PLoS ONE: Central Asia is considered an important region for human ancestors

In a new study led by Dr.
Emma Finestone, assistant curator of the Institute of Human Origins at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Max Planck Institute for Human History Sciences, the interior of Central Asia was identified as a key route
for some of the earliest hominin migration in Asia.

The results show that the steppe, semi-arid and desert areas of Central Asia were once a favorable environment
for ancient humans to spread to Eurasia.

An interdisciplinary team of scholars from institutions on four continents set out to expand the limited understanding
of early hominin activity in the Central Asian lowlands.
The team includes Dr Paul Breeze and Professor Nick Drake from King's College London, Professor Sebastian Breitenbach from Northumbria University in Newcastle, Professor Farhod Maksudov from the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, and Professor
Michael Petraglia from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.

"Central Asia is connected to several regions that played an important role in the spread of ancient humans from Africa to Asia," Dr.
Fenister said
.
"However, we know very little
about the early occupation of Central Asia.
Most archaeological material is undated and detailed paleoclimatic records are scarce, making it difficult
to understand the dynamics of the spread and occupation of early hominins in the region.
”

The team compiled and analyzed paleoclimatic and archaeological data
from the Pleistocene of Central Asia (about 2.
58 million years ago to 11,700 years ago).
This included building a dataset of Paleolithic stone tools and analyzing deposits formed in a cave (stalagmite) in southern Uzbekistan
.
Tool making and tool modification are key
to adapting to new environments and overcoming environmental challenges.
Ancient humans also carried tools
with them when they were scattered.
The researchers looked at the position of the stone tools and the environmental conditions
reflected on the stalagmites when they grew at the end of Marine Isotope Phase 11 (the warm period between MIS 12 and MIS 10 glaciers) about 400,000 years ago.

Maksudov of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences said relatively little is known about the earliest toolmakers in the region because most of the Paleolithic (the earliest Paleolithic stone tools) that emerged in Central Asia lacked a reliable background
for chronological and environmental reconstruction.

"Despite the potential importance of Central Asia for early spread, our understanding of the Upper Paleolithic period in this vast and diverse land remains limited
.
"

Professor Petraglia, senior author of the study, said: "We collected data from Paleolithic discoveries from across Central Asia to create a dataset of 132 Paleolithic sites – the largest
of its kind.
" "This allows us to consider the distribution
of these sites in the context of a new high-resolution multi-agent record of hydrological changes in southern Uzbekistan since the Middle Pleistocene.
"

"Cave sediments are an incredible archive
of the environmental conditions in which they were grown.
Using geochemical data from stalagmites, we gain insight into changes in water availability on seasonal to millennial scales and the climate dynamics
that control rain and snow.
Our research shows that local and regional conditions do not follow simple long-term trends, but vary widely
.
Professor Breitenbach said he led the stalagmite-based analysis
.

"We believe that when the warm interglacial period coincides with a period of persistently high water levels in the Caspian Sea, Central Asia is a favorable habitat for Paleolithic tool makers, which leads to greater water availability, as well as milder conditions in other arid regions," Dr.
Finstony said
.
"The pattern of the stone tool combination supports this
as well.
"

During periodic periods of warmth and humidity, the arid local environment of Central Asia may have been a favorable habitat, where late Paleolithic toolmakers often went to produce double-sided stone tools (double-sided stone tools).

"To understand human origins, interdisciplinary work linking archaeology and paleoclimate models is becoming increasingly necessary," says
Dr.
Finestone.
"In the future, the database generated in this study will continue to allow us to ask questions
about the background of paleoanthropogenic diffusion.
"

A study of "Paleolithic occupation of arid Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene" was published in PLoS General:

https://journals.
plos.
org/plosone/article?id=10.
1371/journal.
pone.
0273984