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This collection of digital documents is composed for the occasion of the retirement of Prof. Dr. C.C. Bakels. Analecta Praehistorica Leidensia (APL), the publication series of the Institute of Prehistory and later the Faculty of Archaeology of the Universiteit Leiden, would not have been so succesful without the contribution of Corrie Bakels, both as an author and editor.

International audience

International audience; Throughout continental Southeast Asia, the Hoabinhian techno-complex stands out in clear contrast with the universal chrono-cultural model essentially established on the basis of western prehistory. Following this model, early authors considered perforated stones and associated lithic artefacts as markers of what was then believed to pertain to a Southeast Asian Mesolithic. However, Southeast Asian Mesolitithic has progressively been abandoned in favour of a ubiquitous Hoabinhian spanning from 30,000 to 3000 BP. Here, we present and discuss the discovery of perforated stones at the Doi Pha Kan site in northern Thailand. Perforated stones have almost never been found in undisturbed stratigraphic conditions nor dated with any sufficient degree of certainty. At Doi Pha Kan site, such a kind of artefacts was found in burials intersecting sedimentary layers that could be ascertained as Hoabinhian. In contrast with similar perforated stones described in the literature, that found at Doi Pha Kan are well-dated (13,000 BP), thus providing a time-reference for a putative Southeast Asian Mesolithic. We therefore advocate that such non-Hoabinhian artefacts support the early authors’ hypothesis of the existence of a Southeast Asian Mesolithic. Finally, the funerary practices, the unusually high stature of individuals found at Doi Pha Kan in conjunction with the particular lithic assemblages further contributes to raise the question of the co-occurrence of several cultures or populations at the Pleistocene–Holocene interface in continental Southeast Asia.; En Asie du Sud-Est continentale, le Hoabinhien se démarque clairement du modèle chronoculturel universel établi par la préhistoire occidentale. Sur la base de ce modèle universaliste, les premiers auteurs ont considéré les pierres perforées et les objets lithiques associés comme des marqueurs de ce qui se rapporterait à un Mésolithique du Sud-Est asiatique. Cependant, cette notion de Mésolithique régional a été abandonnée au profit d’un Hoabinhien ubiquiste présent de 30 000 à 3000 ans BP. Nous présentons et discutons la découverte de pierres perforées sur le site de Doi Pha Kan dans le Nord de la Thaïlande. Les pierres perforées n’ont presque jamais été mises au jour dans des contextes stratigraphiques intacts ni datés avec suffisamment de précision. À Doi Pha Kan, ce matériel lithique a été trouvé dans des sépultures intrusives de niveaux archéologiques hoabinhiens. Contrairement à celles, identiques, décrites dans la littérature, les pierres perforées mises au jour à Doi Pha Kan sont bien datées (13 000 BP), ce qui procurerait une base chronologique fiable pour représenter un possible « Mésolithique » du Sud-Est asiatique tel que le décrivent les auteurs pionniers travaillant dans cette région. En définitive, les pratiques funéraires, la stature inhabituelle des individus inhumés à Doi Pha Kan et leur association avec ce type d’assemblage lithique contribuent à soulever la question de l’existence conjointe de plusieurs cultures ou populations à la limite Pléistocène–Holocène en Asie du Sud-Est continentale.

The paper discusses the research methods and the most important results of the interdisciplinary project “The Former Gestapo Headquarters and the Provincial Office of Public Security in Anstadt Avenue in Łódź. Interdisciplinary Site Research” conducted in 2019–2021. Considering the challenges faced by the archaeology of the contemporary past, a subdiscipline of archaeology, an attempt was made to link the results of archaeological research to the relatively well-known historical context of structural and functional transformations of the site explored, mostly the establishment of a Jewish school in Anstadt Avenue at the end of the 1930s, the operation of the Gestapo headquarters during the Second World War and of the communist Provincial Office of Public Security after the war, and the division of the site into police and school sections in 1957, which has been preserved to date. Also ethnographic research was carried out, which identified sources referring to the forms of remembrance and commemoration of places, events, and people. The Authors hope that the archaeological research will be soon resumed on account of the planned investments, allowing to publish a complementary and interdisciplinary monograph of the site explored. W artykule omówione zostały metody badań oraz najważniejsze wyniki interdyscyplinarnego projektu „Dawna siedziba Gestapo i Wojewódzkiego Urzędu Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego przy al. Anstadta w Łodzi. Interdyscyplinarne badania miejsca” realizowanego w latach 2019–2022. Zgodnie z wyzwaniami stawianymi subdyscyplinie archeologii – archeologii współczesności, dokonano próby powiązania wyników badań archeologicznych ze stosunkowo dobrze już rozpoznanym kontekstem historycznych przemian strukturalnych i funkcjonalnych badanego miejsca: przede wszystkim powstania szkoły żydowskiej w al. K. Anstadta pod koniec lat 30. XX w., funkcjonowania tu siedzib Gestapo w czasie II wojny światowej oraz komunistycznego Wojewódzkiego Urzędu Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego w latach powojennych, podziału terenu na część policyjną i szkolną w 1957 r., trwającego do dzisiaj. Podjęto także badania etnograficzne, które wywoływały źródła odnoszące się do form pamięci i upamiętniania miejsca, wydarzeń, ludzi. Autorzy mają nadzieję, że przy okazji planowanych inwestycji, w niedługim czasie prace archeologiczne zostaną wznowione, co pozwoli na publikację komplementarnej, interdyscyplinarnej monografii badanego miejsca.

