Pub Date : 2023-10-18DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00159-7
Vera Aldeias, Dennis Sandgathe, Shannon J. P. McPherron, Laurent Bruxelles, Alain Turq, Paul Goldberg
Abstract The Paleolithic site of La Ferrassie (Dordogne, France) has contributed significantly to the understanding of Middle and Upper Paleolithic technocomplexes, as well as Neanderthal skeletal morphology. Excavations at the site have spanned more than a century and uncovered rich archaeological assemblages associated with the Mousterian, Châtelperronian, Aurignacian and Gravettian technocomplexes. Renewed excavations exposed a sequence spanning both Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupations in the Western Sector and low-density Mousterian deposits and Châtelperronian in the Northern Sector. Here, we report on an extensive geoarchaeological study of deposits at the western end of the site to reconstruct and interpret both the depositional history of the sediments and associated human occupations in this poorly documented part of La Ferrassie. Our results point to the nature of the site as originally a karstic cave, with the Western Sector located in what would have been the cave’s mouth. The stratigraphic sequence comprises first fluvial deposition (Phase I) followed by soliflucted deposits and accretion cones that emanate from an elevated platform situated several meters above the modern road next to the site (Phase II) and, finally, spatially restricted channeling (Phase III). Most archaeological assemblages are associated with Phase II and reflect an interplay between occupations directly in this area and bones and artifacts sliding down the slope from the upper platform. Unlike in the Western Sector, in the Northern Sector — situated along the north wall and several meters inside the footprint of the cave — cold features dominate the entirety of the sequence; we interpret these as being linked to microenvironments specific to this location of the karst rather than to general (external) climatic conditions. Relevant is the identification of patterned ground formation in this area, which can be clearly linked to the “monticule” features first reported by Capitan and Peyrony and erroneously interpreted as anthropogenic in origin. Our geoarchaeological results point to a large and complex karst system, with distinct depositional sources and often locally independent sedimentary histories throughout its extent. These formation pathways have differently impacted the main occupation areas and resulted in distinct degrees of preservation of the archaeological assemblages throughout the different areas of the site.
La Ferrassie (Dordogne, France)旧石器时代遗址对了解旧石器时代中晚期的技术复合体以及尼安德特人的骨骼形态做出了重大贡献。该遗址的发掘工作已经持续了一个多世纪,并发现了与莫斯特纪、chaltelperronian、Aurignacian和Gravettian技术综合体相关的丰富的考古组合。新的发掘暴露了西部地区旧石器时代中期和晚期的序列,以及北部地区低密度的Mousterian沉积物和chaltelperronian沉积物。在这里,我们报告了对该遗址西端沉积物的广泛地质考古研究,以重建和解释沉积物的沉积历史以及在La Ferrassie这一文献贫乏的部分中相关的人类活动。我们的研究结果表明,该遗址的性质最初是一个岩溶洞,西部地区位于可能是洞穴口的地方。地层序列包括第一次河流沉积(第一阶段),其次是位于遗址旁边现代道路上方几米的高架平台上的溶蚀沉积和吸积锥(第二阶段),最后是空间受限的沟槽(第三阶段)。大多数考古组合与第二阶段有关,反映了该地区直接的职业与从上平台滑下斜坡的骨头和人工制品之间的相互作用。与西部不同的是,北部沿着北壁在洞穴足迹内几米的地方,寒冷的特征主导了整个序列;我们将这些解释为与喀斯特特定位置的微环境有关,而不是与一般(外部)气候条件有关。与此相关的是,该地区的模式地层的识别,可以清楚地将其与Capitan和Peyrony首次报道的“单体”特征联系起来,并被错误地解释为人为起源。我们的地质考古结果指向一个庞大而复杂的喀斯特系统,具有独特的沉积来源,并且在整个范围内往往是局部独立的沉积历史。这些形成路径对主要占领区产生了不同程度的影响,并导致了遗址不同区域考古组合的不同程度的保存。
{"title":"Site Formation Histories and Context of Human Occupations at the Paleolithic Site of La Ferrassie (Dordogne, France)","authors":"Vera Aldeias, Dennis Sandgathe, Shannon J. P. McPherron, Laurent Bruxelles, Alain Turq, Paul Goldberg","doi":"10.1007/s41982-023-00159-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00159-7","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Paleolithic site of La Ferrassie (Dordogne, France) has contributed significantly to the understanding of Middle and Upper Paleolithic technocomplexes, as well as Neanderthal skeletal morphology. Excavations at the site have spanned more than a century and uncovered rich archaeological assemblages associated with the Mousterian, Châtelperronian, Aurignacian and Gravettian technocomplexes. Renewed excavations exposed a sequence spanning both Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupations in the Western Sector and low-density Mousterian deposits and Châtelperronian