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The calcareous tufa sequence and associated Palaeolithic site of Caours were discovered in 2002 during a test‐pit campaign aimed at identifying last interglacial (MIS 5e) archives in the fluvial terrace system of the Somme basin, northern France. The presence of an outstanding stratigraphical succession with four in situ Palaeolithic layers within the tufa sequence has motivated archaeological excavations of the site since 2005. The first malacological studies and U‐series ages quickly showed that the sequence was mainly deposited during the Eemian interglacial (MIS 5e). After 20 years of investigations, we propose here a summary of this multidisciplinary research project including stratigraphy, sedimentology, geochronology, geochemistry, malacology, mammals, palaeovegetation and archaeology. By combining 25 dates obtained by U‐series, ESR/U‐series, TL and OSL methods, the Caours calcareous tufa sequence is securely dated to the Eemian (123.1±2.8 ka). Based on the summary of the whole information, we propose a robust and detailed reconstruction of the modification of the valley environments between the Late Saalian and the Early Weichselian. At the scale of northwestern Europe, Caours provides a reference terrestrial molluscs record for the Eemian interglacial, including the climatic optimum, that is also described in the same layers by δ18O and δ13C analyses on calcite and by mammal remains. Moreover, the 300‐m‐long transect crossing the fluvial terrace covered by the tufa sequence and the bottom valley formation, combined with the chronology established from U‐series and OSL ages, shows that the incision of the present‐day valley, leading to the setting of the Very Low Terrace, was achieved during the first stages of the Early Weichselian (MIS 5d–5c). From an archaeological point of view, the configuration of the Caours site is unique at the scale of western Europe and demonstrates the adaptation of Neandertals to a forested environment and to fully temperate conditions during the Eemian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Middle Paleolithic site of Mutzig-Rain, discovered in 1992, has been studied through several pits (called M1 to M15) and excavation area since 2009, evidencing several localities and delivering more than 5000 lithic artifacts and 12,000 well preserved paleontological remains. The main excavation M2 sequence corresponds to a collapsed rock shelter, containing several levels of Middle Paleolithic occupation. The faunal assemblage of the main archaeological levels (l.7a to 7c) from this sequence includes woolly mammoth, reindeer, horse, bison and woolly rhinoceros, reflecting both cold climate and a steppe context for the whole sequence, while microfauna from the lower levels (l.7d and l.10) indicate the occasional presence of forests that could correspond to a cooler climate. In 1995, U-series analyses on bones from M8 were attempted but the obtained results did not follow the sample stratigraphic order. Later, an OSL dating study has placed the M2 archaeological sequence as coeval to the onset of the Weichselian glacial stage (MIS5d-5a), between 100 and 80 ka. The good preservation of the abundant faunal remains at Mutzig-Rain has allowed their use for ESR/U-series dating studies and the results obtained on Mutzig horse teeth are given in the present paper. A first set of analyses of teeth carried out from the M2 excavation provided ages around 106-96 ka for levels M2 l.7, in agreement with the OSL data, despite quite systematic evidence of U-leaching from the dental tissues and the consequent use of the Accelerating Uptake (AU) model for the age calculation. A second set of analyses on teeth from the M2 and M8 localities confirms this uranium leaching trend, placing the deposition of these levels ca 133 -122 ka. Taking the whole set of ESR/U-series ages, which are slightly older than the OSL dates, would suggest that the stratigraphic sequence was deposited between ca 130 ka (M8 l. 6 and M2 l.10) and ca 100 ka (M2 l.7), i.e. on a time range covering the Eemian Interglacial (MIS5e) and the subsequent Early Weichselian Glacial stage (MIS5d-5a). However, as the faunal record indicates a cool climate and an open steppe-like environment for the whole archaeological sequence, the ESR/U-series dating to the Eemian Interglacial in the Mutzig-Rain sequence seems unlikely. In order to check the quality of the paleodosimetric reconstruction of the ESR/U-series analyses, an additional isochron study was performed for the two levels for which several teeth were analyzed: M2 l.7 (n = 4) and M8 l.6 (n = 3). This isochron study validates the proposed reconstruction and confirms the Early Weichselian age of these two levels. These results confirm the chronology established previously with OSL and places Mutzig-Rain as a reference site for the understanding of the Neanderthal Middle Palaeolithic occupation in Eastern France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an overview of Middle Pleistocene loess–palaeosol sequences (LPS) in northern France and discusses the palaeoclimatic significance of the pedosedimentary record in the context of western European LPS and of global climatic cycles for the last 750 ka. In this area, the oldest loess deposits (early Middle Pleistocene) are