Grotte De La Research Articles

Middle Pleistocene Steppe Lion Remains from Grotte de la Carrière (Têt Valley, Eastern Pyrenees)

Late Pleistocene cave lions are one of the most iconic species of Northern Hemisphere Quaternary taphocoenoses. Despite their often-scarce record in cave environments, their ubiquitous distribution across Eurasia and North America assemblages attests to their position as top ice-age predators. Nevertheless, the origins of these former large felids, their distribution during the Middle Pleistocene, and their paleoecology during co-existence with the scimitar-toothed cat Homotherium remain debated. Here we describe for the first time an abundant collection of large-sized and stout felid remains from the recently discovered site of Grotte de la Carrière in Eastern Pyrenees, with an estimated age corresponding to MIS 9. Our results highlight the larger size of Middle Pleistocene lions compared to Late Pleistocene ones as well as a trend of decreasing in size, which has been previously stated by other authors. Grotte de la Carrière steppe lions have similar morphological and biometrical parameters to those of other samples from MIS 11–9, being larger and stouter than younger latest Middle Pleistocene-Late Pleistocene forms and slightly smaller than older MIS 15–12 forms.

Reassessment of the cranial and dental data from the Upper Paleolithic site of Kostenki 15

In the article we present new results of the study of the child skull found in a burial at the Upper Paleolithic site of Kostenki 15 (Gorodtsov site). While the CT analysis of the earlier reconstructed skull revealed high level of destruction of the morphologically important landmarks which prevents from using the conventional cranial metric characteristics of the individual in population studies, the analysis of its dental morphology was shown to be much more informative. Our study revealed that the upper incisors and lower molars of the sample display a specific complex of non-metric traits which combine European (4-cusped first molars) traits with such Asian characteristics as shovel-shaped upper lateral incisors, odontoglyphic patterns on the first lower molars, and morphology of the second lower deciduous molars. The results of the statistical analysis of the dental metrics does not match with the hypothesis on close biological affinities of the Kostenki 15 child with Předmostí and Dolní Věstonice populations put forward by Yakimov but again revealed intermediate European-Asian position of the Kostenki 15 sample. Several European samples including those from the Pavlov, Cap Blanc and Grotte de la Balauzière sites and one Siberian sample from the Malta settlement demonstrate the highest level of similarity with the Kostenki 15. Apparently, it can be argued that the results of our study suggest long distance migrations in Eurasia as early as the Upper Paleolithic.

Middle Pleistocene Ursus deningeri from Grotte de la Carrière (Réseau Lachambre, Têt Valley, Eastern Pyrenees)

Grotte de la Carriere is one of the secondary caves with paleontological record within the Reseau Lachambre karstic complex, an important network located in the Tet Valley at Villefranche-de-Conflent (Occitaine, France). After the discovery of dozens of cave bear remains in 2012, four systematical excavations in different parts of the cave allowed to recover a noteworthy Pleistocene mammal assemblage. Here we describe the dentognathic specimens of ursids coming from the lower layers of the first performed sondage. Based on morphological and morphometric comparisons with other late Early to Late Pleistocene European fossil material, the studied specimens were referred to the Middle Pleistocene species Ursus deningeri. Due to the scantiness of well-preserved and chronologically well-constrained U. deningeri remains, this study represents an important contribution to acquire knowledge on this Middle Pleistocene bear.

The performance of tranchet blows at the Late Middle Paleolithic site of Grotte de la Verpillière I (Saône-et-Loire, France).

This paper focuses on the technological characteristics of Keilmesser with a lateral tranchet blow modification on the cutting edge. It examines the underlying technological production of these bifacial objects: this implies the evaluation of their working stage succession, as well as produced forms necessary for the execution of tranchet blow performance. Furthermore, it offers a techno-morphological description of these enigmatic tools. The Keilmesser with tranchet blow and corresponding blanks of tranchet blows from Grotte de la Verpillière I in Germolles (Saône-et-Loire, France) are used as case study. The collection of Keilmesser with tranchet blow and corresponding blanks of tranchet blow has been massively expanded with new fieldwork and the review of ancient assemblages. The majority of the pieces were made on blanks from local raw material. The evaluation of the underlying production concept shows that a Keilmesser with tranchet blow, regardless of the wide range of morphologies and matrix size, always consists of specific parts that are necessary for the production sequence and the assumed function. The production of these pieces follows highly specific working stages, some of which can be interchanged in sequence. However, it is always the goal to obtain a low-angled cutting edge. The performance of a tranchet blow is not only an integral part of production, but it is rather the aim of the entire production.

