Le gisement acheuléen de Cagny-l'Épinette (Somme)

Abstract

steppic landscape interrupted by trees. The climatic conditions were close to those of an interglacial, from the Tardiglacial to the Early Glacial. The lithic industries are characterized by bifaces with various morphologies. The flaking and blank production indicate an opportunistic behaviour which did not develop any sophisticated operating scheme. On the whole non-standardized flake tools were badly manufactured : they mainly consist of notches and denti-culates. The big fauna is typical of the Middle Pleistocene one (Bos primigenius trochoceros, Equus caballus mosbachensis, Equus hydruntinus, Cervus elaphus, Dama...). Comparisons with other site fauna could be drawn. When the spatial distribution analysis is fully achieved there will be a better understanding of bones and flint artefacts. Résumé RESUMÉ Le gisement acheuléen de Cagny-Г Épi nette a une séquence archéologique incluse dans les formations flu-vi at i les fines de la nappe la plus récente du complexe de la "moyenne terrasse" du bassin de la Somme et à la partie inférieure de la couverture sablo-limoneuse sus-jacente. D'après les données palynologiques et pa-léontologiques, les occupations humaines, attestées par la présence de silex taillés et d'ossements d'animaux montrant des signes d'actions an-thropiques, se situent dans un paysage de steppes arborées correspondant à des ambiances climatiques proches de l'interglaciaire, allant du Tardiglaciaire au Début Glaciaire. Les industries lithiques se caractérisent par la présence de bifaces de morphologie variée. Le débitage et la production des supports témoignent d'un comportement opportuniste sans chaîne opératoire élaborée. L'outillage sur éclat, non standardisé, comprend surtout des pièces de mauvaise facture, essentiellement des encoches et des denticulés. La grande faune correspond à des espèces caractéristiques du Pleistocene moyen (Bos primigenius trochoceros, Equus caballus mosbachensis, Equus hydruntinus, Cervus elaphus, Dama...). Il a été possible d'établir des comparaisons avec les faunes d'autres gisements. Les études spatiales en cours permettront de mieux comprendre les relations entre les ossements et les silex taillés.Bulletin de la SOCIÉTÉ PRÉHISTORIQUE FRANÇAISE 1 995 / TOME 92, n° 2

U-Series and ESR Dating of Teeth from Acheulian and Mousterian Levels at La Micoque (Dordogne, France)

“…Despite the fact that we cannot obtain direct dates on the Micoquian layers due to their prior removal, their higher location in the stratigraphy suggests that they are younger than layer L2/3. When compared to other French Acheulian sites, the archaeological layers of La Micoque are contemporaneous with those of Cagny-l'Epinette, which dates (by ESR) to the end of isotopic stage 10 and stage 9 (Tuffreau et al, 1995). On the other hand, the age of the upper layers (L, K and J) seems to correspond with the layers of Orgnac 3 which contain Acheulian and Premousterian industries.…”

Pre-Neandertal behaviour during isotopic stage 9 and the beginning of stage 8. New data concerning fauna and lithics in the different occupation levels of orgnac 3 (Ardèche, South-East France): occupation types

“…Traces of use were observed on horse metapods and radius bones, their half-moon shape is typically produced by tool sharpening [28]. These ''retouchoirs'' are characteristic in the upper levels of Orgnac 3 and are similar to the pieces already described at la Quina by Henri-Martin [15] and also in level I1 of the contemporaneous site of Cagny l'Epinette [43].…”

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)

“…From MIS 9 onwards, these complexes start to diffuse in the loess and river sequences of north-western Europe (Révillon, 1995) from southern Britain (see for instance Botany Pit, Purfleet, dated from terminal MIS 10 to early MIS 8 or late stage 9/early stage 8, White and Ashton, 2003, and La Cotte Saint-Brelade, layers C-D, dated to 238 ± 35 ka, Callow and Cornford, 1986) to northern France, where the Somme valley sites reveal evidence of Levallois débitage starting around 400 ka (and well mastered use of this technique during MIS 9) . Among the most significant sites are Cagny l'Epinette (MIS 9, Tuffreau et al, 1995Tuffreau et al, , 2008Lamotte and Tuffreau, 2001), Argoeuves-Lower Terrace Complex of the Somme (MIS 8, Tuffreau, 1982Tuffreau, , 1987 and Gentelles base (MIS 9, Goval, 2005). The coexistence of Levallois débitage and the production of some bifacial objects is also documented in the central area of France, in the Cher valley in different layers of the ''Morandière'' alluvial formation, dated to 370 ± 110 ka at Gièvres, and in the Loire valley (site of Bonneval) in the more recent terraces at 240 ka (Despriée et al, 2009;Sun et al, 2010).…”