Randall White
New York University, Anthropology, Faculty Member
- Prehistoric Art, Anthropology, Archaeology, Human Evolution, Lithic Technology (Archaeology), Middle Stone Age (Archaeology), and 7 moreStone artefacts (Archaeology), Earlier Stone Age (Archaeology), Stone working (Archaeology), Technology, Experimental Archaeology, Material Culture, and Palaeolithic Archaeologyedit
We report here on the 2007 discovery, in perfect archaeological context, of part of the engraved and ocre-stained undersurface of the collapsed rockshelter ceiling from Abri Castanet, Dordogne, France. The decorated surface of the 1.5-t... more
We report here on the 2007 discovery, in perfect archaeological context, of part of the engraved and ocre-stained undersurface of the collapsed rockshelter ceiling from Abri Castanet, Dordogne, France. The decorated surface of the 1.5-t roof-collapse block was in direct contact with the exposed archaeological surface onto which it fell. Because there was no sedimentation between the engraved surface and the archaeological layer upon which it collapsed, it is clear that the Early Aurignacian occupants of the shelter were the authors of the ceiling imagery. This discovery contributes an important dimension to our understanding of the earliest graphic representation in southwestern France, almost all of which was discovered before modern methods of archaeological excavation and analysis. Comparison of the dates for the Castanet ceiling and those directly obtained from the Chauvet paintings reveal that the "vulvar" representations from southwestern France are as old or older t...
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This article presents the results of two series of micro-PIXE/PIGE analysis on mammoth ivory samples from four Aurignacian sites in France (Abri Castanet, Grotte d'Isturitz) and Germany (Hohle Fels, Vogelherd). Specifically, we report... more
This article presents the results of two series of micro-PIXE/PIGE analysis on mammoth ivory samples from four Aurignacian sites in France (Abri Castanet, Grotte d'Isturitz) and Germany (Hohle Fels, Vogelherd). Specifically, we report variation in ivory preservation as indicated by fluorine (F) content and ratios of MgO/CaO from Aurignacian horizons known to contain ivory industries. Though all samples derive from respectively homogenous sedimentary contexts, results show very different pattern of F- content variation among sites. F uptake in ivory is a more complex process than that observed for bone, and the structural/morphological reasons for this are explained. High-resolution data on the archaeo- logical context of the samples from Abri Castanet also allows for examination of the effects of horizontal and vertical distribution on F-content and the sorting of F-content data by sedimentary unit. A definitive model for fluorine uptake during ivory diagenesis will require furt...
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This article presents the results of two series of micro-PIXE/PIGE analysis on mammoth ivory samples from four Aurignacian sites in France (Abri Castanet, Grotte d'Isturitz) and Germany (Hohle Fels, Vogelherd). Specifically, we report... more
This article presents the results of two series of micro-PIXE/PIGE analysis on mammoth ivory samples from four Aurignacian sites in France (Abri Castanet, Grotte d'Isturitz) and Germany (Hohle Fels, Vogelherd). Specifically, we report variation in ivory preservation as indicated by fluorine (F) content and ratios of MgO/CaO from Aurignacian horizons known to contain ivory industries. Though all samples derive from respectively homogenous sedimentary contexts, results show very different pattern of F- content variation among sites. F uptake in ivory is a more complex process than that observed for bone, and the structural/morphological reasons for this are explained. High-resolution data on the archaeo- logical context of the samples from Abri Castanet also allows for examination of the effects of horizontal and vertical distribution on F-content and the sorting of F-content data by sedimentary unit. A definitive model for fluorine uptake during ivory diagenesis will require furt...
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Here, we report on the discovery in 2007, in perfect archaeological context, of part of the engraved and ocre-stained undersurface of the rockshelter ceiling from Abri Castanet, Commune de Sergeac, Dordogne. The engraved/painted... more
Here, we report on the discovery in 2007, in perfect archaeological context, of part of the engraved and ocre-stained undersurface of the rockshelter ceiling from Abri Castanet, Commune de Sergeac, Dordogne. The engraved/painted undersurface of the massive roof-collapse block, weighing more than a ton, was in direct contact with the surface of the early Aurignacian archaeological layer onto which it had fallen. A series of six molecular filtration dates on faunal bone from that surface are internally coherent and yield a mean age estimate of 32400 radiocarbon years BP. The clearest engraving observable on the newly discovered ceiling fragment fits morphologically into the category of vulvar images, many examples of which were recovered during excavations at the beginning of the 20th century at Abri Castanet and the adjacent site of Abri Blanchard. This new discovery from Castanet surely provides an age estimate for those earlierfinds, all of which were located within a few meters of...
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We can trace the beginnings of our knowledge of early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian) use of fire to the pioneering 1910-1911 excavations at Abri Blanchard undertaken by Louis Didon and Marcel Castanet. At Blanchard, the excavators... more
We can trace the beginnings of our knowledge of early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian) use of fire to the pioneering 1910-1911 excavations at Abri Blanchard undertaken by Louis Didon and Marcel Castanet. At Blanchard, the excavators recognized and described fire structures that correspond in many ways to features excavated more recently in Western and Central Europe. Here, we address the issue of heat and light management in the early Upper Paleolithic, demonstrating a pattern that builds on these early excavations but that is refined through our recent field operations. Topics to be discussed include (1) recently excavated fire structures that suggest complex fire management and use, (2) the seemingly massive use of bone as fuel in most early Aurignacian sites, and (3) the anchoring of skin structures for purposes of heat retention with fireplaces behind animal-skin walls. Furthermore, new data on activities around fireplaces make it possible to infer social and organizational aspects of fire structures within Au-rignacian living spaces. The vast majority of early Aurignacian occupations, most of them now dated to between 33,000 and 32,000 BP (uncalibrated), occurred on a previously unoccupied bedrock platform into which the occupants dug their fire features.
The invention of fat-burning lamps toward the end of the Ice Age helped to transform European culture. It coincided with several other major technological advances.
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WHITE R., MENSAN R., BOURRILLON R., CRETIN C., HIGHAM T., CLARK A., SISK M., TARTAR É., GARDÈRE Ph., GOLDBERG P., PELEGRIN J., VALLADAS H., TISNERAT-LABORDE N., SANOIT (de) J., CHAMBELLAN Ch. & CHIOTTI L. (2012) - Context and dating of Aurignacian vulvar representations from Abri Castanet, Francemore
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... Anatolica 13:85-89. OZDO GAN, MEHMET. 1977. Lower Euphrates Basin 1977 survey. ... WATTENMAKER, PATRICIA, AND GIL STEIN. I986. Early pas-toral production in Southeast Anatolia: Faunal remains from Kurban Hoyuk and Gritille Hoyuk.... more
... Anatolica 13:85-89. OZDO GAN, MEHMET. 1977. Lower Euphrates Basin 1977 survey. ... WATTENMAKER, PATRICIA, AND GIL STEIN. I986. Early pas-toral production in Southeast Anatolia: Faunal remains from Kurban Hoyuk and Gritille Hoyuk. Anatolica 13:38-46. ...