in the Northern Sector. Here, we report on an extensive geoarchaeological study of deposits at the western end of the site to reconstruct and interpret both the depositional history of the sediments and associated human occupations in this poorly documented part of La Ferrassie. Our results point to the nature of the site as originally a karstic cave, with the Western Sector located in what would have been the cave’s mouth. The stratigraphic sequence comprises first fluvial deposition (Phase I) followed by soliflucted deposits and accretion cones that emanate from an elevated platform situated several meters above the modern road next to the site (Phase II) and, finally, spatially restricted channeling (Phase III). Most archaeological assemblages are associated with Phase II and reflect an interplay between occupations directly in this area and bones and artifacts sliding down the slope from the upper platform. Unlike in the Western Sector, in the Northern Sector — situated along the north wall and several meters inside the footprint of the cave — cold features dominate the entirety of the sequence; we interpret these as being linked to microenvironments specific to this location of the karst rather than to general (external) climatic conditions. Relevant is the identification of patterned ground formation in this area, which can be clearly linked to the “monticule” features first reported by Capitan and Peyrony and erroneously interpreted as anthropogenic in origin. Our geoarchaeological results point to a large and complex karst system, with distinct depositional sources and often locally independent sedimentary histories throughout its extent. These formation pathways have differently impacted the main occupation areas and resulted in distinct degrees of preservation of the archaeological assemblages throughout the different areas of the site.","PeriodicalId":73885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of paleolithic archaeology","volume":"23 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135888240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-10DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00155-x
Emmanuel Discamps, Marc Thomas, Christelle Dancette, Brad Gravina, Sébastien Plutniak, Aurélien Royer, Alexandre Angelin, François Bachellerie, Cédric Beauval, Jean-Guillaume Bordes, Marianne Deschamps, Mathieu Langlais, Véronique Laroulandie, Jean-Baptiste Mallye, Alexandre Michel, Thomas Perrin, William Rendu
Abstract In order to track diachronic changes in archaeological sequences, researchers typically partition time into stratigraphic layers defined during fieldwork, which serve as the framework for ensuing analyses. These analytical units have a significant impact on archaeological inference, defining its resolution, and influencing both the study of cultural assemblages and the reconstruction of past environments. However, field layers are seldom re-evaluated after excavation despite the fact that archaeological deposits are now commonly recognised as often containing material ‘mixed’ together by site formation processes, excavation techniques, or analytical practices. Although the analysis of intra-site spatial data clearly offers a means to overcome these issues, our literature review of 192 journal articles revealed the potential of this data (notably vertical projections of piece-plotted artefacts) to be under-exploited in prehistoric archaeology. Here, we advocate for the development of a more spatially informed framework for interpretation that we refer to as post-excavation stratigraphy or PES. After proposing a definition for PES, we attempt to develop a framework for theoretical considerations underlying their implication, importance, and potential. Three main benefits of PES are highlighted: ensuring assemblage reliability, increased chronological and spatial resolution, and more reliable interpretations based on a multi-stratigraphic approach. We contend that the stratigraphy defined during fieldwork is insufficient and potentially misleading. By providing a different “stratigraphic view” of the same sequence, each specialist can contribute data that, when combined, produces a better understanding of interactions between changes in, for example, technological or cultural traditions, subsistence strategies, or paleoenvironments.
