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International audience; Early Levallois core technology is usually dated in Europe to the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 9 and particularly from the beginning of MIS 8 to MIS 6. This technology is considered as one of the markers of the transition from lower to Middle Paleolithic or from Mode 2 to Mode 3. Recent discoveries show that some lithic innovations actually appeared earlier in western Europe, from MIS 12 to MIS 9, contemporaneous with changes in subsistence strategies and the first appearance of early Neanderthal anatomical features. Among these discoveries, there is the iconic Levallois core technology. A selection of well-dated assemblages in the United Kingdom, France, and Italy dated from MIS 12 to 9, which include both cores and flakes with Levallois features, has been described and compared with the aim of characterizing this technology. The conclusion supports the interpretation that several technical features may be attributed to a Levallois technology similar to those observed in younger Middle Paleolithic sites, distinct from the main associated core technologies in each level. Some features in the sample of sites suggest a gradual transformation of existing core technologies. The small evidence of Levallois could indicate occasional local innovations from different technological backgrounds and would explain the diversity of Levallois methods that is observed from MIS 12. The technological roots of Levallois technology in the Middle Pleistocene would suggest a multiregional origin and diffusion in Europe and early evidence of regionalization of local traditions through Europe from MIS 12 to 9. The relationships of Levallois technology with new needs and behaviors are discussed, such as flake preference, functional reasons related to hunting and hafting, an increase in the use of mental templates in European populations, and changes in the structure of hominin groups adapting to climatic and environmental changes.

In the Haute-Saone department, studies of surface collections and the few rare preserved stratified open air-sites demonstrate the presence of handaxes whose typology indicates Lower and Middle Palaeolithic. Here, raw materials are mostly high quality and characterized by its diversity and availability across the landscape. In this one small region 125 km by 75 km, one can find many geological formations containing metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary formations rich in both siliceous (Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Oligocene) and non-siliceous (Carboniferous, Permian, terraces contexts, fluvio-glacial contexts) rocks. In this context, hominids occupied the region and established complex relationships with the diverse raw materials. Five major sedimentary complexes provide at least 17 different types of raw materials such as flint, chert, quartz, quartzite, radiolarite and sandstone that have been knapped since the beginning of the Palaeolithic. Among these, 11 were chosen and appropriated for handaxe shaping, while only three were selected for leafpoint shaping. Although prehistoric knappers were adapted to the morphometric constraints of their raw materials; among leafpoints, a clear selection was made towards tabular, ovular, and plano-convex flint nodules and flake blanks.

International audience; The open-air site and Acheulean site of Revelles has been discovered in a dolina context when the A29 motorway was built in 2002 west to Amiens (Somme). One single occupation, without faunal discoveries, has delivered more than 5000 artefact and has been correlated to SIM 8. This new occupation permits us to work out on typology and technology of a facies different from the traditional acheulian from the alluvial terrace like Cagny-l’Epinette or Cagny-la-Garenne and of a facies also different from the other plateaus or dolinas like Ferme de l’Epinette and Gentelles. Three main operating chains are identified, one around the production of handaxes, another around triface and the last one deals with the productions of flakes and tool-flakes. Among the handaxes typology, we encounter lanceolates, back-handaxes, picks-handaxes and many handaxes with a cortex basis. Traditional morphologies like ovalar, amygdaloid and limandes are away. In that site, broken handaxes are numerous and broken marks allow us to see the difference between the one depending of bad raw materials from those of a volunteer resharping. Between these two extremes some are the results of the flexion or diverse functions. The debitage is carefully done with a great productivity of each main core surface and a great proportion of long back-knives. The Levallois method is rarely present, only by few preferential cores and rare flakes.; Le site acheuléen de plein-air de Revelles a été découvert en contexte de doline à l’occasion des travaux en 2002 de l’A29 à l’Ouest d’Amiens (Somme). Une unique occupation, dépourvue de faune, mais constituée de plus de 5000 artefacts, est attribuée au SIM 8. Cette occupation, très originale, nous permet de décrypter des caractéristiques typologiques et technologiques différentes des faciès connus en contexte de terrasse alluviale et quelque peu différent des autres contextes de plateaux et de dolines déjà étudiés comme ceux de Gentelles ou de la Ferme de l’Epinette. Trois chaînes opératoires majeures sont identifiées, l’une autour du façonnage de bifaces, l’une autour du façonnage de trifaces et une dernière autour de la production d’éclats bruts et d’éclats retouchés. La série de bifaces est constituée de formes lancéolées, de bifaces à dos, de pics-bifaces, de bifaces peu ébauchés à base corticale. Les formes ovalaires, amygdaloïdes et limandes sont déficientes. À Revelles, la fracturation des bifaces est notable et parmi les chutes de taille des bifaces et de leurs apex, il est souvent possible de faire la part entre la fracture due à la matière première parfois de mauvaise qualité, de celles, volontaires, qualifiées de ravivage. Entre les deux, les fracturations par flexion, obtenues en cours d’utilisation intensive de l’outil, nous laissent davantage dubitatifs. Le débitage est soigné avec une excellente productivité des surfaces de débitage produisant un grand nombre de couteaux à dos naturel. Le débitage Levallois n’est attesté que par quelques rares nucléus préférentiels ainsi que quelques produits de débitage.