Although non-marine turtles are nearly ubiquitous in the Southeast Asian archaeological record, their zooarchaeological study has been very poorly undertaken in that tropical region of the world. This lack of study makes the understanding of past human subsistence strategies very complex especially regarding the prehistoric hunter gatherer populations which may have massively exploited inland chelonian taxa. In order to try to start a new dynamic regarding the study of the past human-turtle interactions in Southeast Asia we propose here an in-depth zooarchaeological analysis of the turtle bone remains recovered from four Hoabinhian Hunter-gatherer archaeological assemblages located in Thailand and Cambodia, and dated from the Late Pleistocene to the first half of the Holocene. Our study is focused on the bone remains attributed to the Yellow-Headed Tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) as they account for the majority of the turtle archaeological assemblages identified in the target area. For this species, we developed osteo-metric equations enabling the estimation of the carapace size of the archaeological individuals of this species. This allowed us to study the size structure of the archaeological populations in the different sites and to reveal the human exploitation strategies of these animals. We found a strong taphonomic homogeneity between the studied assemblages suggesting similarities of the subsistence behaviors in the different sites despite their very different environmental settings. We thus hypothesize putative cultural similarities across time and space. In addition, we also provide a baseline for future zooarchaeological studies as well as a methodological frame for the detailed studies of archaeological turtle bones in continental Southeast Asia.

International audience

This paper considers the issue of the application of teledection methods in the archaeology of the contemporary past with reference to the concept of retrotopia proposed by Zygmunt Bauman. It is based on one of the components of retrotopia, namely the approach to heritage adopted by Lowenthal (1997). From this perspective, relics of the twentieth-century German settlement in Witkowski Młyn (Western Pomerania) are analysed. In order to identify and document them, ALS data was used and then supplemented with verification field research. As a result, extensive relics of the twentieth-century landscape were documented, including relics of homesteads, orchards and a cemetery. The research presented show that teledection methods cannot prevent retrotopia, but they are new tools for filling in the gaps in knowledge of the contemporary past. Thus, they can lead to a dialogue which, according to Z. Bauman, is the best response to retrotopia. Artykuł rozważa kwestię wpływu wykorzystania metod teledetekcyjnych w archeologii współczesności w odniesieniu do koncepcji retrotopii zaproponowanej przez Zygmunta Baumana. Praca opiera się na jednej z części składowych retrotopii, a mianowicie podejściu do dziedzictwa prezentowanego przez Lowenthal’a (1997). Przez jej pryzmat przeanalizowane są relikty XX-wiecznego niemieckiego osadnictwa na Pomorzu Wschodnim w Witkowskim Młynie. Do ich rozpoznania i zadokumentowania zostały wykorzystane dane z lotniczego skanowania laserowego, uzupełnione weryfikacyjnymi badaniami terenowymi. Ich efektem jest zadokumentowanie kompleksowych reliktów XX-wiecznego krajobrazu składającego się z reliktów gospodarstw, sadów czy cmentarza. Przedstawione badania pokazują, że metody teledetekcyjne nie zapobiegną retrotopii, ale są nowym narzędziem uzupełniającym luki w wiedzy o nieodległej przeszłości. Tym samym prowokując dialog, który jest zdaniem Z. Baumana najlepszą odpowiedzią na retrotopię.

Ancient Egyptians paid attention to choose the scenes to depict on the tomb walls. They believed that these scenes, which commemorated their life’s accomplishments, would help them in the afterlife. The distribution of the scenes upon the walls of the tomb made was not random but systematic and ordered. This paper investigates whether ancient Egyptian artists placed images of temples on tomb walls with reference to their actual locations. It also examines the relationships between the tomb owners’ titles and the temple representations in their tombs. A survey was conducted of temples' representations in the New Kingdom Theban private tombs. Moreover, tomb owners' titles and their relationship to the represented temples are studied. This was done to compare the location of the temples’ representations upon the tombs’ walls and their actual locations, examine the symbolism of their locations, understand their significance and contribution to the overall function of the tomb.