The Châtelperronian of Germolles (Grotte de la Verpillière I, Mellecey, Saône-et-Loire, France)

The Grotte de la Verpillière I in Germolles (Saône-et-Loire, France) has yielded an archaeological sequence from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Gravettian period. This contribution focusses on the Châtelperronian lithic industry, covering 150 years of research. From a techno-typological point of view, all known lithic objects presumably dating to this period are subject of this investigation. This study includes in-situ observations of Châtelperronian layers, as part of our own recent excavations. The lithic assemblage is put into context with other Châtelperronian samples in Southern Burgundy and Eastern France.

A Late Middle Palaeolithic assemblage containing Levallois and bifacial objects from Saône-et-Loire, France: GH 3 at Grotte de la Verpillière II à Germolles

The site of Grotte de la Verpillière II, a rock shelter and corresponding cave tunnel, is situated in a cliff face of an Oxfordian massive, around 10 km West of Chalon-sur-Saône in Eastern France. The excavation at this site has recovered Middle Palaeolithic assemblages in three stratified sedimentological units. The richest of these assemblages derives from Geological Horizon (GH) 3 and is discussed here. It is preliminarily attributed to a Late Middle Palaeolithic context of OIS 3 to 4 using radiometric-dating techniques.The assemblage combines Levallois reduction, bifacial objects and diverse ‘opportunistic’ reduction strategies. The Levallois reduction shows a high level of raw-material economy in the use of raw pieces and blanks whose morphology is close to the shape of desired configured cores. Other reduction strategies show a wider range of approaches to blank production. Bifacial objects include but are not limited to Keilmesser with tranchet blows. The condition of objects from GH 3 range from unused raw pieces, tested raw pieces, configured and exhausted cores, correction and central flakes, as well as some heated objects, frost shards, and debris. The majority of raw materials derive from sources nearby, but were clearly transported to the site. Only some pieces show evidence for transport of up to 100 km from source to site. The presence of specific reduction strategies on bifacial objects and the existence of tranchet-blow modification provide support for the attribution of the assemblage to the Keilmessergruppen assemblages from Central Europe.

Biochronological data for the middle pleistocene site of Grotte de la Carrière (Lachambre karstic complex, Corneilla-De-Conflent, Eastern Pyrenees, Southern France) inferred from the small-mammal assemblage

The Embulla Mountain, located between the municipalities of Ria and Corneilla-de-Conflent (Eastern Pyrenees), possesses a large karstic complex with more than 20 caves situated at different altitudinal levels. Lachambre Cave, with more than 26 km of galleries, is the largest of these. The research carried out by the authors since 2011 has led to the discovery of several Middle to Late Pleistocene sites. Grotte de la Carriere is one of these newly discovered sites. The first paleontological survey, undertaken in May 2015, led to the unearthing of more than 2000 large- and small-vertebrate remains in eight different stratigraphical layers. The small-mammal assemblage from the richest layer of the sequence (layer 4) includes at least two insectivores (Talpa europaea and Sorex sp.) and eight rodents (Microtus arvalis, Microtus agrestis jansoni, Iberomys brecciensis, Clethrionomys glareolus, Pliomys coronensis, Apodemus gr. sylvaticus-flavicollis, Allocricetus bursae and Sciurus sp.). This association is very similar to other Middle Pleistocene sites in southern France, such as Caune de l'Arago and Grotte du Lazaret, as well as being similar to other Iberian Middle Pleistocene sites, such as Gran Dolina (TD10), Galeria and Sima del Elefante (TE18-19) in the Sierra de Atapuerca. These data suggest an approximate age for Grotte de la Carriere - layer 4 of between 220 and 450 ka. The chronology proposed on the basis of the micromammal assemblage also coincides with the large mammals recovered and identified from this layer, mainly composed of the species Ursus deningeri, Panthera fossilis and Canis mosbachensis.

Analysis of bifacial elements from Grotte de la Verpillière I and II (Germolles, France)

Abstract Bifacial objects are iconic lithic artifacts of Middle Paleolithic assemblages. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the production sequences of bifacial objects from Grottes de la Verpilliere I and II (VP I and II) in Germolles, Saone-et-Loire, France. This study shows that despite morphological diversity, a general production sequence exists for all of the bifacial artifacts: phases of backing, bottom-side and top-side configuration and cutting-edge regularization. The study also compares the bifacial assemblages from modern excavations in intact sediments (VP II), mixed sedimentological units (VP I and II), the backdirt of old excavations (VP I) and museum collections from prior excavations and surface collections (VP I), which show notable diversity. An attempt is made to resituate assemblages without clear spatial provenience into the framework established by studies of the material from in situ sediments containing bifacial elements from Verpilliere II, with reference to the notes of former excavators of Verpilliere I. Asymmetrically bifacially backed knives from Verpilliere I derive from the entrance of the rock shelter. Moreover, despite distinctive differences of both sites and their bifacial assemblages, they share similarities with regard to both production sequences and components.

