Reconstitution de la végétation et du paléoclimat à partir de charbons de bois prélevés sur les sites du Paléolithique dans la région de Jungwon en Corée

Hundreds samples of the charcoals and waterlogged woods excavated from three late Paleolithic sites (Suyanggae, Gunang-gul and Sorori) in the Jungwon Region in Korea were analyzed to reconstruct the vegetation and paleoclimate in the region. Analyzed charcoal samples from the Suyanggae site show that the climate was cold in the lower part and it became more warm and dry in the upper part. From the Gunang-gul site, only Picea spp. was identified, indicating cool climates. From the Sorori site, two species were found; Alnus spp. (95%) and Ulmus spp. (5%). No conifers were discovered. The species composition indicates that the climate condition of central Korean peninsula around 8,800 BP was little cooler and wetter condition.     

Aux origines de la Spiritualité : la notion de transcendance au Paléolithique

In a previous note we presented the expression of the late paleolithic spirituality (Welté and Lambert, 2004). A special analytic grid was used as a possible tool for a demonstration. We separeted rationality from metaphysic; notions which are linked with dialectic relations between necessity (daily constraints), thought, action and evolution in the paleolithic period. Starting from the no direct material activities like burials, funeral materials and art, we purpose now that such notions existed before the upper Paleolithic. We infer that a privilegious set of interactions between the animal and the human appeared early in the thought of the people, before the upper Paleolithic. A metaphysic univers forced itself upon them as an evident “anti-world” which is the symmetric shape of the real and tangible world. In such a context, the social system(s) could not discard these duality.     

Le site Paléolithique de Suyanggae, Corée

The Suyanggae site is an open-air site in central part of South Korea. This site was discovered in 1980 and seven excavations have been carried out from 1983 to 1996. As a result, many stone artefacts were unearthed and 49 stone tool workshops were known. This site contains 5 cultural layers and the most important one is the Upper Paleolithic layer. This layer is dated to be 16,400 ~ 18,630 BP by ¹⁴C dating. It shows a massive blade production and microblade technique. It is one of the crucial sites for understanding the Upper Paleolithic of Korea.     

At the end of the 14C time scale--the Middle to Upper Paleolithic record of western Eurasia

The dynamics of change underlying the demographic processes that led to the replacement of Neandertals by Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH) and the emergence of what are recognized as Upper Paleolithic technologies and behavior can only be understood with reference to the underlying chronological framework. This paper examines the European chronometric (mainly radiocarbon-based) record for the period between ca. 40 and 30 ka ¹⁴C BP and proposes a relatively rapid transition within some 2,500 years. This can be summarized in the following falsifiable hypotheses: (1) final Middle Paleolithic (FMP) “transitional” industries (Uluzzian, Chatelperronian, leaf-point industries) were made by Neandertals and date predominantly to between ca. 41 and 38 ka ¹⁴C BP, but not younger than 35/34 ka ¹⁴C BP; (2) initial (IUP) and early (EUP) Upper Paleolithic “transitional” industries (Bachokirian, Bohunician, Protoaurignacian, Kostenki 14) will date to between ca. 39/38 and 35 ka ¹⁴C BP and document the appearance of AMH in Europe; (3) the earliest Aurignacian (I) appears throughout Europe quasi simultaneously at ca. 35 ka ¹⁴C BP. The earliest appearance of figurative art is documented only for a later phase ca. 33.0/32.5-29.2 ka ¹⁴C BP. Taken together, the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition appears to be a cumulative process involving the acquisition of different elements of “behavioral modernity” through several “stages of innovation.”     

La culture du Paléolithique dans la région de Jungwon en Corée

The Jungwon region is located in the central part of Korea and it is one of crucial regions for understanding of the Korean Paleolithic culture. Many Paleolithic sites have been discovered in this region, from the lower Paleolithic to the upper Paleolithic. It is of interest the remarkable variety of archeological remains such as human bones, stone tools, animal bones and paleoenvironmental artifacts. As a result, it permits us to reconstruct the subsistence of prehistoric men. This region has an important role for Korean prehistoric researches.     

