Laurent Chiotti

Precision dating of the Palaeolithic: A new radiocarbon chronology for the Abri Pataud (France), a key Aurignacian sequence

This paper presents a new series of AMS dates on ultrafiltered bone gelatin extracted from identified cutmarked or humanly-modified bones and teeth from the site of Abri Pataud, in the French Dordogne. The sequence of 32 new determinations provides a coherent and reliable chronology from the sites early Upper Palaeolithic levels 5-14, excavated by Hallam Movius. The results show that there were some problems with the previous series of dates, with many underestimating the real age. The new results, when calibrated and modelled using a Bayesian statistical method, allow detailed understanding of the pace of cultural changes within the Aurignacian I and II levels of the site, something not achievable before. In the future, the sequence of dates will allow wider comparison to similarly dated contexts elsewhere in Europe. High precision dating is only possible by using large suites of AMS dates from humanly-modified material within well understood archaeological sequences modelled using a Bayesian statistical method.

Context and dating of Aurignacian vulvar representations from Abri Castanet, France

We report here on the 2007 discovery, in perfect archaeological context, of part of the engraved and ocre-stained undersurface of the collapsed rockshelter ceiling from Abri Castanet, Dordogne, France. The decorated surface of the 1.5-t roof-collapse block was in direct contact with the exposed archaeological surface onto which it fell. Because there was no sedimentation between the engraved surface and the archaeological layer upon which it collapsed, it is clear that the Early Aurignacian occupants of the shelter were the authors of the ceiling imagery. This discovery contributes an important dimension to our understanding of the earliest graphic representation in southwestern France, almost all of which was discovered before modern methods of archaeological excavation and analysis. Comparison of the dates for the Castanet ceiling and those directly obtained from the Chauvet paintings reveal that the “vulvar” representations from southwestern France are as old or older than the very different wall images from Chauvet.

Nubian Complex strategies in the Egyptian high desert.

Systematic survey by the Abydos Survey for Paleolithic Sites project has recorded Nubian Complex artifact density, distribution, typology, and technology across the high desert landscape west of the Nile Valley in Middle Egypt. Our work contrasts with previous investigations of Nubian Complex settlement systems in Egypt, which focused on a small number of sites in the terraces of the Nile Valley, the desert oases, and the Red Sea Mountains. Earlier research interpreted the Nubian Complex, in particular, as a radiating settlement system that incorporated a specialized point production. Our high desert data, however, indicate that the Nubian Complex associated with early modern humans in this region of the high desert reflects a circulating, rather than a radiating, settlement system, and that point production has been over-emphasized. Data available from our work, as well as sites investigated by others, do not conclusively identify Nubian Complex behavioral strategies as modern. These data, however, do contribute to the understanding of landscape use by early modern human populations living along the Nile Valley Corridor route out of Africa.

Middle Palaeolithic Lithic Technology from the Western High Desert of Egypt

Abstract Recent work in the high desert west of Abydos in Egypt has focused on the Middle Palaeolithic technologies known as Nubian 1 and 2 types and classic Levallois, which are abundant and are found in virtually all stages of production. Although these were originally defined and treated as three discrete technologies, refitting and quantitative analyses show that they are variants of one technology. While this has direct implications for interpreting lithic technological variability in this region, the demonstration that a single technology can result in seemingly discrete end products also has implications for all lithic technological studies.

Can we Use Calcined Bones for 14C Dating the Paleolithic

This work aims to test the reliability of calcined bones for radiocarbon dating of the Paleolithic. Fifty-five calcined bone samples coming from Aurignacian and Gravettian layers at Abri Pataud (Dordogne, France) were selected based on their macroscopic features. For each sample, the heating state was estimated on the basis of bone crystallinity (splitting factor [SF] using FTIR) and δ 13 C value. Twenty-seven bone samples (3 unburnt and 24 calcined) from 5 different levels were prepared for 14 C dating. The majority (15/24) of the calcined samples had to undergo a sulfix treatment prior to graphitization, probably due to the presence of cyanamide ion in these samples. The comparison between our results and recently published dates on bone collagen for the same levels shows that unburned bone apatite is systematically too young, while a third of the calcined bones fall within or very near the range of expected age. No clear correlation was found between 14 C age offset and δ 13 C value or SF. Most of the sulfixed samples (14/16) yielded ages that were too young, while almost all of the non-sulfixed samples (8/9) gave ages similar or 2 gas from well-calcined Paleolithic bones can provide reliable 14 C ages.

