Jean-Louis Joron

Dating the Lower to Middle Paleolithic transition in the Levant: A view from Misliya Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel

The transition from the Lower to the Middle Paleolithic in the Levant is a crucial event in human evolution, since it may involve the arrival of a new human population. In the current study, we present thermoluminescence (TL) dates obtained from 32 burnt flints retrieved from the late Lower Paleolithic (Acheulo-Yabrudian) and Early Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian) layers of Misliya Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel. Early Middle Paleolithic industries rich in Levallois and laminar products were assigned mean ages ranging from ~250 to ~160 ka (thousands of years ago), suggesting a production of this industry during MIS 7 and the early part of MIS 6. The mean ages obtained for the samples associated with the Acheulo-Yabrudian (strengthened by an isochron analysis) indicate a production of this cultural complex ~250 ka ago, at the end of MIS 8. According to the Misliya TL dates, the transition from the Lower to the Middle Paleolithic in the site took place at the limit MIS 8/7 or during the early part of MIS 7. The dates, together with the pronounced differences in lithic technology strongly suggest the arrival of a new population during this period.

Datation par thermoluminescence de la base du gisement paléolithique de Tabun (mont Carmel, Israël)

Abstract In this paper, we present new thermoluminescence dates for burnt flints from the lowest archaeological deposits of Tabun Cave (Mt. Carmel, Israel), which is often used as reference for all of Levant [3] , [11] . We discuss the impact of these dates on the chronostratigraphy and show that the uplift of Mt. Carmel (estimated at 10 cm·ka–1) might be responsible for some of the sedimentary collapses.

TL age-estimates of burnt quartz pebbles from the Toca do Boqueirăo da Pedra Furada (Piaui, Northeastern Brazil)

Abstract The thermoluminescence technique was used to date 40 burnt quartz pebbles from the lowest layers (PF1 and PF2) of the Toca do Boqueirăo da Pedra Furada rock shelter (Piaui, Brazil) attributed to Upper Pleistocene period, whose radiocarbon ages exceed 35xa0ka. Our results suggest that the quartz specimens were burnt between 30 and more than 100xa0ka ago, but they provide no evidence that the heating was related to human activity.

OSL dating of fluvial quartz from Le Closeau, a Late Paleolithic site near Paris — comparison with 14C chronology

Abstract OSL dating of fluvial quartz (coarse grains) using a single-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol is reported. The sampled site, Le Closeau, is located along the river Seine near Paris, France; the chronology of the sequence is known from 14 C ages that support geological and archaeological evidence. Despite tightly and symmetrically distributed EDs, OSL ages are overestimated by about 40%. We have reviewed potential problems in luminescence dating procedures used in this study, but have not succeeded so far in identifying a characteristic (other than independent age control) that would enable us to discard such samples.