The Armenian highlands encompasses rugged and environmentally diverse landscapes and is characterized by a mosaic of distinct ecological niches and large temperature gradients. Strong seasonal fluctuations in resource availability along topographic gradients likely prompted Pleistocene hominin groups to adapt by adjusting their mobility strategies. However, the role that elevated landscapes played in hunter-gatherer settlement systems during the Late Pleistocene (Middle Palaeolithic [MP]) remains poorly understood. At 1640 m above sea level, the MP site of Kalavan 2 (Armenia) is ideally positioned for testing hypotheses involving elevation-dependent seasonal mobility and subsistence strategies. Renewed excavations at Kalavan 2 exposed three main occupation horizons and ten additional low densities lithic and faunal assemblages. The results provide a new chronological, stratigraphical, and paleoenvironmental framework for hominin behaviors between ca. 60 to 45 ka. The evidence presented suggests that the stratified occupations at Kalavan 2 locale were repeated ephemerally most likely related to hunting in a high-elevation within the mountainous steppe landscape. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

International audience; Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is not one of the founder crops domesticated in Southwest Asia in the early Holocene, but was domesticated in northeast China by 6000 BC. In Europe, millet was reported in Early Neolithic contexts formed by 6000 BC, but recent radiocarbon dating of a dozen 'early' grains cast doubt on these claims. Archaeobotanical evidence reveals that millet was common in Europe from the 2nd millennium BC, when major societal and economic transformations took place in the Bronze Age. We conducted an extensive programme of AMS-dating of charred broomcorn millet grains from 75 prehistoric sites in Europe. Our Bayesian model reveals that millet cultivation began in Europe at the earliest during the sixteenth century BC, and spread rapidly during the fifteenth/fourteenth centuries BC. Broomcorn millet succeeds in exceptionally wide range of growing conditions and completes its lifecycle in less than three summer months. Offering an additional harvest and thus surplus food/fodder, it likely was a transformative innovation in European prehistoric agriculture previously based mainly on (winter) cropping of wheat and barley. We provide a new, high-resolution chronological framework for this key agricultural development that likely contributed to far-reaching changes in lifestyle in late 2nd millennium BC Europe.

International audience; Lingjing is an open-air archaic hominin site in northern China where, apart from two incomplete Human skulls, thousands of lithic artefacts as well as abundant, well-preserved mammalian remains with and OSL ages ranging between ≈105 ka and ≈125 ka. It has been excavated yearly since 2005. The mammalian faunal assemblage from the site is very diverse with 22 different taxa. Equids and a large bovid Bos primigenius dominate the fauna; the mortality profiles of these herbivores indicate hominin/human hunting. Detailed taphonomic analyses demonstrate that Lingjing is a kill-butchery site and not a base camp. The Lingjing fauna and bone tool record shows remarkable similarities with the archaeological record from the Lower Paleolithic site of Schöningen 13 II-4, Germany, i.e., the Schöningen Spear Horizon, which is ca. 200 ka older than the Lingjing site. Both sites yielded well-preserved material, a very diverse fauna and a large amount of bone tools with identical features.

