Thermoluminescence dating of heated flint from the Mousterian site of Bérigoule, Murs, Vaucluse, France

Abstract: The stratigraphic and lithic evidence at the site of Bérigoule is not sufficient for the determination of the age of two Mousterian archaeological layers. Thermoluminescence (TL) dating of heated flint from the two levels provides chronometric age estimates. The TL-ages show a high degree of variability, ranging from 54 to 90ka for Level I and 67 to 111ka for Level II. The technological and sedimentological analyses suggest a similar age for the artefacts from the two layers, which is supported by the TL-data. All these data suggest that the artefacts of Levels I and II were heated at the end of OIS 5. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]