http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=125 Entrées d’index fr 0 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=6108 The stability of settlement is characterized by the link of Palaeolithic populations either to a given microregion or to one site – both within a single cultural-chronological phase and during a long period of time including various techno-typological complexes. Evidence of such behaviour can be more easily found in regions outside western Europe, whose occupation density was, in the course of the Upper Pleistocene, considerably high and where the same sites had always been repeatedly settled. Moreover, the links to a given microregion or site are much more obvious in the open countryside than in regions with frequent caves which provided natural shelters.The Aurignacian settlement of central Moravia can be quoted as an example of the link of a technocomplex to a given microregion. There, on an area of no more than 10 × 10 kilometers, several scores of sites have been discovered, some of them qualified as huge ones with hundreds and even thousands of artifacts – despite the fact that there is no important source of raw material in this region. On the contrary, the principal material used there was flint-stone imported from a minimum of 100 kilometers. The most interesting concentration of settlements is, however, in Kostienki on the Don river, where eight settlements have been discovered in the lower part of the small valley called Pokrovskij Log, most of them being multilayered and in some cases situated in close proximity of each other. Although they represent different technocomplexes, all of them had originated during a relatively brief period of time. A striking phenomenon is the link of various populations during longer periods of time to certain locations, quite banal within the countryside and with no outstanding features. Willendorf on the Danube river, Moldova V on the Dniester or Mitoc on the Prut can be quoted here. Also some “abri”, located in hardly accessible or otherwise unfavourable areas, belong to this group. Let us remind here the “abri” Fumane in the Italian Dolomites or the “abri” Crvena stijena in Montenegro, settled from the interglacial till the Mesolithic. These examples document certain stability in the links of Palaeolithic populations to settlement regions and even to individual sites. However, the motifs of such behaviour can hardly be explained. Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:17:53 +0100 Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:18:02 +0100 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=6108 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=6034 It has been known since Herodot (484–425 B.C.) that the differentiation of human populations depends to a high degree on climatic factors. Furthermore it is well understood that, as a result of the interrelationships between heat loss, body volume and surface area, cold environments favour large-bodied individuals with reduced limb proportions. Several authors have pointed out that the Neandertals show very short distal limb segments relative to body size. The relative shortness of the forearm and the lower leg and the limbs in general may have been an adaptation to the cold climate that many Neandertals faced (Allen’s Rule). Cranial features on the other hand, e.g. the relatively high cranial capacity and the size and shape of the nasal skeleton, are not commonly regarded as cold adaptation. This is also true for modern populations. Due to the unsolved controversies concerning a recent African origin of anatomically modern man or a gradualistic multi‑regional evolution, a comparison of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene populations of anatomically modern man from Europe (Upper Paleolithics, Early and Late Mesolithics) and Northern Africa (Iberomaurusians, Columnatians, Capsians) has been done by uni‑ and multivariate statistics, based on a sample of n = 546 skulls (and a smaller sample of postcrania). It has been tested, whether the observable uni‑ and bivariate differences and the main discriminators in the discriminant function analyses for diachronical and regional comparisons are in agreement with those patterns that have been described in the literature as related to specific environmental factors. The Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Europeans differ markedly in their cranial features from the NW‑African sample, but their special pattern cannot concisely be explained in terms of climatic adaptations. There are good arguments to submit the conclusion, that the so‑called ‘cromagnoid’ populations of NW‑Africa are autochthone. It seems plausible that the ‘Mechtoids’ developed their unique morphological pattern in isolation from European populations, but the role of their climatic adaptations in their morphology remains still unclear and ‘troublesome’, except the nasal index whose overall distribution is explicable in terms of (plausible) climatic adaptations. The findings demonstrate that the differences in the cranial features seem to be the result of a regionalization process in which climatic adaptations may have played a minor part besides socioecological influences (e.g. technological innovations, subsistence strategies). Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:42:01 +0100 Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:42:08 +0100 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=6034 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=6015 By far the most important species in the faunal assemblages of many Upper Palaeolithic sites in Central Eruope are reindeer and horse. In contrast to previous therories of long-distance reindeer following and loose-herding (reindeer), a territorial model of animal exploitation is proposed. As for the reindeer, the possibilities of a close and controlled exploitative relationship with the horse are discussed. The archaeological data do not confinn the hypothesis of a close relationship between man and horse. New evidence of the taming of wolves in the Gravettian is presented and the earliest finds of domestic dog are reviewed. Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:29:08 +0100 Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:29:15 +0100 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=6015 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=5798 Les nouvelles fouilles r6alisees dans le site Gravettien de Dolni Vestonice II ont livré trois squelettes, DV XIII, DV XIV et DV XV, provenant d'une sépulture triple, ainsi qu'une calotte crânienne, DV XI/XII, et un squelette d'homme, DV XVI. L'ensemble apporte des informations déterminantes à propos de la morphologie des chasseurs gravettiens de sud de la Moravie, de leur mode de vie et de leur paléoenvironnement. New excavations in the Gravettian site of Dolni Vestonice II have brought to light three very well preserved skeletons DV XIII, DV XIV and DV XV from a unique triple burial, a calotte of an adult male DV XI/XII and a skeleton of an adult male DV XVI. They have provided valuable information, not only on the physical type of South-Moravian, Gravettian hunters, but also on their life style and environment. Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:14:03 +0100 Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:14:10 +0100 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=5798 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=1254 Cet article explore la variabilité dans les assemblages lithiques et fauniques au Gravettien. En nous appuyant sur l’utilisation d’indices et de ratios de diversité d’assemblage, nous examinons quels sont les facteurs importants de variabilité dans la culture matérielle. Traditionnellement, le Gravettien est divisé en Gravettien ancien, moyen et récent. Ici, nous considérons le Gravettien dans son ensemble afin d’étudier les changements dans la composition lithique et faunique à partir de deux sites à plusieurs niveaux d’occupation, Willendorf II (Europe centrale) et Mitoc-Malu Galben (Europe orientale). Sur les deux sites, il n’existe aucune tendance générale importante au cours du temps dans la composition lithique ou faunique, et ce, que ce soit d’un point de vue strictement chronologique, ce qui pourrait correspondre à des changements dans les conditions environnementales, ou que ce soit entre les différentes sous-phases définies technologiquement au sein du Gravettien (i.e. Gravettien ancien, moyen ou récent). Au contraire, les différences dans la composition lithique ou faunique sont principalement liées à la localisation du site dans le paysage en termes de, par exemple, la qualité de la matière première locale ou le type de terrains de chasse à proximité. Les stratégies d’exploitation de la faune sur les deux sites n’ont pas changé de façon drastique tout au long du Gravettien. De même, il y a peu de changements dans les gisements de matière première localement disponibles. Nous en concluons donc que les changements observés dans l’outillage lithique entre le Gravettien ancien, moyen et récent reflètent des traditions transmises plutôt que des adaptations fonctionnelles. Les deux sites ont été le lieu d’activités spécifiques et il semble probable que celles-ci ont formé la base des différences dans le matériel archéologique retrouvé sur les deux sites. Willendorf II et Mitoc-Malu Galben faisaient probablement partie de systèmes d’occupation plus larges caractérisés par une grande mobilité et des processus de fission / fusion au cours des cycles saisonniers. Le caractère rare et très fragmenté des données archéologiques pour ces chasseurs-cueilleurs gravettiens suggère une grande flexibilité dans le comportement de ces groupes. This paper explores variability in Gravettian lithic and faunal assemblages. Using ratios and indices of assemblage diversity we investigate what are the important factors driving variability in material culture. Traditionally the Gravettian is divided in an Early, Middle and Late Gravettian. Here we consider the Gravettian as a whole to investigate changes in lithic and faunal composition drawing on two multi-layered sites, namely Willendorf II in Central Europe and Mitoc Malu Galben in Eastern Europe. We found that, in our two case-study sites, there are no major trends in either lithic or faunal composition through time or by technologically defined sub-phases of the Gravettian (i.e., Early, Middle and Late Gravettian). Instead, our