Is the MP-EUP transition also an economic and social revolution?

Abstract

European transition between MP and EUP industries is generally explained by the replacement of Neanderthals by Modern humans between 45,000BP and 35,000BP. Recent results have shown such a transition could be more complex than expected: after a phase of stability during the pleniglacial period of 75,000–60,000BP with MP industries, a phase of large regional diversification occurs during 60,000–34,000BP with the final Mousterian and the so-called transitional industries which are characterized by a large variability of different core reduction sequences, followed by a phase of standardization characterized by a bladelet and blade prismatic core reduction sequence (Aurignacian). The present paper focuses on the dwelling occupation system, the food resource management system and the raw material procurement systems which allow reconstituting the mobility system of the human group network in his territory.A deep change occurred between the MP and the EUP territory management system. During MIS 4, the MP territory system may be defined by a Local Opportunist Strategy (LOS) in which the sedentary group is emigrating when their one day walking area is exhausted. After 34,000BP, during early Aurignacian, the EUP territory may be defined as an Enlarged Planned Strategy (EPS) where a large territory (up to 100,000km2) is occupied by a human group network. Such a transition may be considered as a revolution inside the economy and sociability of hunter-gatherers: control of the circulation, identification of raw material outcrops, major changes in the material culture allowing easier mobility (blade, bladelets, ivory, bone industry, etc.), emergence of art considered as a mark of identification of the territory (cave art), the group and the individuals. It is likely that during the previous favorable environment, such changes may have partially occurred during a time, at the origins of the handaxe technology (a mobile nucleus/tool) or of the development of blade technology in MP industries, due to the increase of human group mobility. In contrast, during the last maximum ice age, between 21,000 and 17,000BP, the return of flake knapping (Solutrean, Badegoulian) associated with local poor raw material reveals regression to a Local Opportunist Strategy (LOS) and/or to a more adapted Summer Mobility Strategy (SMS) integrating summer movement to the northern spaces.