Juan ROFES

The Iranian plateau is a biodiversity hotspot and this region has been the subject of important occupations by Neanderthal populations and anatomically modern men in the past, whose environmental context remains poorly documented. Through the study of small-mammal assemblages from four archaeological sites dated to the Late Pleistocene and Holocene of the Zagros and central Iranian plateau, this study is intended to characterize the palaeobiodiversity and past environments of these regions. A modern approach will be used to reconstruct palaeo-habitats departing from the evolution of small-mammal communities. The resulting palaeoenvironmental signals will be compared with other records (e.g., herpetofauna, pollen) to obtain a more holistic and reliable picture of the context in which both Palaeolithic and Neolithic populations developed and adapted to changing landscapes and environments. The increasing climatic and anthropogenic impact on small-mammal communities will be also assessed, reinforcing the link between current and fossil data.