Search

– 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]

We present a geomorphological, stratigraphical and geochronological study reconstructing a suite of paleo-surfaces in a 200 km-long coastal sector of the central Tyrrhenian Sea between Argentario and Circeo promontories. Identification of the near-shore deposits associated with these paleo-surfaces allow us to define corresponding marine terraces and paleo sea-levels. 40Ar/39Ar and ESR/U-Th geochronologic constraints on key deposits provide correlation with the terraces previously recognized in the coast of central Latium, refining their correlation with the Marine Isotopic Stages. Results of this study enable us to: Propose a re-assessment of the ages for the sea-level markers of MIS 5.5, 5.3, 5.1 in the central Tyrrhenian Sea; Suggest that a continuous tectonic uplift with an average rate of 0.224 mm/yr affects the Latium coast since 200 ka; Provide new evidence for a MIS 5.5 paleo-sea level marker occurring at ~35 m a.s.l. on the coastal sector extending from Montalto di Castro to Latina, while it possibly drops down and connects to a paleo sea-level ranging 10 - 5 m between Monte Circeo and Gaeta, previously attributed to this interglacial; Discussing possible evidence of similar elevation of the sea level during MIS 5.5, 5.3 and 5.1 interglacials in the Tyrrhenian Sea; Compare this datum with those from the western Pacific and several coral reefs, where the differences with respect to tectonically stable regions were attributed either to tectonics or to the Glacial Isostatic Adjustment, showing that the presented record of sea-level markers may have a strong impact on modeling the post-glacial effects in the Mediterranean Sea and on the paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic studies in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gigantopithecus was a giant ape once lived in Southeast Asia and China during the Pleistocene period. Longgupo and Jianshi Longgudong sites in West-Hubei and Three Gorges region in South China are the northernmost evidences of Gigantopithecus presence in the world up to date. To obtain the detailed chronology of these two sites, paleomagnetic and radiometric dating methods were attempted, including cosmogenic burial dating of the sediment. However, the efforts failed because of the scarce of quartz minerals in the sediment. Combined electron spin resonance and uranium series (ESR/U-series) method which could date the fossil teeth directly with the age range from Early to Late Pleistocene was also applied and the results obtained at Longgupo site already published. Here, we report the first radiometric dating results for teeth carried out from Jianshi Longgudong Western Branch cave which is renowned for the discovery of both Gigantopithecus fossils and undoubted stone artifacts. The main challenge of dating Jianshi Longgudong site is the reconstruction of external dose rate of the fossil samples where their provenance sections were not preserved. The mean radioelement concentrations in the sediments measured in the laboratory with different water content estimation were initially used to calculate the ESR/U-series ages. Our ESR/U-series dating of two mammalian fossil teeth from the lower layer 8 gives a weight mean age of 1512 ± 94 ka, while a mean age of 1044 ± 53 ka was obtained for two teeth from the upper layer 4. These ages support one of the previous paleomagnetic dating interpretation which propose that the hominin fossil layer in Jianshi site was not older than 1.78 Ma, i.e. that the upper boundary of the Olduvai subchron, and are in agreement with the faunal evidence which suggest that Jianshi site is younger than the adjacent Longgupo site dated also by combined ESR/U-series and paleomagnetic methods to 2.0-2.5 Ma. Further study of the site including the radiometric dating study of the fossil layers preserved in the Eastern Branch cave may help to achieve a definitive conclusion of the chronology of Gigantopithecus settlement in Jianshi Longgudong site. [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]

Work on thermal pools at Poggetti Vecchi in Grosseto, Italy, exposed an up to 3-meter-thick succession of seven sedimentary units. Unit 2 in the lower portion of the succession contained vertebrate bones, mostly of the straight-tusked elephant, Palaeoloxodon antiquus, commingled with stone, bone, and wooden tools. Thermal carbonates overlying Unit 2 are radiometrically dated to the latter part of the middle Pleistocene. This time span indicates that early Neanderthals produced the human artifacts from Poggetti Vecchi. The elephant bones belong to seven individuals of different ages. Sedimentary facies analysis and paleoecological evidence suggest a narrow lacustrine-palustrine embayment affected by water-level fluctuations and, at times, by hydrothermal water. Cyclic lake-level variations were predominantly forced by the rapid climatic fluctuations that occurred at Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6–7 transition and throughout the MIS 6. Possibly an abrupt, intense, and protracted cold episode during the onset of MIS 6 led to the sudden death of the elephants, which formed an unexpected food resource for the humans of the area. The Poggetti Vecchi site adds new information on the behavioral plasticity and food procurement strategies that early Neanderthals were able to develop in Italy during the middle to the late Pleistocene transition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Résumé Depuis le début des années 2000, des travaux portant sur la chronologie des premiers peuplements humains de Chine par les méthodes de la résonance de spin électronique (ESR) sur quartz sédimentaires et de la résonance de spin électronique couplée à l’uranium-thorium (ESR/U-Th) sur dents ont été menés en collaboration par des équipes françaises et chinoises sur quelques sites archéologiques ou géologiques chinois : Yunxian, Dali, Tangshan, Zongwei, Nihewan, Longgupo et plusieurs sites à giganthopithèques du Guangxi. Après une présentation rapide des méthodes de datation utilisées, quelques-uns des résultats majeurs obtenus dans le cadre de cette collaboration sont succinctement présentés et discutés. Since the beginning of the 2000s, studies concerning the chronology of the first human settlements in China were conducted by electron spin resonance (ESR) on sedimentary quartz and electron spin resonance coupled with U-series (ESR/U-series) on teeth in collaboration by French and Chinese teams on some Chinese archaeological or geological sites: Yunxian, Dali, Tangshan, Zongwei, Nihewan, Longgupo and several Giganthopithecus sites in Guangxi. After a quick overview of the used dating methods, some of the major results obtained during this collaboration will be briefly presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longgupo cave, located in Chongqing Municipality, China, was discovered in 1984. Sixteen Gigantopithecus teeth and two hominid fossils accompanied with abundant mammalian fossils and stone artifacts were unearthed from the site. Previous dating result is questioned because of the complexity of deposition history. In this study, seventeen mammalian fossil teeth collected from different layers of unit C II and C III (C III′) during the 2003–2006 Sino-Franco joint excavation were analyzed by combined ESR and U-series methods, and calculated with a US-ESR model. In situ dose rates were remeasured in detail in 2012, in order to refine the external dose rate determination. Uranium-series analyses indicate that no obvious uranium leaching has occurred, and all the teeth underwent a very recent uranium uptake history, except one from layer C III 3 of the south wall. The US-ESR results show that the ages of ten teeth from unit C III′ of the north wall are consistent in general, about 2.35 Ma. The ages of seven samples from south wall are not in accordance with the stratigraphic order: three teeth are much younger than the other four, probably attributed to the relative higher uranium concentration and U/Th ratio in the dental tissues and significant higher in situ gamma dose rate. Nevertheless, the three teeth from C III of the south wall give an average age of ∼ 2.48 Ma. The fossil ages obtained in this work combined with paleontological evidence and new paleomagnetic results place Longgupo at the very beginning of the Early Pleistocene. Compared with other early hominid settlements, Longgupo is one of the earliest evidences of hominid settlement in China and East Asia to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé La collection de Moulin Quignon est une collection cohérente, malgré la diversité de ses pièces, dans la certitude de sa provenance et dans son rattachement aux recherches menées sur le site en 1863–1864. Considérée comme historique et patrimoniale, son étude a permis néanmoins de livrer des informations scientifiques importantes et valables pour le présent, et, au-delà, de réintroduire le site de Moulin Quignon dans le panel des gisements paléolithiques les plus anciens de la vallée de la Somme. The collection from Moulin Quignon is a coherent one, despite the diversity of its pieces, in the certainty of its origin, in its attachment to the researches led on the site in 1863–1864. Considered as a historic heritage, its study has nevertheless delivered significant scientific information, valid for the present, and, beyond that, to reintroduce the site of Moulin Quignon in the oldest