Reviewing the British Late Upper Palaeolithic: New Evidence for Chronological Patterning in the Lateglacial Record

Abstract

Summary. Variation in Lateglacial lithic assemblages has led some researchers to sub‐divide the British Later Upper Palaeolithic into two or more typologically distinct phases (Campbell 1977; Jacobi 1988). Until now, however, the chronological relationships between the different phases have been difficult to demonstrate. In this paper we present new dating evidence for two distinct blade technologies of Lateglacial type found in southwest Britain. The first corresponds to the ‘Creswellian’(as defined by Jacobi 1991; Jacobi and Roberts 1992), and is dated to the earlier part of the Lateglacial Interstadial (c. 13–12,000 years BP); the second technology compares with European Federmessergruppen assemblages (literally, ‘penknife group’ industries, as described in Schwabedissen 1954) of the ‘forested’ phase of the Interstadial (c. 12–11,000 years BP). In addition to presenting the new dates, this paper explores the implications of treating the technologies as separate entities and puts forward preliminary ideas on differences in raw material use and other human subsistence behaviour.

The Late‐glacial reoccupation of the British Isles and the Creswellian

“…In recent publications (Jacobi, 1991(Jacobi, , 1997Jacobi and Roberts, 1992;Barton and Roberts, 1996;Barton, 1999) the diagnostic importance of the bi-truncated Cheddar point has been reaffirmed and it has been suggested that the term Creswellian should be reserved for assemblages that share most or all of the following characteristics: 1 trapezoidal backed blades with a double truncation (Cheddar points) and backed forms with a single truncation (Creswell points); 2 end-scrapers on long blades, the lateral edges often being modified by retouch; 3 burins, mostly on prepared truncations; 4 piercers and becs; 5 Magdalenian blades (with scalariform retouch), truncated blades with heavily worn or 'rubbed' ends (lames tronquées et usées) and splintered pieces (pièces esquillées); 6 well-made blades and bladelets, detached from cores with a single preferred flaking direction. Features on the ventral surface indicate a predominance of the soft hammer mode of percussion.…”

“…The most significant of these are the microlithic backed bladelets that typify the Late Magdalenian on the east and south of the North Sea basin, in areas immediately adjacent to the British Isles. Equally, we would argue that the curve-backed points typical of mainland Final Palaeolithic Azilian and Federmesser assemblages would not form part of LATE-GLACIAL REOCCUPATION OF THE BRITISH ISLES 633 the Creswellian lithic inventory (Barton and Roberts, 1996). It follows then that the rare presence of 'penknife points' and other curve-backed elements at British sites with Creswellian assemblages is undoubtedly due to mixing of the Creswellian with material from younger contexts.…”

“…Pixie's Hole) and in assemblages dominated by straight-backed blades (e.g. Hengistbury Head) (Barton, 1992;Barton and Roberts, 1996). It therefore appears more likely to us that rather than defining a single cultural facies it in fact provides a link between Late Upper Palaeolithic and Final Upper Palaeolithic technologies in Britain.…”

“…The Creswellian material comes from the lower of two hearths and is associated with the modified bones of mountain hare (Lepus timidus), wild horse (Equus ferus), red deer (Cervus elaphus) and brown bear (Ursus arctos). The site is also of interest because of the clear stratigraphical relationship between the Creswellian assemblage and an overlying Final Palaeolithic occupation (Barton and Roberts, 1996). Apart from differences in the lithic artefacts, the bone in the upper horizon is highly fragmented and in a totally different state of preservation from that of the lower assemblage.…”

“…Cut and broken teeth of wild horse (Equus ferus) were also recorded from beneath the overhang of the cave-wall. A human ulna recovered during earlier work at the site has produced a radiocarbon date very similar to those from other findspots in Table 2, but its stratigraphical relationship to the lithic finds Table 1 Characteristics of Late-glacial Creswellian lithic assemblages (after Campbell, 1977;Jacobi, 1991Jacobi, , 1997Jacobi and Roberts, 1992;Barton, 1990;Barton and Roberts 1996) is unknown. This is also true of a humerus of brown bear excavated by John Campbell in 1968 for which there is a conventional radiocarbon date of 12 378 AE 150 yr BP (BM-524: Barker et al, 1971, p. 168).…”