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The technocomplexes of the European Lower Palaeolithic are often attributed to the so-called Acheulean. Through several prehistoric sites located in the South Armorican coast, a distinct and contemporary Acheulean cultural facies was proposed at the end of the 1980s. Based on the study of lithic industries at the Pointe de Saint-Colomban site in Carnac, it is called "Colombanian" and is characterised by the coexistence of macro-tools on pebbles and a variety of small tools on flakes. As is often the case, the presence or absence of handaxes is a determining criterion to qualify a lithic assemblage as "Acheulean". However, this categorial attribution loses all meaning when a technological analysis is conducted. Consequently, we used a techno-structural approach to illustrate the technological and functional variability of lithic artefacts from the early occupations of the Pointe de Saint-Colomban site (layers 5, 6 and 7). The application of the "chaîne opératoire" principle allowed us to reveal the processes and objectives of the lithic production system and to establish a homogeneous reading grid among the different pieces of the assemblage. We present here the data from our study which clearly shows that the "Colombanian" is no longer valid and that we need to initiate a change of definition. The lithic industry of the Pointe de Saint-Colomban site is dominated by the concept of flaking (débitage) represented by numerous cores and flake tools. The concept of shaping (façonnage) is illustrated by only two sandstone pebble tools. All this highlights the diversity and originality of the lithic technical systems of the Lower Palaeolithic of the Atlantic Armorican coastline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Miño River is one of the main Atlantic basins of Iberia and preserves extensive Pleistocene deposits. However, there is presently limited information concerning the first human occupation history of this region. Existing research undertaken across the region has identified a significant number of Large Flake Acheulean (LFA) sites with African affinities. These sites are associated with former fluvial environments and are now preserved as a sequence of fluvial terraces along the Miño River, located between relative elevations of + 40 m and + 20 m, and dated to between Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 9 and 6. The chronological range and observed technological patterns are similar to those recognised in other areas of South western Europe, particularly the central Iberian Peninsula and Aquitanian region (France) during the second half of the Middle Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La réalisation d'une fouille au lieu-dit « Le Cassé » (Cornebarrieu, Haute-Garonne), apporte des données nouvelles sur les productions techniques de la fin du Pléistocène moyen dans le versant septentrional des Pyrénées. Malgré une mise en place du site en plusieurs phases révélées par l'analyse des états de surfaces, le mobilier archéologique représente une certaine homogénéité technologique. L'approvisionnement en matières premières s'effectue dans les alluvions de la basse et de la moyenne terrasse de la Garonne. Quelques matériaux peuvent témoigner d'un territoire parcouru plus vaste : quartz et quartzite du Massif central ou de la Montagne Noire, silicite du Verdier (Tarn). Les choix pétrographiques se portent à 97 % sur des quartzites et des quartz et à 3 % sur des silicites. Une économie partielle de la matière première s'exprime avec l'utilisation des silicites pour du débitage Levallois, rare, et de l'outillage léger sur éclat ; en parallèle, l'outillage lourd est à 96 % en quartzite. Les chaînes opératoires de débitage sont souvent non standardisées, associées à des productions par alternance de surfaces et à un débitage Discoïde, souvent unifacial. L'outillage lourd, fréquemment sur gros éclats supports, est composé d'unifaces, de bifaces et de hachereaux. L'ensemble de ces données, mises dans le contexte des techno-complexes nord-pyrénéens, permet de proposer un rattachement de la série du Cassé à l'Acheuléen pyrénéo-garonnais. Dans un contexte plus global de la fin du Pléistocène moyen en Europe méridionale, les données du Cassé renforcent l'hypothèse, précédemment émise, d'une entité techno-culturelle commune au nord et au sud de la chaîne pyrénéenne. An excavation at Le Cassé (Cornebarrieu, Haute-Garonne) has provided new data on Late Middle Pleistocene technical production on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees. Despite the fact that the site was developed in several phases, as revealed by the analysis of the surface conditions, the archaeological remains show a certain technological homogeneity. Raw materials were obtained from alluvial deposits on the lower and middle terraces of the Garonne. Some materials, such as quartz and quartzite from the Massif Central or the Montagne Noire, and silica from Verdier, testify to the wider area covered by the site. The petrographic composition is 97% quartzite and quartzite and 3% silica. A partial economy of raw materials is expressed by the use of silicites for Levallois reduction, which is rare, and for light tools on flakes, whereas 96% of heavy-duty tools are made of quartzite. The reduction processes are often non-standard, associated with alternating surface production and Discoid, often unifacial. Heavy duty tools, often on large flake blanks, include unifaces, bifaces and cleavers. Taken together, this data, placed in the context of the techno-complexes of the northern Pyrenees, suggests that the Cassé series belongs to the Acheulean "pyrénéo-garonnais". In the broader context of the end of the Middle Pleistocene in southern Europe, the Cassé data supports the previously proposed hypothesis