Towards the Middle Palaeolithic in Western Europe: The case of Orgnac 3 (southeastern France)

The Middle Paleolithic site of Cuesta de la Bajada (Teruel, Spain): a perspective on the Acheulean and Middle Paleolithic technocomplexes in Europe

“…Instead, Cuesta de la Bajada represents a technology focused on debitage, the application of technical concepts such as ramified production sequences, and the recycling of flakes via the resharpening of tools and exhausted cores. This kind of technology reaches its full development in the Mousterian industries, and can also be found in preceding Middle Pleistocene Southern European core, flake and tool industries (Moncel et al, 2012;Rocca, 2013;Turq et al, 2010;Lumley and Barsky, 2004), as well as in Central Europe at sites such as Bilzingsleben, Vertessz€ ol€ os or Sch€ oningen that have been dated to MIS 9/MIS 11 (i.e., similar to Cuesta de la Bajada) (Rocca, 2013;Van Asperen, 2012).…”

“…In Europe, the study of the change from the Middle Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic has occupied a prominent place in the literature, but a hypothetic transition from the Lower Paleolithic to the Middle Paleolithic has also received important attention (Chazan, 2009;Villa, 2009;Richter, 2011;Moncel et al, 2012). The European Lower Paleolithic comprises archaic and Acheulean industries.…”

Widespread diffusion of technical innovations around 300,000 years ago in Europe as a reflection of anthropological and social transformations? New comparative data from the western Mediterranean sites of Orgnac (France) and Cave dall’Olio (Italy)

“…In order to discuss these aspects we focused on the lithic assemblages from two southern European key-sites, respectively located in France (Orgnac 3) and Italy (Cave dall'Olio). The analysis of these assemblages resulted in the description of the common technical changes which occurred at the transition from the late Acheulean to the early Middle Palaeolithic in southern Europe in a cave and an open-air site Lumley and Barsky, 2004;Barsky and Lumley, 2005;Colonge, 2005;Moncel et al, 2012), by the identification of a series of qualitative criteria (i.e. reduction methods, ramification of reduction sequences, preparation/maintenance of convexities, organization of removals and recurrence, predetermination of débitage objectives and productivity, management of flaking platforms) (Table 5).…”

“…The presence of a group of associated layers on the basis of technical parameters suggests the existence of stages within the development process of the new strategies. However, no secure element allows us to ascertain the existence of a genetic link between the different occupation phases in this site (Moncel, 2006;Menendez-Granda, 2009;Moncel et al, 2011Moncel et al, , 2012. The productivity of cores increases throughout time while the preparation of percussion platforms becomes more curated and the management of débitage surfaces leads to the predetermination of production which becomes more and more mastered.…”

“…At the same time, important transformations are reflected by lithic assemblages, resulting in the implementation of more complex flaking strategies and a higher standardization of products between MIS 9 (Marine Isotope Stage 9) and MIS 7 -starting around 350-300,000 years ago. These transformations took place at different times in diverse areas, either progressively and gradually or by episodic phases among a human population considered to be genetically homogeneous (Moncel, 2003a;Monnier, 2006;Premo and Hublin, 2009;Moncel et al, 2012).…”