Morgan Roussel | Universiteit Leiden (original) (raw)

2024 PAPERS by Morgan Roussel

Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, 2024

The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in France and northern Spain reflects the transition ... more The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in France and northern Spain reflects the transition from Neandertals to Homo sapiens and the emergence of novel cultural entities and standardised blade and bladelet technologies between ~ 55 and 40 thousand years ago. The Châtelperronian stone tool industry represents the first unambiguous appearance of Upper Palaeolithic technologies in this region, and is traditionally considered as representing a geographically isolated archaeological entity produced by late Neandertals. However, debate as to the makers and origin of this industry has been ever-present. In recent years, fuel has been thrown onto this discussion through (a) the demonstration that the association between Neandertal remains and Châtelperronian artefacts at the key site of Saint-Césaire could not be reliable, (b) the identification of an immature Homo sapiens pelvic fragment in association with Neandertal remains and Châtelperronian artefacts at the Grotte du Renne (Arcy-sur-Cure), and (c) the formulation of a disruptive hypothesis in which the Châtelperronian directly originates from the Early Upper Palaeolithic of the Levant. In conjunction with the increasing evidence for a protracted presence of Homo sapiens across Europe, these observations have led to the arrival of an inflection point for the competing interpretations concerning the origin and implications of this industry. In this paper, we provide a critical review of the Châtelperronian in light of the emerging data-taking into account technological, chronological, geographic, stratigraphic, and genetic perspectives. First we provide a detailed, three-part historiography of this industry and a modern, synthetic review of Châtelperronian lithic technology. Our review reinforces the fact that the Châtelperronian is a fully Upper Palaeolithic industry with no 'transitional' nor Initial Upper Palaeolithic-type technological features. Subsequently, we highlight a series of prospects, problems, and uncertainties which remain to be addressed in discussions concerning the origins, maker(s), and implications of the Châtelperronian and the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic in western Europe. Finally, we propose a few potential paths forward and call for an open and critical approach towards the re-conceptualisation of the Châtelperronian in the years to come.

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2023 PAPERS by Morgan Roussel

PréhistoGuide - Nouvelle-Aquitaine : Sites, Musées, Parcs, Fac-Similés. (J. Jaubert dir.), 2023

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PréhistoGuide - Nouvelle-Aquitaine : Sites, Musées, Parcs, Fac-Similés (J. Jaubert dir.), 2023

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2019 PAPERS by Morgan Roussel

Scientific Reports, 2019

The transition from Middle to Upper Paleolithic is a major biological and cultural threshold in t... more The transition from Middle to Upper Paleolithic is a major biological and cultural threshold in the construction of our common humanity. Technological and behavioral changes happened simultaneously to a major climatic cooling, which reached its acme with the Heinrich 4 event, forcing the human populations to develop new strategies for the exploitation of their environment. The recent fieldwork at Les Cottés (France) transitional site offers a good opportunity to document subsistence strategies for this period and to provide for the first time high-resolution insights on its evolution. We present the results of the complete zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the transitional sequence, associated with a large regional synthesis of the subsistence strategy evolution during the Middle to Upper Paleolithic. We conclude that, while there is no major change in the hunting strategies, the butchery activities evolved in strict correlation with the development of range weapons. In addition, the demise of carnivore seems to be a consequence of the human pressure on the environment. Our study demonstrates how the faunal component of the environment became a structuring element of the human social organization, being at the base of future cultural evolutions.

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Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 2019

This study uses data extracted from 3D models to compare blade cores from the Châtelperronian and... more This study uses data extracted from 3D models to compare blade cores from the Châtelperronian and Protoaurignacian stone tool industries. These technocomplexes are at the center of the debate surrounding the interactions between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans approximately 45 to 40,000 years ago.

We created 3D models of lithic cores from the sites of Roc de Combe and Les Cottés using a standardized photogrammetry protocol. We then used data derived from these 3D models to make quantitative comparisons of artifact attributes that have previously been argued to distinguish the two stone tool industries in question. These attributes include the angle between the platform and flaking surfaces, the shape of core cross sections, and the angle between core axes. The conception of this study was not to privilege the use of new technological and statistical approaches over more traditional or qualitative forms of lithic analysis. Rather, our aim was to experiment with using digital tool to develop nuanced, reproducible ways to describe variability in lithic artifacts.

Our results support the hypothesis that there is a difference in the angle between core surfaces between these two industries. Our analysis also indicates a difference in the angle between core axes, although we are more cautious in interpreting these results. An elliptical Fourier analysis of core cross section shape was inconclusive. We discuss what archaeological and methodological factors may have contributed to our results, and the roles of both qualitative and quantitative observations in archaeological research. 3D artifact models generated for this study are included as supplemental data and are available for use by other researchers.