Palaeolithic panel sites of the Somme valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé En mars 1863, Jacques Boucher de Perthes découvre dans les alluvions de Moulin Quignon (Abbeville, France) une mandibule humaine associée à des artéfacts lithiques et à des ossements de grands mammifères fossiles. Rapidement contestée, cette découverte va apparaître comme une supercherie dont le préhistorien aurait été la victime. Depuis cette époque, la collection et le gisement de Moulin Quignon sont synonymes de fraude archéologique dans l’imaginaire collectif. Oubliées pendant près de 150 ans, ces collections sont redevenues en 2012 un objet de recherche dans le cadre d’un programme consacré aux plus anciens peuplements et à l’Acheuléen. L’objectif de ce réexamen fut d’identifier, puis d’étudier l’ensemble de la documentation recueillie durant les années 1863–1864 (restes humains, artéfacts, sédiments, ossements de faune, restes malacologiques, archives, publications, gisement) afin de permettre une nouvelle analyse de l’ensemble du dossier. In March 1863, Jacques Boucher de Perthes found in the alluvia of Moulin Quignon (Abbeville, France) a human jaw in association with lithic artifacts and fossil bones of mammals. Quickly challenged, this discovery will appear as a fraud whose prehistorian was the victim. Since that time, the collection and the Moulin Quignon site are synonymous with an archaeological forgery. Forgotten for almost 150 years, these collections became in 2012 a research topic in the context of a program devoted to oldest settlements and Acheulean. The objective was to identify and study the whole 1863–1864 documentation set (human remains, artifacts, sediments, fauna bones, malacological remains, archives, papers, site) to allow further analysis of the whole subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé Le contexte géologique des découvertes effectuées par Boucher de Perthes à Moulin Quignon en 1863–1864 a été examiné à travers les témoignages laissés par ce dernier, par ses détracteurs, puis par les géologues et archéologues ayant par la suite travaillé sur les alluvions fossiles de la Somme à Abbeville. Cette approche critique a pu être complétée par de nouvelles études, grâce en particulier à une fouille restreinte menée dans la carrière Carpentier, considérée depuis la fin du XIX e siècle comme une localité analogue à celle de Moulin Quignon, et à une série de nouvelles analyses (microvertébrés, malacofaune, datations ESR et ESR/U-Th). Les principaux résultats de ces études confirment la nature fluviatile des couches « archéologiques » de Moulin Quignon qui correspondent à une haute terrasse de la Somme, à environ 40 m au-dessus de l’incision actuelle de la vallée à Abbeville. Les datations réalisées permettent d’attribuer un âge de 584 ± 48 ka aux niveaux fluviatiles de la carrière Carpentier, en bon accord avec les données biostratigraphiques disponibles, notamment celles issues de l’étude de la malacofaune recueillie à Moulin Quignon (collection Boucher de Perthes) et à la Carrière Carpentier ainsi que de la faune de mammifères récoltée depuis la fin du XIX e siècle dans la marne blanche de la carrière Carpentier, qui permettent d’attribuer la mise en place de ces alluvions à un stade interglaciaire de la seconde moitié du Cromérien, le stade isotopique marin (MIS) 15. À partir de ces données et compte tenu de l’attribution des restes humains de Moulin Quignon à un homme anatomiquement moderne, la contemporanéité de ces derniers avec les dépôts alluviaux d’une haute terrasse de la Somme est impossible et appuie l’hypothèse d’une supercherie. En revanche, il est possible qu’au moins une partie du matériel lithique récolté à l’époque de la découverte par Boucher de Perthes provienne bien des niveaux fluviatiles datés d’environ 600 000 ans sur le site voisin et analogue de la Carrière Carpentier. Ces pièces constitueraient ainsi les plus anciens témoignages d’une présence humaine dans la vallée. The geological context of the discoveries made by Boucher de Perthes at Moulin Quignon in 1863–1864 was examined through the testimonies left by himself, by his detractors, then by geologists and archaeologists who later worked on the alluvial deposits of the Somme at Abbeville. This critical approach has been completed by specific studies, through a restricted excavation performed at Carpentier Quarrya locality known since the end of the 19th century as a sequence analogous to Moulin Quignon, and by a series of new analyses (microvertebrate, malacofauna, dating). The main results of these studies confirm the fluvial nature of the ‘archaeological’ layers at Moulin Quignon that correspond to a high terrace of the Somme River, about 40 m above the current valley incision at Abbeville. Dating results provide an age of 584 ± 48 ka for the fluvial levels at Carpentier Quarry, in good agreement with the available biostratigraphic data, inferred from malacofaunas collected at both Moulin Quignon (Boucher de Perthes collection) and Carpentier Quarry, and from mammals fauna recovered since the end of the 19th century from the white marl at Carpentier Quarry which allow the allocation of these alluvial deposits to an interglacial stage of the second half of the Cromerian, the marine isotopic stage (MIS) 15. From these data and taking into account the identification of the human remains of Moulin Quignon as an anatomically modern man, the contemporaneity of these remains with the alluvial deposits of a high terrace of the Somme River is virtually impossible and supports the hypothesis of a hoax. Besides, it is possible that at least some of the lithic material collected at the time of the discovery by Boucher de Perthes could derive from fluvial levels dated of approximately 600,000 years. They would be then the oldest evidence of a human presence in the Somme Valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ESR dating was applied to fossil teeth and optically bleached quartz grain samples from two units of the sequence at Vallparadís (Barcelona, Spain): weighted mean ESR age estimates of 858 ± 87 ka and 849 ± 48 ka were obtained for EVT-7, which includes the archaeological level 10, and EVT-8, respectively. These results are in good agreement with the existing magneto-biostratigraphic framework that constrain these deposits between 780 and 990 ka, and indicate that Vallparadís EVT-7 has a chronology very close to that of Atapuerca Gran Dolina TD-6 (Spain). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sierra de Atapuerca, northern Spain, is known from many prehistoric and palaeontological sites documenting human prehistory in Europe. Three major sites, Gran Dolina, Galería and Sima del Elefante, range in age from the oldest hominin of Western Europe dated to 1.1 to 1.3 Ma (millions of years ago) at Sima del Elefante to c.a. 0.2 Ma on the top of the Galería archaeological sequence. Recently, a chronology based on luminescence methods (Thermoluminescence [TL] and Infrared Stimulated Luminescence [IRSL]) applied to cave sediments was published for the Gran Dolina and Galería sites. The authors proposed for Galería an age of 450 ka (thousands of years ago) for the units lower GIII and GII, suggesting that the human occupation there is younger than the hominid remains of Sima de los Huesos (>530 ka) around 1 km away. In this paper, we present new results obtained by combined Electron Spin Resonance/Uranium-series (ESR/U-series) dating on 20 herbivorous teeth from different levels at the Galería site. They are in agreement with the TL results for the upper part of the stratigraphic sequence (GIV and GIIIb), in the range of between 200 and 250 ka. But for the GIIIa to GIIb levels, the TL ages become abruptly older by 200 ka while ESR ages remain relatively constant. Finally, the TL and ESR data agree in the lowest part of the section (GIIa); both fall in the range of around 350–450 ka. Our results suggest a different interpretation for the GII, GIII and GIV units of Galería and the upper part of Gran Dolina (TD10 and TD11) than obtained by TL. The ESR/U-series results are supported by a Bayesian analysis, which allows a better integration between stratigraphic information and radiometric data. [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]

