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GIS Simulation of the Earliest Hominid Colonisation of Eurasia
Kathryn Holmes
In order to understand fully Plio–Pleistocene hominid migrations, a whole gamut of interacting factors must be examined. It has been hypothesised that the most important variables affecting hominid migrations out of Africa would have been environmental, since in most respects hominids would have acted in the same manner as any other large land mammal of the time. For this work, therefore, as far as language barriers permitted, as many published sources as could be traced from palynological and palaeontological sites from the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene within east and northern Africa and Eurasia were included in the analysis. By examining the relationship between hominids, fauna and vegetation at sites in East Africa, as well as atDmanisi and 'Ubeidiya, the author was able to determine with what genera and in what environments hominids were preferentially associated. The use of a GIS simulation allowed the generation of a distribution map showing areas in Africa and Eurasia where the same combination of fauna and vegetation could be found. Various other interdisciplinary aspects of Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene geography were also examined, indicating that during the earliest part of the period in question the Northern Hemisphere environment was distinctly less arid than in modern times, with areas of desert substantially reduced leading to large expanses of grassland. With the onset of glaciation the climate became increasingly arid, with an environment closeto the modern situation developing by the Middle Pleistocene. The effect of this on the timing and routing of hominid migration pathways is also covered in this volume.
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Front Cover
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Copyright Page
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Table of Contents
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List of Tables
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List of Illustrations
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List of Appendices
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Acknowledgements
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Abstract
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1 INTRODUCTION
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2 INTRODUCING GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS)
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3 PREDICTIVE SITE MODELLING AND GIS
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4 LIMITATIONS OF THE DATA SET
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5 PROBLEMS OF USING FAUNAL AND FLORAL DATA IN PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL RECONSTRUCTIONS
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6 THE PRISM DATASET
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7 LATE PLIOCENE AND EARLY PLEISTOCENE GEOGRAPHY AND ASSOCIATED IMPACT ON MAMMAL MIGRATION
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8 LATE PLIOCENE AND EARLY PLEISTOCENE CLIMATE AND ASSOCIATED IMPACT ON MAMMAL MIGRATION
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9 INDONESIA AND THE SIWALIKS OF THE SUBCONTINENT
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10 GENERATION OF G.I.S. PREDICTIVE MODEL
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11 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
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12 CONCLUSION
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APPENDICES
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Citable Link
Published: 2007
Publisher: BAR Publishing
- 9781407300139 (paper)
- 9781407330617 (ebook)
BAR Number: S1597