Thesis (M.A.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2006. / Bibliography: leaves 105-114. Also available online.

Thesis--University of Groningen, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 106-113).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Southampton. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 383-416).

Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Anthropology, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 234-264).

M.Phil. (Anthropology) / The primary aim of this study was to undertake the description and analysis of the manual and pedal hominin phalanges from Drimolen, South Africa. The specimens were contextualized by examining their counterparts in a series of extant and extinct specimens. As Drimolen preserves the remains of both Paranthropus robustus and early Homo, it provides an opportunity to contribute to our understanding of morphological variation and differences between these taxa, as well as providing an important first step in conceptualizing their evolutionary history and palaeobiology. The first section focused on the manual and pedal phalanges, while the second focused exclusively on the first metatarsal. Numerous studies have analyzed Plio-Pleistocene manual and pedal phalanges to evaluate tool-related behaviours and locomotion in early hominins. In this dissertation nine phalanges were described and analyzed for the first time. The manual specimens consist of one proximal (DNH 9), two proximal pollical (DNH 116 and DNH 119), four intermediates (DNH 48, DNH 63, DNH 65 and DNH 66) and one distal pollical phalanx (DNH 13). There is currently only one pedal proximal phalanx (DNH 117). As at Swartkrans, assignment of postcranial elements was hampered by the fact that two hominin species have been found at the site, namely Paranthropus robustus and early Homo. To analyze the specimens, multivariate statistics (PCA and CVA) were conducted on the specimens using raw and size-adjusted data. This was done within the context of a large extinct and extant dataset to compare size and shape data. In general, PCA and CVA yielded similar results but only the raw data was useful in discriminating between taxa. There was poor discrimination in the analyses based upon size-adjusted data because of the huge degree of overlap between fossil and extant taxa. Consequently, results were not diagnostic and it wasn’t possible to assign specimens confidently to either Paranthropus or Homo. This was exacerbated by the isolated nature of the remains, the presence of two hominin taxa and taxonomic uncertainties of several Swartkrans phalanges. Despite these difficulties, these specimens do provide insight into the degree of morphological variation present in the phalanges from the Plio-Pleistocene of South Africa. The second section described the fragmentary first metatarsal and quantified it by using laser scanning and calculating the curvature of the proximal articular surface. Univariate statistics were then calculated in order to examine the degree of curvature between each of the extant taxa and whether these differences were statistically significant. Finally, a simple bivariate plot was generated using the curvature results which showed that this joint surface was most curved in chimpanzees and western gorillas, moderately curved in eastern gorillas, and flattened in modern humans and baboons. Highly curved joint surfaces in this region suggest a more mobile hallux, whereas flattened surfaces suggest reduced joint mobility. The fossil specimens SK 1813, STW 573, STW 595 and OH-8 all grouped closely with modern humans; A.L. 333-54 and SKX 5017 grouped with chimpanzees, while DNH 115 grouped with eastern gorillas. Overall, these results indicate that SKX 5017 was the most curved of the South African specimens and is attributed to Paranthropus (Susman, 1988). It grouped closely with DNH 115 which suggested that climbing activities may have continued to play an important role in the behavioral repertoire of these individuals during the Plio-Pleistocene.