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2017 PAPERS by Morgan Roussel

In: Bilan Scientifique 2015. Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles. Poitou-Charentes. SRA: 207-208, Dec 31, 2017

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2016 PAPERS by Morgan Roussel

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2016

The Protoaurignacian is considered a cultural proxy for one of the first expansions of anatomical... more The Protoaurignacian is considered a cultural proxy for one of the first expansions of anatomically modern humans across Europe. The stabilization of bladelet industries that characterizes this techno-complex is therefore often used as supporting evidence for the break from previous stone knap-ping traditions and also for the increase of human mobility through wider territories. Despite the cultural importance that bladelets have gained, a careful interregional comparison, stressing similarities and differences, has not yet been attempted. Moreover, the use of traditional typologies has blurred the morpho-metrical variability that characterizes la-mellar tools. Here, a study has been carried out on retouched bladelets from three pivotal sites: Fumane (northeast Italy), Isturitz (southwest France),a n dL e sC o t t é s(n o r t h e r n France). By using morphological, dimensional, and retouching attributes, and by evaluating the statistical significance of the main differences, the first detailed analysis of the variability of retouched bladelets within the Protoaurignacian has been documented. The results indicate that the features that best discriminate the bladelet assemblages are the presence and the relative variability of bladelets with convergent retouch, although a reassessment of existing studies and new methodological approaches are required to test the latter hypothesis. Throughout this paper, we demonstrate the merits of using a unified classification of retouched bladelets for comparing behavior in between groups distant in space. We hope that this paper will be a new incentive to develop unified taxonomies for the study of Early Upper Paleolithic lithics in Western Eurasia.

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The discovery of an almost complete Neanderthal skeleton in a Châtelperronian context at Saint-C ... more The discovery of an almost complete Neanderthal skeleton in a Châtelperronian context at Saint-C esaire 35 years ago changed our perspective on the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic in western Europe. Since then, the Châtelperronian has generally been considered a "transitional" industry rather than an Upper or a Middle Paleolithic industry because of its chronological position, and the association of Neanderthal remains with blades, bone tools and personal ornaments. Several competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain the association between Neanderthals and these types of artefacts including post-depositional mixing, acculturation from anatomically modern human populations, or an independent technological evolution by local Neanderthal populations. Quinçay Cave is the only Châtelperronian site where personal ornaments have been found that does not contain an overlying Upper Paleolithic layer. This means that the post-depositional mixing of later elements into the Châtelperronian may not be used as an explanation for the presence of these materials. We report here on a detailed technological analysis of lithic artefacts from the three Châtelperronian layers at Quinçay Cave. We compare our results with the technology of Mousterian blade industries dating to OIS (oxygen isotope stage) 5, the Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition type B, and the Proto-Aurignacian. We show that the Châtelperronian is sufficiently divergent from the Middle Paleolithic to be classified as a fully Upper Paleolithic industry, with a focus on blade and bladelet production. We also show that the Quinçay Châtelperronian includes retouched bladelets that resemble those found in the Proto-Aurignacian, but were produced in a different manner. We argue that a technological convergence cannot account for these behaviors, since the specific type of retouched bladelet associated with the Châtelperronian was also regularly used by Proto-Aurignacian of neighboring regions. We suggest that the idea of retouched bladelets may have diffused from the northern Proto-Aurignacian to the Quinçay Châtelperronian and that the transmission of the morphology of this desired end-product without the transmission of its manufacturing process may point toward a low degree of social intimacy between these groups. We conclude that the apparent paradox of the Châtelperronian is the result of the complexity of interaction between Neanderthal and anatomically modern human groups in western Europe between 45,000 and 40,000 years ago.

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Three-dimensional (3D) artifact modeling is becoming an increasingly utilized tool in archaeology... more Three-dimensional (3D) artifact modeling is becoming an increasingly utilized tool in archaeology. In comparison with other methods of 3D scanning, photogrammetry has the benefits of being relatively inexpensive, mobile, and more adaptable for use in field conditions. As part of a larger project to document variability in lithic production systems across the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition in Western Europe, we developed a photography rig for the express purpose of systematically capturing images for the creation of 3D photogrammetric models. This low-cost rig greatly streamlines both the photo-taking and post-processing stages of model creation. Additional tips relating to the coating of difficult-to-capture objects with a mineral spray are also provided. Three-dimensional models of lithic cores from the Châtelperronian, Protoaurignacian, and Early Aurignacian levels of the site of Les Cottés (France) are presented as examples of the quality of model that can be produced using this system.

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2015 PAPERS by Morgan Roussel

In Bilan Scientifique de la région Poitou-Charentes 2014, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (Ed.), Service régional de l'Archéologie: 213-214., Oct 2014

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2014 PAPERS by Morgan Roussel