preserved in sedimentary traps (leeward scarps of fluvial terraces and dissolution sinkholes). They result from local deflation processes reworking Pleistocene sandy fluvial deposits or relicts of Tertiary sands. A large extension of typical calcareous loess over the landscape, the Loess Revolution, is then observed during MIS 6, with heavy mineral assemblages testifying to long‐distance transport from the polar desert area of the dried eastern Channel. A correlation scheme is proposed between the global records of northern France in continental environments and both global palaeoclimatic records and other main western European LPS. After 30 years of research, northern France LPS stand as a fundamental archive of the impact of interglacial–glacial climatic cycles as well as millennial events. Finally, these works provide a robust chronoclimatic framework for the study of the western European Late Acheulean and Middle Palaeolithic and for the relative dating of the various fluvial terraces that they fossilise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

– Tourville-la-Rivière (Normandy, France) is one of the rare Middle Pleistocene palaeoanthropological localities of Northern France. Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and combined ESR/U-series dating methods were independently applied by different teams on sediments and teeth from this site. The present work provides an overview of this multi-laboratory dating work by integrating a description and discussion of the methodologies employed and results obtained. Results confirm that the ESR/U-series analyses of the teeth are greatly dependent on the U-uptake histories of the dental tissues. Although all teeth come from the same archeological level, the samples analysed by each team display two different patterns for the U-series data. This is most likely related to the different sampling areas selected by each team and may be interpreted as the result of local variations in the geochemical conditions of the surrounding environment. Concerning the ESR dating of optically bleached quartz grains, the use of the multiple centre approach seems crucial when dating such fluvial and fluvio-lacustrine sediments. Our results also confirm the great potential of the Ti-H centre to date late Middle Pleistocene deposits. Despite some (expected) discrepancies related to the independent use of parameters and approaches by the different teams involved in this multi-laboratory study, the whole ESR and ESR/U-series data set collected from Tourville-la-Rivière locality consistently correlates stratigraphic levels D1 to I and associated human occupation to MIS7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Middle Palaeolithic site of Mutzig, discovered in 1992, has been the focus of several pits and excavations since 2010, delivering numerous well preserved palaeontological remains and more than 4500 lithic artifacts. The site is made by several rock shelters now collapsed (called "M1" to "M12"), each of them containing several Middle Palaeolithic occupation levels. The faunal assemblage of the main archaeological levels (7a to 7f) from the current excavation (M2) includes woolly mammoth, reindeer, horse, bison and woolly rhinoceros, reflecting a cold steppe context, while microfauna from the lower levels (7D and 10) indicate the presence of forests and suggest a more temperate climate. An OSL dating study places the archaeological sequence as coeval of the onset of the last glacial stage, the Weichselian, during MIS 5, between 105 and 80 ka. The good state of preservation of the abundant faunal remains at Mutzig provided good supports for ESR and U-series dating method. The first results obtained by U-series in 1995 on bones were not encouraging. A first set of teeth (from "M2" site), considered today as more appropriate dating material was therefore analyzed by combined ESR/U-series, using alpha spectrometry in 2013-2015, and yielded ages around 96-100 ka for levels 5-7, in agreement with the OSL data [1]. These analyses showed a quite systematic U-leaching from the dental tissues and the ages were calculated by the "Accelerated Uptake (AU) model" [2]. A second set of teeth from "M2" and "M8" sites was recently analyzed by combined ESR with U-series using quadripolar mass spectrometry (ICP-Q-MS) in MNHN laboratory. The whole set of ESR/U-series data obtained on Mutzig teeth is presented and discussed versus OSL dates allowing a better resolution of the chronology of the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeolithic sites associated with the Eemian Interglacial (MIS 5e) are very rare in NW Europe, and especially in Northern France, where their preservation is restricted to very specific geological contexts, in association with carbonated tufa (Caours) or peat deposits (Waziers). In order to check the reliability of ESR/U-series method to date teeth recovered from archaeological levels in such specific geological environments, teeth were sampled on these two Middle Palaeolithic sites and systematic in situ dosimetry was performed using portable gamma spectrometer. The ESR/U-series ages obtained on the Caours site are very homogeneous allowing the calculation of a mean age equal to 125 ± 11 ka, in agreement with the geological age, mammal's association and other available geochronological data (U-series on tufa carbonate, TL on burnt flints, OSL on sediments), despite a relatively heterogeneous dosimetric environment (gamma dose rate ranging between ca 200–450 μGy/a). At Waziers, reducing (water logging) environment linked to the peat leads to very specific U-series data of the analysed teeth (U content lower than 0.1 ppm in all the dental tissues, evidence of leaching in some tissues), but the mean ESR/U-series age, 129 ± 4 ka, is also in agreement with the available geological and palaeoenvironmental data indicating that the dated teeth were associated with Late Glacial deposits prior to the climatic interglacial optimum. These two case studies then confirm the reliability of ESR/U-series method to date with good reliability and accuracy the archaeological levels linked to such relatively short climatic events (ca 10 ka). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have suggested that the Lower-to-Middle Paleolithic transition was associated with the earliest Neanderthals, but recent research has established that the oldest Neanderthal fossils and the first signs of their technologies and behavior appear from MIS 11 or possibly earlier. To understand these changes, re-evaluation of the evidence is necessary to determine if this transition corresponds to a progressive evolution rather than abrupt change. Orgnac 3 is a key and appropriate site to study this research context. Located in southern France, it yields a long stratigraphic sequence testifying the evolution of technical and subsistence behaviors of pre-Neanderthal human groups during a Middle Pleistocene interglacial-glacial cycle. In this article, a new chronological framework is provided for the sequence based on results of dating methods applied to various types of geological materials. Speleothems and volcanic minerals, dated in previous studies by U-series and 40Ar/39Ar, respectively, show periods of calcitic crystallization and regional volcanic activity. Other materials, such as heated flints and herbivore teeth, are directly related to evidence of anthropogenic activities and are analyzed in the present work by trapped-charge dating methods such as thermoluminescence and electron spin resonance combined with uranium series (ESR/U-series). The new thermoluminescence and ESR/U-series dates confirm the attribution of the Orgnac 3 stratigraphic sequence to the MIS 10–MIS 8 period and are discussed in relation to paleoenvironmental data derived from bioarchaeological studies. The paleoanthropological levels, including the emergence of Levallois technology, are dated to ca. 275 ka (early MIS 8) and appear coeval to a wet and temperate period recorded locally, the Amargiers interstadial, defined in the regional palynological records. The implications of this reassessed chronology for the archaeological assemblages are discussed in the wider context of behavioral innovations from MIS 11 onward and their establishment in subsequent periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The area of Pléneuf-Val-André, Brittany, France, has delivered several Palaeolithic sites containing palaeontological remains, very rare into this granitic area. In order to precise the stratigraphical framework of the prehistoric human occupations of this zone, an ESR dating program was initiated in the late 1980s and different kinds of materials (mammal bones and teeth, naturally bleached quartz extracted from marine or aeolian sediments and marine mollusc shells) were then sampled for geochronological analyses. The present paper displays the main obtained results on three stratigraphically connected middle Palaeolithic sites: Piégu, Les Vallées and Nantois. The results are consistent with the regional chronostratigraphic framework and permit to suggest palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the area and the dating of the various archaeological evidences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The site of Bonneval (France) exhibits a 6m thick stratigraphical sequence in which Middle and Lower Palaeolithic artefacts were discovered. The stratigraphy of the site consists of an alternation of loess-like silt layers deposited along glacial stages, and paleosoil horizons corresponding to the vegetal stabilization of the area during interglacials. These layers hence provide past environmental informations and can be used as stratigraphical markers and compared with well dated sequences of Northern France. Eight sediment samples from this Middle and Upper Pleistocene sequence were dated using the recuperated optically stimulated luminescence (Re-OSL) signal of quartz grains. The middle-size fraction (40–63μm) shows a good reproducibility of the OSL signals which allows the application of a multiple-aliquot additive-dose approach for De determination. For all samples, the growth curves are linear up to an accumulated dose of 3000Gy. The Re-OSL ages range from ∼100 to ∼450ka and are in good agreement with the independent chronological information; they establish when handaxe industries have been made during the Middle and Upper Pleistocene in the Paris Basin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