of a techno-cultural unit common to the north and south of the Pyrenees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two crocodilian anterior cranium parts from Takut Khon Village sand pit, Chaloem Phrakiat District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, are presently described. Their morphology indicates that the specimens belong to a single species based on the presence of several similar characters such as a hole for the reception of the first dentary tooth at the anterior edge of the premaxillary bone; anterior tip of nasal elongate and projecting into the posterior margin of the external nares; wavy suture line between the posterior part of the nasal with the anterior margin of prefrontal and frontal processes. The cranium morphology is extremely close to Crocodylus siamensis Schneider, 1801 (Siamese crocodile) and conforming the existence of C. siamensis from the Middle Pleistocene in Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stratigraphical complex preserved at the site of Menez–Dregan I (Brittany, France) displays an alternating sequence of 17 occupation levels and of 4 marine deposits, between ca. 450 and 150,000 years (stratigraphical units 9a and 3b). The lithic industry retrieved at the site is extremely abundant, with more than 153,000 artefacts over 3 cm in length, as well as millions of knapping debris, and corresponds to a regional facies of the Acheulean, with heavy-duty tools essentially represented by choppers, as well as a few handaxes and cleavers. This paper presents a first synthesis of the data produced for almost 30 years on the site of Menez–Dregan I. The typological study of the entire lithic collection is now complete and allows us to assess the different human occupations that occurred at this site during the Lower Palaeolithic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Les steppes d'Asie Centrale contiennent d'anciens dépôts pléistocènes avec des industries sur quartz taillé, très analogues aux méthodes connues en Chine et en Europe Orientale (Bilzingsleben). La clef de leur signification passe par leurs processus de fixation sur des manches en bois. Ainsi reconstitués, ils présentent une technologie élaborée, comme à Schöningen (Saxe) ou en Australie aborigène. Considérés comme les reflets de traditions perpétuelles, ils répondent clairement à la définition de la « ligne de Movius » (1948), tracée entre deux mondes aux périodes les plus anciennes. Steppe areas in Central Asia contain Pleistocene old deposits, with assemblages made on quartz pebbles, very similar to both in China and in Eastern Europe (Bilzingsleben). Their meaning is to be found in their hafting processes on wood. By these reconstructions, they show elaborate technologies, just like the one in Schöningen (Saxe) or in Aboriginal Australia. As they do reflect long lasting traditions, they clearly sustain the "Movius Line" concept (1948), separating two worlds at these former stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The analysis of the functional potential of bifaces, which are artefacts extending beyond our technical memory, is based on direct (micro-wear) or indirect approaches (experimentation, relationship between form/function, comparative ethnography). Indirect approaches are fundamental when artefacts are not well enough preserved for micro-wear analysis, which is frequent for the middle Pleistocene. This article proposes a new method based on the three-dimensional acquisition of artefact images, enabling us to measure cutting edge angles and depth of cut. This process allows us to distinguish, in particular, between cutting edges created for longitudinal or transverse cutting. The application of this analysis to bifaces from UA P3 of the "Caune de l'Arago" brings to light tools with a high functional potential for longitudinal cutting, some of which were used for incising, others for deep cutting. These results corroborate those obtained by most micro-wear analyses and present new ways of interpreting the functional potential of bifaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Bifaces dominate the Acheulean stone tools recovered during the archaeological excavation of layer X of Gruta da Aroeira, dated to 389–436 ka. Faunal remains and a human cranium were found in association with this lithic assemblage. The raw materials used are mostly quartz and quartzite cobbles available in the vicinity of the site. Technological and systematic analysis shows that there are no Levallois elements and suggests that on-site knapping consisted of the reduction of centripetal cores. Flake cleavers are absent. Use-wear analysis indicates the processing of hard materials, mainly wood. Gruta da Aroeira represents one of the few Middle Pleistocene sites that provide securely dated diagnostic human remains and associated Acheulean lithics, thus representing a major step forward in our understanding of the variability of westernmost Europe's Acheulean and of the human populations that made it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pieces of wood extracted by the Marquis of Cerralbo at the Acheulian site of Torralba constitute one of the few materials from this famous locality that have not been subjected to detailed study by researchers. Over a century after their extraction, the present paper provides the first anatomical results of these 34 woody remains. The results highlight the presence of the taxon Pinus sylvestris – nigra group ( Pinus cf. sylvestris) at the site, thus constituting one of the few and oldest references attributable to the aforementioned taxon for the Iberian Peninsula. The anatomical diagnosis confirms the existence of Middle Pleistocene landscapes with pine woods at elevations at least 200 m lower than at present in the site area. From a taphonomic point of view, the wood samples