early Middle Palaeolithic

Magic at Mira?
Who came up with the fi rst rules of conduct and why
How the fi rst inhabitants of Kostenki made their adornments
Micoquian strides eastward

Магия в Мире?
Кто и зачем придумал первые правила поведения
Как делали украшения первые костёнковцы
Микок шагает на восток

Se describen los conjuntos de industria lítica correspondientes con las distintas ocupaciones del yacimiento de
Arlanpe. Se ofrece una descripción de las estrategias de organización tecnológica, teniendo en cuenta las modali-
dades de aprovisionamiento de materia prima, los sistemas de fabricación y la gestión del utillaje. Los resultados
muestran, en el Paleolítico Medio Antiguo, un sistema basado fundamentalmente en el consumo de rocas locales,
con sistemas de fabricación que combinan el uso de técnicas propias del Achelense (tecnología bifacial,
Clactoniense) con técnicas propias del Paleolítico Medio (Levallois y Discoide), estando destinado a abastecer de
utillaje variado a un grupo de gran movilidad residencial que realiza actividades variadas en el yacimiento.
Durante el Solutrense el aprovisionamiento tecnológico se organiza en torno a un consumo moderado de materias
primas locales y la fabricación de laminillas a partir de núcleos de sílex importados, estando el utillaje retocado
dominado por las laminillas de dorso y siendo las piezas foliáceas escasas. Estas características se corresponden
con las de una ocupación mixta en la que se combinan actividades de preparación de la caza con otras más domés-
ticas. En el Magdaleniense Medio se observa una organización caracterizada por un uso casi exclusivo del sílex,
por la fabricación de laminillas, y por la abundancia de laminillas de dorso. Este conjunto se interpreta como el
resultado de sucesivos altos de caza.
LABURPENA
Arlanpe aztarnategiko okupazio ezberdinen utzitako harri industria multzoak deskribatzen dira. Teknologia
antolakuntzaren estrategiak ezagutzeko, lehengaien hautaketa, produkzio sistemak eta tresnen kudeaketa azter-
tuko dira. Erdi Paleolito Zaharreko sistema inguruko harrien oinarritzen da nagusiki. Produkzio sistema mistoa
erabiltzen da, Acheul aldiko sistemak (Aurpegi-bikoa, Clactoniarra) eta Erdi Paleolitokoak (Levallois, Diskoide)
integratuz. Sistema hau oso mugikorra diren Neandertal taldeei tresneria hornitzeko erabiltzen da, Arlanpen bertan
aktibitate anitzak egin zitzaten. Solutre aldian, aldiz, inguruko harrien kontsumo moderatuak, inportatutako suha-
rriko nukleotik ateratako ijekitxoen produkzioak, eta bizkardun ijekitxoak eta hosto itxurako punten fabrikazioak
karakterizatzen dute teknologia hornitzeko sistema. Hau ehiza-geltokiko eta bizi-tokiko beharren asetzeko sistema
bezala interpretatzen da. Erdi Madeleine Aldian, ia bakarrik inportatutako suharria erabiltzen da, kasu honetan
bizkardun ijekitxoak nagusi dira, eta ehiza-geltokiko ezaugarriak identifikatzen dira.
SUMMARY
In this paper we describe the lithic assemblages left by the different occupation events in Arlanpe cave.
Technological organization strategies are described in detail. For doing go raw material provisioning modalities,
production systems and tool management are investigated. Obtained results show that, in Early Middle Paleolithic,
the system is based in the procurement of local raw materials, with a production system that combines Acheulean
technology (bifacial technology, Clactonian) with Middle Paleolithic technology (Levallois and Discoid). The
main objective is tool provisioning for high mobility Neandertal groups for making diverse and varied activities
at the site. During the Solutrean the lithic provisioning is organized around a moderate consume of local raw
materials, the use of imported flint cores to produce bladelets, being the retouched tools dominated by backed
bladeltes with some foliate points. These characteristics describe a mixed occupation, which combines activities
of a hunting-camp with other more usual in domestic spaces. During Middle Magdalenian, the system is charac-
terized by an almost exclusive use of imported flint used to produce bladelets and the fabrication of backed bla-
delets. This assemblage is interpreted as the result of successive hunting camps

The following paper presents a historiographical synthesis of research on the Lower Paleolithic of Cantabrian Spain. In summary shows the evolution of research on the early Cantabrian Palaeolithic, from the early twentieth century to the present research. A period of great interest but often in the Cantabrian region subject to major thrust of Paleolithic studies from the wealth of the Upper Paleolithic sites and rock sets.

