Chatelperronian

Across Europe the period 45–40 ka (thousands of years ago) is associated with several technological changes, including the emergence of the Châtelperronian technocomplex in France and northern Spain. The Châtelperronian, stratigraphically located between the Mousterian and Aurignacian, is characterized by Upper Palaeolithic features, such as volumetric blade reduction, curved backed blades, end-scrapers, bladelets, bone tools and ornaments. Concurrently, repeated, though debated, associations with Neanderthal remains and Mousterian elements suggest a local technological development. Following recent critiques and cumulating technological studies, this paper provides data-driven contextualisations of the Châtelperronian and late Mousterian archaeological records and a primary comparative assessment of a major linking element, backed knives, to re-assess the origin of the Châtelperronian.

The results demonstrate the challenging nature of the 50–35 ka record, with many interpretive problems caused by poorly recorded excavations, resulting in only 25 well-contextualised assemblages from the claimed 143 Châtelperronian find spots. These 25 assemblages facilitate more detailed chronostratigraphic and typo-technological assessments and show that the Châtelperronian has a homogenous set of technologies and tools. A similar evaluation of the late Mousterian indicates a wide-ranging late Neanderthal skill set, commonly including laminar blank production and backing. Further, conceptual similarities were noted both in blank selection and edge modification between Mousterian and Châtelperronian backed knives, alongside their near-absence in other, contemporaneous technocomplexes.

A Europe-wide contextualisation shows that while the current coarse-grained record still allows for several potential scenarios, the data throughout this paper point towards a most parsimonious model of a Châtelperronian made by Neanderthals, with roots in the late Middle Palaeolithic technological skill set. However, this change seems triggered by early arrivals of modern humans either indirectly, through stimulus diffusion, or directly, after ca. 42 ka. Fully testing this model requires an ongoing focus on site formation and assemblage integrity, alongside in-depth analyses of recently excavated assemblages and existing collections.

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.06.011

Le Châtelperronien est l’un des technocomplexes marquant le passage du Paléolithique moyen au Paléolithique supérieur, du nord de l’Espagne au Centre-Est de la France.
Ce n’est certes pas le seul faciès de cette dite “transition” du Paléolithique moyen au Paléolithique supérieur en Europe (autres contributions dans ce volume), mais il est depuis quelques décennies mis au-devant de la scène. Les hypothèses et les scénarios envisagés sur l’origine, la nature et le développement du Châtelperronien font âprement débat parmi la communauté scientifique. La présence de fossiles néandertaliens, d’industrie osseuse, de parures et de colorants dans de rares gisements châtelperroniens, tout comme les données sur la technologie lithique ou les datations radiométriques sont utilisées pour défendre ou évacuer les possibilités d’acculturation, d’évolution indépendante ou d’une évolution progressive du Paléolithique moyen vers le Paléolithique supérieur. L’objectif de cette contribution est de présenter des données actualisées sur le Châtelperronien et de discuter d’une possible rencontre entre deux groupes humains anatomiquement différents.

The Grotte de la Verpillière I in Germolles (Saône-et-Loire, France) has yielded an archaeological sequence from the Middle Palaeolithic
to the Gravettian period. This contribution focusses on the Châtelperronian lithic industry, covering 150 years of research.
From a techno-typological point of view, all known lithic objects presumably dating to this period are subject of this
investigation. This study includes in-situ observations of Châtelperronian layers, as part of our own recent excavations.
The lithic assemblage is put into context with other Châtelperronian samples in Southern Burgundy and Eastern France.

The second season of archaeological excavations in the open-air site of Aranbaltza has enabled us to increase our knowledge of the human occupation of this area, located near to the natural flint outcrop in Kurtzia. The oldest phases, which date from the Mid-Palaeolithic, have provided evidence of a structured habitat very rich in stone tools and instruments. In the sector containing occupations from the Upper Palaeolithic, important post- depositional processes were documented which have significantly altered the stratigraphic sequence. The remains of a Holocene occupation were also excavated. Finally, a sondage carried out between Aranbaltza I and Ollagorta provided evidence of other Palaeolithic human occupations. The sondages carried out on the other side of the Urgozo stream, on the other hand, were negative.