Article dans une revue; International audience; Seit fast 90 Jahren ist das Hoabinhian ein wichtiges Thema der prähistorischen Forschung auf dem südostasiatischen Festland. Ihre Variabilität in Bezug auf die lithischen Assemblagen ist jedoch noch wenig erforscht, da nur eine begrenzte Anzahl von Fundstellen unter technologischen Gesichtspunkten analysiert wurde. Diese Variabilität ist zu erwarten, wenn man bedenkt, dass das Hoa-Binhian eine Zeitspanne von mehr als 30.000 Jahren abdeckt, eine breite Region, die sich vom gebirgigen Südwesten Chinas bis zur Insel Indonesien erstreckt und verschiedene subtropische bis tropische Umgebungen umfasst. In dieser Untersuchung stellen wir die Variabilität der Hoabinhian-Werkzeuge in der Moh Khiew-Höhle in Südthailand vor. Im Gegensatz zu anderen "typischen" Hoabinhian-Fundstellen in dieser Region wird die Hoabinhian-Lithensammlung (~11.000-9000 BP) von Moh Khiew von einfacialen Butzen und einfacialen Platten auf breiten/mittleren und dicken Platten dominiert und umfasst somit eine gemischte Abfolge (Operationskette) von Debitage und Formgebungsmethoden. An der Fundstelle wurden keine klassischen Sumatralith-Werkzeuge gefunden, die im Allgemeinen auf Flusskieseln hergestellt werden und als Markenzeichen des Hoabinhian gelten. Ein weiterer herausragender Werkzeugtyp ist der Faustkeil, der auf Platten oder Schieferblöcken hergestellt wird, andere Arten von Schneidwerkzeugen sind Hack- und Schlitzwerkzeuge usw. In Anbetracht der Herstellungsmethoden von Unifaces und Butzen, ihrer ausgeprägten volumetrischen Strukturen und der Koexistenz von Unifaces mit anderen Arten von geformten Werkzeugen unterscheidet sich die lithische Ansammlung von Moh Khiew von anderen Hoabinhian-Fundstellen und könnte eine lokale Variante des Hoabinhian in dieser Region Südwestthailands darstellen.; The Hoabinhian has been a major topic in prehistoric research in Mainland Southeast Asia fornearly 90 years. However, its variability in terms of lithic assemblages is still poorly understood, as a limited number of sites have been analyzed from a technological perspective. This variability is to be expected, considering that the Hoabinhian covers a timespan of more than 30,000 years, a wide region extending from mountainous south-western China to insular Indonesia and diversified sub-tropical to tropical environments. In this research, we present the variability of Hoabinhian tools at the site of Moh Khiew Cave in Southern Thailand. Unlike other ‘typical’-Hoabinhian sites discovered in this region, the Hoabinhian lithic assemblage (~11,000–9000 BP) at Moh Khiew is dominated by unifacially shaped limaces and unifaces, on large/medium and thick flakes, and thus involves a mixed operational sequence (chaîne opératoire) of debitage and shaping methods. No classic sumatralith tools were found in the site, which are usually made on river cobbles and considered to be the hallmark of the Hoabinhian. Another exceptional tool type is the biface, made on shale slabs or blocks, other cutting tool types include chopper-chopping-tools and flake tools, etc. In view of the production methods of unifaces and limaces, their distinct volumetric structures, and the co-existence of unifaces with other shaped tool types; the Moh Khiew lithic assemblage is different from other Hoabinhian sites, and may represent a local variant of the Hoabinhian in this region of southwestern Thailand.; Depuis près de 90 ans, le Hoabinhien est un sujet majeur de la recherche préhistorique en Asie du Sud-Est continentale. Cependant, sa variabilité en termes d'assemblages lithiques est encore mal comprise, car un nombre limité de sites ont été analysés d'un point de vue technologique. Cette variabilité est à prévoir, si l'on considère que le Hoa-binhien couvre un intervalle de temps de plus de 30 000 ans, une large région s'étendant du sud-ouest montagneux de la Chine à l'Indonésie insulaire et des environnements diversifiés subtropicaux à tropicaux. Dans cette recherche, nous présentons la variabilité des outils hoabinhiens sur le site de la grotte de Moh Khiew dans le sud de la Thaïlande. Contrairement aux autres sites hoabinhiens " typiques " découverts dans cette région, l'assemblage lithique hoabinhien (~11 000-9000 BP) de Moh Khiew est dominé par des limaces et unifaces de forme unifaciale, sur des flakes larges/moyens et épais, et implique donc une séquence opérationnelle mixte (chaîne op'eratoire) de débitage et de méthodes de façonnage. Aucun outil classique de sumatralith n'a été trouvé sur le site, qui sont généralement fabriqués sur des galets de rivière et considérés comme la marque de fabrique du Hoabinhien. Un autre type d'outil exceptionnel est le biface, fabriqué sur des dalles ou des blocs de schiste, d'autres types d'outils coupants comprennent des outils de hachage et de flake, etc. Au vu des méthodes de production des unifaces et des limaces, de leurs structures volumétriques distinctes, et de la coexistence des unifaces avec d'autres types d'outils façonnés ; l'assemblage lithique de Moh Khiew est différent des autres sites hoabinhiens, et peut représenter une variante locale du Hoabinhien dans cette région du sud-ouest de la Thaïlande.; Per quasi 90 anni, l'Hoabinhian è stato al centro della ricerca preistorica nel sud-est asiatico continentale. Tuttavia, la sua variabilità in termini di assemblaggi litici è ancora poco compresa, poiché un numero limitato di siti è stato analizzato dal punto di vista tecnologico. Questa variabilità è da aspettarsi, considerando che l'Hoa-Binhian copre un arco di tempo di più di 30.000 anni, una vasta regione che si estende dal sud-ovest della Cina montuosa all'isola Indonesia e diversi ambienti subtropicali e tropicali. In questa ricerca, presentiamo la variabilità degli strumenti Hoabinhian nel sito Moh Khiew Cave nel sud della Thailandia. A differenza di altri siti hoabiniani "tipici" trovati in questa regione, l'assemblaggio litico hoabiniano (~11.000-9000 BP) a Moh Khiew è dominato da lumache unifacciali e unifacciali, su scaglie larghe/medie e spesse, e quindi comporta una sequenza operativa mista (catena op'eratoria) di debitage e metodi di modellazione. Nel sito non sono stati trovati strumenti sumatraliti classici, che sono generalmente realizzati su ciottoli di fiume e considerati il segno distintivo dell'Hoabinhiano. Un altro tipo di utensile eccezionale è il bifacciale, fatto su lastre o blocchi di scisto, altri tipi di utensili da taglio includono strumenti di taglio e flake, ecc. In considerazione dei metodi di produzione delle unifacce e delle lumache, delle loro distinte strutture volumetriche e della coesistenza di unifacce con altri tipi di utensili sagomati, l'assemblaggio litico di Moh Khiew è diverso dagli altri siti hoabiniani e può rappresentare una variante locale dell'hoabiniano in questa regione della Thailandia sud-occidentale.