One sample from a fluvial terrace of Loir river (France) deposited during isotopic stages 7-8 and two samples from isotopic stage 5 marine sediments of Echizen Coast (Japan) were dated by ESR of quartz grains. Both additive and regenerative techniques were used on Ti-Li and Ti-H centers of quartz. No change of sensitivity of the centers was observed during regeneration which significantly reduced the errors on the equivalent doses. Bleaching experiments indicated that the Ti-Li center is less sensitive to UV(ultra-violet)-A (365-412 nm) than to the full sun spectrum whereas UVA alone is sufficient to reset the bleachable component of the Al-center. This effect could be the origin of the strong overestimation of the ages determined using the Ti-Li center in this study. The comparison of the equivalent doses determined by the two Ti-centers indicated that bleaching before deposition of the fluvial sediment was apparently better than for the marine sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Somme Valley, Northern France, is famous for its archaeological sequence, where numerous rich Palaeolithic sites, such as Saint-Acheul, the type site of the Acheulian, have been discovered. The archaeological levels are often directly associated with fossil alluvial sediments of the River Somme or with slope deposits, including loess and palaeosols. In the middle reaches of the valley, near Amiens, the system of fossil-stepped fluvial terraces is particularly well developed and preserved, and occurs on 10 alluvial formations. These terraces, from +5 to +55m above the present-day valley bedrock, allow the study of the environmental changes and the human settlement of this area through the Pleistocene. Since 1988, ESR dating was systematically applied on bleached quartz extracted from the fossil fluvial deposits, in order to better describe the geological evolution of the stepped system. More recently, U-series/ESR dating has also been performed on teeth collected from the different terrace deposits. Here we present a synthetic review of the main ESR results, and propose an ESR chronology for the geological evolution of the Somme fluvial system and for the Middle Pleistocene human settlement of northern France. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present the results of a new dating study carried out at Lunery-la Terre-des-Sablons (LTS) and Brinay-la Noira (BN), two key Lower Palaeolithic sites located in deposits associated to the Cher River (Middle Loire Catchment, France). These sites preserve abundant Mode 1 and Mode 2 lithic industries, and are considered as among the oldest evidence of hominin presence in Western Europe north of the 45°N latitude. Following a multi-technique approach combining electron spin resonance (ESR), single-grain thermally-transferred optically stimulated luminescence (TT-OSL) dating of quartz grains and palaeomagnetism, we obtained new chronological constraints for the sedimentary sequence, and the associated lithic assemblages, at the two sites. The new independent dating results derived from each method are consistent and in overall agreement with existing ESR and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) burial age estimates, except for the Lowermost Unit 3 at LTS. By integrating all of the previous and new dating results, we derive combined age estimates of 772-735 ka and 665 ± 29 ka for the fluvial sands at LTS (Unit 1) and BN, respectively. These two distinct aggradation phases may tentatively be correlated to interglacial/glacial transitions associated with Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19-18 for the former and MIS 17-16 for the latter. At BN, an age range of 638–676 ka may be proposed for the hominin occupation after combining numerical age results and geological evidence. This result is consistent with the initial chronology proposed by Moncel et al. (2013) [Moncel, M.H., Despriée, J., Voinchet, P., Tissoux, H., Moreno, D., Bahain, J. J., Courcimault, G., Falgueres, C. (2013). Early evidence of Acheulean settlement in north-western Europe – la Noira site, a 700 000 year-old occupation in the Centre of France. Plos One, 8(11): 1–22] and confirms that BN is among the oldest Acheulean occurrences in Western Europe. At LTS, the mean age of 710 ± 50 ka obtained for the sandy layer in Unit 3 provides a minimum age constraint for the archaeological level located below. The major sedimentary disconformity observed between the fluvial deposits and the underlying pebble layers hosting the lithic artefacts suggests that the true age of the artefacts might be significantly older, probably Early Pleistocene given their similarities with other Mode 1 assemblages identified in Western Europe. However, further refinement of the Mode 1 chronological inference at LTS remains difficult at this stage. Finally, these new dating results show the importance of using the Multiple Centre approach for ESR dating of quartz grains, and confirm the value of combining different dating methods in order to build more robust chronologies for Lower Palaeolithic sites in Europe. From a methodological point of view, the dating results presented here are especially encouraging for the reliability of the ESR method applied to optically bleached quartz grains. This is one of the very first studies demonstrating that quartz samples independently dated by two different laboratories may produce generally reproducible ESR age results. • New dating results for the Lower Palaeolithic sites of