The Aurignacian in Southern Burgundy

Since the second half of the 19th century, Southern Burgundy has constituted one of the most important regions of Early Upper Paleolithic research in France, but with a remarkable discontinuity in research after the 1950s and considerable emphasis on the site of Solutre. Beginning in the middle of the 1990s, a research team from Tubingen University directed by H. Floss has been investigating this area, building on a tradition of research started by A. Arcelin and H. Breuil and carried on by J. Combier and H. Delporte. In spite of the long history of research in this region, it is clear that more detailed information in the form of absolute dates, chronostratigraphic studies, and technological reassessments of the Aurignacian industries is required. The Tubingen research team and researchers from several French institutions are filling gaps in current knowledge through ongoing excavation, survey, and collections analysis as part of a Projet Collectif de Recherche on the Early Upper Paleolithic in the region. The present article summarizes the existing information available on the Early Aurignacian of Southern Burgundy as concretely as possible. Of particular significance are the sites of Solutre and Grotte de la Verpilliere In Germolles. Some new open-air sites have also been recently discovered, e.g. at Germolles-en-Roche, Uchizy and Charnay-les-Mâcon. This article provides an overview of our initial insights into the technological characteristics of the lithic and osseous industries.

Regard typo-technologique sur les productions lithiques foliacées du Solutréen de la vallée de l’Erve (Mayenne, France)

Regard typo-technologique sur les productions lithiques foliacées du Solutréen de la vallée de l’Erve (Mayenne, France)

Quina ou pas ? Révision techno-économique d’un site moustérien charentien en Languedoc oriental : la grotte de la Roquette à Conqueyrac (Gard, France)

Depuis longtemps, de nombreuses discussions entourent les industries attribuees selon la methode Bordes au Mousterien charentien de type Quina en Languedoc, et plus largement dans le quart sud-est de la France, notamment en raison des particularites typologiques qui les distinguaient des series classiques de Charente. La redefinition selon une approche technologique de ce facies culturel a permis l’identification, dans le Sud-Ouest de la France, d’une entite technique a part entiere. Un consensus existe desormais pour reserver le terme de Mousterien de type Quina aux industries qui associent un systeme de production specifique (le debitage Quina) a un mode de retouche et de reaffutage particulier de l’outillage. L’existence de ce techno-complexe doit maintenant etre testee dans d’autres regions par une reevaluation des industries anciennement rapprochees des facies charentiens. Le nouvel examen des industries de la grotte de la Roquette s’inscrit dans cette entreprise de revision, d’autant qu’il s’agit pour l’heure du seul site «Quina » du Languedoc a avoir fait l’objet de fouilles modernes. L’etude technologique et techno-economique des series lithiques nous a finalement conduits a revoir leur attribution initiale au Mousterien de type Quina. Malgre de faibles densites de vestiges et un important fractionnement des chaines operatoires, les schemas de production ont en effet pu etre restitues. Les ensembles lithiques, marques par un aspect relativement elance, ne livrent que peu, voire pas, de produits diagnostiques du systeme de debitage Quina. Les comportements techniques identifies traduisent plutot une nette preponderance des modalites de production recurrentes centripetes, avec toutefois des differences selon les roches. Le quartz, recolte sous la forme de galets dans la riviere en contrebas du site, a ainsi ete exploite par un debitage Discoide alors que la chaille et les silex, qui constituent la majeure partie de l’industrie, presentent, eux, une composante Levallois indeniable. En temoignent la presence conjointe de nucleus Levallois residuels, de produits de maintenance des criteres techniques et celle de produits recherches. Un deficit en supports Levallois, et plus particulierement en eclats typiques, est toutefois souligne par les indices technologiques globalement peu eleves (8 a 15 % selon les couches et les materiaux). Pourtant, cette carence partielle en support Levallois ne s’accompagne pas d’un fort contingent de produits caracteristiques du debitage Discoide. Elle s’explique plutot par une certaine souplesse dans le deroulement des sequences de production ainsi que par des parametres economiques, lies aux strategies d’apport ou d’emport de supports pratiquees dans ce site. En effet, l’etude techno-economique de ces ensembles lithiques montre qu’ils sont composes en majorite (plus de 50 %) de silex semi-locaux, recoltes pour l’essentiel dans la moyenne vallee du Vidourle et introduits sur le site sous forme d’outils, de produits deja debites et de quelques nucleus. Les activites liees a l’exploitation sur place du silex sont en fait principalement concentrees sur la transformation et l’entretien de cet equipement importe, comme en temoignent la presence des eclats de retouche et les faibles indices de production. Tres nombreux au sein des ensembles, les outillages retouches sont largement domines par les racloirs, dont certains a amenagements ecailleux scalariformes. Ces derniers sont pourtant majoritairement demi-Quina et affectent des supports de types varies (eclats a tranchants peripheriques, eclats epais a section asymetrique et nucleus), selectionnes sur la base de leurs grandes dimensions. La faible largeur des outils a retouche demi-Quina et Quina resulterait, par contre, des sequences de reaffutage dont ont fait l’objet ces supports importes, afin vraisemblablement d’en prolonger la duree de vie. Ainsi, les caracteristiques techno-typologiques de ces series a faibles effectifs lithiques, qui les individualisent clairement des complexes Quina classiques, semblent plutot etre la consequence de strategies de gestion des outillages en rapport avec le statut du site au sein du territoire (occupations de courte duree) et le caractere anticipe des activites qui y ont ete menees.