International audience; Since the initial description of the complex Ailuropoda-Stegodon as a faunal association with biochronological significance for the Southeast Asian area, few sites have provided paleontological data allowing for an extensive documentation of past fauna. Biodiversity and paleo-environmental reconstructions of Pleistocene fauna are still generally based on bone assemblages whose taphonomy and dating are not or badly documented. However, in order to be useful in a paleo-eclogical perspective, the dating of collected assemblages should be associated with periods of times corresponding to climatic episodes. In this study, we provide a detailed stratigraphic, taphonomical, paleontological and ESR dating studies concerning the site of Ban Fa Suai II discovered near the cave of the Monk in northern Thailand. Our results demonstrate the changes in the taxonomic composition of the fauna over time and argue against the use of the currently available regional dataset for paleo-ecological reonstructions.; Depuis la description initiale du complexe Ailuropoda-Stegodon en tant qu’association faunique ayant une signification biochronologique pour l’Asie du Sud-est, peu de sites ont fourni de données paléontologiques permettant une documentation complète des faunes anciennes. La biodiversité et les reconstitutions paléo-environnementales de la faune du Pléistocène sont, de plus, encore souvent basées sur des assemblages fauniques dont la taphonomie et la datation ne sont soit pas prises en compte, soit mal documentées. Pour être utile dans des perspectives paléo-écologiques, les assemblages fauniques collectés doivent être datés avec une résolution suffisante pour être confronté à des épisodes de changements climatiques d’ampleur comparable. Dans ce travail nous fournissons une étude stratigraphique, taphonomique, et paléontologique détaillée et des datations ESR concernant le site de Ban Fa Suai II découvert près de la grotte du Moine dans le nord de la Thaïlande. Les résultats permettent de documenter les changements de la composition taxonomique de la faune au cours du temps mais également de souligner les biais et les verrous actuels quant à l’emploi des données disponibles pour des reconstructions paléo-écologiques.

International audience; This paper investigated the unidentified temple scene in TT 55 of Ramose that dates back to the reign of King Akhenaten, and located in Sheik Abd El-Qurnah necropolis, the main aim of this paper is to identify the temple scene in this tomb. In order to achieve this aim, the researcher used historical, descriptive, and interpretative approaches in order to make a complete, detailed description of observation of the unidentified temple scene, also, to compare the temple scene to others located in Tell El-Amarna Necropolis. All previous methodologies enabled the researcher to identify the temple scene. Therefore, the importance of this paper is the identification of the unknown temple scene in TT 55.