Abstract: Located in Southern Italy, the Early Palaeolithic site of Isernia la Pineta has provided numerous palaeontological remains and artefacts in well-defined fluvio-lacustrine sequence. The normal magnetization of the main archaeological layer t3a and 39Ar/40Ar date of 610 ± 10 (2σ) ka, obtained from the immediately overlaying geological level, put the Isernia assemblage in the first part of the Middle Pleistocene. Previous ESR/U-series analyses of Isernia fossil teeth have displayed both recent U-uptake and severe underestimation of the ESR/U-series dates in comparison with the 39Ar/40Ar age. In order to identify the cause of this age underestimation, new analyses were realized in the present study on four bovid teeth directly recovered from the archaeological surface t3a. The ESR/U-series dates obtained were once again strongly underestimated, with an error weighted mean age of 435 ± 24 (1σ) ka. These too young dates could be associated to a change of the environmental γ-dose rate during the geological history of the Isernia site, related to the revealed recent U-uptake into the palaeontological remains of the archaeological level. If we consider that this dose rate change was coeval with a wet interglacial period and taking the 39Ar/40Ar age as geochronological reference, simulations with two dose rate steps indicate that this change could be correlated with marine isotopic stage 7 (MIS 7). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The FJ-1 Tuff and three additional isolated outcrops of volcanic tuffs listed in the Fejej area (South Omo, Ethiopia) are associated with a single volcanic event and correspond to the same ash deposit subsequently truncated by erosion. Data from new chemical analyses given by X-ray fluorescence allow correlation of these tuffs with the Borana Tuff of the Koobi Fora Formation, which is itself correlated with a tuff in the Upper G member or with the H-1 tuff of the Shungura formation. The geochronological assessment of this tephra is in agreement with previous magnetostratigraphical and biostratigraphical studies, attributing the Fejej FJ-1 Tuff to between 1.95 to 1.90Ma. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: For a long time, the establishment of the chronology of Acheulian settlements in Western Europe was restrained by the lack of reliable dating methods. During the Middle Pleistocene, the archaeological sites in this area are generally associated with fluvio-lacustrine and karstic contexts. The main geochronological methods (e.g. K/Ar, Ar/Ar, U-series, OSL and TL) could not be applied because of a lack of suitable material for dating, or the expected ages were beyond the upper limit of the dating technique. For several years, the combination of ESR and U-series data has allowed the direct dating of palaeontological remains from the entire Middle Pleistocene period. Combined ESR/U-series dating was applied to several major Acheulian sites in Spain, Italy and France. This paper presents the dating results, their implications for the chronology of the Acheulian in Western Europe as well as the methodological limits of the ESR/U-series dating method caused by the effect of weathering on the uranium uptake into the teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Lower Paleolithic sites of Ambrona and Torralba (Soria, Spain) are often associated with each other because of their proximity although they do not represent the same morphostratigraphic unit. Systematic and extensive excavations were conducted at these sites by an American team during the 1960s and 1980s. Recently (1989–2000), a Spanish team has reactivated the research by initiating a new interdisciplinary project. In the central sector and west of the Ambrona site a stratigraphy has been established with six units from AS1 at the base to AS6 at the surface, corresponding to fluvial–lacustrine deposits in which abundant fauna associated with Acheulian artefacts were found. The most abundant species were elephant, horse, deer and aurochs. Other species like carnivores occur in small numbers only. The lithic assemblage is relatively sparse and consists of a few bifaces, choppers and several flake tools distributed throughout levels AS1 to AS5. The fauna and the lithic industry therefore document human presence at Ambrona during the Middle Pleistocene. In order to verify the presumed antiquity of the Ambrona deposits, horse teeth sampled in levels AS1, AS2 and AS6 were analysed using combined ESR/U-series (US) methods. The samples from the lower levels (AS1 and AS2) underwent a very recent uranium uptake as indicated by the U-series dates, ranging between 5 and 18ka. In contrast, a more conventional postmortem uranium uptake was observed in the upper level samples (AS6) in the enamel and dentine tissues, while a light U-leaching was observed in the cementum. The combined ESR/U-series dates obtained on these samples suggest a minimum age of approximately 350ka, contemporaneous of OSI 9 or the end of OSI 11, for the Ambrona site. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Les gisements paléolithiques associés aux formations fluviatiles fossiles de la Somme à Abbeville ont joué un rôle considérable dans la reconnaissance de l'ancienneté de l'Homme. Dès la fin du XVIIIe siècle, les travaux menés notamment par la Société d'émulation d'Abbeville furent à l'origine de l'émergence d'études dans la vallée de la Somme portant à la fois sur la Géologie du Quaternaire et la Préhistoire. C'est au sein de cette société savante que Jacques Boucher de Perthes initia dès 1837 ces recherches sur les célèbres localités de Menchecourt, de l'Hôpital et de Moulin Quignon. Ces observations furent rapidement confirmées par des géologues, tels qu'Albert Gaudry, Charles-Joseph Buteux ou Joseph Prestwich. C'est ce dernier qui fit connaître les gisements abbevillois au Royaume-Uni et ses observations furent utilisées dès 1859 par Charles Lyell pour démontrer l'antiquité des vestiges archéologiques qui avaient été récoltés sur ces localités. Les recherches menées dans la vallée de la Somme et en particulier à Abbeville, un temps freinées par la controverse liée à la découverte de la mandibule humaine de Moulin Quignon (1863–1864), qui décrédibilisa cette dernière localité pour longtemps, ne tardèrent pas à reprendre. Toutefois, si les travaux menés par Geoffroy d'Ault du Mesnil de 1875 à 1898 eurent le mérite de remettre au premier plan l'importance archéologique des gisements abbevillois et de laisser entrevoir la complexité de leurs enregistrements quaternaires, l'imprécision géographique et stratigraphique découlant de ces rares écrits couplée à l'abandon progressif des différentes gravières dont il suivit l'exploitation jetèrent un discrédit important sur ces découvertes et les observations stratigraphiques qu'il y avait faites. Les recherches menées par Victor Commont à la Carrière Carpentier entre 1904 et 1918, caractérisées au contraire par l'excellence des données stratigraphiques et iconographiques qu'il produisit pour chacun des sites étudiés et en raison de l'absence de découvertes archéologiques dans les niveaux fluviatiles qu'il étudia, allaient encore plus faire douter les préhistoriens suivants de la véracité des témoignages de d'Ault du Mesnil, malgré les efforts déployés par l'abbé Henri Breuil pour concilier celles-ci avec les observations de Victor Commont. Entre les deux guerres mondiales, Henri Breuil et Léon Aufrère reprirent l'étude des gisements abbevillois alors encore accessibles, tentèrent d'en assurer la préservation, via le rachat et le classement des carrières Carpentier et Léon, intervention décisive dans la réhabilitation archéologique de ces gisements. Ces recherches furent à l'origine des travaux chronostratigraphiques menés sur ces sites majeurs de la Préhistoire ancienne européenne jusqu'à aujourd'hui. Depuis une dizaine d'années, certaines de ces localités ont pu de nouveau être étudiées, permettant ainsi de confirmer en grande partie les observations faites par les anciens (Boucher de Perthes, d'Ault du Mesnil, Commont) et de valider la place majeure des localités abbevilloises dans la compréhension de la Préhistoire ancienne de l'Europe du nord-ouest. Paleolithic localities associated with fossil fluvial formations of the Somme River at Abbeville have played a significant role in the recognition of human antiquity. From the end of the 18th century, the work carried out in particular by the "Société d'émulation d'Abbeville" led to the emergence of studies in the Somme valley on both Quaternary Geology and Prehistory. It was within this scholarly society that Jacques Boucher de Perthes initiated his research on the famous localities of Menchecourt, Hospital and Moulin Quignon in 1837. These observations were quickly confirmed by geologists such as Albert Gaudry, Charles-Joseph Buteux or Joseph Prestwich. It was the latter who introduced the Abbeville deposits into the United-Kingdom scientist community and his observations were used as early as 1859 by Charles Lyell to demonstrate the antiquity of the archaeological remains collected from these localities. However, the controversy surrounding by the discovery of the human jaw of Moulin Quignon (1863–1864), which undermined the credibility of this locality for a long time, led to the decrease of the archaeological researches in the Somme valley, and in particular in Abbeville, but it then resumed quite quickly. However, if the work carried out by Geoffroy d'Ault du Mesnil from 1875 to 1898 had the merit to reaffirm the archaeological importance of the Abbeville deposits and to reveal the complexity of their Quaternary records, the geographical and stratigraphic imprecision resulting from these rare publications, coupled with the gradual abandonment of the various gravel pits whose exploitation he followed, cast a significant discredit on these discoveries and on the stratigraphical observations he made there. The researches carried out then by Victor Commont at Carpentier Quarry between 1904 and 1918 were characterized by the excellence of the stratigraphic and iconographic data he produced for each of the studied sites. However the absence of archaeological discoveries in the fluvial deposits he studied lead the prehistorians who succeeded him increasingly doubted of the veracity of Ault's observations, despite the efforts made by Abbé Henri Breuil to reconcile these with Commont's observations. Between the two world wars, Breuil and Léon Aufrère resumed the study of the Abbeville deposits then still accessible, tried to ensure their preservation, through the purchase and protection of the Carpentier and Léon quarries, a decisive intervention in the archaeological rehabilitation of these deposits. These works were at the origin of the chronostratigraphic studies carried out on these major localities of the ancient European prehistory until today. Over the past ten years, some of these localities have been studied again, thus largely confirming the observations made by the elders (Boucher de Perthes, d'Ault du Mesnil, Commont) and validating the major place of Abbeville in the understanding of ancient prehistory settlement of northwestern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

