Upcoming….

8th March
Dr. Rob Hosfield
University of Reading, UK
 
 
 
“Walking in a winter wonderland? Mid-latitude seasonal mobility options in the Lower Palaeolithic”
 
 Abstract: Any occupation of northern Europe by Lower Palaeolithic hominins (H. heidelbergensis/proto-Neanderthals, and H. erectus and/or antecessor?) must have addressed the challenges of marked seasonality and cold winters, primarily during ‘interglacial’ MIS. Solutions to this ‘winter problem’ can essentially be characterised as a ‘stick or twist’ choice: i.e. year-round presence on a local scale vs. extensive seasonal mobility. However both of these potential solutions, and the ‘interim’ strategies that lie between these extremes, raise a host of practical problems. This seminar paper explores these challenges and seeks to evaluate the feasibility of different winter survival strategies within a Lower Palaeolithic context, with reference to what is (and isn’t) currently known from the archaeological record.