"Through the first exhaustive and detailed analysis of personal ornaments recovered at Les Cottés... more "Through the first exhaustive and detailed analysis of personal ornaments recovered at Les Cottés cave, this contribution proposes new elements for the debate on the cultural dynamics that impacted the symbolic organization of the first Upper Palaeolithic communities in Western Europe. The complete archaeosequence identified at Les Cottés during recent excavations gives new insight into the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Western Europe. The cave is located at the south-western margin of the Paris Basin, close to the Aquitaine Basin. Various field works have successively been conducted on the site since the end of the 19th century; a new excavation programme was started in 2006. A Mousterian level (unit 08) starts the sequence. It is overlaid by a Châtelperronian level (unit 06) and a Proto-Aurignacian level (lower unit 04) and the sequence is closed by two Early Aurignacian levels (upper US 04, US 02; US 03, also attributed to the Early Aurignacian is a low density level between upper US 04 and US 02). Châtelperronian, Proto-Aurignacian and Early Aurignacian levels are separated from each other by archaeologically sterile deposits often measuring more than 10 cm in thickness. The different occupations have yielded abundant lithic and faunal material characteristic of this period. This study focuses on the 12 personal ornaments recovered during previous and new excavations including a stone pendant, ivory beads, tubular bone beads and fox canines. Microscopic analyses show
a high level of diversity in the raw material, as well as in the shaping and techniques of suspension used to make the different bead types recovered on the site. No clear evidence of use-wear was identified on the pieces. Interestingly, the stone pendant recovered during the previous excavation presents evidence of percussion on its surface, suggesting the pendant was distinctly used for domestic as well as symbolic purposes. Only one ivory bead was found in stratigraphic position within an Early Aurignacian level (upper US 04) identified during the new excavations. An interdisciplinary approach, crossing data from the analyses of the personal ornaments, in particular their state of preservation, taphonomic and archaeo-zoological results and the deposition modes of each level, has led to the proposal of a contextual
re-attribution for ten of the beads. In particular, systematic observation of red sediment on the surface of the pieces suggested that they belonged to the one geo-archaeological unit that presents the same colouring. This unit corresponds to the first Early Aurignacian level, also identified during the previous excavations. In this level, more than 20% of the faunal and lithic remains present a red colouring. In agreement with this hypothesis, cut marks were registered on one of the perforated fox canines, testifying to the acquisition of the teeth on a fresh carcass. Concomitantly, evidence of fox exploitation was exclusively identified in the Early Aurignacian occupation (upper US 04). Moreover, the marked similarities in shape between all the ivory beads, including the one found in stratigraphic position, indicates that they all belong to the Early Aurignacian occupation. A survey of European archaeological literature shows that all the bead types identified at Les Cottés were already largely documented in the Early Aurignacian context, favouring the consistency of their cultural re-attribution. At this point in the study, inferences on the cultural affinities of the Early Aurignacians that occupied the site with other groups were researched. A survey of the literature revealed that the beadtype configuration identified at Les Cottés presents stylistic affinities with the Early Aurignacian from South-Western France. By comparing data from the personal ornaments with other categories of material found in the Early Aurignacian lower level, a regional contrast appears between raw material procurement strategies and the stylistic affinity of bead type association. Although mainly local raw materials were used for lithic industry on the site, exogenous siliceous raw materials used in the Early Aurignacian lithic industries were imported from the north of the Poitou region. It highlights a geographic contrast between the symbolic and economic spheres developed by the Aurignacians who occupied the site. While the bead-type association may reflect south-western affinities, the economic sphere is developed around a north-eastern area. The marginal position of the site in regard to South-Western France, and the interface that constitutes the Poitou region between two different economic territories highlights the large-scale diffusion of personal ornamentation traditions in Western Europe during the Early Aurignacian. This diffusion appears to be unrelated to the settlement dynamics resulting from subsistence constraints."

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In: M. Otte (dir.), Néandertal/Cro Magnon - La Rencontre : 31-59., Feb 2014

Le Châtelperronien est l’un des technocomplexes marquant le passage du Paléolithique moyen au Pal... more 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.

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In: Cl. Smith (dir.) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology : 2679-2693, Feb 2014

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In: M. Otte & F. Lebrun-Ricalens (dir.), "Modes de contacts et de déplacements au Paléolithique eurasiatique", Actes du Colloque international de la commission 8 (Paléolithique supérieur) de l'UISPP, Université de Liège, 28–31 mai 2012 : 491-510, Sep 25, 2014

The Châtelperronian, one techno-complexes of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic change-over in Europ... more The Châtelperronian, one techno-complexes of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic change-over in Europe, shows an uncommon association of a specific leptolithic industry with Neanderthal human remains, pendants, pigments and bone-tools. Several hypothesis had been put forward to explain this association: acculturation, independent evolution or even post-depositional mixing.
Here, we present results from the Quinçay lithics’ analysis, the only Châtelperronian site with several Châtelperronian layers sealed by a large roof fall. No other Upper Paleolithic layers are detected above the sequence. In the three Châtelperronian layers, blades and bladelets are produced. The method of production used is specific to the Châtelperronian, by its unique set of procedures, and is clearly different from the early Upper Palaeolithic leptolithic production or from the Middle Palaeolithic flake production.
In this sequence the way to produce long bladelets is typically Châtelperronian, it is identical in its volumetric organization to the one used for blades. However, the retouched bladelets are looking alike Protoaurignacian ones. We argue that this cannot be a convergence neither a coincidence, and that instead this is evidence of superficial contact, maybe even at distance, between Châtelperronian and Protoaurignacian groups. The idea and morphology of the retouched bladelets had been borrowed by Châtelperronian groups from Protoaurignacian groups, maybe only by seeing hunting weapons equipped with such bladelets on pathways. Meanwhile the specific method used by Protoaurignacian groups to produce bladelets remained unused (and was probably unknown). This is consistent with the stimulus diffusion model. Our results suggest that the Châtelperronian and the Protoaurignacian had been contemporaneous, but were only superficially connected. Social intimacy between the two groups might have been quite low.

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2013 PAPERS by Morgan Roussel

In : P. Bodu et al. (dir.), 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, journées SPF, Sens, 15-18 avril 2009, Mémoire 56, Société préhistorique française : 283-298., Jun 2013

Les Cottés was discovered at the end of the nineteenth century and was popularized by L. Pradel d... more 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.

