“…In Western Europe, MIS 3 records climatic instability and diversified cultural traditions, including transitional industries, mostly made by unknown hominins, and some evidence of refuge areas and discontinuity in occupations (e.g., Obreht et al, 2017;Bard et al, 2020;Cooper et al, 2021;Picin et al, 2021;Zilhão et al, 2021;Peresani, 2022;Albouy et al, 2023). Some of these diversified traditions are described as Middle Palaeolithic, suggesting the persistence of Neanderthal groups in various geographical and topographical contexts, with intra and intersite diversity (e.g., Vieillevigne et al, 2008;Daujeard et al, 2012Daujeard et al, , 2016Ruebens and Wragg Sykes 2016;Daura et al, 2017;Discamps and Royer, 2017;Faivre et al, 2017;Eixea, 2018;Wolf et al, 2018;Marin et al, 2020;Baena et al, 2017Baena et al, , 2021Banks et al, 2021;Ruiz et al, 2021;Romagnoli et al, 2022;Jöris et al, 2023;Navazo et al, 2023).…”