Les bifaces micoquiens de Vinneuf et de Verrières-le-Buisson (bassin parisien)

The Micoquian bifaces from Vinneuf and Verrières-le-Buisson (Paris Basin) : comparison with the bifaces from acheulean sites in North-Western Europe : We expound the technical characteristics of Micoquian bifaces from Vinneuf and Verrières-le-Buisson, sites located in the Paris Basin and probably dating from the beginning of the Weichselian period. These characteristics seem to have existed from the Saalian and one part of them may have appeared since the Holsteinian. It leads us to technically compare what we call North-Western Europe "Cromerian acheulean bifaces" (Cagny-la-Garenne 1, Boxgrove) to the Saalian/Weichselian Micoquian bifaces. We suggest that the Micoquian appears thanks to an evolution of the North- Western Europe Cromerian Acheulean. There would be no sudden break but a gradual substitution of Acheulean bifaces by Micoquian bifaces (transitional industries of Cagny-l'Epinette, Soucy 1, Gouzeaucourt). The evolution of bifaces begins before that of debitage (substitution of "Clactonian" debitage by Levallois debitage). The Acheulean/Micoquian transition seems to be complex and it is correlated to the Lower/Middle Palaeolithic transition, at least in the study area.