Lunery-la Terre-des-Sablons (LTS) and Brinay-la Noira (BN), France. • A multi-technique approach was employed, combining multiple centre ESR dating, single-grain TT-OSL dating and palaeomagnetism. • At BN, an age range of 638–676 ka may be proposed for the hominin occupation. • At LTS, the mean age result of 710 ± 50 ka oprovides a minimum age constraint for the archaeological level in Unit 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The middle Rhône valley, located at the southeastern margins of the Massif Central in France, produced a large number of Middle Palaeolithic sites, most of which dated to the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Due to its position, connecting northern Europe and the Mediterranean basin, this corridor and the surrounding plateaus are of particular interest in the study of human cultural evolution, including the emergence of Middle Palaeolithic technology around 300,000 years ago and its variability over time, as well as the subsistence and mobility strategies of Neanderthals. In the last 20 years, several research projects undertaken in this region allowed to revise key Middle Palaeolithic sequences. This work aims at synthesising previous and new chronological data obtained by using uranium-series of speleothems and bones, infrared stimulated luminescence of feldspar and electron spin resonance of tooth enamel and quartz. We review previous ages obtained in the area and present 43 new ages that are discussed together to propose a reliable spatiotemporal framework for Neanderthal occupations. We focus on major sites in the region: Payre, Ranc-Pointu 2, Baume Flandin, Abri du Maras, Grotte des Barasses II, Abri des Pêcheurs, Grotte du Figuier and Grotte de Saint-Marcel. They all provided significant information related to the biological and behavioural evolution of Neanderthal populations on the right bank of the Rhône valley. We present here the updated chronology for the Middle Palaeolithic of this area, ranging from ca. 300,000 to 40,000 years ago. • We review the Middle Palaeolithic chronology of the Middle Rhône valley in France. • We provide 43 new ages using U-series, ESR and IRSL dating methods. • The Levallois technology is documented as early as 300 ka. • We show that Neanderthals continuously occupied the area from ca. 300 ka to 40 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper records the findings from c. 80 prehistoric sites that have been discovered in the alluvial deposits of the rivers Creuse, Cher, and Loir, tributaries of the middle Loire River, over the period since 1981. These deposits comprise river terrace aggradations formed during successive glacial–interglacial cycles which have recorded climate and environment during Quaternary time. The systematic dating of these river deposits by Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) applied to optically bleached sedimentary quartz has resulted in the establishment of a chronological framework for the evolution of these rivers during Lower and Middle Pleistocene (between 1.7 Ma and 130 ka). Evidence for Early Palaeolithic (Mode 1) industries with an in situ context (workshops, soils) in the highest aggradations indicates that Hominins were present in the study area, near the geographical centre of France (47°N), around 1.1 Ma. Examination of the sites indicates that Human occupations were located along valley bottom sites during temperate episodes. Subsequently, after a gap of several hundred thousand years industries with handaxes appear in the Middle Loire Basin in the interval between 700 and 600 ka, and then continuously from 400 ka. These two phases of settlement produced industrial assemblages with clear differences in their responses to the supplies of raw materials and in the modes of making flakes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Evidence of earliest human settlements observed in the alluvial formations of the Middle Loire Basin during systematic surveys organised since 1981. Many stepped fluvial terraces deposited during the successive interglacial–glacial Quaternary cycles have been identified in three tributary valleys of the Loire River: the Creuse, Cher and Loir Valleys. These alluvial remnants were systematically dated by the Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) method applied on optically bleached quartz, in order to construct a chronostratigraphical framework for the fluvial systems and the associated archaeological localities. Four localities containing Early Palaeolithic industries with Mode 1 technology, occupied during the Lower Pleistocene, and ten sites characterized by assemblages with handaxes, discovered in the Middle Pleistocene alluvial formations, are described in this paper. These two sets of localities are characterized by lithic industries with many differences in supply of raw materials and in technical behaviours. The results indicate that this area was reached by two separate phases of human settlement (one in relation to Mode 1, the other to Mode 2) with an interval around 400ka, at the end of the Lower Pleistocene, during a period characterized by major climatic degradations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The tufa deposit of La Celle, located in the Upper Seine valley (Northern France), has been known for more than a century and