results suggest differences in lithic and faunal composition are mainly driven by the location of the site in the landscape in terms of e.g. the quality of local raw material and the type of adjacent hunting grounds. Faunal exploitation patterns at both sites did not change drastically throughout the Gravettian. Nor did the locally available raw material out-crops. We, therefore, propose that the observed changes in lithic toolkits between the Early, Middle, and Late Gravettian at Willendorf II and Mitoc-Malu Galben reflect learned traditions or changes in style rather than functional adaptations. Both sites were targeted for specific activities and it seems likely that these formed the underpinnings of the differences in archaeological remains recovered at both sites. Willendorf II and Mitoc-Malu Galben were likely part of larger forager settlement systems characterised by high mobility and fission/fusion processes throughout the seasonal cycles. The sparse, highly fragmented character of the Gravettian archaeological record suggests these hunter-gatherers were highly flexible foragers. Fri, 06 Dec 2024 12:32:16 +0100 Fri, 25 Jul 2025 15:00:39 +0200 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=1254 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=247 In his paper the lithic Raw material supply systems in the Late Gravettian of the western Slovakia and southern Poland were presented. The analysis of raw material structure in the Shouldered Points horizon shows the differences between the sites in the Vah valley and the Upper Vistula and Oder basins. In the Vah valley the meso- and extralocal raw materials are most frequent and their processing concentrated in base camps or ephemeral multi-functional camps. In the Upper Vistula basin independently of multi-functional camps separate specialized activity zones appear : lithic workshops and butchering sites/zones. The different functions could be determined by the seasonality of occupations. L’approvisionnement en matières premières lithiques dans le Gravettien Tardif est presenté sur les deux côtés des Carpathes occidentales : Slovaquie occidentale et Pologne méridionale. L’analyse des sites de l’horizon à pointes a cran montre une différence entre la vallée de Vah en Slovaquie et le bassin supérieur de la Vistule et de l’Oder en Pologne méridionale. Si dans la première région les matières premières méso- et extra-locales prédominent et la taille lithique est concentrée dans les camps de base (éventuellement camps éphémères), dans la deuxième region apparaissent les zones d’activités specialisées comme les ateliers de taille ou les sites de boucherie. Les différences fonctionnelles entre les sites pourraient correspondre aussi à leur saisonnalité. Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:10:45 +0100 Fri, 25 Jul 2025 14:50:39 +0200 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=247 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=3962 L’exposé des résultats de l’étude de l’approvisionnement en matières premières lithiques de séries du Paléolithique supérieur du centre de la France et au Nord du Portugal, sert de base pour une discussion méthodologique et terminologique. Nous tentons de définir les facteurs qui limitent l’interprétation des déplacements constatés de matières premières, en terme de reconstitution des modalités effectives d’acquisition de ces ressources et de parcours au sein d’espaces géographiques. Two examples of raw material supply study, based on Upper Palaeolithic assemblages from central France and Northern Portugal, permit to initiate a methodological and terminological discussion. We try to analyse the problem and limits of the interpretation of raw material displacement, in term of reconstruction of resources acquisition and human displacement modalities. Wed, 28 May 2025 13:33:38 +0200 Wed, 28 May 2025 13:34:09 +0200 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=3962 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=1812 Obsidian was the main lithic raw material in Late Pleistocene Hokkaido, in the northern part of the Japanese archipelago. Out of 21 archaeological obsidian sources in Hokkaido, 8 were used during the Upper Palaeolithic (35-10 ka cal BP). In our study we are interested in producing a history of Upper Palaeolithic obsidian exploitation by looking at published obsidian sourcing analyses and comparing them to the proportions of obsidian from the various sources present in archaeological assemblages from 6 areas in Hokkaido. Throughout the Upper Palaeolithic the obsidian sources mostly used where the ones nearest to the sites. The exploitation of the other sources varied depending on the period and lithic industry. Among the four major obsidian sources, Shirataki, Tokachi, Oketo and Akaigawa, the former two used widely from the Early Upper Palaeolithic (35-25 ka cal BP) on ward. In contrast, the latter two supplied the sites in their vicinity during the Early Upper Palaeolithic, and in the Late Upper Palaeolithic (25-10 ka cal BP) their use expanded widely. The volume of Oketo and Akaigawa obsidian used was less than that of the other two sources. The use of Oketo and Akaigawa obsidian seems to have been complementary. In terms of the