Swartkrans Cave, famous for abundant hominin fossils of P. robustus and the site where the first evidence of the co-existence of two hominin species was recovered, has yielded a wealth of information on early hominin behaviour. In 2005 a new program of research and excavation began at the site, and its results form the central part of this thesis. This study has focused on the early Pleistocene Member 1 deposits which include an Earlier Stone Age industry and the late Pleistocene Member 4 Middle Stone Age deposits. The thesis has four areas of focus. First the new work has resulted in clarification and new interpretations for the formation of the hominin rich Hanging Remnant deposit of Member 1, which lacks stone tools. This extensive calcified conglomerate which spans most of the north wall of the cave is now seen as a non-homogenous unit that represents material entering from at least four avens. However, this study also established that the newly exposed central portion of the Hanging Remnant and the hominin fossil-rich northwest corner infill worked by Robert Broom in the 1940s derived from the same depositional episode. Secondly, the new excavations in the Lower Bank of Member 1 have resulted in an enlargement of the previously ambiguous Earlier Stone Age assemblage. Analysis of this new assemblage, in conjunction with recently released dating results, has now confirmed that the artefacts belong to the Oldowan Industrial Complex. Thirdly, new excavations in the Member 4 deposit have resulted in the recovery of over 3,200 Middle Stone Age (MSA) stone tools and a clearer understanding of their context. The stone tool-bearing deposits of Member 4 are now understood to derive from a surface colluvium, rather than a cave infill. This MSA assemblage consists of a high number of retouched pieces that are dominated by steep-sided scrapers and denticulated scrapers with a near-absence of points. The technology of a variety of core types suggests a superior understanding of raw material flaking qualities by the tool makers. The limited types of formal tools suggest that the site was used for one or more specific activities, rather than for a range of activities by the tool makers. Fourthly, excavation of the deposits underlying the Member 4 colluvium has resulted in the discovery of two previously unknown hominin-bearing deposits. It is now established that what was originally called Member 4 is composed of three distinct deposits. The lowest of these is an east extension of the Member 1 Lower Bank (LB East Extension), which has yielded P. robustus fossils. This is overlain by a large talus cone (TCD), which also has yielded P. robustus fossils. The latter is capped by flowstone dated to ~110,000 years, followed by the MSA-tool bearing colluvium.

This thesis presents a holistic study of connections in the Altai Mountains of the eastern Eurasian Steppe, as shown by rock-art. Currently divided by four countries, pecked images (petroglyphs) and painted images from the 2^nd-1^st millennium BCE have been subjected to very separate research traditions, exacerbated by language barriers. This thesis focusses on the entire Altai Mountain range as a study area, integrating research published in Chinese and Russian, with supplementary literature in Kazakh and Mongolian consulted. To demonstrate the potential for connectivity and, consequently, movement, a map of accessibility was generated, showing that there are various optimal routes for movement throughout the Altai. The locations of rock-art sites relative to these routes indicate that movement was a key feature contributing to the creation of rock-art. Examining topographic features in the vicinity of rock-art sites of three regions (Mongolia, Russia, PRC) highlighted an association between watercourses and sites, whilst studying the micro-landscape within panels found that the creators of rock-art were not representing the tangible spatial relationship of figures to the landscape. More broadly, similarities between motifs at rock-art sites, as well as on portable art, demonstrate that the people making them, regardless of whether they were aware of it or not, were part of a wider understanding of how to depict subjects. Evidence of this understanding can be found even in regions with very different cultural backgrounds to the Steppe, such as the Chinese Central Plains, demonstrating that groups outside of the Steppe were aware of and using this way of representing. By combining analysis of motifs with that of the landscape, this thesis demonstrates that rock-art as a practice was inherently linked with to the landscape, whereas content and style are more indicative of a wide-ranging belief system amongst Steppe pastoralists, which was expressed aesthetically.

No description available.

The Fincastle Bison Kill Site (DlOx-5), located approximately 100 km east of Lethbridge, Alberta, has been radiocarbon dated to 2 500 BP. Excavations at the site yielded an extensive assemblage of lithics and faunal remains, and several unique features. The elongated point forms, along with the bone upright features, appeared similar to those found at Sonota sites within the Dakota region that dated between 1 950 BP and 1 350 BP. The relatively early date of the Fincastle Site prompted a re-investigation into the origins of the Besant Culture. The features, faunal and lithic assemblages from twenty-three Late Middle Prehistoric sites in Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas were analyzed and compared. The findings show that Fincastle represents an early component of the Besant Culture referred to as the Outlook Complex. This analysis also suggests a possible Middle Missouri origin of the Fincastle hunters, as well as the entire Besant Culture. / xii, 183 leaves : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 29 cm