India and Archaic Hominins Recent debate over the timing and nature of modern human dispersal into South Asia has overshadowed discussions of the activities and fate of hominins already in the region during the Middle-Late Pleistocene. Here we report on Late Acheulean sites from the Middle Son Valley of Madhya Pradesh, north-central India. The sites provide the first Late Pleistocene dates associated directly with lithic artefacts in the Middle Son Valley and make these some of the most recent Acheulean sites known worldwide. This new information provides valuable data for evaluating the regions importance in palaeoanthropological studies, including debates concerning the technological correlates of Late Pleistocene South Asian hominins, and possible interactions between archaic and modern human groups. Smith, Victoria C., Matthews, Naomi, & Lane, Christine Characterising the Younger Toba Tephra in India The Younger Toba tephra is one of the largest known eruptions on Earth. Approximately 2800 km3 of magma was erupted from the large caldera volcano in central Sumatra, Indonesia about 74 kyrs BP. Ash ejected during this large event is found >1000 km from the vent, forming a distinct layer in ocean cores and terrestrial sequences. The tephra is >10 cm thick in some archaeological sites in the outcrops at Jwalapuram, in the Jurreru River Valley. These outcrops are some of the best-preserved sequences of the distal Younger Toba ash. Here we present detailed glass geochemistry and granulometry data of the ash in India. These data provide some insight into the physical volcanology of the deposit and magmatic system that fed the eruption. Future work will investigate whether the Younger Toba tephra occurs as a cryptic microtephra in other archaeological sites; potentially allowing inter-site correlations and improving the chronology of Mid Palaeolithic human populations in the Indian subcontinent. Taon, Paul S.C., Boivin, Nicole, Blinkhorn, James, & Hampson, Jamie Kurnool Region Rock Art: From the Pleistocene to the Present The Kurnool region has diverse rock art designs of varying age. At two sites preliminary analysis suggests some surviving images date to the Pleistocene while at others rock art continues to be made today. Indeed, the Kurnool area may have both the oldest and the most recent rock art of India and south/east Asia generally. Various styles and periods of art production have also been identified between these extremes. In this paper we summarise the results of survey, recording and analysis since 2003 and argue that the Kurnool rock art body is complex, with both in situ development and various outside influences/connections. We suggest that future research should focus on dating, links to archaeological excavation and further survey/recording with the goal of better informing us about cultural change in the Kurnool region.

Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, Oxford

February 20-21, 2010