Southern Europe is hypothesized to have acted as a glacial refugium for hominin populations during the Pleistocene. Of particular importance is South-East Europe, which most likely played a dual role, both as refugium and dispersal corridor, especially during the Middle Pleistocene glaciations, when drastic climatic conditions led to major sea level drops in the Aegean. However, little is known about the palaeoenvironmental conditions at the time of hominin presence in this region, making these hypotheses difficult to test. Here we analyze biomarker data and leaf wax stable isotopic compositions of the MIS 12 Lower Palaeolithic site Marathousa 1 (Megalopolis Basin, Greece) to assess the climatic conditions accompanying the time of hominin presence in the area. Our data indicate a major cooling affecting the north Mediterranean/Aegean domain during this time interval, with lowest temperatures recorded between ∼440–432 ka. The glacial peak is associated with changes in vegetation (i.e., from more forested to more open landscape), reduction of humidity and water availability (i.e., moisture depletion, increased evaporation). Hominins are present at the Marathousa 1 location at the end of this interval (434–432 ka), confirming that the Megalopolis Basin served as a refugium for hunter-gatherer groups during periods of harsh climatic conditions. Additionally, the progressive cooling is associated with an important sedimentary hiatus between ∼465–440 ka reflected in all circum-Mediterranean records (both marine and continental), indicating a regional impact of the MIS 12 glaciation over surface processes.

中文翻译：

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东南欧 MIS 12 冰川阶段的表现及其对特大都市盆地中更新世古人类的影响（希腊）


据推测，南欧在更新世期间曾是古人类种群的冰川避难所。特别重要的是东南欧，它很可能发挥了双重作用，既是避难所又是扩散走廊，尤其是在中更新世冰期期间，当时剧烈的气候条件导致爱琴海海平面大幅下降。然而，人们对该地区古人类存在时的古环境状况知之甚少，这使得这些假设难以检验。在这里，我们分析了 MIS 12 旧石器时代晚期遗址 Marathousa 1（希腊大都市盆地）的生物标志物数据和叶蜡稳定同位素组成，以评估伴随古人类在该地区存在时间的气候条件。我们的数据表明，在此期间，影响北地中海/爱琴海地区的重大降温，最低气温记录在 ∼440-432 ka 之间。冰川峰值与植被的变化（即，从更多的森林到更开阔的景观）、湿度和水的可用性降低（即水分消耗、蒸发增加）有关。在这个区间结束时 （434-432 ka） ，原始人出现在 Marathousa 1 位置，证实了 Megalopolis 盆地在恶劣的气候条件下是狩猎采集群体的避难所。此外，逐渐冷却与 ∼465-440 ka 之间的重要沉积中断有关，这反映在所有地中海周边记录（海洋和大陆）中，表明 MIS 12 冰川作用对地表过程的区域影响。