exhibit the typical morphologies of woody macroremains preserved in continental sedimentary environments, and there was no evidence at all that they had previously been manipulated by man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé En mars 1863, Jacques Boucher de Perthes découvre dans les alluvions de Moulin Quignon (Abbeville, France) une mandibule humaine associée à des artéfacts lithiques et à des ossements de grands mammifères fossiles. Rapidement contestée, cette découverte va apparaître comme une supercherie dont le préhistorien aurait été la victime. Depuis cette époque, la collection et le gisement de Moulin Quignon sont synonymes de fraude archéologique dans l’imaginaire collectif. Oubliées pendant près de 150 ans, ces collections sont redevenues en 2012 un objet de recherche dans le cadre d’un programme consacré aux plus anciens peuplements et à l’Acheuléen. L’objectif de ce réexamen fut d’identifier, puis d’étudier l’ensemble de la documentation recueillie durant les années 1863–1864 (restes humains, artéfacts, sédiments, ossements de faune, restes malacologiques, archives, publications, gisement) afin de permettre une nouvelle analyse de l’ensemble du dossier. In March 1863, Jacques Boucher de Perthes found in the alluvia of Moulin Quignon (Abbeville, France) a human jaw in association with lithic artifacts and fossil bones of mammals. Quickly challenged, this discovery will appear as a fraud whose prehistorian was the victim. Since that time, the collection and the Moulin Quignon site are synonymous with an archaeological forgery. Forgotten for almost 150 years, these collections became in 2012 a research topic in the context of a program devoted to oldest settlements and Acheulean. The objective was to identify and study the whole 1863–1864 documentation set (human remains, artifacts, sediments, fauna bones, malacological remains, archives, papers, site) to allow further analysis of the whole subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé La collection de Moulin Quignon est une collection cohérente, malgré la diversité de ses pièces, dans la certitude de sa provenance et dans son rattachement aux recherches menées sur le site en 1863–1864. Considérée comme historique et patrimoniale, son étude a permis néanmoins de livrer des informations scientifiques importantes et valables pour le présent, et, au-delà, de réintroduire le site de Moulin Quignon dans le panel des gisements paléolithiques les plus anciens de la vallée de la Somme. The collection from Moulin Quignon is a coherent one, despite the diversity of its pieces, in the certainty of its origin, in its attachment to the researches led on the site in 1863–1864. Considered as a historic heritage, its study has nevertheless delivered significant scientific information, valid for the present, and, beyond that, to reintroduce the site of Moulin Quignon in the oldest Palaeolithic panel sites of the Somme valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé Cent quarante-huit restes humains ont été découverts au cours des fouilles effectuées de 1964 à 2014 dans la Caune de l’Arago à Tautavel dans les Pyrénées-Orientales. Ils ont été recueillis dans un contexte stratigraphique précis qui a permis d’individualiser 15 unités archéostratigraphiques avec présence humaine dont l’âge est compris entre 550 ka pour l’unité Q à la base et 400 ka pour l’unité C au sommet (SIO 14 à 10). Pendant cette longue période de temps, l’Homme a connu deux périodes de climat froid et sec (ensemble stratigraphique I et III) séparées par une période tempérée-humide (ensemble stratigraphique II). La majorité des restes humains a été recueillie dans les unités F et G de l’ensemble stratigraphique III du complexe moyen dans un environnement steppique, froid et venté. Les restes humains étaient mêlés individuellement au matériel archéologique et aux déchets de faune chassée et consommée. L’inventaire des restes humains met en évidence une majorité d’éléments crâniens et en particulier, la portion antérieure d’un crâne, Arago XXI, découvert le 22 juillet 1971, qui a fait connaître pour la première fois, l’aspect physique des premiers européens. L’ensemble, 5 mandibules, 123 dents sur arcade alvéolaire ou isolées, quelques fragments de squelette post-crânien : 9 éléments du membre supérieur, 19 éléments du membre inférieur, permet de repérer 30 individus décédés, soit 18 adultes et 12 enfants. L’étude de ces fossiles permet de les rapprocher des formes d’ Homo erectus connues en Asie et en Afrique avec lesquels ils partagent des caractères communs. Cette constatation entraîne le questionnement de l’existence de ce groupe en Europe. Ainsi, l’apport de la collection de fossiles humains de l’Arago présente un triple intérêt, paléontologique, populationnel, comportemental. La multiplicité des restes permet d’avoir une estimation de la biodiversité et de la composition de cette petite population. L’attention est attirée par son originalité vis-à-vis de Mauer, l’ancêtre classique européen Homo heidelbergensis . Les fossiles de l’Arago présentent des caractères archaïques, non retrouvés sur la mandibule de Mauer, en particulier, la grande extension antéro-postérieure de l’arcade convexe en avant, la prédominance des dents prémolaires et de la M2, le corps mandibulaire à indice de robustesse élevé, le planum alvéolaire sub-horizontal et la ligne mylohyoïdienne saillante peu inclinée. D’autre part, le crâne n’a pas encore réduit sa face au profit du cerveau, processus qui sera mis en évidence ultérieurement. Le crâne est bas, avec un frontal à grande extension, une face très prognathe et un appareil masticateur puissant avec des crêtes temporales et un torus angularis saillants, qui lui donnent en coupe coronale, une forme pentagonale, contrairement à la convexité régulière observée sur les crânes de La Sima