Art mobilier magdalénien en matières dures animales de Moravie (République tchèque). Aspects technologique et stylistique

The Magdalenian techno-complex evolved in Western Europe and Central Europe between 17-12 kyr BP, concentrated in Spain on the Cantabrian Coast and in France in Pyrenees and Dordogne, in Central Europe in Poland and Moravia. In our study we analyse portable art on hard animal tissues from Moravian sites (Pekárna, K?í?ova, Rytí?ská), Czech Republic. Comparative material was provided by sites in South-western France (Laugerie, Basse, Enlène). The results of the technological, stylistic and typological comparisons confirm our hypothesis that the Magdalenian portable art from sites in Moravia belong to the Magdalenian techno-complex. The comparison of typological objects in Moravia, like decorated bone disc, pendants, Venus, bâton percé, spatule, shows that their variability is well in the range expected for techno-complex. The same technological pattern can be found between typological objects of spatule as a technology of decoupage but which is applied on different anatomical parts of animal raw material. We discussed the question about local origin of the objects. Technological comparison shows that engraving and bas-relief are more frequent in Moravia than in South-western France sites. This can be explained as a regional based preference of technology for expression of different subjects of mobile art, but also as a possible bias due to small sample size and differences in sampling of our studied objects. Engraving present similar technological characteristics that are featured in both areas. Design, like organization of space and size of the engraving, can be interpreted as an existence of contact between both groups and presence of one Magdalenian techno-complex.     

L’art bourgeois de la fin du XIX siècle face à l’art mobilier Paléolithique

On the occasion of the centenary of the Emile Cartailhac’s « Mea culpa d’un sceptique”, we want to reflect on one of the main questions of our discipline: Why has so-called « cave art” only been accepted as Paleolithic art in 1902, whereas the so-called « mobiliary art” had been accepted as Paleolithic art at the beginning of 1860s? In this paper, we want to suggest a definition of the conception of primitive art during the last third of the 19th century in order to understand: (A) Why Paleolithic paintings in the walls of some caves (Niaux, Chabot, Altamira) were not accepted as Paleolithic art between 1860 and 1902. (B) Given that what we now call mobiliary art is the same artistic phenomenon that prehistorians of the late 19th century thought of as primitive art, this article allows us to suggest a genealogy of mobiliary art. This genealogy will enable us to show that this concept not only defines a wide variety of forms, from engraving stones to carving in antler or ivory, but hides a multiplicity of meanings and connotations which originated in the period between 1860 and 1900.     

L’Aurignacien archaïque de la grotte El Castillo (Espagne) : caractérisation technologique et typologique

In this paper, we present the techno-typological study of level 16 of El Castillo cave (Archaic Aurignacian). In this level, we can identify an important bladelet production from schémas opératoires of unipolar prismatic cores, carinated endscraper and carinated burins types. Besides, we find a specific production of Discoid conception. The retouched blanks, though scanty, are dominated by the Dufour bladelets. Level 16 is in relation with the Archaic Aurignacian at the Cantabrian Iberia, which is present in sites like Cueva Morín, Labeko Koba, Gatzarria, or Isturitz and it also is in relation with the Mediterranean Archaic Aurignacian. Finally, we analyse the different hypotheses about the Initial Upper Paleolithic origin in Europe. The mosaic hypothesis is acceptable for us.     

L'industrie lithique du Paléolithique dans la région de Jungwon en Corée

Prehistoric people have been often lived in the Jungwon region during the Paleolithic. It is a reference for development of the Paleolithic cultures in Korea. During the lower Paleolithic, pebble tool culture has been developed: tools were made with local raw materials and direct percussion and anvil technique were utilized. Debitage and raw material of the middle Paleolithic did not make a great difference to the lower Paleolithic. Otherwise, tool size became small and the number of flake tools increased. The crucial changes occurred during the upper Paleolithic. Technique, acquisition of raw material and tool kits were thoroughly innovated. All of these changes would reveal that the upper Paleolithic people have carried out more various activities, that earlier periods and their social structure would be more complex than other ones'.     