International audience; Bone retouchers are more common during the Middle Palaeolithic (from MIS 7 to 3) and are now considered as a part of the tool kit of Neanderthals. In Middle Pleistocene and Lower Palaeolithic assemblages, they are few in number and attest to the scarcity of use of bones as material for shaping tools. Some MIS 11 to MIS 9 sites allow the description of the onset of bone use and its multiplication after the MIS 9 attests of another functional relationship between bones and hominins.Our aim is to provide details about the bone retouchers found in some MIS 11–9 sites with lithic assemblages, often described as late Acheulean, that include handaxes and heavy-duty tools. The sites sampled are Terra Amata (south-east France, MIS 11), Orgnac 3 (south-east France, MIS 9–8), Cagny l'Epinette (Northern France, MIS 9) and Cueva del Angel (Spain, MIS 11–7). The study examined the number of retouchers, their support and type of animal, types of marks, bone sizes, and the lithic and faunal contexts.While bone retouchers sometimes total several hundreds of pieces in Middle Palaeolithic sites, our Lower Palaeolithic corpus yields generally between 1 and 6 retouchers. Retouchers are always made on fragments of bones from the main hunted species (horses, large bovids and cervids). Marks on bone retouchers indicate specific processes for selecting fragments of bones, and hypotheses are provided on their method of use. Categories may be suggested according to their types of support (diaphysis, epiphysis) as well as their types of marks, and allow us to suggest hypotheses for the retouching of both bifacial tools and flake-tools as well as for direct percussion. The results are compared with other sites from which bone retouchers were already published (Cueva del Bolomor, Gran Dolina TD10 in Spain, and La Micoque in France and Qesem in Israel). They are also compared with younger Acheulean assemblages such as Lazaret cave in France.

International audience; Several Acheulean sites dated between stages MIS 12 to 9 are located around the town of Amiens in the Somme Valley. These include: Cagny-la-Garenne I, Cagny-la-Garenne II, Cagny-la-Ferme de l'Epinette, Cagny-l'Epinette, Revelles and Gentelles. The aim of this paper is to present the chronological situation and context of each of these sites and to ascertain the continuity or the discontinuity of the main behavioral aspects of the raw material procurement patterns, the core types and the biface and tool-flake status. We also examine numerous aspects of shaping and knapping, such as the presence of hammerstones or specialized classes of lithics. A synthesis of data underlines changes in the main categories of lithic artifacts and variability or convergence in the production systems.