In the Basilicata region, located in southern Italy and known for hosting among the first occurrences of the Acheulean culture in southwestern Europe, the Lower Paleolithic site of Loreto at Venosa is located less than a kilometer from the emblematic site of Notarchirico and less than 25 km from Cimitero di Atella. The Loreto site has not been studied as thoroughly as the two other sites and, although geological investigations have been carried out in the Venosa basin, no direct numerical dating has ever been published for the three archaeological levels brought to light during the excavation campaigns. We present a multi-method geochronological approach combining ESR/U-series, ESR, and 40Ar/39Ar permitting to refine the age of the most ancient archaeological level (A) of the Loreto site. These data allow us to propose an MIS 13 age for this level, in accordance with previous hypotheses based on geological and paleontological data. We also propose a technical review of the lithic tools preserved in the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Venosa to integrate Loreto in the evolution scheme of the European Acheulean techno-complex emergence and diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides new data on the age and formation processes of Garba I (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash, Ethiopia). The site, one of the largest handaxe accumulations of the African Acheulean, was extensively excavated in the 1960s of the last century by J. Chavaillon but left largely unpublished. The chronology was also poorly constricted. Quartz grains dated through electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry now provide a minimum age of 538 ka for the archaeological layer. In addition, we make available new data allowing an updated interpretation of the stratigraphic sequence and spatial distribution, as well as a detailed taphonomic study of the lithic assemblage. Additional information on the archaeozoological and palaeobotanical record are integrated in the discussion. We conclude that the extensive accumulation of large cuttings tools (LCTs) is not the result of major sedimentary disturbance processes but rather the outcome of a distinct hominin behaviour, which possibly was not focused on the processing and consumption of large mammals. New research at Garba I allows new insights on the Acheulean sites with similar large accumulations of handaxes. Additionally, it contributes to a better understanding of the early Middle Pleistocene in Africa, an under-researched period of the Early Stone Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chauvet cave (UNESCO World Heritage site, France) is located in the Ardèche Gorge, a unique physical and cultural landscape. Its setting within the gorge—overlooking a meander cutoff containing a natural arch called the Pont d'Arc—is also remarkable. Investigating possible associations between sites' physical and cultural settings, chronologies of human occupation, and access conditions has become a major theme in archeological research. The present study aims to reconstruct the landscape of the Pont d'Arc meander cutoff during the Upper Paleolithic, when humans were present in the Chauvet Cave. We used uranium-series and electron spin resonance analyses to date the formation of the Pont d'Arc natural arch in the Combe d'Arc meander cutoff, near the Chauvet Cave. Results show that the meander became totally cutoff between 108 and 138 ka (95%). Hence, the natural arch formed before the Upper Paleolithic and the first known human presence in the Chauvet Cave, dated to 37 ka cal BP. These results allowed us to reconstruct a key part of the landscape surrounding the Chauvet Cave when it was being used by Upper-Paleolithic societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lower Palaeolithic site of Cimitero di Atella is located in the Basilicata region (Southern Italy), about 10 km south of the extinct Monte Vulture volcano. The site was discovered in the early 1990s and was continuously excavated for nearly twenty years under the supervision of Professor E. Borzatti von Löwenstern (University of Florence). This open-air site contained a 5-m-thick fluvio-lacustrine sequence characterized by the occurrence of two main archaeological units with lithic industries and faunal remains. Based on the composition of the lithic assemblages, and in particular the presence of handaxes in the Lower unit, Borzatti von Löwenstern (et al., 1997) attributed the site to the Early Acheulean. Cimitero di Atella was interpreted as the result of various lake shore occupations linked to the exploitation of large mammals (Palaeoloxodon antiquus and Bison sp.) and the opportunistic use of raw materials to produce simple small and large lithic tools (Borzatti von Löwenstern et al., 1997). The purpose of this paper is to present the last five years of research at the site. Geochronological, palaeontological and palynological investigations have been conducted to shed light on the environmental and chronological context of the site and the associated human occupations levels. This essential step enables us to evaluate the nature and potential of archaeological data in order to place the results in a broader framework. The accurate study of the context and of the archaeological material of Cimitero di Atella enable us to rethink the crucial question of the emergence of the bifacial phenomenon in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new archaeological material and first dates on Upper Pleistocene layers at the site of La Crouzade cave (Gruissan, Aude, France). The site was first excavated by T. and P. Héléna at the beginning of the twentieth century, and the excavations were recently completed during three years (2016–2018) of systematic campaigns. We obtained dates from Middle Palaeolithic layers using two methods: AMS 14C dates were obtained from bone and charcoal, and combined ESR-U series dating was undertaken on horse teeth. Together, these methods allowed us to date this Mousterian sequence to 49,776–44805 cal BP for the deepest level (layer C8) and from 42,000 ± 3000 years BP for the top (layer C6). The Upper Palaeolithic layers are preserved only as patches in the actual excavation area, but a date was obtained from a piece of charcoal collected from a small hearth preserved in the first layer (C5) above Middle Palaeolithic deposits, which indicates an age similar to that of a modern human maxillary previously analysed and re-dated here from 36,014 to 34402 cal BP, confirming its stratigraphic attribution. The Middle Palaeolithic lithics at the site were first described as para-Charentian cultural facies following typological analyses. The revision of the earlier collection supplemented with the new material, using a technological approach, allow to identify two layers dominated by Levallois production followed by discoid production (Layers C8 and C6) surrounding an original assemblage (layer C7), characterised by a dominant Levallois production completed by three secondary production systems of equal importance, including discoid, SSDA and a Quina-like production. The faunal spectrum predominantly comprises an assemblage of Pleistocene large mammals, and biochronological studies corroborate the dates obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our understanding of early human dispersals in Europe is based on a handful of archaeological sites spread across the southern margin of the continent. Among them, Pirro Nord-13 (Italy) is usually considered to document the oldest evidence of human presence in Western Europe, although the site itself has never been numerically dated. Instead, the age of the Mode 1 (=Oldowan) lithic assemblage and associated fossils found in this karst fissure has been inferred from biochronology and estimated to be 1.3-1.6 Ma [1]; making it older than the Spanish Mode 1 pre-Jaramillo localities of Atapuerca Sima del Elefante, Barranco León and Fuente Nueva-3, which have been dated by a combination of numerical methods and palaeomagnetism. We provide here the results from the first dating study of the site involving a wide range of methods: Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and single grain thermally-transferred optically stimulated luminescence (SG TT-OSL) dating of quartz grains, combined U-series/ESR dating of fossil teeth and palaeomagnetic analyses of sediment. Such a multi-technique dating approach offers the possibility to obtain chronological constraints for both the fossil assemblage and the host sediment. The (semi-)independent methods consistently yield an Early Pleistocene age for the site, although the resulting estimates are much younger than initially inferred from biochronology. We discuss potential reliability considerations with the new numerical ages and existing biochronological inference. Nevertheless, these results suggest either a complex taphonomic history in which fossil remains, lithic