Taxonomie du grand canidé de la grotte du Vallonnet (Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Alpes-Maritimes, France)

The large canid of Vallonnet cave belongs to Xenocyon lycaonoides. Its remains are similar to the Xenocyon from Untermassfeld in Germany. X. Lycaonoides, and evoluated form of the Xenocyon genus, is characteristic of the second half of the Lower Pleistocene. The genus Xenocyon may be the ancestor of both Cuon and Lycaon.     

Stress physiologique et état de santé des plus anciens Hommes anatomiquement modernes du sud-est de l’Europe (données dentaires,couche 6-1, Buran-Kaya III,Crimée)

Buran-Kaya III site, in Crimea, provides an exceptional stratigraphic sequence, extending from Middle Paleolithic to Neolithic. Among the archaeological layers allocated to the Gravettian (sensu lato), more than 170 anthropological remains have been discovered in the layer 6-1. They represent the oldest Upper Paleolithic modern humans from Eastern Europe in a well-documented archaeological context. The aim of this article, based on dental remains and enamel dental hypoplasias in particular, is to evaluate the health of the modern humans, which lived more than 32,000 years BP ago in Crimea. This study puts into the light the low frequency of hypoplasias (occurring in the two youngest individuals). This article complete the rare studies concerning the presence of this physiological stress during the Early Upper Paleolithic and confirm the scarcity of enamel dental hypoplasias and dental pathologies, such as caries, at this period.     

Le Lias et le Dogger du sud du Bassin parisien (France) : rôle de la tectonique syn-sédimentaire et reconstitutions paléogéographiques à l'échelle de la biozone d'ammonite

The Lias and Dogger series in the southern Paris Basin outcrops are precisely dated following the ammonite biozonation scale. In these series, the depositional environment context is accurately identified and thus various isopic zones can bee recognized. From the outcrop study, the depositional sequence and the tectonics events are also distinguished. The poorly dated subsurface data should be not anymore interpreted as diagraphic signatures, with the traditional peak to peak correlation. They now need to be analysed according to the geodynamic evolution of each isopic zone. The Liassic transgressive series (in the Armorican continent) and the Dogger platforms numerous carbonate bodies are correlated at biostratigraphic scale, throughout the whole southern Paris Basin. Subsequently, paleogeographic maps are established and based on depositional sequences. The basin evolution image changes radically. This shows clearly that the complexes carbonate bodies layout prohibits any depositional environment interpretation and any isopach mapping at geological stage level. If not, the carbonate platforms of different age would be amalgamated, without any connection with the reality. Over the time, paleogeographic maps show syn-sedimentary short wavelength deformations, more or less well expressed according to the local sedimentary context. During the Lias and the Dogger, three steps can be distinguished in the southern Paris Basin. Hettangian to Lower Aalenian, the progressive increase in accommodation drives to total immersion of the continental areas; the maximum of accommodation during the Middle Toarcian entails uniform sedimentary conditions. However, short wavelength deformations persist. The major accidents defining the isopic zones are mainly North-South oriented. Middle Aalenian to Middle Bathonian, isopic zones are contrasted, controlled by the North-South accidents but also the North West-South East ones ; the variable accommodation allowed the development of regional sedimentary gaps and shallow limestone progradations on a marly area (so called “Sillon marneux”) ; tectonics events correspond to the Tethyan and the North Sea riftings influences. Upper Bathonian to Upper Oxfordian, the North West-South East tectonics accidents are particularly active; this tectonic phase could be associated to the thermal event, described in the Paris Basin and announcing the Malm depositional environment.     

L'hominidé du Pléistocène supérieur en Corée

Since the middle of 1970s, one rock-shelter, six caves and one open archaeological site have yielded several hominid fossils. Among them, fossils from Yonggok, Mandal, Sangsi and Hungsu cave sites are useful to reconstruct the general shape of the Upper Pleistocene Hominids in Korea. The main study of this paper is to focus on the reconstruction of the general shape of the upper Pleistocene hominids, and to examine the cause of cranial changes from the late upper Paleolithic to Mesolithic period in Korea. Biomechanical principles are also applied to reconstruct the social activity of the upper Paleolithic man in Korea. In addition, it is assumed that main proponent of Paleolithic cultures in Korea might be Homo sapiens rather than any other species. Based on the anatomical characteristics of skull, the axillary border of the scapular and the midshaft of the femur, general appearance of Homo sapiens during the Pleistocene in Korea could be reconstructed.     

