Gravettian Research Articles

Single-grain luminescence and combined U-series/ESR dating of the early Upper Palaeolithic Lagar Velho Rock Shelter, Leiria, Portugal

The existing radiocarbon (14C) dating framework for Lagar Velho is broadly consistent but provides limited constraint on several geoarchaeological complexes (GCs) and does not favour detailed chronological comparisons across all sectors of the site; including the stratigraphically disconnected child burial complex in the east area and the broader archaeological sequence in the central-west area. In this study, we undertake a complementary chronological assessment of Lagar Velho Rock Shelter using single-grain quartz OSL, single-grain quartz TT-OSL and combined U-series/ESR dating of fossil teeth, with the aim of establishing more comprehensive reconstructions of archaeological events and placing the human occupation sequence in a firmer regional climatic context. Expanding on the original chronological study, we also compare the published 14C datasets against widely used sample quality indicators (i.e., organic preservation and contamination proxies) to ensure reliable comparisons with our new luminescence and combined U-series/ESR ages. Eight 14C samples pass our combined chronological and stratigraphic hygiene criteria and are included in the final dating evaluations. Ten of the twelve optical dating samples produce homogeneous equivalent dose (De) datasets indicative of suitable daylight exposure. The replicate single-grain TT-OSL De datasets exhibit more pronounced scatter, consistent with enhanced potential for insufficient bleaching of TT-OSL residual doses in some karst settings. The fossil enamel samples dated using U-series/ESR span relatively low natural dose ranges, necessitating the inclusion of maximum dose (Dmax)-adjusted dose response curve fitting and additional background noise subtraction to avoid De biases of up to 13%. Stratigraphically consistent ages (n = 26) spanning the full archaeological infill sequence are obtained using the four different dating methods, providing a robust interpretive framework and underscoring the significant role of single-grain OSL and combined U-series/ESR dating for refining early Upper Palaeolithic histories of Iberia. Bayesian modelling of the combined chronological dataset reveals a site accumulation history spanning 35,750–23,440 cal. BP and provides improved age constraints on all GCs; particularly the al, bs, tc, gs and ls deposits that were previously undated or imprecisely constrained. The age of the child burial complex is refined to 29,410–28,280 cal. BP, potentially occurring within Greenland Interstadial 4. Comparison of the modelled GC ages from the east and west-central areas enables improved temporal correlations of depositional events across stratigraphically disconnected sectors of the site. This analysis suggests that the child burial complex and the Late Gravettian occupation are statistically indistinguishable based on current dating evidence. The new dating assessments reveal three periods of human occupation at Lagar Velho: the Late Gravettian (including the shorter duration child burial event) 31.6–26.0 ka from the end of Heinrich Stadial (HS) 3 until the emergence of HS2; the Terminal Gravettian 26.5–24.5 ka coinciding with HS2; and the Middle Solutrean 25.2–23.4 ka extending from HS2 to the end of Greenland Stadial 3. The timing of these occupations during late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and early MIS 2 highlights the significance of central western Portugal for supporting regional human populations during periods when much of Europe was experiencing extreme cold, aridity and expanded glacial coverage.

Late Gravettian lithic finds from Felsőtárkány-Peskő Cave, Northern Hungary

Peskő Cave near Felsőtárkány (North Hungarian Mountains) is known for its Early Upper Palaeolithic bone industry found in the lower layer of its sediments in the early 20th century. Besides the points, a small amount of lithics were found in the Pleistocene stratum. Two archaeological horizons were identified. The lower two layers were classified as Aurignacian and the upper two ones Magdalénian. The Aurignacian included a few retouched blades, while the Magdalénian was never published. In the second half of the 20th century, the Magdalénian was reclassified as ‘Pilisszántó culture’ or ‘Cave Gravettian’, dated to the Late Glacial period. After the replacement of ‘Pilisszántó culture’ with the term Epigravettian in the 1980s the ‘Magdalénian’ layer of Peskő Cave fell out of research focus. Our research found that the automatic conversion of Pilisszántó culture finds to Epigravettian did not work and the finds at Peskő belong to the Late Gravettian.