proportions of different types of obsidian found in the assemblages, it seems that the change in procurement strategies does not correspond to the transition from the Early to the Late Upper Palaeolithic –a time when we witness the appearance of microblade industries— but to the transition from the early Early Microblade Industry (Subphase 1 : 25-21 ka cal BP) to the late Early Microblade Industry (Subphase 2 : 19-16 ka cal BP), which coincides also with the appearance of the fully developed Yubetsu method in Hokkaido. During the Late Microblade Industry (Subphase 3 : 16-10 ka cal BP), it appears that specific lithic industries are associated with specific sources. Our results on the obsidian source exploitation patterns confirm the research results of Kimura’s (1995) and Yamada’s (2006) residential mobility approach. However, the sample sizes of the materials analyzed are still quite small, therefore we would like to stress how important it is to increase our data in order to increase our understanding of obsidian exploitation strategies. L’obsidienne était la matière première la plus importante à la fin du Pléistocène à Hokkaido au nord de l’archipel japonais. Des 21 sources archéologiques d’obsidienne à Hokkaido, 8 ont été employées au Paléolithique supérieur (35-10 ka cal BP.). Dans notre étude nous nous sommes intéressés à reconstruire l’histoire de l’exploitation de l’obsidienne au Paléolithique supérieur en examinant les analyses publiées sur l’approvisionnement en obsidienne et en les comparant aux proportions d’obsidiennes dans les diverses sources actuelles dans les assemblages archéologiques de 6 régions à Hokkaido. Durant toute la période du Paléolithique supérieur, les sources d’obsidienne les plus utilisées se trouvaient à proximité des sites ; l’exploitation des autres sources variait selon la période et l’industrie lithique. Parmi les quatre sources principales d’obsidienne, Shirataki, Tokachi, Oketo et Akaigawa les deux premières (Shirataki et Tokachi) étaient largement utilisées sur place à partir de l’E.U.P. (35-25 ka cal BP). Par contre les deux dernières approvisionnaient les sites voisins durant l’E.U.P. et eurent une grande diffusion à l’L.U.P. (25-10 ka cal BP). La quantité d’obsidiennes de ces dernières sources était moins importante que celle des deux premiers. L’utilisation de l’obsidienne d’Oketo et de Akaigawa semble avoir été complémentaire. En fonction de la proportion des différents types d’obsidienne trouvés dans les assemblages, il semble que le changement dans les stratégies d’obtention ne corresponde pas à la transition de l’E.U.P. vers l’L.U.P. – période de l’apparition de l’industrie sur microlame – mais à la transition de l’industrie ancienne sur microlame (sous-phase 1 : 25-21 ka cal BP) à l’industrie tardive sur microlame (sous-phase 2 : 19-16 ka cal BP), ce qui coïncide aussi avec l’apparition cette méthode d’obtention à Yubetsu à Hokkaïdo. Durant la période tardive de l’industrie sur microlame (sous phase 3 : 16-10 ka cal BP) il apparaît que les industries lithiques spécifiques sont associées à des sources spécifiques. Nos résultats sur les modèles d’exploitation des sources de l’obsidienne confirment les résultats des recherches de Kimura (1995) et Yamada (2006) sur le rapport entre résidence et mobilité. Cependant la taille des échantillons analysés est assez restreinte et c’est pourquoi nous aimerions augmenter nos analyses pour augmenter notre compréhension des modalités d’exploitation de l’obsidienne. Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:29:28 +0100 Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:29:35 +0100 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=1812 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=1751 Major river systems played an important role as orientation axes for European Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers. We illustrate this hypothesis by observations on lithic raw material dispersal along major rivers systems, i.e. The Danube, the Rhine and the Rhône. Human mobility and the presence of supra-regional exchange systems led to the move of lithic artefacts, raw material contingents and elements of personal decoration. These results are tested by the study and the comparison of elements of Ice Age mobile and parietal art. Les grands réseaux fluviaux ont joué un rôle important comme axe d’orientation pour les chasseurs-cueilleurs du Paléolithique supérieur en Europe. Nous illustrons cette hypothèse par des observations sur la dispersion de la matière première lithique le long des systèmes de rivières importants, c’est-à-dire le Danube, le Rhin et le Rhône. La mobilité humaine et la présence des systèmes d’échanges régionaux permettent le mouvement d’artefacts lithiques, de matières premières et d’éléments de décoration personnelle. Ces résultats sont examinés par l’étude et la comparaison des éléments de l’art mobilier et pariétal à la période glacière. Mon, 06 Jan 2025 14:40:21 +0100 Mon, 06 Jan 2025 14:40:28 +0100 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=1751 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=533 Tue, 26 Nov 2024 13:17:02 +0100 Tue, 26 Nov 2024 13:17:09 +0100 http://popups.lib.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=533