extensive collections of shells and leaf impressions exist. These fossils led earlier authors to recognize the tufa as evidence of an old temperate phase of the Pleistocene. New studies have recently been undertaken at the site in order to reappraise its palaeontological potential and to improve its dating. Recent investigations are based on the analysis of a new series of stratified samples, coupled with a revision of material in several old collections. The new work shows that the tufa accumulated under interglacial conditions and demonstrates the progressive development of forest biotopes culminating in the climatic optimum. In the upper levels the reopening of the landscape is registered by both molluscan communities and plant remains. The tufa at La Celle has been correlated with MIS 11, based on the geomorphological context of the site, together with the occurrence of ‘the Lyrodiscus fauna’, a malacological assemblage characteristic of tufa deposits of this period in Northwest Europe. This correlation is supported by radiometric measurements (U-series and ESR/U-series,) which have produced a mean age of ∼400ka. Mammalian remains are also preserved and include Macaca and Hippopotamus, which are the first well-provenanced records of these species from this region. An archaeological horizon with flint artefacts demonstrates human occupation during the interglacial optimum. Analysis of the lithic artefacts confirms their similarity with the Acheulean assemblage collected at the end of the 19th century. La Celle therefore represents one of the best dated Acheulean occupation sites in Northern France and one where the palaeoenvironmental context can be described in great detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since 1998, a multidisciplinary team works on the study of the representations in the cave Mayenne-Sciences (Thorigné-en-Charnie, Mayenne). Particularly, there are trials for U-TH (TIMH) datations of the speleothems recovering the drawings and fossils of the bats; this would help to know at what date the decorated cave was closed. The studies already allowed to know better the black drawings, executed with a wooden charcoal crayon. Thus, it was possible to make removals which gave two dates from the Gravettian phase; this feeds again the discussion about the chronocultural position of this cave, on of the most septentrional caves we know. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The site of Les Auzières 2 (Méthamis, Vaucluse) was excavated from 2001 to 2005. It yielded an original and diverse fauna, unique in southeastern France (Provence). The spectrum of large mammals comprises 14 species including hyena, horse, ibex, woolly rhinoceros, giant deer and mammoth. Lithic artifacts are rare but testify to the presence of a Mousterian industry. All of these remains derive from layers that have been dated to 60±10 ka by ESR/U-series method. Les Auzières 2 is of special importance for examining the issue of human/carnivore interaction in the Pleistocene since it has yielded a large assemblage of carnivore remains, and probably represents a hyena den. The diverse fauna offers a more comprehensive picture of Upper Pleistocene biodiversity in southeastern France than that usually provided by sites with a stronger anthropogenic signal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Evidence of earliest human settlements had been searched in the alluvial formations laid down in the Middle Loire Basin. Many stepped sheets deposited during the successive interglacial–glacial quaternary cycles are studied in four valleys of the Loire tributaries: the Creuse, Indre, Cher and Loir rivers. These sandy remnants are systematically dated, using the Electron Spin Resonance method applied on bleached fluvial quartz. Five settlements which contain very Early Palaeolithic industries with Mode 1 technology were occupied during the Lower Pleistocene. About eighty sites with hand-axe assemblages are observed in Middle Pleistocene remnants; nine of these are described in this paper. The results theorize that the geographical center of France (47°N) would be reached by two influxes of human populations with an interval around 400 years, because major climatic pejorations, particularly at the end of the Lower Pleistocene. These two populations produced lithic industries with many differences in supply of raw materials and in techniques of striking. Not any typologic link had been observed joining the two industrial unities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The isotopic composition of calcite from the stalagmitic floor E of the Lazaret Cave is interpreted as proxy of atmospheric circulation and vegetal cover changes during IOS 5. The variations could indicate change in precipitation sources, which could originate from the Mediterranean Sea during warm periods and from the Atlantic Ocean during colder periods. The variations could be related to vegetal cover and soil type. Tree cover appears to be dominant according to pollen spectra, and organic molecules trapped into calcite (sterols, terpenoids, humic acids). To cite this article: L. Rousseau et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The site of LuneryRosieres la-Terre-des-Sablons (Lunery, Cher, France) comprises early evidence of human occupation in mid-latitudes in Western