Middle Palaeolithic variability in Central Europe: Mousterian vs Micoquian

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to justify the hypothesis which claims the parallel development of two basic cultural traditions in the Middle Palaeolithic of Central Europe, namely the Micoquian and the Mousterian, staring from MIS 8. The origin of the Micoquian is probably complex: west of the “Movius line” the Micoquian was rooted in the classical Acheulian, but east of this line the bifacial technology was probably an independent innovation. Further development of the Micoquian, in MIS6, shows internal differentiation that gave rise to évolution buissonnante, manifested in the whole gamut of bifacial chaines operatoires, varying tool morphology, and different blank production methods.During MIS 5e, the number of Micoquian sites decreases, probably caused by the impeded access to raw materials in new, forested environments and difficulties in adapting Micoquian hunting strategies to interglacial environments. In MIS 5e in Central Europe, the most common facies of the Mousterian was Taubachian with microflake technology.The number of Micoquian sites increased again in MIS4 and the beginning of MIS3. This was also a period of further growing diversity of the Micoquian, continuing its évolution buissonnante. Instances of the Micoquian/Mousterian interstratification come from this time interval, but there are no grounds for the interpretation of these cases as functional differences of sites or various degrees of tool reduction, differing access to raw materials or adaptation strategies.