artifact and host sediment might not be coeval, or at least the sediment was most recently exposed to sunlight during the latest part of the Early Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long considered on the margins, far from the major cultural traditions, the Sechura Desert is situated at the crossroads between the cultures of southern Ecuador and those of the northern Peruvian coast and preserves a large number of varied archaeological sites. Despite this evidence, little is known about the societies that inhabited this region during the Holocene. Exposed to natural hazards, including El Niño events, and to major climatic changes, they were able to adapt and exploit the scarce resources that this extreme environment offered them. Because of this rich history, we have been conducting archaeological research in this region since 2012 in order to clarify the dynamics of human occupation and their links with climate oscillations and environmental changes. This paper present the results of a multidisciplinary study of Huaca Grande, a mound located on Nunura Bay, 300 m from the Pacific Ocean. The nature of the human occupations at Huaca Grande was varied, and several adjustments occurred over time. The subsistence economy was based mainly on local marine resources and a continual use of terrestrial vegetal resources. However, a major change occurred in the more recent occupations, with the apparition of non-local resources (maize and cotton) indicating that Huaca Grande was connected to trade networks. The results show two main phases of occupation separated by a long abandonment (mid-5th century CE to mid-7th century CE and mid-13th century to mid-15th century CE). The occupation of the site appears to have been influenced by changes in the local climate and by extreme El Niño events. Our results highlight the great adaptability of these human groups over the span of a millennium and their capacity to react to the climatic changes and hazards that characterise this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goda Buticha is a cave site near Dire Dawa in southeastern Ethiopia that contains an archaeological sequence sampling the late Pleistocene and Holocene of the region. The sedimentary sequence displays complex cultural, chronological and sedimentological histories that seem incongruent with one another. A first set of radiocarbon ages suggested a long sedimentological gap from the end of Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 3 to the mid-Holocene. Macroscopic observations suggest that the main sedimentological change does not coincide with the chronostratigraphic hiatus. The cultural sequence shows technological continuity with a late persistence of artifacts that are usually attributed to the Middle Stone Age into the younger parts of the stratigraphic sequence, yet become increasingly associated with lithic artifacts typically related to the Later Stone Age. While not a unique case, this combination of features is unusual in the Horn of Africa. In order to evaluate the possible implications of these observations, sedimentological analyses combined with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) were conducted. The OSL data now extend the radiocarbon chronology up to 63 ± 7 ka; they also confirm the existence of the chronological gap between 24.8 ± 2.6 ka and 7.5 ± 0.3 ka. The sedimentological analyses suggest that the origin and mode of deposition were largely similar throughout the whole sequence, although the anthropic and faunal activities increased in the younger levels. Regional climatic records are used to support the sedimentological observations and interpretations. We discuss the implications of the sedimentological and dating analyses for understanding cultural processes in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological site of Guado San Nicola (Monteroduni, Central Italy), under excavation since 2008, is located in the Upper Volturno Valley, near the top of a fluvial terrace attributed to the Middle Pleistocene. Several anthropic levels have been recognized within a stratigraphic sequence of more than two meters in thickness, characterized by alternating gravelly and sandy fluvial layers rich in pyroclastic materials, attributable to the end of MIS 11–beginning of MIS 10, according to the obtained radiometric dates ( 40 Ar/ 39 Ar and ESR/U-series). In this paper we discuss the chrono-stratigraphic record, the paleontological and zooarchaeological data and we provide a detailed techno-economic analysis of the lithic industry, characterized by the coexistence of handaxes and Levallois debitage. The site of Guado San Nicola represents the oldest evidence of the emergence of prepared-core technologies in the Italian Peninsula, adding new data to the debate on the Lower/Middle Palaeolithic transition in Western Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupled ESR and U-series analyses of mammalian fossil teeth were carried out on two localities of Yiyuan hominin site (Locality 1 and 3) in northern China. The U-migration history of the fossil samples could be reconstructed by the combination of the two techniques, and overcome the limitation of stand-alone ESR and U-series age estimation. We obtained a combined ESR/U-series age (AU model) range from ∼420 to 320 ka from nine teeth recovered from the two localities, which pinpoints the deposition of hominin layer of Yiyuan site to MIS 11 to 9. The age results in this study places Yiyuan site at the same time range of Zhoukoudian Locality 1 and Hexian Homo erectus sites. Comparing with other hominin sites, this study of Yiyuan Homo erectus site highlights the possibility of coexistence between Homo erectus and archaic H. sapiens in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed stratigraphic analysis and numerical dating (OSL, IRSL, ESR, 14C) of Pleistocene coversands in southwest France enable the construction of a renewed chronostratigraphic framework for sand deposition. The chronological data obtained from sandsheet units testify to the development of transgressive dunefields since at least the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 10). Three main phases of accumulation occurred during the Last Glacial. The oldest one (64–42 ka) is associated with wet sandsheet facies, histic horizons and zibar-type dune fields, which reflect deposition in a context strongly influenced by the groundwater table. The Late Pleniglacial (24–14 ka) corresponds to the main phase of coversand extension in a drier context. Silty gley horizons suggest, however, local interruptions of sand drifting during GS 2.1. Lateglacial stabilization of the coversands may not have occurred before GI-1c (Allerød), which was typified by the development of cumulic arenosols. These were covered by parabolic dunes during the Younger Dryas. The variations in extent of the emerged continental shelf during the glacial–interglacial cycles may explain the uneven geographical distribution of sand deposition through time. Because of coastline retreat up to 100 km north of 45°N during the LGM lowstand, the coversands were unable to reach the northern part of the basin. Comparison with other European regions highlights stronger affinities of the French record with Portugal than with the Netherlands and Great Britain, probably because of reduced influence of permafrost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to provide a full synthesis of recent work on the fluvial terraces of the middle section of the Loire River, between its exit from the "Massif Central" montane area and its entry into the Touraine region, with the aim of better understanding of the evolution of the river during the Pleistocene period. New fieldwork and topographic analyses (including a predictive geomorphology approach) permit updating the spatial extent and geometry of the different Quaternary alluvial sedimentary formations in this area. In addition, new analytical data were acquired both by X-ray diffraction (XRD) on heavy minerals and by gamma spectrometry measurements on alluvial sandy sediments. These analyses allow us to characterize and distinguish the alluvial formations. This work has identified three distinct periods in the history of the Loire: the oldest, corresponding to the deposition of sediments characterised by an abundance of metamorphic minerals, originating from the Massif Central; an intermediate period, corresponding to the deposition of the high terraces of the Loire system, not characterised by mineralogical analyses but by the approach of the predicted geomorphology showing different terrace geometries; lastly, a recent period comprising the low and medium altitude terraces, characterised by an abundance of volcanic minerals also originating from the Massif Central. • A predictive geomorphology approach was used for a new mapping of the Loire terraces. • XRD and gamma-ray analyses were performed for the fluvial sediment characterisation. • Three depositional episodes were discriminated between recent and ancient formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mousterian of the Grotta Grande (Southern Italy) is here subject to new dating, which provide a surprisingly high-resolution on the stratigraphic sequence. Overall, the deposit in the Trench F appears framed in the MIS 5, into a brief chronological time span immediately after the Last Interglacial, between ∼116 ka and 109 ka. Significant archaeological evidence has been found in this