THE ABRI CASSEROLE (DORDOGNE, FRANCE): REASSESSING THE¹⁴C CHRONOLOGY OF A KEY UPPER PALEOLITHIC SEQUENCE IN SOUTHWESTERN FRANCE

Abstract

<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:p>Discovered at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Abri Casserole (Dordogne, France) was the subject of salvage excavations in the early nineties. The fieldwork revealed a sequence of 13 archaeological levels that document human occupations from the Gravettian to the Magdalenian, including very rare and poorly known assemblages (e.g. Early Badegoulian, Protosolutrean) that afford a particular importance to this sequence. Results of a previous dating program that focused on the Badegoulian levels were obtained in 1994 but were neither extensively published nor discussed. Five AMS <jats:sup>14</jats:sup>C ages obtained for the Gravettian and Solutrean assemblages in the early 2010s served to complement the site’s chronology. However, since the beta counting ages for the Badegoulian levels were in conflict with the accepted AMS chronology for the region’s late Pleniglacial archaeological record, a new AMS dating program was implemented to renew the radiometric framework of this specific portion of the sequence. Compared to the previous beta counting measurements, the seven newly obtained AMS ages are about 1000 years older (23.3–20.5 cal ka BP) and congruent with other AMS-dated Badegoulian sequences. These results thereby restore the inter-site chronological coherence of the Solutrean–Badegoulian and Badegoulian–Magdalenian transitions.</jats:p>

Breaking bad? Discarding the solutrean norms: Chronology, evolution and geographical extent of the badegoulian phenomenon in Western Europe

“…bulk samples giving average results, high standard-deviations, etc. : Ducasse et al, 2020;Banks et al, 2019). Finally, the results of this reassessment have led to a switch from the 22,8-19 cal ka BP interval that was documented at the end of the 1990s through the combination of several betacounting dated key-sites from the Paris Basin to the Languedoc region (e.g.…”

“…; see below). Finally, between these two limits, the issue of the classic two-fold division between Early and Late Badegoulian-quite wellestablished in term of archaeostratigraphic sequence-appears to be chronologically blurred by the strong overlap visible within the 23,5-22,5 cal ka BP timespan, corresponding to the entire development of the Early stage, as documented at Le Cuzoul de Vers (layers 27 to 22: Ducasse, 2010;Clottes et al, 2012) and Casserole rockshelters (layer NA6: Ducasse et al, 2020;Morala, 1993). However, besides this general and paradigm-dependent framework, and despite a too low radiometric resolution for these clearly fast phenomena, we will see that detailed archaeostratigraphic examinations of the timing and co-evolution of several typotechnological proxies reveal a very complex but exciting panorama.…”

“…"recycled" tools) (Sedlmeier, 2010). Pending a necessary direct and deeper comparison of these specific industries, the newly reassessed AMS radiometric frameworks of Le Cuzoul de Vers (Ducasse et al, 2014), Casserole NA6 (Ducasse et al, 2020) and Kastelhöhle Nord (Reade et al, 2020; table 3) allow one to propose a synchronic emergence and development from about 23,5 cal ka BP, thus complicating the relevant but still debated "Central Europe" hypothesis (i.e. population moves from East to West) initially based on a supposed "time-lag" (inferred from beta-counting and AMS ages comparisons) and an average typo-technological view of the Badegoulian typo-technological features.…”

Multiproxy Analysis of Upper Palaeolithic Lustrous Gravels

“…Solutrean layers are dated by 14 C AMS on burned bones to 20 500 -23 300 cal BP (Detrain, 2016;Ducasse et al, 2020). Fourteen lustrous gravels were retrieved in this layer (Figure 1, Table 1).…”

Initial Human Colonization of the Americas, Redux

“…However, recent AMS radiocarbon dates show that the Solutrean dates to ca. 26,000-22,000 cal BP, ending about 9000 years before Clovis begins(Zilhao 2013;Cascalheira and Bicho 2015;Ducasse et al 2019Ducasse et al , 2020Verpoorte et al 2019). Furthermore, the genomes of ancient and recent Native Americans show no early input from Upper Paleolithic Western Europeans.…”