{"title":"Breaking Free from Field Layers: The Interest of Post-excavation Stratigraphies (PES) for Producing Reliable Archaeological Interpretations and Increasing Chronological Resolution","authors":"Emmanuel Discamps, Marc Thomas, Christelle Dancette, Brad Gravina, Sébastien Plutniak, Aurélien Royer, Alexandre Angelin, François Bachellerie, Cédric Beauval, Jean-Guillaume Bordes, Marianne Deschamps, Mathieu Langlais, Véronique Laroulandie, Jean-Baptiste Mallye, Alexandre Michel, Thomas Perrin, William Rendu","doi":"10.1007/s41982-023-00155-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00155-x","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In order to track diachronic changes in archaeological sequences, researchers typically partition time into stratigraphic layers defined during fieldwork, which serve as the framework for ensuing analyses. These analytical units have a significant impact on archaeological inference, defining its resolution, and influencing both the study of cultural assemblages and the reconstruction of past environments. However, field layers are seldom re-evaluated after excavation despite the fact that archaeological deposits are now commonly recognised as often containing material ‘mixed’ together by site formation processes, excavation techniques, or analytical practices. Although the analysis of intra-site spatial data clearly offers a means to overcome these issues, our literature review of 192 journal articles revealed the potential of this data (notably vertical projections of piece-plotted artefacts) to be under-exploited in prehistoric archaeology. Here, we advocate for the development of a more spatially informed framework for interpretation that we refer to as post-excavation stratigraphy or PES. After proposing a definition for PES, we attempt to develop a framework for theoretical considerations underlying their implication, importance, and potential. Three main benefits of PES are highlighted: ensuring assemblage reliability, increased chronological and spatial resolution, and more reliable interpretations based on a multi-stratigraphic approach. We contend that the stratigraphy defined during fieldwork is insufficient and potentially misleading. By providing a different “stratigraphic view” of the same sequence, each specialist can contribute data that, when combined, produces a better understanding of interactions between changes in, for example, technological or cultural traditions, subsistence strategies, or paleoenvironments.","PeriodicalId":73885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of paleolithic archaeology","volume":"58 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136291532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-28DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00156-w
Paraskevi Elefanti, Gilbert Marshall
{"title":"Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene Technological Traditions at Boila Rockshelter in Epirus, Northwestern Greece","authors":"Paraskevi Elefanti, Gilbert Marshall","doi":"10.1007/s41982-023-00156-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00156-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of paleolithic archaeology","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135386997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-17DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00153-z
T. Forssman
{"title":"The End of the Later Stone Age in the Middle Limpopo Valley, Central Southern Africa","authors":"T. Forssman","doi":"10.1007/s41982-023-00153-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00153-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of paleolithic archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41592674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-12DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00150-2
Kyra Pazan, B. Stewart, Genevieve Dewar
{"title":"Early LGM Environments Accelerated the MSA/LSA Transition in Southern African Highlands: the Robberg’s Emergence at Melikane (Lesotho)","authors":"Kyra Pazan, B. Stewart, Genevieve Dewar","doi":"10.1007/s41982-023-00150-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00150-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of paleolithic archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47127923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-12DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00152-0
Daniela de Matos, David Nora, Rui Francisco, José Fernandes, Manuel Sahando Neto, Elena Robakiewicz
{"title":"Survey and Explorations of the Prehistoric Sites in the Highlands of Southwest Angola","authors":"Daniela de Matos, David Nora, Rui Francisco, José Fernandes, Manuel Sahando Neto, Elena Robakiewicz","doi":"10.1007/s41982-023-00152-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00152-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of paleolithic archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47211479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-03DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00151-1
E. Hallinan, A. Marks
{"title":"The Complex Taxonomy of ‘Nubian’ in Context","authors":"E. Hallinan, A. Marks","doi":"10.1007/s41982-023-00151-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00151-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of paleolithic archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43386142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-25DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00149-9
M. Borao, L. Pérez, M. Vadillo Conesa, P. Vidal Matutano, B. Soler Mayor, J. E. Aura Tortosa
{"title":"The Solutrean Antlerworking in Hort de Cortés–Volcán del Faro (Valencia, Spain) in the Southwest Europe Context: a Preliminary Study","authors":"M. Borao, L. Pérez, M. Vadillo Conesa, P. Vidal Matutano, B. Soler Mayor, J. E. Aura Tortosa","doi":"10.1007/s41982-023-00149-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00149-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of paleolithic archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48398371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-05DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00148-w
Florian Sauer
{"title":"A GIS-Based Digital Documentation Protocol for High-Resolution Documentation of Paleolithic Sites","authors":"Florian Sauer","doi":"10.1007/s41982-023-00148-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00148-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of paleolithic archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45704042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-14DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00147-x
A. Mackay, Rosaria B. K. Saktura, Corey A. O’Driscoll, K. Boyd, B. Marwick, I. Moffat, Z. Jacobs
{"title":"The Middle Stone Age Sequence at Klipfonteinrand 1 (KFR1), Western Cape, South Africa","authors":"A. Mackay, Rosaria B. K. Saktura, Corey A. O’Driscoll, K. Boyd, B. Marwick, I. Moffat, Z. Jacobs","doi":"10.1007/s41982-023-00147-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00147-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73885,"journal":{"name":"Journal of paleolithic archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48423612","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}