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Several scenarios have been proposed to explain the origin and the development of the Châtelperro... more Several scenarios have been proposed to explain the origin and the development of the Châtelperronian, the last manifestation of Neanderthal populations in western Europe. The technical, cultural, symbolic and genetic links between Châtelperronian and Aurignacian groups, i.e. between the last Neanderthals and the first anatomically modern humans, are at the center of current debates. Recently, the idea of a gradual evolution from the Châtelperronian to the Protoaurignacian has been proposed. Here, a detailed analysis of blade production in three Châtelperronian layers from Quinçay and a comparison with Protoaurignacian blade production demonstrates the differences between these two industries. The methods and the goals of blade production are clearly different. A cultural evolutionary link between the Châtelperronian and Protoaurignacian based on the techniques of blade production cannot be supported.

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In: Bilan scientifique de la région Poitou-Charentes 2012, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (Ed.), Service Régional de l'Archéologie : 239-240.

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In: Bilan scientifique de la région Poitou-Charentes 2012, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (Ed.), Service Régional de l'Archéologie : 240-242.

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2012 PAPERS by Morgan Roussel

The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition is the key period for our understanding of Neandertha... more The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition is the key period for our understanding of Neanderthal and modern human interactions in Europe. The site of Les Cottés in south-west France is one of the rare sites with a complete and well defined sequence covering this transition period. We undertook an extensive radiocarbon dating program on mammal bone which allows us to propose a chronological framework of five distinct phases dating from the Mousterian to the Early Aurignacian at this site. We found that the Mousterian and Châtelperronian industries are separated from the overlying Protoaurignacian by a gap of approximately 1000 calendar years. Based on a comparison with Upper Paleolithic sites in Europe we see an overlap in the ages of Châtelperronian industries and Aurignacian lithic assemblages, which are usually associated with Anatomical Modern Humans, which is consistent with an acculturation at distance model for these late Neanderthals. The Proto and Early Aurignacian appear contemporaneous indicating that this transition was rapid in this region. Anatomically Modern Humans are present at the site of Les Cottés at least at 39,500 cal BP roughly coincident with the onset of the cold phase Heinrich 4.

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Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, 2024

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PréhistoGuide - Nouvelle-Aquitaine : Sites, Musées, Parcs, Fac-Similés. (J. Jaubert dir.), 2023

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PréhistoGuide - Nouvelle-Aquitaine : Sites, Musées, Parcs, Fac-Similés (J. Jaubert dir.), 2023

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Scientific Reports, 2019

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Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 2019

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In: Bilan Scientifique 2015. Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles. Poitou-Charentes. SRA: 207-208, Dec 31, 2017

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Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2016

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In Bilan Scientifique de la région Poitou-Charentes 2014, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (Ed.), Service régional de l'Archéologie: 213-214., Oct 2014

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In: M. Otte (dir.), Néandertal/Cro Magnon - La Rencontre : 31-59., Feb 2014

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In: Cl. Smith (dir.) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology : 2679-2693, Feb 2014

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In: Bilan scientifique de la région Poitou-Charentes 2012, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (Ed.), Service Régional de l'Archéologie : 239-240.

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In: Bilan scientifique de la région Poitou-Charentes 2012, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (Ed.), Service Régional de l'Archéologie : 240-242.

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In: Bilan scientifique de la région Poitou-Charentes 2011, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (Ed.), Service Régional de l'Archéologie : 210-211.

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In: La Investigación Experimental Aplicada a la Arqueología, A. Morgado-Rodríguez, J. Baena-Preysler & D. Garcia-Gonzalez (dir.), Galindo, SL, Ronda, Malaga : 69-76.

Varias “boules de caliza” han sido descubiertas durante las excavaciones recientes de los niveles... more Varias “boules de caliza” han sido descubiertas durante las excavaciones recientes de los niveles Musterienses de tipo Quina del yacimiento de Chez-Pinaud en Jonzac. Algunas de estas piezas llevan huellas de percusión en zonas más prominentes. No obstante, este tipo de objeto, identifi cado hasta ahora en las antiguas excavaciones, ha sido frecuentemente identifi cado como una piedra de bola en analogía al material etnográfico.
Hemos creado un referencial experimental en el cual los objetos análogos han sido utilizados como percutores para dar forma a las raederas de tipo Quina realizadas sobre soportes bifaciales similares a los de Jonzac según el mismo esquema operatorio observado en el yacimiento. La comparación de los estigmas de talla observados en las lascas experimentales muestra que la percusión con el percutor de caliza comparte algunos estigmas con la del percutor de cuarcita y con el orgánico. Solo la presencia de estrías concentradas en la cara ventral permite diagnosticar la utilización de un percutor de caliza para el “fasonado” de las raederas bifaciales.
Por otro lado, hemos determinado que la asociación de ciertos estigmas es propia a cada uno de los percutores. La comparación con la muestra arqueológica nos indica que los percutores de caliza han sido utilizados en Jonzac al mismo tiempo que los otros tipos de percutores. Por primera vez ha sido diagnosticada la utilización de la caliza como en un contexto más antiguo que el Gravetiense, lo demuestra la capacidad de los Neandertales a modifi car sus tradiciones técnicas utilizando el largo panel de materiales a disposición.

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In: Bilan scientifique de la région Poitou-Charentes 2009, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (Ed.), Service Régional de l'Archéologie : 160-163.

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In: Préhistoire entre Vienne et Charente - Hommes et sociétés du Paléolithique, J. Buisson-Catil and J. Primault (dir.), Mémoire 38 : 221-234.