La Güelga cave is located at the bottom of a mountain valley in the Eastern part of Asturias (Northern Spain), 186 m above sea level and 15 km far away from the coast. It currently comprises a group of caves that were occupied during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods (MP and UP respectively). In recent years, we have studied the levels of La Güelga cave –D Zone-proposing a sequence for the MP/UP transition: Mousterian-Aurignacian-Châtelperronian, which we review in this paper after a detailed analysis of the chronostratigraphy. We also provide new radiocarbon dates for the Mousterian, Aurignacian and Châtelperronian levels. Finally, the geoarchaeology, taphonomy, archaeological data, and chronology suggest that the interstratification -initially identified on the basis of stratigraphic observations during excavation-cannot be maintained. In any case, the stratigraphy of the internal D Zone of La Güelga cave is one of the most interesting from the Cantabrian region for analyzing the last phases of the Mousterian and the rise of the Aurignacian in the North of the Peninsula.

Les Cottés was discovered at the end of the nineteenth century and was popularized by L. Pradel during the fifties and the sixties. This site is known for its well preserved Aurignacian industries and for “Les Cottés point”, type fossil of the “evolved” Châtelperronian (Pradel, 1963). In 2006, we started a new excavation program which already shed new light on the succession of industries at the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic at the southwestern margins of the Parisian Basin. Inventories of retouched tools, cores, and blades/bladelets of each assemblage show that Châtelperronian, Protoaurignacian and Early Aurignacian are preserved in sequence at Les Cottés. The last assemblage preserved at the top of the sequence is for now attributed to a “final” Early Aurignacian. Our analyses confirm that Châtelperronian is north of the Seuil du Poitou and that Protoaurignacian do exist in the Parisian Basin, away from its up to-now known core geographical distribution (the Pyrenees and the periphery of the Mediterranean sea). We also show that this septentrional Protoaurignacian is more ancient than the early Aurignacian, as well as in the meridional sequences.

Nous présentons le site châtelperronien de plein air de Canaule II, à travers l’approche taphonomique, techno-économique et spatiale de cinq remontages. Cette étude montre l’exceptionnelle conservation de ce site et explore le potentiel qu’il révèle pour la définition du Châtelperronien et la caractérisation des comportements humains au début du Paléolithique supérieur.

"This article is published in the proceedings of the conference: Le Paléolithique supérieur ancien de l'Europe du Nord-Ouest: Réflexions et synthèses à partir d'un projet collectif de recherche sur le centre et le sud du Bassin parisien: Actes du colloque de Sens (15-18 avril 2009).
It summarizes the current state of research (in 2009, with some additions) of the early Upper Paleolithic in southern Burgundy (primarily the Dep. Saône-et-Loire, France). This region is situated between the Saône valley and the Morvan mountains on the Rhone-Rhine axis, a major corridor of movement in the Upper Paleolithic.  "

Partant de la conception que François Bordes se faisait de la transition du Paléolithique moyen au Paléolithique supérieur et des données archéologiques qu’il mobilisait pour celle-ci, nous nous interrogerons sur la portée de ses théories dans la constitution des interprétations actuelles. Au vu des recherches plus récentes, nous évaluons par ailleurs les principaux points de refonte des données qu’il utilisait dans son argumentation.

La cuenca fluvial del Sella, que incluye afluentes de la importancia del Piloña y el Güeña, constituye un ámbito geográfico homogéneo, bien delimitado orográficamente y con recursos económicos alternativos según ámbitos costa-montaña accesibles en una distancia reducida, inferior a 15 Km. Esta
circunstancia, común a otras cuencas cantábricas, propició una ocupación
permanente de grupos paleolíticos y el desarrollo de estrategias de territorialidad, especialmente durante el Paleolítico Superior. La aparición de niveles de ocupación transicionales Paleolítico Medio/Paleolítico Superior (PM/PS de ahora en adelante) en la Cueva de la Güelga, en lo que parece una
secuencia bastante completa, permitirá formular hipótesis sobre el final del mundo musteriense y el desarrollo de las nuevas sociedades del Paleolítico Superior, al menos en el área objeto principal de nuestro actual proyecto de investigación y de este artículo. Esto habrá de completarse con informaciones
de otros yacimientos en fase de investigación en la misma cuenca fluvial (Sella-Piloña) y también presentes en esta reunión científica, como la cueva del Sidrón, con numerosos restos humanos clasificados como neandertales (Rosas y Aguirre, 1999).

La reprise récente des fouilles à Isturitz par l’un d’entre nous (Ch. N.) n’a pas permis d’identifier l’occupation châtelperronienne (niveau SIII base) décrite par R. et S. de Saint-Périer lors de leurs travaux sur ce site, attribution chronoculturelle qui, par ailleurs, fut parfois contredite. Face à ce constat, une révision critique du matériel lithique issu du niveau SIII base (fouilles Saint-Périer) s’imposait. Nous proposons ici de réexaminer l’attribution culturelle de cet assemblage, à la lumière de nos connaissances sur le Châtelperronien et des premières données issues des fouilles récentes de la cavité.