de los Huesos et des Néandertaliens. Une analyse comparée avec la population bien documentée découverte dans La Sima de los Huesos permet de constater un stade plus évolué chez cette dernière qui la rapproche de la forme néandertalienne sans l’éloigner de la mandibule de Mauer. En présence des fossiles humains européens, dont nous disposons, le scénario peut se résumer ainsi. Homo georgicus , une forme proche du groupe habilis-rudolfensis porteur des industries préoldowayennes et oldowayennes, est présent aux portes de l’Europe, il y a 1,8 Ma environ. À partir de 1,2–0,8 Ma, les documents, quoique fragmentaires d’Atapuerca, Elefante, Gran Dolina-TD6, pourraient être rattachés à cette lignée première. Les premiers Homo erectus porteurs des cultures à bifaces qui ont quitté le berceau africain arrivent aux portes de l’Europe, il y a environ 1,2 Ma, comme l’atteste la découverte de la calotte crânienne de Kocabaş en Anatolie, proche des fossiles de Buia en Erythrée et de Daka en Éthiopie, datés eux-mêmes de 1 Ma environ. À partir de 0,55 Ma avec l’ensemble des 148 restes humains et en particulier avec le crâne Arago XXI, nous sommes en présence d’une nouvelle forme (indépendante de Mauer) bien documentée que nous proposons de rattacher au taxon Homo erectus tautavelensis , en attribuant à cette sous-espèce une connotation géographique. Les caractéristiques morpho-fonctionnelles et culturelles d’ Homo erectus tautavelensis signent la souche d’une longue lignée européenne, à l’origine de la néandertalisation. One hundred and forty-eight human remains have been discovered during excavations carried out between 1964 and 2014 in la Caune de l’Arago, in Tautavel, in the Eastern Pyrenees. They come from a detailed stratigraphic context comprising 15 archaeostratigraphic units with human presence, with ages ranging from 550 ka for unit Q at the base, to 400 ka for unit C at the top (OIS 14 to 10). During this long period of time, Man experienced two cold and dry climatic periods (stratigraphic complexes I and III), separated by a humid-temperate period (stratigraphic complex II). Most of the human remains come from units F and G, in stratigraphic complex III, associated with a cold and windy steppic environment. The human remains were mixed with the archaeological material and waste from hunted and consumed fauna. The inventory of human remains comprises a majority of cranial elements, and in particular, the anterior portion of a skull, Arago XXI, discovered on 22 July 1971, which revealed the physical aspect of the first Europeans for the first time. The remains are made up of 5 mandibles, 123 teeth (isolated or still on the alveolar arch), several post-cranial skeletal fragments: 9 upper limb elements, 19 lower limb elements, representing 30 deceased individuals, comprising 18 adults and 12 children. The study of these fossils relates them to Asian and African forms of Homo erectus , as they display common characteristics. This observation raises questions as to the existence of this group in Europe. The contribution of the collection of human fossils from Arago thus presents a threefold interest; paleontological, population-based and behavioural. The multiple remains allow us to assess the biodiversity and the composition of this small population. These remains present original features in comparison to Mauer, the classical Homo heidelbergensis European ancestor. The Arago fossils display archaic characteristics not observed on the Mauer mandible; in particular, the great anteroposterior extension of the convex arch toward the fore, the large proportions of the premolars and of the M2, the high robusticity index of the mandible body, the sub-horizontal alveolar planum and the slightly inclined prominent mylohyoidian line. The face of the skull is not yet reduced to allow for the expansion of the brain, a process which develops at a later stage. The skull is low, with an extended frontal, very marked facial prognathism and a powerful masticatory apparatus with temporal crests and a prominent torus angularis , conveying a pantagonal coronal cross-section, contrasting with the regular convexity observed on the skulls from La Sima de los Huesos and Neanderthals. A comparative analysis with the well-documented population discovered in La Sima de los Huesos shows that the latter fossils are more evolved and are more similar to the Neanderthal shape, and at the same time, not very different from the Mauer mandible. The currently known European human fossils point to the following scenario: Homo georgicus , a similar form to the habilis-rudolfensis group, bearing pre-Oldowan and Oldowan technology, was present at the gateways of Europe approximately 1.8 Ma ago. From 1.2–0.8 Ma onwards, the somewhat fragmentary records from Atapuerca, Elefante, Gran Dolina-TD6, could be related to this first lineage. The first Homo erectus with biface cultures to leave Africa arrived at the gateways of Europe some 1.2 Ma ago, as shown by the discovery of the Kocabaş skull cap in Anatolia, similar to the fossils from Buia in Eritrea and Daka in Ethiopia, dated to about 1 Ma. From 0.55 Ma, the set of 148 human remains, and in particular the skull Arago XXI, point to the presence of a new, well-documented form (distinct from Mauer). We propose to relate these remains to Homo erectus tautavelensis , thereby giving this subspecies a geographic connotation. The morphofunctional and cultural characteristics of Homo erectus tautavelensis represent the stock of a long European lineage, leading to the emergence of Neanderthals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A complete cranium of Ursus deningeri from Petralona (Chalkidiki, Greece) covered by a thick carbonate crust has been virtually liberated through CT scan and 3D image reconstruction, and compared with a specimen from the Sima de los Huesos, Sierra de Atapuerca (Spain) Middle Pleistocene site. X-ray computed tomography allowed for the identification of previously unrecognized and phylogenetically relevant traits. Analysis of these traits and an additional series of classically defined traits demonstrate the near identity of these specimens, thereby, confirming an early stage of the speloid “(cave bear)” condition. The replicate luminescence ages obtained for the SH deposit provide a combined minimum age estimate of 427 ± 12 ka for the underlying fossils. Based on a series of primitive and derived morphological features of these two crania, a similar age is here proposed for the Petralona and SH U. deningeri . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: En Europe, le deuxième tiers du Pléistocène moyen est une période clef dans laquelle le peuplement humain augmente, il y a plus de lieux occupés et les hominidés commencent à utiliser le feu. Le Mode 2 se généralise, le Mode 3 commence à apparaître et la méthode d’exploitation Levallois s’étend. Dans ce laps de temps, les occupations de Galería, de Gran Dolina et d’Ambrona se développent. Ce sont trois gisements du Plateau Nord avec des séquences archéologiques très complètes et de long développement. Ces gisements représentent trois modèles technologiques différents, déterminés par : la qualité des matières premières employées, le contrôle et la sécurité du gisement, le temps investi dans la taille, les caractéristiques des tranchants actifs, la fonctionnalité et les traditions culturelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: La variabilité est l’un des sujets les plus débattus dans les études lithiques. En ce qui concerne la période du Pléistocène moyen, ce débat s’est centré spécifiquement autour de la signification des grands outils standardisés comme les bifaces et les hachereaux. Cet article présente l’assemblage lithique de Covacha de los Zarpazos qui fait partie du gisement de Galería à la Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Espagne). Nous analysons ici la gestion des matières premières, les séquences de taille identifiées, et la variation morphologique des grands outils standardisés. Les résultats montrent que, bien qu’elles ne présentent aucune contrainte réelle, les matières premières jouent un rôle important dans la variabilité morphologique définitive. Nous démontrons également que la variabilité globale d’un ensemble lithique est déterminée par une stratégie d’occupation régulière et des activités spécifiques développées dans le site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Middle Stratigraphical Complex of the Caune de l’Arago cave site (Eastern Pyrenées, France) is dated to between 690,000 and 400,000 years old. The site contains successive, spatially distinct archaeological levels. At the base of the sequence, Unit I (OIS 14), where the P levels are among the earliest Mode 2 assemblages presently known in western Europe, contains finely shaped handaxes and a cleaver. Situated above this ensemble, Unit II (OIS 13) has revealed a series of artefact levels lacking handaxes and cleavers. Coiffing the sequence, Unit III (OIS12) has provided numerically rich faunal and lithic assemblages in association with Homo heidelbergensis remains. This paper analyses the stone industries from each artefact level taking into account raw material variability and highlights subtle technological and typological differences. This intrasite study uses a multidisciplinary approach to examine common elements and differences between levels, taking into consideration how external impact factors might have influenced global assemblage features. The Caune de l’Arago's long stratigraphical sequence provides an exceptional opportunity to observe both change and stability in Mode 2 stone-tool manufacture over a period spanning nearly 300,000 years, within the context of contrasting paleoenvironmental conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Considering anatomical and archaeological aspects of Homo erectus, it is likely that meat of vertebrates was an important part in its diet. Unfortunately, no or hardly any information is available for Java Man (Homo erectus). Therefore, in this paper, the Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) of five Middle Pleistocene Javanese sites are examined, and the Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) from two of them are calculated, to acquire information about the possible ecological role of Javanese Homo erectus. Although one has to be extremely careful with the interpretation of fossil bone assemblages in order to try to gain some insight about the abundance of species in palaeocommunities, it is argued that both the NISP and the MNI indicate that the bone accumulations reflect at least two trophic levels in the ecological pyramid, that of primary and secondary consumers. The occurrences of the remains of Homo erectus are comparable with the quantity of secondary consumers, i.e., large carnivores. This could suggest that this species had, as an omnivore, a carnivorous niche, in Java. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Quartz is one of the main lithic resources employed along the Pleistocene for the manufacturing of tools. The abundance in all kind of environments leads to its frequent presence in archaeological sites. In spite of its suitability for knapping, the scarcity of specific researches on quartz industries has led to a view of this raw material as a second-rate resource, only used when flint was not available in the surroundings. Quite in opposition to this prejudice, the familiarity with the petrological and mechanical properties of the different varieties of quartz has led the Middle/Upper Pleistocene groups to a rational and differential exploitation of the available resources. There is a distinct selection of the varieties attending to the purposes of the exploitation and configuration. The patterns of exploitation of the cores are very standardized, based on longitudinal extractions and documenting the bipolar flaking technique. Moreover, when the raw material is of good quality, more sophisticated reduction methods such as the discoidal or the Levallois may be employed. On the other hand, for the purposes of configuration a clearly differential management of the raw material is attested: thus quartz is used for the small products (denticulates, side-scrapers, notches), while other stones (quartzite, porphyry and others) are devoted to the manufacturing of those tools demanding a more complex control of the elaboration (bifaces, cleavers, etc.). Either acting as the main lithic resource or as a complement to other raw materials, we can observe through the technological analysis of these lithic collections the great conceptual complexity depending on the needs to be fulfilled. Raw material quality allowing, the state-of-the-art technology of knapping can be applied to the quartz and, therefore, we should not understand its use as a consequence of environmental constrictions but rather as a result of the variability of the procurement strategies and management of lithic resources among the prehistoric communities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We describe the bat fossils preserved in four sites from the middle and upper Pleistocene, three of them being well-known French localities: the rock shelter of Les Valerots, the caves of l’Escale at Saint Estève Janson and “du Prince” at Grimaldi (Italy), and the filling of Combe-Grenal, all of them containing microvertebrate assemblages with yet undescribed bat fossils. All species represented in these four localities are still presently distributed in France and had been previously recorded in other Pleistocene localities of central and western Europe, including France. The four assemblages differ both in the abundance of bat fossils as in species composition. The characteristics of each assemblage are analysed under modern insights of bat taphonomy and ecology, and compared with those of other bat-bearing French localities of similar age. The relevance of these data concerning the use of the fossil bats to infer past environmental conditions is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Among the Pleistocene localities of the Sierra de Atapuerca, the site called Sima del Elefante is famous for having delivered in its lower level (TE-LRU) some hominid remains currently considered the oldest in Western Europe (about 1.2 Ma). In its upper part (TE-URU), this site has fossiliferous levels pertaining to the late Middle Pleistocene (350-250 ka). Here we describe for the first time the amphibians and reptiles of these upper levels (TE18 and TE19), which have proved to be one of the richest assemblages of all the localities of the Sierra de Atapuerca. The faunal list is composed of 18 taxa made up of urodeles (Salamandra salamandra and Lissotriton helveticus), anurans (Discoglossus sp., Alytes sp. Pelobates cultripes, Pelodytes punctatus, Bufo bufo, Bufo calamita, Hyla arborea and cf. Rana sp.), a terrestrial tortoise (Testudo s.l.), lizards (Lacerta s.l., Podarcis sp. and Anguis fragilis) and snakes (Natrix natrix, Natrix maura, Coronella cf. girondica and Vipera latasti). For the first time, the genera Lissotriton, Discoglossus and Podarcis are mentioned in the Pleistocene localities of the Sierra de Atapuerca. TE19 also corresponds to the earliest mention for L. helveticus in the Iberian Peninsula. With the exception of tortoises, all these species are currently present in the province of Burgos, and thus suggests that the herpetofauna has a modern aspect since the Middle Pleistocene. This association of amphibians and reptiles suggests a slightly warmer climate than the current one, but may correspond to a “cold and dry” period if compared with other Pleistocene localities of the Sierra de Atapuerca. The landscape was probably composed of a gallery forest along a quiet water river within a Mediterranean environment alternating laterally between dry meadows, rocky or stony areas and open scrubland. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The increasing availability of 3D data and tools offers new analytical perspectives in palaeoanthropology, such as the quantitative testing of opposing phylogenetic scenarios. Using optical surface scan data and geometric morphometric techniques, this study explores calvarial shape variation in the “Middle Pleistocene muddle”. The morphological variability between H. erectus on the one hand and H. sapiens/neanderthalensis on the other has long remained obscure: opposing views have attributed the known specimens to any of the three species and possibly one or two more. A large number of landmarks and semilandmarks was extracted from the braincase and the face, in order to quantify the calvarial shape differences among species and key fossils. The results are incompatible with the hypothesis that H. rhodesiensis is the exclusive ancestor of H. sapiens, and offer only weak support for an exclusively European ancestor of Neandertals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: New taxonomic study of the “old collection” of Carnivora from Petralona Cave, associated to the well-known hominid skull, housed in the Geology School of the Thessaloniki Aristotle University since 1960, revealed 11 species (Canis arnensis, Lycaon lycaonoides, Vulpes praeglacialis, Ursus deningeri, U. spelaeus, U. arctos, Pliocrocuta perrieri, Pachycrocuta brevirostris, Crocuta crocuta, Panthera leo spelaea, and Felis silvestris), which are described in detail. The species composition is typical of the eastern part of the European Mediterranean and may