Using the Technological Feature of Tranchet Blow on Keilmesser as a Connecting Element Between Similar Middle Paleolithic Assemblages from the Côte Chalonnaise (Saône-et-Loire, France)

Abstract

This article examines lithic artifacts which, because of a particular modification, may be considered a shared feature of late Middle Paleolithic assemblages from the Saône-et-Loire Department in eastern France. There, the modification of the cutting edges referred to as tranchet blow was first described in detail in the 1970s using the lithic material from Grotte de la Verpillière I, which was excavated in 1868. However, research carried out in recent years has shown that this tranchet blow modification on Keilmesser is not confined to this site; in fact, it also occurs at several surrounding sites. Thus, the tranchet blow modification can be seen as a specific regional phenomenon. Research on Keilmesser and the tranchet blow modification brings us face to face with the problem of terminology. It is not the linguistic barrier that is important here, but rather the use of different terms and very different spellings in the literature. This makes the search for further assemblages featuring this phenomenon considerably more difficult. In this context, a technological and terminological rethink is called for. In previous studies, the similarity between burin blow and tranchet blow modification was highlighted. It has recently been more often assumed that the technological prerequisites of these two reduction variants can be regarded as similar but nevertheless different. This article addresses these technological concerns in a general overview and proposes a coherent standardized terminology using the more neutral term “Keilmesser” with the addition of the qualifier “with tranchet blow.” Furthermore, regional research on Keilmesser, and related tranchet blow modification, is described and the initial results of recent studies on the suggested technological clustering of Middle Paleolithic behavior in Saône-et-Loire are presented.