This paper presents the current state of research on the ancient Cantabrian Paleolithic, focusing on the problems that encloses the chrono-cultural contextualization of the various techno-complex. The geo-archaeological analysis of the differents occupations identified in the OIS 5, is a key element in identifying a horizon attached to the ancient Middle Palaeolithic, as opposed to occupations Acheulean, worst and most poorly identified.

"This paper presents the results of the analysis carried out on different assemblages and stratigraphic contexts dated before MIS 4 in Cantabrian Region (in the northern of the Iberian Peninsula). Despite the reduced corpus available, it was possible to establish the existence of Mousterian settlements throughout the Cantabrian region at the end of the Middle Pleistocene, particularly during interstadial MIS 5e and MIS 6. Whereas the evidence for the Lower Palaeolithic is limited to a few sites such as Louselas, Cabo Busto or Irikaitz, which contain characteristic Acheulean tools, the Cantabrian coast was densely populated by Neanderthal settlements during the MIS 5e Climatic Optimum. This settlement pattern seems to include open air sites, together with uninterrupted habitat in caves from MIS 6 to the end of the Mousterian period in the region.

This paper shows the results and conclusions of technotypological, geoarchaeological and spatial analysis of the Final Middle Pleistocene and Upper Pleistocene assemblages and settlements in the Cantabrian Region. The results of this analysis established some differences between two kinds of settlements in the area: Acheulean assemblages and sites; and the first Middle Palaeolithic evidence in the final Middle Pleistocene and in MIS 5e."

Cette opération s’intègre dans le cadre des fouilles archéologiques réalisées préalablement à la construction du canal Seine-Nord Europe menée par Voies navigables de France. Lors de l’opération de diagnostic réalisée par E. Goval en 2010, dix-sept sondages se sont révélés positifs sur les vingt-sept réalisés et ont livré environ soixante-dix artefacts. La majeure partie d’entre eux a été attribuée à l’issue du diagnostic au Début glaciaire weichselien. Cette découverte a incité le Service Régional de l’Archéologie de Picardie à prescrire une fouille. Cette opération s’est déroulée du 16 avril au 28 septembre 2012. Dès les premiers jours de décapage, le niveau humifère corrélé au Début glaciaire weichselien découvert lors du diagnostic ne révéla pas la géométrie attendue. La géométrie des dépôts et l’estimation du potentiel archéologique n’avaient pas pu être pleinement cernées. Une fois le site pleinement évalué, treize niveaux paléolithiques furent découverts, dont cinq niveaux en position primaire. Cette fouille paléolithique de plein air de grande ampleur a permis de mettre au jour un témoignage rare et unique pour la compréhension des dynamiques de peuplement humains en Europe du Nord-Ouest. Fait remarquable, les occupations humaines se répartissent sur l’ensemble de la séquence, démontrant une installation humaine récurrente lors de chacun des trois derniers cycles interglaciaire-glaciaire, entre 330 000 et 70 000 ans. L’analyse des différents niveaux d’occupation permet, entre autres, de richement documenté un moment clé de l’évolution humaine : le passage du Paléolithique inférieur à moyen. L’importante accumulation sédimentaire et les études qu’elle suscite permettent de reconstituer finement l’histoire géomorphologique et environnementale du site. Elles contribuent de manière importante à la construction d’un cadre chronostratigraphique à haute résolution pour le Pléistocène moyen et supérieur de la ceinture loessique nord-européenne.