Resumen. Las condiciones climáticas, unidas a las peculiaridades del relieve cantábrico propiciaron probablemente la ocupación de refugios ecológicos en  Asturias por parte de los grupos humanos durante el inicio del Paleolítico superior inicial. En líneas generales, y al igual que sucede en la Región Cantábrica, el número de yacimientos en los que se han hallado evidencias del  Paleolítico superior inicial en Asturias es escaso, si lo comparamos con el resto del Paleolítico superior, especialmente con el Magdaleniense. Sin embargo, los hallazgos documentados en los yacimientos del Paleolítico superior inicial son un claro reflejo de la aparición de un comportamiento moderno de los grupos humanos. En este trabajo se realiza un estado de la cuestión sobre la investigación de este periodo, prestando también especial atención al desarrollo de la transición del Paleolítico medio al superior en Asturias.
Palabras Clave: Auriñaciense, Chatelperroniense, Gravetiense, Humanos anatómicamente modernos, Neandertales

Abstract. The climatic conditions and the peculiarities of  Cantabrian relief probably contribute to the occupation of ecological refugees by human groups in Asturias during the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic. As occurs generally in the Cantabrian region, the number of sites in which Early Upper Palaeolithic remains have been unearthed is scarce if we compare this record with the rest of the Upper Palaeolithic period, especially with the Magdalenian. Nevertheless, Upper Palaeolithic sites of Asturias reflect clearly the emergence of the modern behavior of human groups. In this paper we present a state of the Arts on the research of this period, with special attention to the development of the transition from Middle to Upper Palaeolithic in Asturias.
Key Words: Aurignacian, Chatelperronian, Gravettian, Anatomically Modern Humans, Neanderthals.

The demise of Neanderthals and their interaction with dispersing anatomically modern human populations remain some of the most contentious issues in palaeoanthropology. The Châtelperronian, now generally recognized as the first genuine Upper Palaeolithic industry in Western Europe and commonly attributed to the Neanderthals, plays a pivotal role in these debates. The Neanderthal authorship of this techno-complex is based on reported associations of Neanderthal skeletal material with Châtelperronian assemblages at only two sites, La Roche-à-Pierrot (Saint-Césaire) and the Grotte du Renne (Arcy-sur-Cure). The reliability of such an association has, however, been the subject of heated controversy. Here we present a detailed taphonomic, spatial and typo-technological reassessment of the level (EJOP sup) containing the Neanderthal skeletal material at Saint-Césaire. Our assessment of a new larger sample of lithic artifacts, combined with a systematic refitting program and spatial projections of diagnostic artifacts, produced no reliable evidence for a Neanderthal-Châtelperronian association at the site. These results significantly impact current models concerning the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Western Europe and force a critical reappraisal of who exactly were the makers of the Châtelperronian. Documenting the emergence of traits commonly considered as proxies for 'behavioural modernity' remains one of the most debated research challenges in Palaeolithic archaeology. Over the last two decades, new analyses in Africa have pushed back the earliest occurrences of such evidence 1-12 , which were previously thought to be coincident with the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Western Europe. Despite intense dispute as to whether such evidence is unique to anatomically modern human populations, it now appears clear that Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal populations across their known range also made and used bone tools 13,14 , sourced and processed pigments 15-18 , potentially buried their dead 19-25 , and probably possessed elements of personal ornamentation 26-29. The Châtelperronian, commonly assumed to be one of the final cultural manifestations of Neanderthals in Western Europe, is pivotal to this debate. Its unique features combining blade and bladelet technologies alongside personal ornaments, bone tools and considerable pigment use has simultaneously been interpreted as support either for the acculturation of final Neanderthal populations by dispersing anatomically modern human groups 30-36 or the independent emergence of cultural innovations amongst the former 37-40. The Neanderthal authorship of the Châtelperronian is, however, based on reported direct associations of Neanderthal skeletal remains with Châtelperronian cultural material at only two sites-scattered teeth, a temporal bone and bone fragments from the lowermost Châtelperronian levels of the Grotte du Renne at Arcy-sur-Cure 32,41,42 and a partial Neanderthal skeleton in a level (EJOP sup) attributed to the Châtelperronian at