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In: Préhistoire entre Vienne et Charente - Hommes et sociétés du Paléolithique, J. Buisson-Catil & J. Primault (dir.), Association des Publications Chauvinoises (Ed.), Mémoire 38 : 203-219.

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In: Bilan scientifique de la région Poitou-Charentes 2008, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (Ed.), Service Régional de l'Archéologie : 155-157.

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In: Langage de pierre - La restitution du geste en archéologie préhistorique, C. Dumas, B. Roussel & P.-J. Texier (dir.), Musée des Baux de Provence (Ed.) : 11-13., 2009

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Several 'limestone balls' were discovered during recent excavation of the Quina layers at Chez Pi... more Several 'limestone balls' were discovered during recent excavation of the Quina layers at Chez Pinaud, Jonzac. Some of these objects show percussion marks on their protruding parts. These objects were mainly interpreted in previous excavations as bolas, by analogy with ethnographic data. We created an experimental frame of reference in which analogous stone balls were used as hammers to shape Quina scrapers on bifacial blanks similar to the ones recovered at Jonzac, according to the operational schema deduced from the analyses of the Jonzac assemblage. We also used hammers made of quartzite, boxwood and deer antler. Comparison between experimental flakes shows that limestone hammer features are shared with quartzite and organic material hammers. Only one feature, tight ripples on the first centimeters of the inferior face of flakes, is characteristic of using a limestone hammer to shape bifacial Quina scrapers. In addition, we show that some feature associations are specific to each hammer. Our study thus confirms the need to use limestone hammers in experimental frames of reference to diagnose hammer raw materials. Moreover, comparison with the archaeological sample shows that limestone hammers were used at Jonzac, as well as other types of hammer. The use of limestone as a hammer is here described for the first time in a context earlier than the Gravettian, and demonstrates the Neandertals' abilities to change their technical traditions by using a wide choice of the raw materials available in the immediate environment.

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In: Les sociétés du Paléolithique dans un Grand Sud-Ouest : nouveaux gisements, nouveaux résultats, nouvelles méthodes, J. Jaubert, J.-G. Bordes and I. Ortega (dir.), Société préhistorique française (Ed), Mémoire 47, p. 203-243.

The site of Chez-Pinaud (Jonzac, Charente-Maritime) was identified in the 1990s and subsequently ... more The site of Chez-Pinaud (Jonzac, Charente-Maritime) was identified in the 1990s and subsequently excavated as part of a multi-disciplinary project led by J. Airvaux. This work resulted in a monograph (Airvaux dir., 2004). Given the importance of the archaeological sequence at Jonzac, which is one of the rare sites with a stratigraphy covering the late Middle Paleolithic and early Upper Paleolithic, a team from the University of Bordeaux 1-PACEA and the Max Planck Institute (Leipzig) started a new program of excavation in 2004. In addition to the standard types of analysis, we have applied several approaches that at Jonzac either had not yet been applied or were still incomplete. These include geoarchaeological analyses, analysis of site formation processes, radiometric dating, isotope analysis, taphonomic studies of the faunal assemblage, raw material studies, and usewear analysis. We present here a general overview of this exceptional sequence from the Last Glacial, likely between 50 and 30ka, covering at least some of OIS 3 and 2 for the portions of the site thus far excavated. The first results of the excavations from 2004 to 2007 are summarized here by broad research theme including a history of the site, geology, radiometric dates, microfauna, paleontology, taphonomy, zooarcheology, paleoanthropology, isotopic analysis, and the lithic industries (Quina Mousterian, Denticulate Mousterian, Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition and Aurignacian). This presentation is in advance of a more ambitious, interdisciplinary program of study to address questions such as site use and to place the sequence in the broader regional context, issues which are just touched upon here.

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Historical processes leading to the demise of Neanderthals are still poorly understood. The lithi... more Historical processes leading to the demise of Neanderthals are still poorly understood. The lithic industries of the last Neanderthal populations provide insights into the technical traditions of these populations. A technological analysis of lithics from three Châtelperronian layers, preserved in sequence at the cave of Quinçay, allows for a determination of the origin and the significance of Châtelperronian technical system changes over a long time period.
The method for blade production is characteristic. It consists of a unidirectional debitage of blades in sequence following a two-step rhythm on an angular flaking surface.
Bladelet production is quite frequent and is carried out on prismatic bladelet cores with the retreat of the flaking surface oblique to the volume’s axis of symmetry. The goal of this bladelet production is similar to that of the Protoaurignacian, namely to obtain blanks for large Dufour bladelets.
At Quinçay, the coherence of the lithic technical system from one layer to the next suggests little to no change through time. Thus, there is no evidence for a progressive evolution from the Châtelperronian to the Protoaurignacian. Alternatively, possible influences from the Protoaurignacian on the Châtelperronian must be considered. These two groups might have been in contact at places with a low degree of social intimacy, such as pathways, where only end-products were visible. In that case, the idea of projectiles and the concept of retouched bladelets could have diffused from one group to another.

