Mobility Strategies in the Late Middle Palaeolithic of Central Europe and Western Europe: Elements of Stability and Variability

Abstract

The differences between late Middle Palaeolithic raw material transport patterns in central Europe and western Europe are discussed in relation to Neanderthal's conceptual capacities and behavioral flexibility. The central issue is the assessment of the mobility strategies brought into play in both regions, with the emphasis on the nature of group mobility and its implications in terms of planning and foresight. A case is made for the existence of regionally patterned behavior, which appears to be stable through time. Tentative explanations are put forward to account for those regional specificities. Finally, the question of the nature—essential or incidental—of the differences between central Europe and western Europe is addressed.