A Neanderthal partial femoral diaphysis from the “grotte de la Tour”, La Chaise-de-Vouthon (Charente, France): Outer morphology and endostructural organization

We describe a human partial femoral shaft discovered during speleological exploration of the “grotte de la Tour”, near the prehistoric site of La Chaise-de-Vouthon (Charente, France). The context of discovery is compatible with a hyena den deposit; the associated mammal assemblage suggests a preliminary chronological attribution to MIS 3. Combined information from its outer morphology, cross-sectional geometric properties, and from the high-resolution 3D imaging and quantitative analysis of its inner structural organization shows that this specimen (CDV-Tour 1) is from an adult Neanderthal individual, more likely a male.

L'art mobilier de la Grotte de la Vache : premier essai de vue générale

ABSTRACT The « grotte de la Vache » at Alliât (Ariège) is certainly one of the major sites for mobiliáry art in the Pyrenees. A publication covering all aspects is currently in preparation under the direction of Jean Clottes and Henri Delporte. The latter presents, on a preliminary basis, a first attempt at a synthesis of the mobiliáry art found in the cave. Its preliminary nature justifies the fact that the iconography and bibliography remain relatively succinct.

Notes préliminaires sur la distribution spatiale de Meta menardi, Triphosa dubitata, Triphosa sabaudiata, Nelima aurantiaca et Culex pipiens au sein d'un écosystème cavernicole (Grotte de la Scierie: Hte.-Savoie)

Following 8 months of observations in a richly populated cave, (Grotte de la Scierie, HauteSavoie, France), it has been possible to outline the movements and distribution of Meta menardi (Araneae), Nelima aurantiaca (Opiliones), Triphosa dubitata and Triphosa sabaudiata (Lepidoptera) and Culex pipiens (Diptera) within the cave ecosystem. Although no general rule can be postulated it appears that the morphology of the cave walls and the climatic conditions regulate the distribution of these 5 species within the cave ecosystem. The interactions between the 5 species have been investigated.

Cave Paintings in the Pyrenees

FURTHER details of an interesting discovery of the prehistoric painting of a horse in a cave in the Pyrenees, briefly announced some weeks ago, are now supplied by Science Service, Washington D.C. The cave, to be known as La Grotte de la Bastide, is situated near the village of La Bastide, Hautes Pyránáes, and was discovered by M. Norbert Casterat, pupil of Count Bágouen. At the entrance of the cave were intact Magdalenian hearths, and on the walls were a number of engravings and polychrome paintings, including human figures, and as the central object, a polychrome painting of a horse. The horse is described as ‘uperb’ and is an artistic production comparable with the famous horse of the Altamira cave at Santander. The figure is more than six feet long, and is executed in red with black muzzle. The mane is erect; the eye, ear and nostril being delicately engraved. High lights are indicated on shoulders, stomach and flanks. Judging from this description, the painting would appear in every way to be an exceptionally fine example of cave art.

Societies and Academies

PARIS. Academy of Sciences, August 6.—M. Lœwy in the chair. —On the variations of Spirifer Verneuili, by M. Gosselet.—New anthropological and palæontological researches in the Dordogne. Abstract of a memoir by M. Émile Rivière. Certain details are given concerning palæolithic remains from the “Grottes des Combarelles,” the “Grotte Rey,” the “Grotte de Cro Magnon,” and the “Grotte de la Fontaine,” including bones from a numerous fauna and carved and sculptured fragments.