International audience; Several Late Pleistocene and Holocene South-East Asian subfossil deposits are known to contain important osteological assemblages of Monitor lizards (Varanus sp.) possibly accumulated by past human populations. Indeed, thanks to their large sizes, Monitor lizards are supposed to have been an important source of meat intake for past hunter-gatherer groups. However, the taphonomic and zooarchaeological study of their bones currently suffers from strong limitations related to the lack of appropriate comparative frameworks concerning their osteology and osteometry. These limitations preclude having a good understanding of the biological characteristics of subfossil individuals but also of their accumulation process in the sites and their possible exploitation by past humans. In the present study, we try to solve these issues by producing size and weight estimation equations using bone measurements that are applicable to subfossil Southeast Asian Varanus. These equations are then applied to the study of an archaeological assemblage of Varanus from a Late Pleistocene Thai deposit, the Doi Pha Kan rock shelter. The obtained data help to demonstrate that these lizards were accumulated by Hoabinhian hunter-gatherers, and allow for the description of the hunting strategies of these human groups. We also demonstrate the interest to develop new methodological tools concerning taxa of tropical areas that present a rich biodiversity but remain understudied in zooarchaeology.; Plusieurs dépôts subfossiles d’Asie du Sud-est datant de la fin du Pléistocène et de l’Holocène sont connus pour avoir livré d’importantes quantités de restes de Varans (Varanus sp.) qui reflètent possiblement une activité de prédation par l’Homme. En effet, du fait de leur taille importante, les varans sont supposés avoir été chassés et consommés par les groupes de chasseurs-cueilleurs préhistoriques. Cependant, l’étude taphonomique et archéozoologique des restes de Varans demeure complexe et limitée du fait d’un manque de travaux concernant l’ostéologie et l’ostéométrie de ces lézards. De ce fait, il est actuellement impossible de documenter les caractéristiques biologiques des varans subfossiles, les processus d’accumulation de leurs ossements dans les sites, ainsi que les modalités de leur possible exploitation par l’Homme. Dans ce travail, nous tentons de résoudre ces problèmes en proposant des équations d’estimation de taille et de poids basées sur des mesures ostéologiques et applicables aux varans du Sud-Est asiatique. Nous appliquons ensuite ces équations à l’étude d’un assemblage archéologique de Varans provenant d’un site thaïlandais datant de la fin du Pléistocène, l’abri sous-roche de Doi Pha Kan. Les données obtenues démontrent que les restes subfossiles de Varans ont été accumulés par les chasseurs-cueilleurs hoabinhiens et permettent de décrire les stratégies de chasse de ces groupes humains. Nous démontrons également l’intérêt de développer de nouveaux outils méthodologiques, notamment concernant les taxons de régions présentant une riche biodiversité telles que les aires tropicales, zones qui restent pourtant très peu étudiées en archéozoologie.

International audience; Since the initial description of the complex Ailuropoda-Stegodon as a faunal association with biochronological significance for the Southeast Asian area, few sites have provided paleontological data allowing for an extensive documentation of past fauna. Biodiversity and paleo-environmental reconstructions of Pleistocene fauna are still generally based on bone assemblages whose taphonomy and dating are not or badly documented. However, in order to be useful in a paleo-eclogical perspective, the dating of collected assemblages should be associated with periods of times corresponding to climatic episodes. In this study, we provide a detailed stratigraphic, taphonomical, paleontological and ESR dating studies concerning the site of Ban Fa Suai II discovered near the cave of the Monk in northern Thailand. Our results demonstrate the changes in the taxonomic composition of the fauna over time and argue against the use of the currently available regional dataset for paleo-ecological reonstructions.; Depuis la description initiale du complexe Ailuropoda-Stegodon en tant qu’association faunique ayant une signification biochronologique pour l’Asie du Sud-est, peu de sites ont fourni de données paléontologiques permettant une documentation complète des faunes anciennes. La biodiversité et les reconstitutions paléo-environnementales de la faune du Pléistocène sont, de plus, encore souvent basées sur des assemblages fauniques dont la taphonomie et la datation ne sont soit pas prises en compte, soit mal documentées. Pour être utile dans des perspectives paléo-écologiques, les assemblages fauniques collectés doivent être datés avec une résolution suffisante pour être confronté à des épisodes de changements climatiques d’ampleur comparable. Dans ce travail nous fournissons une étude stratigraphique, taphonomique, et paléontologique détaillée et des datations ESR concernant le site de Ban Fa Suai II découvert près de la grotte du Moine dans le nord de la Thaïlande. Les résultats permettent de documenter les changements de la composition taxonomique de la faune au cours du temps mais également de souligner les biais et les verrous actuels quant à l’emploi des données disponibles pour des reconstructions paléo-écologiques.