Le Paléolithique moyen de l'Abric Romaní. Comportements écosociaux des groupes néandertaliens

The Abric Romaní is one of the most important Upper Pleistocene sequence of the Iberian Peninsula, with archaeological levels belonging to the Middle Paleolithic and with one of the earliest Aurignacian samples from Western Europe. Research has been focused on the interpretation of patterns of manage and consume of natural resources and the spatial organization of the activities inside the site, and for that reason, the fieldwork strategy is lead to excavate the whole surface of the site. The results of more than 25 years of research on the Abric Romaní conclude that Neanderthal communities settled in the site forming domestic groups around hearths. Depending on the intensity of occupation, related to the length of occupation and with the number of people of these groups, this spatial domestic structure evolves forming the variability spectrum of settlement impacts in the site. In the same way, the manage of lithic and faunal resources increases its variability following the intensity of occupation, using clears technical patterns of lithic production and for catching and processing faunal preys. This variability from behaviors well established is interpreted like the way for adapting new historical and environmental situations.     

Comparaison de l'expression de certains caractères crâniens sur les hominidés chinois du Pléistocène récent et de l'Holocène (grotte supérieure de Zhoukoudian, sites de Longxian et de Yanqing)

The human remains recovered from “Grotte supérieure de Zhoukoudian” are the best-preserved Late Pleistocene human fossils in East Asia. For decades, as the representative of the Late Pleistocene human in East Asia, the Upper Cave skulls have been playing important role in the research of origins of modern Mongoloids and American Indians. With the advance of the origin and evolution of modern humans, more attention has been paid to the details and the mechanisms for the late Pleistocene human evolution and the formation of modern human populations. Both the origin and diversification of modern humans have been stressed. Some studies further trigger the debaters on the Upper Cave Man concerning its evolutionary level and its role in the formation of modern human populations in East Asia. To further explore these problems, we examined and compared 12 non-metric features on the 3 Late Pleistocene Upper Cave skulls and 162 Holocene individuals earthed from two archaeological sites of North China (Longxian and Yanqing). Our results indicate that 8 on the 12 features have different expression patterns between Upper Cave Man and recent Chinese leading the authors to believe that more primitive expressions appeared on the Upper Cave Man than on recent Chinese populations. Based on these findings, some problems on the intragroup variation in Late Pleistocene and Holocene populations are discussed.     

Environnement et archéologie durant le Paléolithique final dans la région du Rhin moyen (Rhénanie, Allemagne) : conclusions des 15 dernières années de recherches

The Laacher See volcano erupted at 10,966 cal BC covered the whole Central Rhineland with huge tephra layers which are exploited now for some 150 years. During the last 15 years of research several new find locations exhibiting tree trunks of the hemi-boreal woodland, leaf imprints and animal tracks preserved in pumice and ashes reveal detailed insights into the (younger) Allerød environment. Five final Paleolithic (Federmessergruppen) habitation sites without any evident settlement structures but providing exogenous raw materials from outcrops in distances up to 170 km demonstrate the highly mobile mode of life of these hunter-gatherers groups some 13,000 years ago.     

Sols et structures d’habitat du Paléolithique supérieur, nouvelles données depuis les Cantabres : la Galerie Inférieure de La Garma (Cantabrie, Espagne)

A brief review is done of the history of the research on Upper Paleolithic floors and structures, with a general outline of the main substantive and theoretical-methodological aspects. On the resulting “state of the art” we present the preliminary results of the study of the occupation evidences from the Lower Gallery of La Garma. In essence, it constitutes an astonishing ensemble of extensive Middle Magdalenian occupation floors, exceptionally rich and quite well preserved, including several structures and associated with rock art paintings and carvings of that period. The potential of the site is superlative, and the research’s project already begins to offer some interesting results of which this article is a fairly small advance.     