Cette opération s’intègre dans le cadre des fouilles archéologiques réalisées préalablement à la construction du canal Seine-Nord Europe menée par Voies navigables de France. Lors de l’opération de diagnostic réalisée par E. Goval en 2010, dix-sept sondages se sont révélés positifs sur les vingt-sept réalisés et ont livré environ soixante-dix artefacts. La majeure partie d’entre eux a été attribuée à l’issue du diagnostic au Début glaciaire weichselien. Cette découverte a incité le Service Régional de l’Archéologie de Picardie à prescrire une fouille. Cette opération s’est déroulée du 16 avril au 28 septembre 2012. Dès les premiers jours de décapage, le niveau humifère corrélé au Début glaciaire weichselien découvert lors du diagnostic ne révéla pas la géométrie attendue. La géométrie des dépôts et l’estimation du potentiel archéologique n’avaient pas pu être pleinement cernées. Une fois le site pleinement évalué, treize niveaux paléolithiques furent découverts, dont cinq niveaux en...

The nature of the Lower-Middle Palaeolithic transition has been one of the most debated questions of early Prehistory since the mid-20th century. The root of these debates lies primarily in how early Prehistorians constructed chronological models, relying heavily upon index fossils; such models have “artifical boundaries designed to provide structure to a complex record and, rather than being conceived of as permanent or real, should be frequently examined and revised (Roebroeks and Corbey 2001)” (Monnier, 2006). In this paper we do not focus our efforts on irresolvable issues of nomenclature and systems of classification. Instead, we focus upon a time frame within which rapid behavioural and technological changes have been documented: the period between MIS 9-6.

Working at a large scale, and taking account of all of Western Europe, a group of researchers working on the principle sites of this period propose an assessment of current research into the emergence of the “Middle Palaelolithic”. Using a rich corpus of archaeological sites we will discuss how humans occupied Western Europe between MIS 9-6, focussing particularly upon questions of taphonomy, preservation, chronology and environment, as well as reviewing the pattern of technological change within lithic assemblages. We will use this overview of current research into the emergence of the Middle Palaeolithic to define future research directions to advance our undertstanding of this key period of human evolution.

ABSTRACT The end of the Middle Pleistocene is an interesting period for investigating the transformation of Neandertal behavior from the early Middle Paleolithic to the late Middle Paleolithic. Few sites in the Iberian Peninsula have sequences corresponding to the last interglacial (MIS5) and even fewer in the Cantabrian Region. One of the best places to investigate this subject is the sequence recently excavated in Arlanpe cave. Several proxies (sedimentology, pollen, small vertebrates, malacofauna, U/Th dating) locate the first phases of this sequence between MIS7 and MIS5, with the important occurrence of temperate environmental evidence. The archaeological record describes populations with high mobility that used the cave as an occasional shelter in the first phases, or as an activity area in the later ones. The characteristics of lithic productions show a combination of Lower (Acheulean bifacial shaping) and Middle Paleolithic (Levallois Technology) traits that justifies an early Middle Paleolithic attribution.

This paper presents the current state of research on the ancient Cantabrian Paleolithic, focusing on the problems that encloses the chrono-cultural contextualization of the various techno-complex. The geo-archaeological analysis of the differents occupations identified in the OIS 5, is a key element in identifying a horizon attached to the ancient Middle Palaeolithic, as opposed to occupations Acheulean, worst and most poorly identified.

Abstract :
An emergency rescue operation allowed the excavation of a lower Middle Paleolithic open-air site in alluvial context (Lot valley, South-Western France).  The study of the lithic industry,  the geo-archaeological analysis and the TL dating made it possible to certify that the site was occupied before Oxygen Isotope Stage 7 (i.e. during OIS 8 or 9). As revealed by typo-technological study, the industry shows a variation of the production methods and moreover a certain degree of raw material's economy.  The main results are summarized in this contribution and a functional interpretation of the site’s occupation is submitted.

Résumé :
Une opération de sauvetage urgent a permis la fouille extensive d'un gisement paléolithique moyen ancien de plein air en contexte alluvial (vallée du Lot, Sud-Ouest de la France). L'étude de la série lithique, l'analyse géoarchéologique et des datations radionumériques ont permis de caler l'occupation du site dans une phase antérieure au stade isotopique 7 (OIS 8 ou 9). L'étude typo-technologique de l'industrie révèle, en sus d'une variabilité des schémas de production, un certain degré d'économie des matières premières. Dans la présente contribution, les principaux résultats obtenus sont résumés et une interprétation fonctionnelle de l'occupation du site est également avancée.