Identifying past hominin diets is a key to understanding adaptation and biological evolution. Bone collagen isotope studies have added much to the discussion of Neandertal subsistence strategies, providing direct measures of diet. Neandertals consistently show very elevated nitrogen isotope values. These values have been seen as the signature of a top-level carnivore diet, but this interpretation was recently challenged by a number of additional theories. We here apply compound-specific isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in bone collagen single amino acids of two Neandertals. These Neandertals had the highest nitrogen isotope ratios of bulk collagen measured so far, and our study confirms that these values can be most parsimoniously explained by a carnivorous diet.Isotope and archeological analyses of Paleolithic food webs have suggested that Neandertal subsistence relied mainly on the consumption of large herbivores. This conclusion was primarily based on elevated nitrogen isotope ratios in Neandertal bone collagen and has been significantly debated. This discussion relies on the observation that similar high nitrogen isotopes values could also be the result of the consumption of mammoths, young animals, putrid meat, cooked food, freshwater fish, carnivores, or mushrooms. Recently, compound-specific C and N isotope analyses of bone collagen amino acids have been demonstrated to add significantly more information about trophic levels and aquatic food consumption. We undertook single amino acid C and N isotope analysis on two Neandertals, which were characterized by exceptionally high N isotope ratios in their bulk bone or tooth collagen. We report here both C and N isotope ratios on single amino acids of collagen samples for these two Neandertals and associated fauna. The samples come from two sites dating to the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition period (Les Cottés and Grotte du Renne, France). Our results reinforce the interpretation of Neandertal dietary adaptations as successful top-level carnivores, even after the arrival of modern humans in Europe. They also demonstrate that high δ15N values of bone collagen can solely be explained by mammal meat consumption, as supported by archeological and zooarcheological evidence, without necessarily invoking explanations including the processing of food (cooking, fermenting), the consumption of mammoths or young mammals, or additional (freshwater fish, mushrooms) dietary protein sources.

Although a rich record of Pleistocene human-associated archaeological assemblages exists, the scarcity of hominin fossils often impedes the understanding of which hominins occupied a site. Using targeted enrichment of mitochondrial DNA, we show that cave sediments represent a rich source of ancient mammalian DNA that often includes traces of hominin DNA, even at sites and in layers where no hominin remains have been discovered. By automation-assisted screening of numerous sediment samples, we detected Neandertal DNA in eight archaeological layers from four caves in Eurasia. In Denisova Cave, we retrieved Denisovan DNA in a Middle Pleistocene layer near the bottom of the stratigraphy. Our work opens the possibility of detecting the presence of hominin groups at sites and in areas where no skeletal remains are found.

International audience; Tham Lod (Pang Mapha district, Mae Hong Son Province) is one of the rockshelters in the limestone karst of north-western Thailand. The site was excavated from 2002 to 2006 under the direction of one of us (R.S.) in the context of The Highland Archeological Project. The stratigraphical sequence of the site provided dates ranging from late Pleistocene (35 ka, TL), to late Holocene (3000 BP). Thousands of lithic and faunal remains occur throughout the sequence; ceramics and metal items appear in the upper layer (Holocene). Noteworthy are the few human burials in the late Pleistocene layers.This paper presents the lithic material from area 2, sectors S20W10 and S21W10, unearthed from the stratigraphic layers 3 to 10 (late Pleistocene). Artefacts are mostly made in locally available grey sandstone, which is overwhelming in all the layers. The lithic assemblage includes a large proportion (2/3) of rock fragments brought to the site and artificially (or thermally?) broken. These are mostly small fragments (

International audience; Two stratigraphic records from Kaitio in West Turkana, Kenya, span 1.87 - 1.34 Ma, and document environmentalcharacter and variability through a critical interval for human evolution and cultural development. The WTK13core collected by the Hominin Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project (HSPDP) recovered 216 m of sediment at95% recovery. A parallel outcrop record of 180 m was investigated in exposures along the Kaitio laga close to thedrill site. Six tephrostratigraphic markers, the Chari, Lokapetamoi, 22Q-3, Etirr, Ebei and KBS Tuffs are presentin the outcrop and/or core. These were characterized by single-shard geochemical analysis, and provide links tothe well-established tephrochronology of the Turkana Basin. Magnetic polarity stratigraphy of the two recordsdocuments the top of the Olduvai Subchron (C2N) at 1.78 Ma.The lithostratigraphic record, bolstered by magnetic susceptibility and sedimentary facies characterization, demonstratesa first-order transition from a deeper lacustrine system to a dynamic lake margin setting, followed by deltaprogradation. Facies analysis reveals repeated fluctuations of lake level at Milankovitch and sub-Milankovitchscales. Core-outcrop correlation allows detailed comparisons between diagenetically-prone outcrop samples andmore pristine samples from the deep core. The excellent preservation of the core sediments makes it possible toobtain critical climate records of organic biomarkers, pollen, phytoliths and other proxies.This detailed archive of environmental variability is closely linked to the rich paleontological and archaeologicaldiscoveries from nearby sites and around the Turkana Basin