sector on the cave, consisting in two high-resolution archaeological records (layers 8 and 6) with evidence of anthropic organization of the space, involving possible constructed features, use of fire and, possibly, different activity areas. Here we focus on the layer 8, excavated for 10.5 m2, which returned an intriguing entanglement of human and carnivore evidence. An interdisciplinary approach based on the pivotal role of spatial taphonomy, as meeting point of zooarchaeology, lithic technology, lithic traceology and spatial archaeology, has been applied. Beyond the recognition of the two main components in the formation of the context (the human and carnivore agency), the results allow to recognize its very good preservation state. Moreover, the reciprocal interaction between Neandertal and spotted hyena has been hypothesized, reconstructing the meaning of their presence at the site. More specifically, a Neandertal camp would have been followed, immediately after its abandonment, by scavenging activities of the spotted hyena, profiteering of resources with food interest for its diet left in the site. This human/carnivore sequence contribute to shed new light on the taphonomy issues on Quaternary sites. • Evidence of human/carnivore interaction from a MIS 5 context in Southern Italy. • Short-term context dated to 116-109 ka by direct regional radiometric chronology. • High-resolution and interdisciplinary analysis of the taphonomic evidence. • Zooarchaeology, lithic technology and traceology powered with a GIS approach. • A Neandertal camp followed by a scavenging activity by spotted hyena identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rarity of Pongo fossils with precise absolute dating from the Middle Pleistocene hampers our understanding of the taxonomy and spatiotemporal distribution of Quaternary orangutans in southern China. Here, we report a newly discovered sample of 113 isolated teeth of fossil Pongo from Zhongshan Cave in the Bubing Basin, Guangxi, southern China. We describe the Pongo specimens from Zhongshan Cave and compare them metrically to other samples of fossil Pongo species (i.e., Pongo weidenreichi , Pongo devosi , Pongo duboisi , Pongo palaeosumatrensis , Pongo javensis , and Pongo sp.) and to extant orangutans (i.e., Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii). The Zhongshan Pongo assemblage is dated using U-series and coupled electron spin resonance/U-series methods. Our results reasonably constrain the Zhongshan Pongo assemblage to 184 ± 16 ka, which is consistent with the biostratigraphic evidence. The Zhongshan Pongo teeth are only 6.5% larger on average than those of extant Pongo. The Zhongshan teeth are smaller overall than those of Pongo from all other cave sites in southern China, and they currently represent the smallest fossil orangutans in southern China. Based on their dental size, and the presence of a well-developed lingual pillar and lingual cingulum on the upper and lower incisors, an intermediate frequency of lingual cingulum remnants on the upper molars, and a higher frequency of moderate to heavy wrinkling on the upper and lower molars, we provisionally assign the Zhongshan fossils to P. devosi. Our results confirm earlier claims that P. weidenreichi is replaced by a smaller species in southern China, P. devosi , by the late Middle Pleistocene. The occurrence of P. devosi in Zhongshan Cave further extends its spatial and temporal distribution. The Pongo specimens from Zhongshan provide important new evidence to demonstrate that the dental morphological features of Pongo in southern China changed substantially during the late Middle Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

De nouvelles datations ont été effectuées sur les ossements de la grotte de Geum-Gul sur la commune de Daniang en République de Corée. Les datations obtenues par U-Th LA-ICPMS-MC donnent un âge trop récent pour les industries à bifaces, à pics et à choppers de cette grotte. Il est vraisemblable que les ossements analysés aient été enrichis en uranium par des eaux d'infiltration lors des crues régulières de la rivière Nam Han. New datings have been carried out on bones of the Geum-Gul cave in the city of Daniang in the Republic of Korea. The dating obtained by U-Th LA-ICPMS-MC give an age that is too recent in view of the handaxes, picks and chopper industries found in this cave. It is likely that the bones analyzed were enriched in uranium by infiltration water during regular flooding of the Nam Han River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The combined U-series/electron spin resonance (ESR) dating method was applied to nine teeth from two Early Pleistocene archaeological sites located in the Orce area (Guadix-Baza Basin, Southern Spain): Fuente Nueva-3 (FN-3) and Barranco León (BL). The combination of biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy places both sites between the Olduvai and Jaramillo subchrons (1.78–1.07Ma). Our results highlight the difficulty of dating such old sites and point out the limits of the combined U-series/ESR dating method based on the US model. We identified several sources of uncertainties that may lead to inaccurate age estimates. Seven samples could not be dated because the dental tissues had (230Th/234U) activity ratios higher than equilibrium, indicating that uranium had probably leached from these tissues. It was however possible to calculate numerical estimates for two of the teeth, both from FN-3. One yielded a Middle Pleistocene age that seems to be strongly underestimated; the other provided an age of 1.19±0.21Ma, in agreement with data obtained from independent methods. The latter result gives encouragement that there are samples that can be used for routine dating of old sites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Research undertaken for more than 15years on both fluvial and loess sequences of the main river valleys in Northern France (Somme, Seine and Yonne) is based on an interdisciplinary approach combining stratigraphy, sedimentology, bioclimate studies and geochronology using the following methods: U-series, ESR, OSL, and ESR/U-series. The investigations of the bottom valley fluvial sequences (Lateglacial and Holocene) allowed development of a model concerning the response of the fluvial systems to climate changes, which can be applied to the entire dataset from the Middle Pleistocene. Results obtained from modern archaeological excavations were also integrated within the chrono-climate reference system of Northern France. The complete data set indicates that human occupation of this area has been likely discontinuous and highly influenced by climate and environmental factors. In the Somme basin, the oldest in situ human occupations recently excavated are dated at 450–500ka maximum (Early MIS 12), but handaxes have been found up to 500–550ka within the Fréville formation (MIS 13–14). In the Seine basin, the oldest in situ Acheulean archaeological level has been recognized within a tufa sequence attributed to MIS 11 at La Celle. Between 450 and 200ka, data are relatively rare and less accurate, but the archaeological sites seem nevertheless to be mainly associated with interglacial periods or climate transitions such as Early or Lateglacial, as demonstrated for the Last climate cycle. Taking into account all data and especially the available dating results of the oldest levels, there is as yet no clear evidence of an Acheulean settlement in Northern France before 500–550ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Caledonia was, until recently, considered an old continental island harbouring a rich biota with outstanding Gondwanan relicts. However, deep marine sedimentation and tectonic evidence suggest complete submergence of the island during the latest Cretaceous to the Paleocene. Molecular phylogenies provide evidence for some deeply-diverging clades that may predate the Eocene and abundant post-Oligocene colonisation events. Extinction and colonization biases, as well as survival of some groups in refuges on neighbouring paleo-islands, may have obscured biogeographic trends over long time scales. Fossil data are therefore crucial for understanding the history of the New Caledonian biota, but occurrences are sparse and have received only limited attention. Here we describe five exceptional fossil assemblages that provide important new insights into New Caledonia's terrestrial paleobiota from three key time intervals: prior to the submersion of the island, following re-emergence, and prior to Pleistocene climatic shifts. These will be of major importance for elucidating changes in New Caledonia's floristic composition over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of ochre has been documented in many Middle Stone Age sites of Southern Africa. However, the literature on the exploitation of ochre within the archaeological contexts of Later Stone Age (LSA) rock art sites is scarce. Despite the discovery of several painted shelters within the Erongo Mountains (Namibia), no archaeological study of ochre assemblages has been conducted in the region. Here, we present the archaeological ochre assemblage recovered from a LSA sequence at the rock art shelter of Leopard Cave (Erongo, Namibia), spanning ca. 5,700 to 2,100 cal. BP. The use-wear traces present on some ochre fragments and the stone tools bearing red residues are indicative of different stages of ochre processing at the site. The presence of other artifacts, such