Europe. It demonstrates hominin presence in the Loire River Basin during the Early Pleistocene at the transition between an interglacial stage and the beginning of the following glacial stage. Three archaeological levels sandwiched and associated with two diamicton levels deposited on the downcutting river floor indicate repeated temporary occupations. Lithic material yields evidence of simple and more complex core technologies on local Jurassic siliceous rocks and Oligocene millstone. Hominins availed of natural stone morphologies to produce flakes with limited preparation. Some cores show centripetal management and a partially prepared striking platform. The mean ESR age of 1175 ka ± 98 ka obtained on fluvial sediments overlying the archaeological levels could correspond to the transition between marine isotopic stages (MIS) 37 and 36, during the normal Cobb Mountain subchron, and in particular at the beginning of MIS 36. The Lunery site shows that hominins were capable of adapting to early glacial environmental conditions and adopting appropriate strategies for settling in mid-latitude zones. These areas cannot be considered as inhospitable at that time as Lunery lies at some distance from the forming ice cap., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Some areas in Western Europe indicate hiatuses in human occupations, which cannot be systematically attributed to taphonomic factors and poor site preservation. The site of la Noira in the center of France records two occupation phases with a significant time gap. The older one is dated to around 700 ka (stratum a) with an Acheulean assemblage, among the earliest in Western Europe, and the upper phase of the sequence (stratum c) is dated to ca. 450 ka. Humans left the area at around 670 ka, at the beginning of the marine isotope stage (MIS) 16 glacial stage, when cold conditions became too severe. No sites between 650 and 450 ka have yet been discovered in the center region despite systematic surveys over the past three decades. The archaeological evidence indicates that populations returned to the area, at the end of MIS 12 or the beginning of the long interglacial MIS 11. Here, we use technological behaviors common to the two levels of la Noira-strata a and c to evaluate their differences. Compared to other key European sequences, this site can be used to address the evolution of the behavioral strategies in Europe between MIS 17 and 11. We formulate two hypotheses concerning the human settlement of this area: (1) local behavioral evolution over time of populations occasionally occupying the region when the climate was favorable or (2) dispersal and arrival of new populations from other areas. The results focus on (1) changes in land-use patterns with the extension of the territory used by hominins in the upper level, (2) the introduction of new core technologies, including some evidence of early Levallois debitage, and (3) more intensive shaping of bifaces and bifacial tools. Results attest that the la Noira archaeological assemblages record similar regional behavioral evolution as observed at a larger scale in Europe., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The human settlement of Europe during Pleistocene times was sporadic and several stages have been recognized, both from paleaoanthropological and archaeological records. If the first phase of hominin occupation (as early as 1.4 Ma) seems mainly restricted to the southern part of the continent, the second phase, characterized by specific lithic tools (handaxes), is linked to Acheulean settlements and to the emergence of Homo heidelbergensis, the ancestor of Neanderthals. This phase reached northwestern Europe and is documented in numerous sites in Germany, Great Britain and northern France, generally after 600 ka. At la Noira (Brinay, Central France), the Middle Pleistocene alluvial formation of the Cher River covers an archaeological level associated with a slope deposit (diamicton). The lithic assemblage from this level includes Large Cutting Tools (LCTs), flakes and cores, associated with numerous millstone slabs. The lithic series is classified as Acheulean on the basis of both technological and typological analyses. Cryoturbation features indicate that the slope deposits and associated archaeological level were strongly frozen and disturbed after hominin occupation and before fluvial deposition. Eight sediment samples were dated by the electron spin resonance (ESR) method and the weighted average age obtained for the fluvial sands overlying the slope deposits is 665±55 ka. This age is older than previous chronological data placing the first European Acheulean assemblages north of 45(th) parallel north at around 500 ka and modifies our current vision of the initial peopling of northern Europe. Acheulean settlements are older than previously assumed and the oldest evidences are not only located in southern Europe. La Noira is the oldest evidence of Acheulean presence in north-western Europe and attests to the possibility of pioneering phases of Acheulean settlement which would have taken place on a Mode 1-type substratum as early as 700 ka. The lithic assemblage from la Noira thus provides behavioral and technological data on early Acheulean occupation in Europe and contributes to our understanding of the diffusion of this tradition.