Laurent Bruxelles

Climatic conditions, settlement patterns and cultures in the Paleolithic: The example of the Garonne Valley (southwest France)

In this paper, we present a critical analysis of the distribution of Paleolithic sites between the Massif Central and the Pyrenees (southwestern France) to understand the settlement patterns during the last climatic deterioration of the Quaternary period. This analysis used recent stratigraphic and archaeological data from thousands of systematic test pits conducted for rescue archaeology in different geomorphological contexts. Our analysis addresses crucial questions about the role of the Garonne alluvial plain in this territory during the Upper Paleolithic. The implications are discussed in the context of this region of Europe, which was considered to be a favorable zone for human occupation during glacial periods. The conclusions reveal a division of this territory into two parts separated by a large unoccupied or rarely occupied zone. We discuss perspectives not only concerning the territoriality of the prehistoric groups who lived on the margins of this no mans land, but also the cultural endemism that could have led to this geography, influenced by climatic conditions clearly more rigorous than previously recognized in this region.

In situ 3D Digitization of the "Little Foot" Australopithecus skeleton from Sterkfontein

Here we describe the methodology we used to digitize an excavation site of a very ancient fossil hominid in South Africa, which has been recently dated using cosmogenic techniques. We detail the practical aspects of acquiring 3D views with a laser range scanner and the post-processing computer graphics pipeline required to obtain an accurate 3D representation.