International audience; The nature of the Lower-Middle Palaeolithic transition has been one of the most debated questions in early Prehistory since the mid-20th century. The root of these debates lies primarily in how early prehistorians constructed chronological models, relying heavily upon index fossils. Such models have "artificial boundaries designed to provide structure to a complex record and, rather than being conceived of as permanent or real, should be frequently examined and revised (Corbey and Roebroeks, 2001)" (Monnier, 2006). In this paper, we will not focus our efforts on issues relating to nomenclature and systems of classification. Instead, we will focus on a time frame within which rapid behavioural and technological changes have been documented: the period between MIS 9 to 6. Working on a large scale, and taking account of all of north-western Europe and its southern fringes, a group of researchers working on the main sites from this period propose an assessment of current research on the emergence of the "Middle Palaeolithic". Using a rich corpus of archaeological sites, we discuss how humans occupied north-western Europe and its southern margins between MIS 9 to 6, focusing particularly on questions of taphonomy, conservation, chronology and environment, as well as reviewing the pattern of technological change within lithic assemblages. This overview of current research into the emergence of the Middle Palaeolithic will help to define future research paths and advance our understanding of this key period of human evolution.

International audience

International audience; Fossil bone collagen 14C dating and δ13C and δ15N isotopic measurements of the rodent Canariomys bravoi from Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) were used to test two different hypotheses about the causes of extinctions of endemic vertebrates on islands, climate versus humans. For the Tenerife giant rat, we show that it survived the climatic change that occurred between the Middle and Late Holocene, but not the settlement of humans on the island.

Editorial material; International audience

International audience; To address questions regarding the evolutionary origin, radiation and dispersal of the genus Homo, it is crucial to be able to place the occurrence of hominin fossils in a high-resolution chronological framework. The period around 2 Ma (millions of years ago) in eastern Africa is of particular interest as it is at this time that a more substantial fossil record of the genus Homo is first found. Here we combine magnetostratigraphy and strontium (Sr) isotope stratigraphy to improve age control on hominin-bearing upper Burgi (UBU) deposits in Areas 105 and 131 on the Karari Ridge in the eastern Turkana Basin (Kenya). We identify the base of the Olduvai subchron (bC2n) plus a short isolated interval of consistently normal polarity that we interpret to be the Pre-Olduvai event. Combined with precession-forced (∼20 kyr [thousands of years]) wet-dry climate cycles resolved by Sr isotope ratios, the magnetostratigraphic data allow us to construct an age model for the UBU deposits. We provide detailed age constraints for 15 hominin fossils from Area 131, showing that key specimens such as cranium KNM-ER 1470, partial face KNM-ER 62000 and mandibles KNM-ER 1482, KNM-ER 1801, and KNM-ER 1802 can be constrained between 1.945 ± 0.004 and 2.058 ± 0.034 Ma, and thus older than previously estimated. The new ages are consistent with a temporal overlap of two species of early Homo that can be distinguished by their facial morphology. Further, our results show that in this time interval, hominins occurred throughout the wet-dry climate cycles, supporting the hypothesis that the lacustrine Turkana Basin was a refugium during regionally dry periods. By establishing the observed first appearance datum of a marine-derived stingray in UBU deposits at 2.058 ± 0.034 Ma, we show that at this time the Turkana Basin was hydrographically connected to the Indian Ocean, facilitating dispersal of fauna between these areas. From a biogeographical perspective, we propose that the Indian Ocean coastal strip should be considered as a possible source area for one or more of the multiple Homo species in the Turkana Basin from over 2 Ma onwards.

International audience; The French West Indies (F.W.I.) were French colonies with a specific legal frame until 1946 when they became French departments. Since that time the legal frame in force concerning archaeological heritage protection is exactly the same than in metropolitan France. In this system all the laws relating to cultural heritage are grouped in the "Code du Patrimoine" (Heritage code), which contains several topics such as archives, museums, archaeology and historic monuments. Some articles refer to the Penal Code, the Code of Urban Development, the Environmental Code or the Mining Code. These laws are supplemented by various decrees that define the applying conditions for different areas: rescue archeology (decree 2004-490), INRAP , advisory bodies, the content of the field reports, penal provisions, etc ... The heritage laws have been created in 1917 (Historic Monuments) and 1941 (archaeology). The law on rescue archeology is in force only since 2001 and is an application of the European Convention of Malta (1992). However, the implementation of the regulation and of the institutions in charge of is application in the French West Indies is fairly recent. In this presentation after a general presentation of the archaeological heritage protection French system we will focus on the different aspects of is application in F.W.I.: difficulties linked to the application of a system suited for metropolitan France, the level of the French West Indian people implication in the archaeological heritage protection and the future perspectives.

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