Abstract Vogelherd Cave is located in the Lone Valley near the town of Niederstotzingen (Baden-Württemberg, Germany). Gustav Riek from the University of Tübingen together with four workmen completely excavated the site during three months in 1931. The team dumped the backdirt from the site directly in front of the southwestern and southern entrances of the cave. In his monograph from 1934, Riek describes nine archaeological layers, from top to bottom I-IX. The two Aurignacian layers IV and V, represent thick anthropogenic layers with high find densities. After nearly three quarters of a century, from 2005 to 2012 and again in 2022 and 2023 N. Conard led a re-excavation of the backdirt from Riek’s dig. This work greatly increased the amount of archaeological material available for study, while confirming Riek’s assessment that the great majority of the artifacts originate from the Aurignacian deposits at Vogelherd. The recent phase of excavation led to the discovery of dozens of new fragments of ivory figurines, musical instruments, over 220.000 lithic artifacts, and well over a thousand artifacts of ivory, bone and antler, as well as vast amounts of faunal material that was overlooked during the excavation in 1931. After examining both the assemblages and documentation from Riek’s and Conard’s excavations, we identified areas where the cultural stratigraphy of Vogelherd requires revision. New techno-typological data, radiocarbon dates, refits and new information on the research history of Vogelherd help to reassess the stratigraphy, identify problems and provide insights into the history of occupation and site use at Vogelherd spanning the Middle, Upper Paleolithic, the Meso- and Neolithic.

Abstract Over the past fifteen years, the Dhofar Archaeological Project has mapped 272 Middle Stone Age/Middle Palaeolithic sites in southern Oman, each exhibiting some extent of Nubian Levallois technology. This study describes a representative sample of 15 such assemblages and conducts quantitative analyses to explore variability in core reduction strategies, metric proportions, and post-depositional surface modifications. Lithic taphonomy provides insight into assemblage homogeneity and relative chronologies, allowing us to explore diachronic changes on time-averaged surfaces. We identify at least two distinct cultural entities – the earlier “Dhofar Nubian” and later “Mudayyan” industries – distinguished most significantly by a dramatic reduction in size, as well as a shift from preferential to recurrent organizational systems. Our findings highlight the prominence of Nubian Levallois technology in Dhofar within at least two different lithic industries. The later Mudayyan exhibits systematic miniaturization and a shift toward volumetric core configurations, reflecting broader behavioral trends in the Late Pleistocene. Contrary to our expectation, the evidence does not necessarily support cultural continuity between the Dhofar Nubian and Mudayyan industries and may represent multiple dispersal events along the Southern Dispersal Route.

Abstract In the Lower Tagus River basin, works carried out by Henri Breuil and Georges Zbyszewski during the 1940s, and by Luís Raposo and colleagues at the end of the twentieth century, led to the discovery of significant concentrations of Acheulean remains in Vale do Forno (Alpiarça, Portugal). Aiming to renovate the investigation of a core area of the Portuguese Lower Palaeolithic, a systematic revision of the sites from Vale do Forno was conducted. In this work, we present updated data regarding Vale do Forno 1, chronologically placed between Marine Isotopic Stages 9 and 7. Discovered in 1987, the site’s lithic assemblage ( n = 252 artefacts) was exhumed in a thin gravel bed, within the basal channel sandy deposits of the Upper Sands unit of the terrace T4 of the Lower Tagus. Being mainly composed of elements related to the production phase, the series is essentially the result of expedient and short knapping sequences that occurred in a shallow channel environment, based on the exploitation of local raw materials. Elementary débitage schemes directed toward the production of medium-sized flakes are recognised, complemented by some unifacial peripheral patterns aimed at obtaining small-sized products. Additionally, the presence of large cutting tools testifies to the parallel development of façonnage operational sequences. These are only represented by the end products, which were usually defined in an expedient manner. Overall, the Vale do Forno 1 lithic assemblage displays features similar to those typically recorded in other Acheulean Iberian sites.

Abstract Paola Villa (1939–2024) was an influential archaeologist who contributed greatly to the field of Palaeolithic archaeology.

Abstract Understanding hunter-gatherer mobility dynamics requires a comprehensive approach that considers interactions across entire territories rather than isolated archaeological sites. This study investigates lithic raw-material procurement at two early Upper Palaeolithic sites in the central Mediterranean Iberian region: the Foradada (i.e. Aurignacian; Xàbia, Alacant) and the La Barriada caves (i.e. Gravettian; Benidorm, Alacant). By adopting an approach centred on both macroscopic and microscopic analyses on siliceous raw materials, we recognise provisioning potential areas and their implications for past human mobility strategies. We identify lithotypes and postgenetic alterations to establish raw-material sources and pathways. Early Upper Palaeolithic groups acquired siliceous raw materials from the surroundings, either at the near beaches or going upstream through the contiguous basins, but raw materials also travelled more than 50 km from inland. Notably, occupations related to the Aurignacian record at Foradada display a balanced exploitation of both littoral and inland resources, reflecting flexible mobility and access to coastal and fluvial environments, whereas the Gravettian lithic record at La Barriada predominantly was made of raw materials from more distant inland basins, indicating distinct procurement strategies potentially linked to differing mobility strategies across sites and technocomplexes. These results contribute to the broader understanding of hunter-gatherer mobility and technoeconomic behaviour, highlighting the importance of integrated territorial studies in reconstructing prehistoric productive strategies.