Biogeologie

Early and Middle Pleistocene Hominins ecology

In a nutshell

What does our research in this field focus on?

We study the interactions between hominins, their environments, and changing climates during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. Our work centers on reconstructing dietary patterns, habitat preferences, and ecological flexibility of hominins in different regions and time periods. We are particularly interested in how hominins responded to environmental variability and what this reveals about their evolutionary adaptations.

Which key methods or approaches do we commonly use?

Our primary methodological approach is the analysis of stable isotopes, especially carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotopes from tooth enamel. Tooth enamel provides a robust archive of ecological information, allowing us to infer aspects of diet, vegetation structure, and climatic conditions during tooth formation. Isotopic data are integrated with geological, paleoenvironmental, and faunal evidence to place hominin ecology within a broader environmental framework.

What is our main contribution to this research field?

Our main contribution lies in producing high-resolution, quantitatively robust reconstructions of Early and Middle Pleistocene hominin ecology. By combining stable isotope geochemistry with paleoanthropological questions, we provide new insights into dietary diversity, habitat use, and adaptive strategies of early hominins. This biogeological perspective helps refine models of human evolution by linking biological behavior to environmental change.

Associated Projects

Finished projects:

Current projects:

Core research team & scientific network

Biogeology research group

Scientific network

PhD, M.Sc. and B.Sc. students

2021

Ruth Rey (M.Sc. Naturwissenschaftliches Archäologie): 
Deciphering biogenic and diagenetic isotopic signals of Pleistocene proboscideans. (H. Bocherens, C. Miller)

Publications

* Briatico, G., Bocherens, H., 2023. Middle Pleistocene paleoecology in central Italy. New isotopic insights from fauna tooth enamel of Casal de’ Pazzi (Rome, Italy). Journal of Mediterranean Earth Sciences 15: 141-152. https://doi.org/10.13133/2280-6148/18031

* Briatico, G., Bocherens, H., Bonnefille, R., Geraads, D., Mussi, M., 2023. Isotopic insights into the the Early Acheulean (1.95 Ma – 1.66 Ma) high elevation paleoenvironments at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia). Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 15: 184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01879-1 

* Briatico, G., Gioia, P., Bocherens, H., 2023. Diet and habitat of the late Middle Pleistocene mammals from Casal de’ Pazzi site (Rome, Italy) using stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios. Quaternary International 676: 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2023.11.002 

* Briatico, G., Bocherens, H., Bonnefille, R., Geraads, D., Melis, R.T., Mussi, M., 2024. A view from the high-lands: the Pleistocene environment between 2 and 0.6 Ma at Melka Kunture (Upper Awasch, Ethiopia), based upon stable isotope analysis. Scientific Reports 14: 6619. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-56768-x  

* Briatico, G., Mussi, M., Melis, R.T., Geraads, D., Bocherens, H., 2024. Intra-tooth isotopic analysis shows seasonal variability in the high-elevation context of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 655: 112555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112555  

* Ma, J., Sun, B., Bocherens, H., Deng, T., 2023. New insights on the Plio-Pleistocene Equidae palaeoecology and evolution in East Asia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 614: 111416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111416 

* Ma, J., Bocherens, H., Tong, H., Pei, S., Wu, X., Liu, W., 2026. Paleoenvironments of the late Mid-dle Pleistocene Hualongdong, east-central China and their implications for the hominin evolution in eastern Asia. Quaternary Science Reviews 373: 109746 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109746  

* Mussi, M., Méndez-Quintas, E., Barboni, D., Bocherens, H., Bonnefille, R., Briatico, G., Geraads, D., Melis, R.T., Panera, J., Piolo, P., Domínguez, A.S., Rubio Jara, S., 2023. A surge in obsidian exploitation more than 1.2 million years ago at Simbiro III (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash, Ethiopia). Nature Ecology and Evolution 7: 337-346. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01970-1 link for view only: https://rdcu.be/c3M3b   

* Mussi, M., Skinner, M.M., Melis, R.T., Panera, J., Rubio Jara, S., Davies, T.W., Imbrasas, M., Geraads, D., Bocherens, H., Briatico, G., Le Cabec, A., Hublin, J.-J., Gidna, A., Bonnefille, R., Di Bianco, L., Méndez-Quintas, E., 2023. Early Homo erectus lived at high altitudes and produced both Oldowan and Acheulean tools. Science 382(6671): 713-718.  https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add9115  media report 1, media report 2, media report 3, 