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The Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) techno-complex is emerging as a key to understanding the rep... more The Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) techno-complex is emerging as a key to understanding the replacement of Neandertals by anatomically modern humans (AMH) across Eurasia [1]. In Europe, IUP-type assemblages are increasingly being considered a proxy for the first AMH occupations in the region – a model which has been bolstered by fossil and genetic evidence from Bacho Kiro (Bulgaria) [2] and Grotte Mandrin (France) [3]. Similarities in bone tools and personal ornaments between the IUP at Bacho Kiro and the Neandertal-associated Châtelperronian assemblages at Grotte du Renne (France) has been proposed as supporting some form of behavioural influence by incoming AMHs onto late Neandertal populations in western Europe [2]. As an extension to this argument, the Châtelperronian has recently been referred to as a western European Initial Upper Palaeolithic technocomplex for the first time within scientific literature [4]. Yet, the question of whether the Châtelperronian industry in fact fulfills the technological definitions of the IUP has not been explicitly evaluated. If it is the case that late Neandertals produced archaeological assemblages consistent with Initial Upper Palaeolithic typo-technological characteristics: to what extent then can IUP-type assemblages be used as a proxy for the presence of AMHs in Europe? Here, we present a comparative, point-by-point analysis concerning the compatibility, or lack thereof, of Châtelperronian lithic technology with recent technological definitions/criteria for the IUP [5]. We show that not only is the Châtelperronian incompatible with the IUP (both sensu stricto and sensu lato), but that it in fact reflects a well-developed ‘Upper Palaeolithic’ package of lithic technological behaviours. It is also, despite some important debate, an archaeological industry currently associated exclusively with Neandertals. In other words: late Neandertals in France and northern Spain appear to have produced assemblages which are more ‘Upper Palaeolithic’ than those of their suspected ‘influencers’ – early populations of Homo sapiens in Europe. If we accept Neandertals as the producers of the Châtelperronian, models which propose a simple and unilateral diffusion of technological behaviours from AMH to late Neandertals during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition are in need of critical re-evaluation.

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The Châtelperronian is a techno-complex limited in space and time and surrounded by discussions w... more The Châtelperronian is a techno-complex limited in space and time and surrounded by discussions which never end. The nature, the chronology, the technical behaviors and their makers are questioned since decades. It is only by studying new data from recently excavated sites in secure context that we can build up strong interpretations.
Here, we will present new data from the recent excavations undertaken at Les Cottés’ cave since 2006. In secure stratigraphic context, the Châtelperronian layer (US 06) is separated from the Mousterian layer below (US 08) and from the Protoaurignacian layer above (US 04lower) by sterile layers (US 07 and US 05). The Châtelperronian lithic assemblage counts more than 5.000 artefacts bigger than 15 mm. Among these, we studied around 1.500 blades and bladelets, 140 retouched tools and more than 60 cores. The lithic production is oriented towards leptolithic production, i.e. blades and bladelets. There is no evidence for flake production. The bladelet production, on which this poster will focus on, is independent from the blade production. Small flakes or small blocks were selected to produce series of elongated bladelets. The microlithisation is in turn not only devoted to the early Upper Paleolithic sensu stricto: few but clear evidences are documented in western Final Middle Paleolithic, in Uluzzian and in Châtelperronian sites.
We will focus on the signification of this microlithisation executed at least partly by the last Neanderthals. How? by using the “chaîne opératoire” concept to reconstruct the technical goals of Les Cottés’ craftsmen; Where? by precisely comparing the occurrences of bladelet productions at several Châtelperronian sites, Why? for investigating hypothesis of culture contact during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition.

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When reconstructing past social relationships, we must not only ask if groups of humans interacte... more When reconstructing past social relationships, we must not only ask if groups of humans interacted, but also how. The behavioral approach to cultural transmission, or BACT (Tostevin, in press), aims to do just this. For the first time we apply this method to western Europe, where Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans (AMHs) may have overlapped both spatially and temporally just prior to Neanderthal extinction. To complicate matters, late Neanderthal technology shares many traits with industries associated with AMHs. Did Neanderthals develop these technologies independently, or were they influenced by incoming groups? Our analysis incorporates data from five lithic assemblages: La Rochette couche 7 (MTA), Abri Peyrony layer L-3A (MTA), Roc-de-Combe couche 8, Les Cottés US 6 (Châtelperronian) and Les Cottés US 4inf (Protoaurignacian). We follow the schema of Tostevin (2007), which places assemblages in the hypothesized role of substrate (the “ancestral” technology), acculturator (the influencing technology), and product (the result of the influence of the acculturator on the substrate). Lithic attributes are assessed for their level of similarity between assemblages. This produces a signal of independence (no similarity), continuity (similarity between all three assemblages or the substrate and product), or acculturation (similarity between the product and acculturator, but not the substrate). These signals are summed into analytical domains corresponding to early and late phases of the production process (blank vs. toolkit creation), which are accessible at different levels of social intimacy (in domestic spaces vs. on the pathways of the landscape). We can thus infer a higher degree of social intimacy between groups if we find an acculturation signal in both early and late stages of lithic production. With this work we aim to shed light on the “Chatelperronian conundrum” (Roussel et al. 2016), as well as the nature and extent of Neanderthal and AMH relations on a broader scale.