Chronology of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Abric Romaní, Catalunya

This paper presents new data from Abric Romaní, a key site in the region of Catalunya, northeastern Iberia, which is central to discussions of the transition between the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in Europe. Until now, the Mid-Upper Paleolithic transition had been dated at the site through samples from the remaining baulk sections of levels A and B (typologically classified as ‘earliest Aurignacian’ and Mousterian, respectively) at the rear of the rockshelter, which were left from excavations in the late 1900s and early 1910s. We dated samples of bone and charcoal from these remnant sections with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) methods. We also analysed several humanly-modified artefacts (bone points and perforated shells) excavated from other areas of the same layers. From the initial series, we obtained ages of c. 20 ka BP (thousands of years before present); much younger than expected if they indeed dated to the early Upper Palaeolithic. We sampled additional material to test the robustness of these initial ages, and older determinations that were more comparable with the chronology outlined by [Bischoff et?al., 1988] and [Bischoff et?al., 1994] resulted. All of the old and new results have been compared in a Bayesian model using the new INTCAL09 ¹⁴C calibration dataset. The results appear to confirm the suggestion of some researchers (e.g., Zilhão and d’Errico, 1999) that there was no Aurignacian in the north of Iberia until c. 36,500 BP. The chronometric model shows a good level of agreement between the radiocarbon and U-series chronologies previously obtained, and the new results published in this paper.     

Les faunes de grands mammifères de la Caune de l'Arago (Tautavel) dans le cadre biochronologique des faunes du Pléistocène moyen italien

The fossiliferous levels of Caune de l'Arago supply a useful tool to investigate the relationships between faunal renewals and climate changes in a restricted area during the Middle Pleistocene. On the other hand the Italian fossil assemblages of the middle Galerian testified changes of palaeoenvironmental conditions. A biochronologic and palaeoecologic comparison among large mammalian faunas of these quite different Mediterranean regions have been performed in the aim to value possible vicariance of taxa and differences of faunal renewal dynamic during the Middle Pleistocene. After the results of our analysis we can correlate the faunal assemblages from the “Complexe moyen, ensemble stratigraphique I”, “Complexe moyen, ensembles stratigraphiques II and III”, “Complexe supérieur, sols A and B” of Caune de L'Arago sedimentary succession with the Italian Isernia (middle Galerian), Fontana Ranuccio (late Galerian) and Torre in Pietra (early Aurelian) faunal units (FUs) respectively. The French faunal assemblages were characterised by the absence of browsers and, conversely, by the presence of boreal taxa, mainly grazers, that were rare or never occurred in Italy. Accordingly, at no one Italian faunal complex, as expected, we can find any indication of continental cold climatic condition as showed by the faunal complexes of the Caune de l'Arago. Nevertheless, the major climate changes characterising the Middle Pleistocene can be detected in both regions. During the span time of Isernia FU, the temperature was at its lowest and arid conditions prevailed, whereas during the following Fontana Ranuccio FU humidity and temperature increased, as is more evident in central Italy local faunas. Moreover, after the similarity analysis, the Visogliano local fauna (North-Eastern Italy) was more related to the French than to the Italian ones. During the late Middle Pleistocene (Torre in Pietra FU) a moderate faunal reconstruction can be detected in both regions. The renewal was linked to climatic modifications taking place in the Mediterranean area approximately around OIS 11/OIS 10 transition, when interstadials became progressively milder and average humidity increased.     

Hommes et environnements au Paléolithique supérieur en Ukraine continentale et en Crimée : introduction

Research, conducted under the ANR project “Mammouths”, on “the end of the mammoth steppe: Man/Environment relationship during late Pleniglacial in Eastern Europe”, is the subject of several contributions, a part of them is published in this volume, under the heading “Humans and environments during Upper Paleolithic in mainland Ukraine and Crimea”, in the French journal L’anthropologie.