be divided into three biostratigraphic assemblages: early Middle Pleistocene, late Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bolomor Cave, located in Tavernes de la Valldigna (Valencia, Spain), contains a sedimentary deposit composed of seventeen stratigraphic levels ranging from MIS 9 to MIS 5e. This extensive sequence allows us to ask different questions about how the human groups of this chronological period related to their environment. We report several different strategies by which animal resources were obtained from level XII faunal assemblage (MIS 6). These practices range from scavenging to the complex hunting techniques, such as multiple predation. This practice is inferred in the case of horses (Equus ferus) on the basis of: (1) the proportional representation of skeletal elements (elements with high marrow content, such as stylopodials and zeugopodials); (2) age at death of these animals (from infantile to advanced adult); (3) the position and function of cutmarks and toothmarks (mainly oblique and longitudinal incisions on limb bones diaphyses); (4) archaeostratigraphic distribution of their remains in the assemblage; and (5) presence of refits among the bones located at this archaeostratigraphical line. Evidence of anthropogenic processing of small prey (Oryctolagus cuniculus and Cygnus olor) is also identified at level XII. These discoveries imply the development of techniques different from those used to capture large and medium ungulates. From this perspective, a variety of strategies to obtain animal food can be documented at Bolomor Cave. This phenomenon can be related to the highly adaptive subsistence strategies of these hominids, who could take advantage of the benefits offered by a diverse and rich environment. In general, the aim of this study is to provide data about the subsistence strategies of human groups from Bolomor Cave and contribute to knowledge about the human groups’ way of life of in the late Middle Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There are many types of evidence that provide information about methods for obtaining animal nutrients. Several researchers suggest that the main element to be considered is the skeletal representation of the different species identified in the faunal assemblage. This element must be associated to the animals’ age at death and the localisation of processing marks of the carcasses (both those of anthropic origin and those produced by carnivores). Occasionally, these marks coincide on the same point of the bone, giving cause for overlapping marks. These marks can be considered an aid more to identify the anthropic manner for obtaining animal recourses. However, these cases are very unusual at archaeological sites, and it is not always easy to identify which of the two predators has obtained the prey first. Through the experimental process presented in this article, we have observed diagnostic elements on overlapping marks that show the action sequence of the predators (hominids and carnivores) on carcasses. These experimental criteria were applied to different archaeological sites of the Lower and Middle Pleistocene in the Iberian Peninsula: Bolomor Cave (Valencia, Spain) and level TD10-1 and TD6-2 of Gran Dolina (Atapuerca, Burgos). In these assemblages, we were able to distinguish hunting and scavenging events through overlapping marks, providing a new element to the general interpretation of these sites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recent discoveries of ancient sites in mainland Southeast Asia confirm the presence of old lithic industries as early as 0.8 Ma, i.e., at the transition between the Early to Middle Pleistocene. Although these open-air sites still require geochronological and biostratigraphic precisions, they allow us to understand the oldest vestiges of human presence in the tropics and the technical orientations chosen by these hominins. This article aims to present an objective and critical synthesis of the material discovered at the main sites. Some sites in Cambodia and Thailand have been the subject of archaeological field missions by the Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires Étrangères (MEAE). The diversity of lithic tool types and manufacture methods encountered from the Middle Pleistocene in peninsular Asia shows a technical variability that stands out as a counterexample to diffusionist hypotheses of a cultural fabrication inherited from the West. The diversity of production methods, tools, and raw material matrices remains incomparable to those encountered in the West, Africa, or South Asia. To date, only evidence from China has allowed us to put forward the hypothesis of a common technical basis that would have spread from its southern territories; however, this hypothesis is currently under debate. Researchers have proposed the idea of continuous technical progress and the shift from heavy industry to a lighter and polished stone in Southeast Asia. However, the omnipresence of the pebble prevents a clear conclusion because these technical objects from Southeast Asia are quite simply incommensurable; a chopper in these regions may not be comparable with another chopper from the terraces of the Garonne or the Roussillon in France, for example. In other words, these tools are above all 'tropical' tools, and they belong to a distant cognitive world(s) with specific use(s), gesture(s), and meaning(s), making it impossible for them to be compared or evaluated by our faculty of Western judgment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Les sites du Paléolithique ancien (Oldowayen et Acheuléen) en Russie européenne sont concentrés dans le sud de la Plaine russe, dans le piedmont du Caucase et dans le Caucase du Nord, jusqu'à 50°N de latitude. Le complexe paléolithique de Taman (sites de Bogatyri/Siniaia