* Ochando, J., Carrión, J.S., Altolaguirre, Y., Munuera, M., Amorós, G., Jiménez-Moreno, G., Solano-García, J., Barsky, D., Luzón, C., Sánchez-Bandera, C., Toro-Moyano, I., Saarinen, J., Blain, H.A., Serrano-Ramos, A., Bocherens, H., Oms, O., Agustí, J., Fortelius, M., Jiménez-Arenas, J.M., 2022. Palynological investigations in the Orce archaeological zone, Early Pleistocene of southern Spain. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 304: 104725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2022.104725  

* Pushkina, D., Saarinen, J., Ziegler, R., Bocherens, H., 2020. Comparisons in stable isotopic and mesowear paleoreconstructions of diet and habitat of the Middle and Late Pleistocene mammals in South-Western Germany. Quaternary Science Reviews 227: 106026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.106026

* Roditi, E., Bocherens, H., Konidaris, G.E., Athanassiou, A., Tourloukis, V., Karkanas, P., Panagopoulou, E., Harvati, K., 2024. Life history of Palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals Middle Pleistocene glacial refugium in the Megalopolis basin, Greece. Scientific Reports 14: 1390. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51592-9 

Roditi, E., Bocherens, H., Konidaris, G.E., Athanassiou, A., Tourloukis, V., Panagopoulou, E., Harvati, K., 2025. First stable isotope results on the ecology of the straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) from the Middle Pleistocene Marathousa-1 (Peloponnese, Greece). In: (K. Harvati and M. Ioannidou, Eds) Human Evolution at the CROSSROADs: Research in Greece and beyond. Tübingen Uni-versity Press, pp. 113-122. https://dx.doi.org/10.15496/publikation-97670   

* Saarinen, J., Oksanen, O., Žliobaitė, I., de Miguel, D., Azanza, B., Bocherens, H., Luzón, C., Yravedra, J., Courtenay, L., Blain, H.-A., Sánchez-Bandera, C., Serrano-Ramos, A., Barsky, D., Solano-García, J., Tallavaara, M., Jiménez-Arenas, J.M., Oms, O., Agusti, J., Fortelius, M., 2021. Pliocene to Middle Pleistocene history of climate and environmental changes in the Guadix-Baza Basin and the environmental conditions of early human dispersal into Europe. Quaternary Science Reviews 268: 107132.  https://soi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107132  media report 1media report 2

* Saarinen, J., Fortelius, M., Bocherens, H., Oriol, O., Carrion, J., Agusti, J., Jimenez-Arenas, J.M., 2022. Revisiting the paleoenvironment reconstruction of the Orce sites and the early Homo habitats in western Europe. A response to Palmqvist et al. (2022). Quaternary Science Reviews 297: 107730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107730 

*Sánchez-Bandera, C., Moreno, A.F., Serrano-Ramos, A., Solano-García, J., Barsky, D., DeMiguel, D., Ochando, J., Saarinen, J., Piñero, P., Lozano-Fernández, I., Courtenay, L.A., Titton, S., Luzón, C., Bocherens, H., Yravedra, J., Fortelius, M., Agustí, J., Carrión, J.S., Oms, O., Blain, H.A., Jiménez-Arenas, J.M., 2023. Gla-cial/interglacial climate variability in Southern Spain during the late Early Pleistocene and climate backdrop for early Homo in Europe. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 625: 111688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111688   

* Yravedra, J., Courtenay, L.A., Gutiérrez-Rodriguez, M., Saarinan, J., Égüez, N., Luzón, C., Rodriguez-Alba, J.J., Solano, J.A., Titton, S., Montilla-Jiménez, E., Cámara-Donoso, J., Herranz-Rodriogo, H., Estaca, V., Serrano-Ramos, A., Amorós, G., Azanza, B., Bocherens, H., DeMiguel, D., Fagoaga, M., García-Alix, A., Jiménez-Espejo, F., Kaakinen, A., Munuera, M., Ochando, J., Piñero, P., Sánchez-Bandera, C., Viranta-Kovanen, S., Fortelius, M., Agusti, J., Blain, H.-A., Carrión, J., Barsky, D., Oms, O., Mallol, C., Jiménez-Arenas, J.M., 2024. Not seen before. Unveiling depositional context and Mammuthus meridionalis exploitation at Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, Southern Iberia) through taxonomy and micromorphology. Quaternary Science Reviews 329: 108561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108561