La Noira Site (Centre, France) and the Technological Behaviours and Skills of the Earliest Acheulean in Western Europe Between 700 and 600 ka

Abstract

New fieldworks and revision of lithic collections during the past decade have renewed our interpretation of the timing and characteristics of the earliest Acheulean techno-complexes in Western Europe. The lower level of the la Noira site is a crucial snapshot for evaluating the technological abilities and strategies of Middle Pleistocene hominins at 700 kyrs in Europe at the beginning of elaborate biface production and associated behavioural changes. The site of la Noira is located in the central part of France, where climatic conditions may have had a stronger impact on occupations than in Southern Europe. New excavations between 2011 and 2018, over a surface of 100 m², yielded a large corpus of artefacts including cores, flakes, bifaces and a large heavy-duty component. We analysed the lithic corpus composed of almost 1,000 artefacts from a taphonomic perspective, identified the chaînes opératoires and all the reduction processes involved at the site, and examined the spatial distribution of the archaeological remains. The results offer a broad overview of the types of lithic management and related cognition and skills of Middle Pleistocene hominins living on a riverbank under cool conditions, at the beginning of a glacial stage.The comparison with penecontemporaneous sites indicates that a technological shift possibly occurred in Western Europe from 700 to 600 kyrs. The technological strategies used indicate (1) common abilities in core technologies including some sporadic independence from stone shape, (2) a diversity of technical solutions and morphological results for biface shaping with evidence of a bifacial or bilateral equilibrium and a preconceived form on some tools, and (3) a large and diversified heavy-duty component. Biases related to activities, raw material types and various traditions are discussed. The chronology of the emergence of new behaviours, such as an early biface shaping ability, seems to have been identical in the northwest and south of Europe.

The origin of early Acheulean expansion in Europe 700 ka ago: new findings at Notarchirico (Italy)

“…Our study shows that hominins managed bifacial volumes, at least at the transition between MIS 17 and 16 in Italy, and that repeated human occupations occurred in both glacial and interglacial climatic conditions. The technological shift evidenced between layers G and I is not reflected by core technology, which is similar to core-and-flake assemblages (Mode 1) and some early Acheulean records (TD6 Atapuerca in Spain, prior to 780 ka, or Moulin-Quignon at 650 ka in the North of France) 13,[28][29][30][31] , unlike other penecontemporaneous and younger sites, which show evidence of knapping innovation (e.g., la Noira 700 ka) 5,[32][33][34] . The core technology on the whole sequence at Notarchirico, from level alpha to level F (excavations of M. Piperno) 13 , does not indicate differences over time and is similar to the technology applied in layers G and I at the bottom of the sequence.…”

“…At Notarchirico, Acheulean assemblages are associated both with interglacial (MIS17) and glacial (MIS16) contextes, while at La Noira and Moulin Quignon, the human occupations seems both contemporaneous to early glacial stages 5,12,13,30,31 . These sites also show the adaptability of hominins not only to climatic variability, but to widely varying geography and types of raw materials 33,34,39,40,52,53 . New cognitive skills, along with a new and diversified tool kit, could have helped hominins to extend their territories when the climatic conditions were more favorable.…”

Innovations in Acheulean Biface Production at La Noira (Centre France): Shift or Drift Between 700 and 450 Ka in Western Europe?

“…In stratum a (13,14,28), a single local raw material is used, millstone slabs. Handaxe shaping retains large cortical surfaces and exploits stone geometry with one or two series of removals, mainly with hard hammers.…”

“…La Noira is one such example (14,28). The technological analysis of all the lithic material from stratum a at la Noira has already enabled us to explore (13,14,28) the onset of the Acheulean at 700 ka in Western Europe and the technological skills of these hominins. A speci c morphometric analysis of handaxe symmetry in strata a and c (32) has shown that human groups mastered tool symmetry from 700 ka onwards, despite lower shaping intensity at that time.…”

“…MIS 12 was followed by a long interglacial stage (MIS 11) which marks the beginning of new behaviours and the advent of the Neanderthal technical world (13). After the MIS 12 glaciation, considered as a major crisis for hominins, archaeological records show a high quantity and variety of occupations, new subsistence behaviours and important technical innovations (e.g., Levallois technology, increase in light-duty tools and use of re), and evidence of an early regionalization of traditions (13)(14)(15). These behavioural changes suggest increased cognition with new skills and social interactions (16)(17)(18)(19).…”