Technologies for the Control of Heat and Light in the Vézère Valley Aurignacian

We can trace the beginnings of our knowledge of early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian) use of fire to the pioneering 1910–1911 excavations at Abri Blanchard undertaken by Louis Didon and Marcel Castanet. At Blanchard, the excavators recognized and described fire structures that correspond in many ways to features excavated more recently in Western and Central Europe. Here, we address the issue of heat and light management in the early Upper Paleolithic, demonstrating a pattern that builds on these early excavations but that is refined through our recent field operations. Topics to be discussed include (1) recently excavated fire structures that suggest complex fire management and use, (2) the seemingly massive use of bone as fuel in most early Aurignacian sites, and (3) the anchoring of skin structures for purposes of heat retention with fireplaces behind animal-skin walls. Furthermore, new data on activities around fireplaces make it possible to infer social and organizational aspects of fire structures within Aurignacian living spaces. The vast majority of early Aurignacian occupations, most of them now dated to between 33,000 and 32,000 BP (uncalibrated), occurred on a previously unoccupied bedrock platform into which the occupants dug their fire features.

Étude anthropologique des vestiges humains récemment découverts issus de la couche 2 de l’abri Pataud (Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, Dordogne, France)

RésuméL’abri Pataud, situé dans la commune des Eyziesde- Tayac-Sireuil (Dordogne, France), a été fouillé dans les années cinquante et soixante et fait l’objet de nouvelles fouilles depuis 2005. La couche 2 a livré plus de 400 restes humains, les seuls connus pour le Gravettien final européen. Cet article présente les caractéristiques morphologiques de 62 vestiges humains découverts récemment. Ces vestiges s’inscrivent dans la variabilité morphologique gravettienne et ne présentent pas de caractéristiques notables, mis à part, pour les restes crâniens, la présence de nombreux foramens surnuméraires et celle de cuspides surnuméraires. L’étude morphologique et métrique permet en outre d’associer certains ossements aux individus adultes P1 et P5.AbstractThe Abri Pataud, located in the village of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil (Dordogne, France), was excavated in the 1950s and 1960s, and new excavations have been carried out since 2005. More than 400 human remains, the only examples known for the Final Gravettian in Europe, were found in the layer 2. This paper presents the morphological characteristics of 62 recently discovered human remains. These remains fall well within the Gravettian variability known to date and display no notable features, except the presence of supernumerary foramina on some cranial bones and supernumerary cusps on the teeth. Moreover, this study enabled several new elements to be assigned to adult individuals P1 and P5.

Anthropological study of recently discovered human remains from the layer 2 of the abri Pataud (Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, Dordogne, France)

RésuméL’abri Pataud, situé dans la commune des Eyziesde- Tayac-Sireuil (Dordogne, France), a été fouillé dans les années cinquante et soixante et fait l’objet de nouvelles fouilles depuis 2005. La couche 2 a livré plus de 400 restes humains, les seuls connus pour le Gravettien final européen. Cet article présente les caractéristiques morphologiques de 62 vestiges humains découverts récemment. Ces vestiges s’inscrivent dans la variabilité morphologique gravettienne et ne présentent pas de caractéristiques notables, mis à part, pour les restes crâniens, la présence de nombreux foramens surnuméraires et celle de cuspides surnuméraires. L’étude morphologique et métrique permet en outre d’associer certains ossements aux individus adultes P1 et P5.AbstractThe Abri Pataud, located in the village of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil (Dordogne, France), was excavated in the 1950s and 1960s, and new excavations have been carried out since 2005. More than 400 human remains, the only examples known for the Final Gravettian in Europe, were found in the layer 2. This paper presents the morphological characteristics of 62 recently discovered human remains. These remains fall well within the Gravettian variability known to date and display no notable features, except the presence of supernumerary foramina on some cranial bones and supernumerary cusps on the teeth. Moreover, this study enabled several new elements to be assigned to adult individuals P1 and P5.