as ostrich eggshell and bone beads with red residues, and the existence of rock paintings in the cave are pointers to the importance of ochre for understanding the sociocultural behaviors of the LSA populations in central Namibia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Decades of fieldwork in the Frosinone-Ceprano basin (Latin Valley, Latium, central Italy) have shed light on numerous open-air Lower Palaeolithic localities, delivering a human fossil calvarium, thousands of scattered faunal remains and a large collection of lithic industries, including core-and-flake type lithic series (mode 1) and Acheulean assemblages (mode 2). The continuously growing number of available geochronological data (obtained by 40Ar/39Ar on volcanic minerals, ESR/U-series on large mammal teeth and ESR on bleached fluvial quartz) allow today the construction of a reliable and precise chronological framework for the Lower Palaeolithic sites of this area of the Latin Valley. The archaeological horizons with bifaces all appear to belong to a relatively short Middle Pleistocene time range, between about 410 and 350 ka, coeval to the end of the interglacial MIS 11 and to the beginning of the following glacial MIS 10. The Acheulean tools are often associated with cores and flakes. Bifaces are mainly made on limestone, secondary flint and quartz. The archaeological corpus also yielded tools on fragments of large herbivore bones. Comparisons between technological strategies and palaeo-anthropological data at the global scale are now meaningful and enable us to decipher hominin behaviour at a more regional scale. Such careful work is becoming essential in the frame of the recent discoveries showing that the MIS 11–10 period was a pivotal period characterized by the appearance of several new archaeological features later associated with the Neanderthal lineage in Western Europe. We present here the first in-depth technological study of the Acheulean lithic corpus from the major archaeological sites from the Frosinone-Ceprano basin including the Campogrande localities (CG9 and CG10, intermediate and upper levels), Colle Avarone, Selvotta, Isoletta (level 4), Lademagne (upper and lower levels) and Masseria Castellone. For this work, we focus on biface shaping strategies and demonstrate technological features suggesting the existence of networks connecting the different human occupation sites. Technological data are compared with other penecontemporaneous Italian sites to discuss the hypotheses and characteristics of such early evidence of regionalization in Europe in this specific area of Central Italy. It seems to indicate that glacial conditions characterized by millennial rapid climatic oscillations could have been favourable to the development of specific vegetation propitious to human settlement in South-western Europe. European vegetation, as it drives the biomass availability for large herbivores, seems hence to have played a crucial role in the mobility and settlement of human groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Three Gorges Valley, linking the upper and the middle-lower Yangtze River areas is a key area for understanding the geomorphological evolution of the Yangtze River valley, especially the timing of its formation, which remains controversial and occurred following the authors to from the pre-Miocene to Late Pleistocene periods. The 100 m thick Yichang Gravel Layer (YGL), extending over an area >100 km2, is immediately observed downstream of the Three Gorges Valley in the middle Yangtze River Basin also named Jianghan Basin. Studying heavy minerals assemblage and chronology of the YGL deposits can shed lights not only on the geological origin of the sediments and the morphological evolution of the Three Gorges Valley, but also the formation of the Yangtze River Valley. In this study, 18 sediment samples carried out from six representative sections of the unconsolidated YGL and 2 samples from the underlying Neogene and Paleogene bedrocks were analyzed in order to examine their heavy mineral assemblage compositions. These assemblages were compared with modern Yangtze River sediments sampled in Yichang area (n = 5) and present-day sediments from other rivers of the Jianghan Basin (n = 6) to further identify the sediment provenance of the YGL. The statistic results indicate that the heavy minerals identified the YGL dominated by zircon, epidote, titanite, hematite, limonite and ilmenite, are similar to the assemblages observed in the 5 modern Yangtze River sediment samples but differ obviously from both underlying bedrock assemblages, containing kyanite, garnet, rutile and monazite, and other modern river sediments (Jianghan Basin), including hornblende, chlorite, tourmaline, rutile, anatase, spinel and garnet). In addition, 8 sandy samples from the YGL were dated by Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) method using Ti–Li center, showing a deposition age ranging between 1123 ± 139 and 734 ± 183 ka. Based on these observations, we propose that the YGL sediments derived from the upper Yangtze River Basin above the Three Gorges Valley, indicating that the Three Gorges Valley was channelized before 1.12 Ma ago. This result is consistent with previous provenance tracing studies of continuous deposited late Cenozoic sediment from central Jianghan Basin (since 3.0 Ma), which also constrains the incision time of the Three Gorges to ~1.1 Ma. • Yichang Gravel Layer (YGL) represents the first sediment deposition phase after the incision of the Three Gorges valley. • Heavy mineral study shows that YGL materials were mainly sourced from the upper Yangtze River Basin. • ESR chronology indicates that YGL was deposited between 1.12 Ma and 0.73 Ma. • The incision of the Three Gorges valley was therefore realized before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past decade, debates on the earliest evidence of bifacial shaping in Western Europe have focused on several key issues, such as its origin (i.e., local or introduced), or on what should define the Acheulean culture. Whatever hypotheses are proposed for its origin, the onset and technological strategies for making Large Cutting Tools (LCTs), including biface production, are key issues and are often associated with other behavioural changes, such as increased core technology complexity. Current archaeological patterns do not support the existence of transitional industries. Rather, the scant evidence suggests that biface production associated with the management of bifacial volume was widespread around 700 ka. Among the earliest sites, the site of Notarchirico in Southern Italy stands out as one of the most significant examples. 40Ar/39Ar ages and ESR dates recently provided a revised chronology for the whole sedimentary sequence and constrained the archaeological levels between ca. 610 and 670 ka. Five archaeosurfaces (A, A1, B, D and F) yielded LCTs, including bifaces, during Marcello Piperno’s excavations from 1980 to 1995. In light of this new chronological framework, which is much shorter than previously thought, we propose in this contribution a revision of the bifaces by applying the “chaine opératoire” method for the first time (analysis of reduction processes). Our goals are to assess biface production in this early Western European locality and to characterize the strategies applied at the site throughout the sequence. A corpus of 32 tools was selected from the A-A1, B, D and F archaeosurfaces. The technological analysis shows that hominins had the capacity to manage bifacial volumes, when raw material quality was adequate. Clear differences do not emerge between the different levels in terms of shaping modes or final forms. However, we demonstrate that the oldest level (level F), with the richest corpus, lacks flint and displays a higher diversity of bifaces. This ability to manage bifacial and bilateral equilibrium, as well as the diversity of the morphological results, is observed in a few penecontemporaneous sites (700–600 ka), both in the north-western and southern parts of Western Europe. These patterns suggest that hominins mastered well-controlled and diversified biface production, combining intense shaping and minimal shaping, and shared a common technological background regardless of the geographical area, and applied this technology regardless of the available raw materials. The degree of skill complexity of hominins in Western Europe between 700 and 600 ka, the current lack of evidence suggesting “gradual industries” between core-and-flake series and Acheulean techno-complexes, raise numerous questions on the origin of new behaviours in Western Europe, their mode of diffusion, and their association with Homo heidelbergensis or other Middle Pleistocene populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Namibia is one of the southern African countries hosting the richest rock art heritage, with thousands of rock paintings. Although numerous studies investigated their distribution, style, and possible meaning, few are known about the materials used to perform these paintings. Our in situ study aimed at identifying the diversity of pigments and alterations of some rock paintings in the northwestern part of the Erongo (Namibia). It relies on extensive pXRF analyses of 35 figures from eight rock art sites of the area. Despite common limits of in situ pXRF analyses, the extensive number of figures analyzed and the original data treatment that we performed pioneered