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The Protoaurignacian is a blade-bladelet dominated industry. Both products are often described to... more The Protoaurignacian is a blade-bladelet dominated industry. Both products are often described to be obtained from the same cores, often of pyramidal or prismatic morphology, through a continual reduction sequence (Bon and Bodu 2002), even if several are the exclusive bladelet cores identified in Fumane, Isturitz and Arbreda (Broglio et al. 2005; Normand 2006; Ortega et al. 2005). Among the tools, retouched bladelets are the most attested type, followed by end-scrapers and few retouched blades (Bon 2002). In Europe there is little evidence for bladelet production in Mousterian (Peresani et al. 2013; Slimak and Lucas 2005) and Châtelperronian assemblages (Roussel 2011). It is with the advent of the Aurignacian, and during the later Upper Paleolithic, that those tools start to accomplish a primary role in the hunter-gatherer societies. This is why lithic analysts address at the stabilization of lamellar-based elements as the major break from the previous stone knapping traditions (Bon 2005). Despite the long standing interest on those elements, a careful inter-regional comparison, stressing similarities and divergences, has not yet been attempted. The issue that there is no general agreement on their typological characterization, is precisely imputable to the lack of well-structured morpho-metrical studies, that took into account comparable criteria. Moreover, the identification of a major tool type, the Dufour sub-type Dufour bladelet (Demars and Laurent 1992) ended up homogenizing the general picture. Therefore, the lamellar collections of three main sites across Europe, Grotta di Fumane (Fig.1), Grotte d’Isturitz and Grotte des Cottés, have been analyzed to better understand the morpho-metrical characterization of the retouched bladelets during the Protoaurignacian, without a preconceived typological approach. In order to perform morphological and dimensional comparisons among the three assemblages, various attributes have been selected: flaking direction, butt and bulb morphology, number of scars, curvature of the profile, blank morphology, basal and distal shape, retouch and final size (length, width and thickness). Several differences have been found among Fumane, Isturitz and Les Cottés, even if it appears certain that all lamellar products belong to shared stone knapping traditions, which characterize the Protoaurignacian and more in general the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic in Western Eurasia. It has finally been argued that two main categories of bladelets can be highlighted: retouched points and lateralized bladelets and that the feature that better discriminate Protoaurignacian assemblages across Europe is the presence and the relative variability of retouched points.
We consider this a first contribution to help deconstruct the monolithic picture of the Aurignacian, that in our opinion has been built up to easily track the spread of modern humans across Western Eurasia, and not to make proper inference on the structures and organization of the hunter-gatherer societies that inhabited Europe at the threshold of the Upper Paleolithic.

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The origin, the nature, the geo-chronology and the makers of the Châtelperronian culture are curr... more The origin, the nature, the geo-chronology and the makers of the Châtelperronian culture are currently debated. Contacts between Châtelperronian groups and Protoaurignacian have been recently described based on the analysis of the lithic industry from three Châtelperronian layers found in sequence at Quinçay (Roussel, 2011). However, few Châtelperronian sites have been recently excavated and dated. To evaluate behaviors of groups from the initial Upper Palaeolithic in the northern half of France, we have decided to reassess the sequence of “Le Fontenioux”, a cave site which yielded two layers with lithics, fauna and bone-tools from the initial Upper Palaeolithic. In this poster we will present the first results of our new excavation undertaken at Le Fontenioux. This cave is located along the Gartempe River in the Vienne area, and is distant of around 400 meters upstream to Les Cottés. This latter is well known for its sequence of Châtelperronian, Protoaurignacian and Early Aurignacian layers (Soressi et al., 2010; Talamo et al., 2012; Roussel and Soressi, in press). Le Fontenioux has been excavated at the end of the 19th century, during the 30’s and the 50’s. L. Pradel provided the most complete description of the stratigraphy in the fifties. Two distinct layers, one of Perigordian IV below an Aurignacian V, are separated by a sterile layer(Pradel,1952). The cultural interpretation of these two layers was criticized by scholars (Delporte, 1953). Later, studies of the lithics by D.de Sonneville-Bordes(1960) and by F.Harrold (1978) agreed to re-interpret the cultural layers of this sequence as a Châtelperronian layer below an Aurignacian layer. Nowadays, the reality of the so-called Perigordian IV and the Aurignacian V is questioned (e.g. Zilhão et al.,1999). New excavation at this site was necessary to test the stratigraphy and to give precise cultural attribution to the layers. After Pradel’s excavation the site was abandoned and its precise location has been lost. In the summer 2011,we were able to re-locate it and then, we have planned to re-open it as Pradel’s sections were still visible, with the presence of lithics as well as fauna in the backdirt over and above the sections. In this poster, we will present the current state of our excavation and the first results of our typo-technologic and petrographic analysis of the lithics and of the fauna.

This project is funded by the French Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles, Service Régional de l’Archéologie de Poitiers.

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The demise of Neandertals is hotly debated. Several models has been proposed and they does not se... more The demise of Neandertals is hotly debated. Several models has been proposed and they does not seem to be reconcilable. The study of sites with testimony of a possible evolution in the Châtelperronian could precise historical process(es) of the demise of the last Neandertals. The cave of Quinçay (Vienne, France) excavated by F. Lévêque during twenty years presents an exceptional stratigraphy with three main layers of Châtelperronian. From the base to the top of the sequence an “ancient or typical” Châtelperronian, an “evolved” Châtelperronian and a “regressive” Châtelperronian
has been described. Above this sequence there is no overlying Aurignacian or any other Palaeolithic layer. The châtelperronian layers are sealed by roof fall. We propose here to bring new data, on the typo-technology of lithics from the three châtelperronian phases described at Quinçay. Across the sequence, the laminar production does not vary: it is orientated through the production of blanks for the châtelperronian points extracted from cores with two surfaces. Bladelets production -sometimes retouched- is confirmed in each of the three layers but varies from one layer to an other. Carinated shape cores are more frequent in the “ancient” Châtelperronian, meanwhile prismatic bladelets cores are more frequent for the “evolved” and the “regressive” Châtelperronian. At Quinçay, the laminar technology is clearly different from the Aurignacian. Nevertheless, bladelet technology seems to share technical aspects with the Aurignacian. At this point the question of influence of one group by another can be better assessed.