Cette operation s’integre dans le cadre des fouilles archeologiques realisees prealablement a la construction du canal Seine-Nord Europe menee par Voies navigables de France. Lors de l’operation de diagnostic realisee par E. Goval en 2010, dix-sept sondages se sont reveles positifs sur les vingt-sept realises et ont livre environ soixante-dix artefacts. La majeure partie d’entre eux a ete attribuee a l’issue du diagnostic au Debut glaciaire weichselien. Cette decouverte a incite le Service Regional de l’Archeologie de Picardie a prescrire une fouille. Cette operation s’est deroulee du 16 avril au 28 septembre 2012. Des les premiers jours de decapage, le niveau humifere correle au Debut glaciaire weichselien decouvert lors du diagnostic ne revela pas la geometrie attendue. La geometrie des depots et l’estimation du potentiel archeologique n’avaient pas pu etre pleinement cernees. Une fois le site pleinement evalue, treize niveaux paleolithiques furent decouverts, dont cinq niveaux en...

In Western Europe, Acheulean cultural evidence is well attested by ca. 0.5 Ma. However, recent work has proven that it was present earlier; at the end of the Early Pleistocene. The timing and mode of the Western European Acheulean needs still to be investigated, and this knowledge appears to be strongly dependent upon data from sites with sufficiently well preserved archeo-stratigraphical sequences and/or geophysical conditions that guarantee reliable dating. The karstic deposits from the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) represent one such case. They contain exceptionally long and continuous archeo-paleontological deposits that have yielded hominins, stone tools and faunal remains from a period covering the late Early Pleistocene up to the Holocene. Previous work has allowed us to reconstruct the evolution of technology on a local scale, from the late Early to the Middle Pleistocene, and to situate the appearance of the Acheulean more or less simultaneously in the sites of Galería, Gran Dolina-TD10 and the Sima de los Huesos, at around 0.5 Ma, after a hiatus of archeological evidence of approximately 300 Ka. These Acheulean assemblages appear in association with hominin fossils that have recently been identified as early members of the Neandertal lineage. Delving further into the description of the Acheulean from Atapuerca, we have recently focused on the technological features that we consider to be of particular evolutionary significance and attempted to identify them in other European key sites of comparable chronologies. Indeed, we identified some internal evolutionary trends, which led us to propose that there was a local transition at Atapuerca from the Acheulean to the early Middle Paleolithic techno-complexes. However, the chronological setting resulting from the intensive dating programs carried out in the Galería and Sima de los Huesos sites, and especially, the correlation of these dates with the ones available from Gran Dolina-TD10, confronts us with some apparent paradoxes underlining the need to reconsider the technological interpretation of the lithic technical record from Atapuerca. While great efforts are being made in dating and analysis at many European Middle Pleistocene sites, as well as in establishing correlations with which to build consistent regional sequences, single, long, continuous, and accurately excavated (i.e. over a large surface area) archeological successions remain crucial to properly interpret the appearance and evolution of the Acheulean throughout Europe. We further stress the importance of taking into account conditioning factors such as, raw material availability , environmental constraints and site function issues. Ollé et al. (2016). Quaternary International (411), pp: 316-328. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2016.01.042

This chapter re-examines key assemblages from the
Thames Valley which can confidently be assigned to
the early Middle Palaeolithic (Marine Isotope Stages
8–6). The assemblages are characterised in terms of
human activity at each place, in order to understand
patterns of adaptation, technological practice, demography
and landscape use in different parts of the Thames
catchment. Contrasts are apparent between the Middle
and Lower Thames in terms of available raw material
and site location, technological strategies and curation
practices, which require consideration when constructing
demographic models for Britain during this period.

It is now widely accepted that by the later Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthals possessed a wide range of social and practical skills. More recently, researchers have become interested in how these skills actually emerged; in effect, the challenge now is to document the process by which Middle Pleistocene hominids "became Neanderthals". This book explores the development of classically Neanderthal behaviours in Europe between MIS 9-6, focusing on the British record, especially stone tools as durable residues of human action. As a geographically constrained study area, the progressively robust British chronometric framework now allows previously invisible patterning in technological behaviour, hominid habitat preference and demography during this period to be investigated. This book examines the immense technological variation that is apparent between British sites, in order to present a picture of changing human behaviour and the emergence of European Neanderthal adaptations. 248p, 124 illus (Oxbow Books 2011)