the first scientific analyses of the pigments from rock painting sites in the Erongo Mountains. Furthermore, the study also confirmed the presence of iron oxide pigments on a portion of wall exposed during the excavations carried out at the archeological site of Leopard Cave and of possibly datable alterations over several paintings, paving the way to future chronological analyses of past tradition of rock paintings in Central Namibia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 120 km -longTêt River flows out of the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean. By displaying a mappable sequence of Quaternary alluvial units between the Pleistocene frontal moraines of the high range and the offshore sedimentary depocentres, its 1400 km 2 watershed is well suited to quantifying gradients of topographic uplift. Five main generations of terrace treads had previously been inferred from constrasts in regolith weathering features, but here we present the first radiometric age constraints based on 15 ESR sediment burial ages covering the full sequence, and 3 vertical TCN age profiles restricted to three mid-sequence terraces. Analytically robust results were obtained for the oldest and uppermost terrace T5 (ESR age: 1099 ± 179 ka), for T3b (ESR age: 374 ± 47 ka, ∼MIS 10), and for T2 (ESR age: 174 ± 44 ka, ∼MIS 6). These results are consistent with the contrasts in weathering grade of the deposits. The TCN profiles only yielded minimum exposure ages but provided precise post-depositional denudation rates for the fluvial terrace treads. The land-to-sea geometry of the chronosequence also provided clues about valley incision rates in response to topographic uplift during the last ∼1 Ma. Based on a critical review of similar data obtained for other Mediterranean and Atlantic watersheds in the Pyrenees, the full regional correlation reveals that post-orogenic topographic uplift was substantial and relatively uniform throughout the entire mountain range. Patterns and magnitudes suggest a shared, probably subcrustal driving mechanism of Neogene and Quaternary mountain growth, with only subsidiary influence from isostasy, and climatic forcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stepped-terraces systems of several tributaries of the Loire River basin were during the two last decades particular objects of multidisciplinary study, involving Quaternary geology, prehistory and geochronology. The Loire River itself, the longest stream of France, and its fossil stepped terraces system have remained little studied until now from the geochronological point of view, particularly in its middle section, near Orléans. This section is however considered for some fifty years as a key area evidencing the existence in the past of the connection of two older rivers leading to the formation of the current Loire valley. Several researchers have hence proposed the hypothesis of the existence of a Plio-Pleistocene Loire paleo-river flowing northward from the Massif Central to the Seine valley and the English Channel. This Loire River was then disconnected from this one and its flowing was orientated to the west from the Blois area until the Atlantic Ocean. The lack of alluvial deposits in the area between the present-day Loire valley and the Seine one, in relation to significant erosion, means that it is not possible to work directly on ancient evidence of the south-north paleo-river. According to the hypothesis that the alluvial terraces preserved in the intermediate sector were put in place after the connection of the two former rivers (capture), the dating of these sedimentary formations would make it possible to determine when this capture took place. Thus, a series of ESR quartz dates have made it possible to establish a chronological model for this Middle Loire. Five different phases in the evolution of the Middle Loire system can now be described, between 800ka and the present day. These phases seem to indicate a gradual capture, beginning between 900 and 800 ka, with changes in fluvial dynamics, leading to the current course of the river around 250 ka ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paleolithic site of Kalinga, in the Cagayan River basin (Luzon Island), preserves the oldest known traces of human occupation of the Philippines archipelago (709 ± 68 ka1). Luzon island is also known for the fossil's discovery of Homo luzonensis (Callao cave) recently dated at 66.7 ± 1.0 ka2, that constitute the oldest human remains in the Philippines. This contribution presents the results of a geomorphological and geochronological study of the Kalinga site: the Cagayan valley, in order to precise the geochronological framework of this first human settlement. In this area, the sedimentary deposits are mainly fluvial sands terraces partly formed from volcanic minerals. Following the discovery of abundant paleontological remains and lithic tools on surface, the region was the subject of numerous excavations on several sites from the 1970s until now. Since 2014 a new project led by our research team unearthed hundreds of archeological remains (lithic tools and butchery traces) discovered undisturbed in several sequences. Apart from the early middle Pleistocene ages obtained for the Kalinga site, the geomorphology and geochronology of the area are still little known. Through the use of ESR on bleached quartz and 40Ar/39Ar on plagioclase dating methods in association with palaeomagnetism analyses, the chronology of four sequences has been constrained. Our results assert a human occupation between 709 ± 68 ka and 528 ± 40 ka reducing the chronological and archaeological gap between Kalinga and Callao hominins and placing this basin as a central piece of the human arrival in insular Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mas des Caves site at Lunel-Viel, Southern France, is a complex of several caves, dug in Miocene limestone, that have yielded a rich archaeo-palaeontological sequence attributed to the Middle Pleistocene with abundant vertebrates and lithic artefacts. The first caves (LV I, II and III), discovered in 1800, were excavated at the beginning of the 19th century [1] before falling into oblivion for over a century. The main cave is LV I when LV II and III are smaller subparallel galleries. In the early 1970s, research was conducted in main the gallery by E. Bonifay who discovered, as well an extension named LV IV and the natural entrance (sinkhole, doline) both completely closed now. Recently, a multidisciplinary approach has been set up (DRAC-SRA Occitanie) to contextualize the ancient collections with the recent ones and to allow a better understanding of the site formation, palaeoenvironmental and behavioural history of the animals and humans who lived there [2]. The previous chronology based on faunal elements yields important biomarkers (including new genus and species/subspecies) making Lunel-Viel a major Middle Pleistocene site in the European record. Among various dating techniques used in this study, trapped-charged methods such as combined ESR/U-Th and IRSL were applied on fossil tooth enamel and on feldspars respectively. The results obtained by both methods are in agreement and suggest a period of human occupation between 300 and 200 ka. This age range matches well with the composition of the faunal assemblage attributed to the second part of the Middle Pleistocene (biochronology) and which constrain the occupation to a cool/temperate and humid period which could be contemporaneous with the MIS9 or the beginning of MIS7 [3]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pongo fossil record of China extends from the Early Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene, but to date, no late Middle Pleistocene samples of Pongo with precise absolute dating have been identified in southern China. Here, we report the recovery of 106 fossil teeth of Pongo from Ganxian Cave in the Bubing Basin, Guangxi, southern China. We dated the speleothems using Uranium-series and dated the two rhinoceros teeth using coupled electron spin resonance/Uranium-series dating methods to between 168.9 ± 2.4 ka and 362 ± 78 ka, respectively. These dates are consistent with the biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic age estimates. We further describe the fossil teeth from Ganxian Cave and compare them metrically to samples of fossil Pongo (i.e., Pongo weidenreichi , Pongo duboisi , Pongo palaeosumatrensis , Pongo javensis , and Pongo sp.) from the Early, Middle, and Late Pleistocene and to extant Pongo (i.e., Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii) from Southeast Asia. Based on overall dental size, a high frequency of lingual cingulum remnants on the upper molars, and a low frequency of moderate to heavy wrinkling on the molars, we attribute the Ganxian fossils to P. weidenreichi. Compared with Pongo fossils from other mainland Southeast Asia sites, those from Ganxian confirm that dental size reduction of Pongo occurred principally during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. From the Middle to Late Pleistocene, all teeth except the P3 show little change in occlusal area, indicating that the size of these teeth remained relatively stable over time. The evolutionary trajectory of the Pongo dentition through time may be more complex than previously thought. More orangutan fossils with precise dating constraints are the keys to solving this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]