Balka, Rodniki 1 et 2, Kermek et les localités de Tsymbal, Lisy et Peresyp), le complexe paléolithique d'Akoucha au Daghestan central (sites de Aïnikab 1, Moukhkaï 1 et 2) et un complexe de sites au Daghestan Maritime (sites de Roubas 1, Darvagtchaï 1, Darvagtchaï - Zaliv 1 et 4) ont été découverts et étudiés. Le peuplement initial de la Russie méridionale a commencé vers 2 Ma et a traversé l'isthme caucasien le long de la rive occidentale de la Mer Caspienne. Le plus ancien Homo de la vague initiale de colonisation en provenance de la partie ancestrale africaine a pu atteindre le Caucase et la plaine du sud de la Russie vers 2 Ma, comme le confirme le site de Liventsovka dans la ville de Rostov-sur-le-Don. L'Acheuléen est représenté par des sites stratifiés de l'Acheuléen ancien au Daghestan. À l'heure actuelle, on peut affirmer que le territoire de la Russie méridionale faisait partie de la zone de peuplement humain initial en provenance d'Afrique. Il est plus difficile d'estimer du temps et des voies de peuplement initial de l'homme en Asie du Nord. Les quelques sites attribués au Paléolithique inférieur ne sont, pour la plupart, pas reliés géologiquement ou sont remis en question quant à l'authenticité des artefacts. Le seul site clairement stratifié du Pléistocène moyen, Karama dans l'Altaï, a livré une industrie de galets aménagés. En outre, les découvertes de bifaces à Touva, près de la frontière avec la Mongolie, marquent la périphérie nord de l'aire de distribution de l'Acheuléen en Asie. Early Paleolithic sites (Oldowan and Acheulian) in the European part of Russia are concentrated in the southern part of the Russian plain, in the piedmont of the Caucasus and in the North Caucasus, south from 50 N latitude. The Taman Paleolithic complex (sites of Bogatyri/Sinyaya Balka, Rodniki 1 and 2, Kermek; and localities of Tsymbal, Lisy and Peresyp), Akushin Paleolithic complex in Central Dagestan (sites of Aynikab 1, Mukhkay 1 and 2) and complex of sites in Maritime Dagestan (sites of Rubas 1, Darvagchay 1, Darvagchay-Zaliv 1 and 4) are discovered and studied. The initial human settlement of southern Russia began about 2 Ma and went through the Caucasian isthmus along the western shore of the Caspian Sea. The most ancient Homo of the first wave of settlement from the African ancestral homeland was able to reach the Caucasus and the southern part of the Russian plain by 2 Ma, as confirmed by the Liventsovka locality in the city of Rostov-on-Don. The Acheulian is represented by stratified sites of the Early Acheulian on the territory of Dagestan. At present, it can be argued that the territory of southern Russia was part of the area of initial human settlement from Africa. It is more difficult to estimate the time and ways of the initial human settlement of Northern Asia. The few sites attributed to the Lower Paleolithic are, for the most part, geologically unconnected or are questioned as to the authenticity of the artifacts. The only clearly stratified Middle Pleistocene site, Karama in the Altai, delivered a pebble tool industry. In addition, the finds of bifaces in Tuva, near the Mongolian border mark the northern limit of the distribution of the Acheulian in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The 3d Ct reconstruction and virtual brain endocast of Cranium 5 from the site of “La Sima de los Huesos” (Atapuerca), allows us to get new information to increase the study and knowledge of Homo heidelbergensis population, and to compare this specimen with others in the fossil record, in order to understand the evolutionary process of the brain, focusing on the middle Pleistocene period. Furthermore, we can observe the changes this species (Homo heidelbergensis) has undergone, at least in Sima de los Huesos population making comparative studies with African and Asian middle Pleistocene specimens. We have used the new data to compare European Homo heidelbergensis represented by SH5 with Kabwe, a controversial specimen considered by some authors like the African Homo heidelbergensis representative, in order to establish the similarities and differences between both specimens. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The studies and the researches carried out in the last years on the Palaeolithic site of Isernia La Pineta have brought to consider in new way the activities realized by the human group that lived the basin of Isernia during the Middle Pleistocene offering an important key of interpretation of the behavioural strategies of the prehistoric man. The analysis of the exploitation of the raw material has confirmed the presence on the site of two different lithotypes: flint and limestone; the lithological dichotomy is related to the functional dichotomy of the raw material that seems to have conditioned the activities of the human group in different areas of the site. The necessity to deepen the study on the limestone has derived from the evidence brought to light in the last excavation campaigns of a remarkable concentration of the flaked limestone pebbles and the flake scars in some areas of the explored archeosurfaces, particularly on the 3a and on the overlooking layers. The present study has the purpose to explain the characteristics of the limestone finds both in reference to the raw material and to its state of preservation both to the technotypological evidences and its spatial distribution with the purpose to better understand the modalities of the exploitation of the raw material. The information collected until today have permitted to obtain a precise knowledge of the environmental context and the territorial resources exploited by the human group showing an opportunistic capability to find the most advantageous behavioural solution for the necessities of subsistence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]