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Les Cottés (Vienne, France) is located on the corridor between the Parisian basin and the Poitou ... more Les Cottés (Vienne, France) is located on the corridor between the Parisian basin and the Poitou in West-Central France. It is next to the Grand Pressigny area and to the Anglin valley, which are well-known for Paleolithic sites, including the rockart site of Roc-aux-Sorciers in Angle-sur-l’Anglin.

Les Cottés is one of the rare sites, if not the only site, which contains a sequence of Evolved Châtelperronian and Early Aurignacian. Evolved Châtelperronian is a variant of the Châtelperronian which was first defined at Les Cottés by L. Pradel in the 1950s. It corresponds to a final stage of the Châtelperronian, is characterized by the Les Cottés point, and could therefore be evidence of the final Neandertals’ behavior in France. Early Aurignacian with split-base bone points is also well preserved at the site. Anatomically modern human remains were found in the Early Aurignacian layer during the first excavation at the site by R. de Rochebrune in 1881.

Our goal at this site is to better understand the behavior of the last Neandertals and the first anatomically modern humans in Western Europe and to contribute to evaluate the nature and the amount of interaction that may have happen between these two populations just before the demise of Neandertals. A team lead by Marie Soressi started excavating in the summer 2006. For us, it is a unique opportunity to:

- Document the site formation processes to better understand the archaeological context of the site’s important cultural sequence,
- Document aspects of the Evolved Châtelperronian and Early Aurignacian behavioral repertoire at a single location,
- Date, using several different methods, the Evolved Châtelperronian and the Early Aurignacian.

This excavation is funded by the MPI-Department of Human Evolution, the French Ministry of Culture, and the INRAP.

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Three possible soft stone hammers (limestone) were recovered in the Quina Mousterian of Chez-Pina... more Three possible soft stone hammers (limestone) were recovered in the Quina Mousterian of Chez-Pinaud, France. I tested the hypothesis these limestone blocks were used as hammers for the production of bifacial-scrapers. I created an experimental reference frame, utilizing soft stone hammers and soft hammers in shaping bifacial scrapers. On the basis of distinction of various features, it appears that soft stone percussion is identifiable by associations of several marks. My results confirm that Quina soft stone hammers were indeed used at Chez-Pinaud in an action of shaping bifacial-scrapers, in a proportion equivalent to the use of soft hammers.

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The Paleolithic site of Chez-Pinaud Jonzac was discovered in 1997 by a geologist in search of str... more The Paleolithic site of Chez-Pinaud Jonzac was discovered in 1997 by a geologist in search of stratigraphic sections and subsequently excavated in 1998–99 and 2003 by a team of researchers led by J. Airvaux. The results of the 1998–99 excavation, published in 2004, show a site with a deep sequence beginning with a thick layer of Quina Mousterian associated with a well preserved, very rich fauna dominated by reindeer. The upper layers show a transition from a Levallois rich industry to a handaxe rich, non-Levallois MTA industry. Overlying this, Airvaux reported a Châtelperronian industry. However, in the same volume, one of us (MS) raised some doubts over this attribution. Finally, the last archaeological layers, showing variable preservation across the site, could be assigned to the Aurignacian. Given the importance of Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition sites and the high state of preservation in the Quina layers, a new four year project of excavation was begun in 2004 by a team from the University of Bordeaux 1 and the Max Planck Institute. Among the project goals are to clarify the industries at the transition, to date the entire sequence, and to better assess the geology and site formation processes. With regard to the latter, of particular interest are the cultural and natural factors leading to the deposition of the over one meter deep Quina “bone bed” layer. Here we report on the results to date and place them in the context of recent work in the late Middle Paleolithic of southwest France. These results include AMS and TL dates from the transitional layers, isotopic analysis of the fauna and of a single hominin tooth found in an MTA context, and a better understanding of the assemblages and their context.

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This study uses data extracted from 3D models to compare the Châtelperronian and Protoaurignacian... more This study uses data extracted from 3D models to compare the Châtelperronian and Protoaurignacian stone tool industries, which are at the center of the debate surrounding the nature and extent of interactions between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans (AMHs) approximately 40,000 years ago.

Our data are derived from 3D scans of blade cores associated with one Protoaurignacian and two Châtelperronian assemblages from two archaeological sites (Roc-de-Combe and Les Cottés). We will use these data to test hypotheses about technological similarities and differences between these two entities by making statistical comparisons of artifact attributes, which are either difficult or impossible to quantify using traditional methods. We will examine the utility of different approaches including the digital measurement of edge angles, and the characterization of artifact shape using elliptical fourier analysis.

We will interpret our results within the framework of previous qualitative observations made about these technologies, as well as the larger research question of if and how Neanderthals and AMHs may have exchanged technological knowledge.

This presentation will also touch on larger issues including the use of close-range photogrammetry for morphological analyses of artifacts, the pros and cons of using 3D-derived data compared to traditional methods, and the quality of data required to conduct a study of this kind.

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