International audience; The introduction of biface technology in the Lower Palaeolithic arguably marked a fundamental change in how early hominins dealt with their world. It is suggested to reflect changes not just in tool form and innovative shaping, but also in planning depth, landscape use and social structures. This paper examines in detail the chronology of the first Acheulian industries in north-west Europe with the earliest sites from c. 700 ka through to later sites at c. 400 ka. It asks whether evidence from these sites can further our understanding of how the Acheulian and the bifacial technology emerged in this region, but more critically whether it was the underlying behavioural changes that enabled the more sustained occupation of northern latitudes. In particular the paper assesses whether cultural signatures can be identified and whether this reflects changes in group dynamics and social structures that could be a fundamental aspect of surviving in more seasonal, cooler climates.To achieve this, the industries are examined in their chronological and biogeographical framework and compared over time and with the south European sites. The study discusses the influencing factors on variability such as raw material, site function, palaeogeography and questions regarding the background conditions for the introduction of the bifacial technology in Europe. The flexibility in behaviour makes the identification of cultural traditions across Europe difficult due to the situational responses of the early hominins. The large geographical area, the long time period, the fragmented record and a chronology, that still needs improvement, all mean that only glimpses of traditions can be identified, usually at a very local level. However, due to the more extreme climatic cycles of northern Europe, compared to southern Europe, it seems inevitable that populations colonized repeatedly from south to north as climate warmed and retreated or populations became locally extinct as climate cooled. Although there are broad similarities in technology, attempts to identify cultural links have been hampered by the greater variety of raw materials in the south compared to the generally better quality siliceous raw materials in the north. Broad patterns over time might be discernible, with perhaps a refinement through time, but there are also many exceptions to this observation. What seems clearer are other technological innovations from 600 to 500 ka that seem part of an Acheulian package and might reflect other changes in human cultures and societies. It is suggested that these developments were a critical part of more sustained occupation of northern latitudes.

Resume Les gisements de l'Epinette et de la Ferme de l'Epinette a Cagny (Somme) sont deux gisements acheuleens de la region d'Amiens a Cagny (Somme) ou la presence de remontages d'eclats sur nucleus et sur bifaces dans de nombreuses series nous permettent de mieux apprehender les methodes de faconnage bifacial et de debitage au Paleolithique inferieur, plus particulierement dans l'Acheuleen. Les bifaces sont surtout faconnes selon une methode successive, les nucleus sont en majorite debites sur une seule surface de debitage selon une methode unipolaire a partir d'un plan de frappe prepare. En plus des confirmations typologiques et technologiques diverses des methodes de faconnage ou de debitage rencontrees, certains remontages quasi complets nous permettent d'envisager les chaines operatoires entieres relatives aux differentes methodes de debitage et de faconnage, le tout illustre par la reconstitution des dimensions, formes, etat physique et test des rognons de silex de depart.

The open air site of Gouzeaucourt has got several archeological levels included in a sequence of the middle Pleistocene and old loesses. The first typological and technological studies used to present this industry with a lot of acheulian hand axes, a good representation of middle paleolithic flake tools and the absence of Levallois technique. A reconstitution attempt of the sequence of reduction is added, which underlines the ways and possibilities to produce flakes and tools from various stands., Lamotte Agnès. Le gisement paléolithique moyen de faciès cambrésien de Gouzeaucourt (Nord). Essai de reconstitution des chaînes opératoires. In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 89, n°2, 1992. pp. 37-41.

In Western France, numerous are Acheulian signs (handaxes alone and discovered without exact stratigraphic context), but rare are in this region assemblages of more than one hundred artefacts with numerous handaxes. Planguenoual site's is the only one known until now in Britain. Knapping function and the production of flake tools is proved. Nevertheless, without handaxes rough draw, handaxe flakes, "coup de tranchet" flake, the shaping handaxes function, on the settlement, must be proved. Handaxes are introduced finished., En Bretagne, nombreux sont les indices acheuléens (bifaces isolés découverts sans contexte stratigraphique précis), mais rares sont, dans cette région, des assemblages de plus d'une centaine d'artefacts contenant un pourcentage important de bifaces. Le gisement de La Ville-Mein à Planguenoual (Côtes-d'Armor) est le seul connu à ce jour comme tel en Bretagne. Malgré l'absence de remontages, la fonction de débitage et de production d'outillage sur éclat est attestée sur le site. Par contre, en l'absence d'ébauches de bifaces, d'éclats de bifaces et de coups de tranchet (les bifaces seraient introduits déjà finis), la fonction de façonnage de bifaces, sur place, reste à démontrer., Lamotte Agnès, Monnier Jean-Laurent. Le gisement acheuléen de La Ville-Mein à Planguenoual (Côtes-d'Armor). In: Gallia préhistoire, tome 39, 1997. pp. 1-29.