The ‘Epipalaeolithic’ site Hont–Templomdomb of Northern Hungary revisited

This paper presents the results of the typological revision of Hont-Templomdomb site originally published in 1956 as Epipalaeolithic. Our observations contradict the Epipalaeolithic cultural and chronological position of the lithic material, which rather can be affiliated with the Late Gravettian of Eastern Central Europe. Current archaeological data allowed us to conclude that the term ‘Epipalaeolithic’ currently is inappropriate in the Palaeolithic chronological sequence of the Carpathian Basin. This led to considering the possibility of a human population hiatus during GI-1 interstadial and GS-1 stadial phases.

PALAEOLITHIC HUMAN SOCIETIES DURING THE UPPER PLENIGLACIAL THROUGHT THEIR RELATIONS WITH OTHER ANIMALS IN UKRAINIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

The first part of the Upper Pleniglacial (around 26000—20000 BP) is characterized by a deterioration in weather conditions, which reached its peak during the Last Glacial Maximum. In the East European Plain, most of its lands were dominated by a periglacial steppe-tundra with the maximum extension of ice sheet in the North and permafrost. The different animal species had to adapt to these environments, also as human groups.The recent works realized in Ukraine permit to better understand the lifestyles of the Palaeolithic human groups, particularly their subsistence activities, the modalities of settlements and the technocultural practices. We based our study on the main sites, Dorochivtsy III, Galich 1, Klussy, Korman, Molodova V, Obollonia, Oselivka, Pushkari 1 and Pogon (Pushkari 8). These sites are very important to better understand the human occupations for all the East European Plain. Here we particularly focus on the zooarchaeological remains, which permitted to better determine the taphonomic conditions, the human activities, the seasonality of occupations and the human and other animal relationships. The main species present in archaeological sites are Mammoth, Reindeer, Horse, Fox and Wolf, who have important implication on the territory modification and the food resource for humans. Moreover the animal eco-ethology involvement of their acquisition-exploitation by nomadic hunter-gatherers, permits to highlight the potential human behavioral strategies. They show the continuous occupation of the territories by humans, in any seasons, with the persistence of organized activities, innovations and varied behaviors. This period corresponds to the changes between middle Gravettian and late Gravettian, then first Epigravettian features. The end of the Last Glacial Maximum peak marks the disappearance of Late Gravettian and of human populations between 19—16000 BP, followed by a hiatus until 16000 BP.

Break vs. continuity: Techno-cultural changes across the LGM in the Eastern Carpathians

A major impact of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) on the East-Central European Upper Paleolithic (UP) demographic and cultural adaptation is now largely acknowledged. Archaeologically, the basic trend leading to a fragmentation of the Gravettian technocomplex and the emergence of increasingly regionally-focused paleo-cultural units is also generally agreed upon. Higher-resolution regional syntheses remain, however, the only means of validating continental-scale tendencies. Here, we focus on the previously underreported archaeological record of the Romanian Eastern Carpathians, which host a consistent network of UP sites occupied in the timeframe of the LGM. The many sites located on the Bistrița river terraces display highly similar litho-stratigraphic sequences and comparable successions of archaeological layers and are therefore particularly prone to a synthetic survey. Based on recently updated chronometric support, a selected sample of 12 lithic assemblages from six sites illustrate the diachronic changes potentially related to the LGM impact on regional UP groups. In terms of raw material provisioning, mobility and techno-typological patterns, a sharp contrast is marked between the Late Gravettian and the subsequent early Epigravettian. This shift is particularly visible at the peak of the LGM, around 24 ka cal BP, and indicates an increased focus on the Eastern Carpathians.

Population mobility and lithic tool diversity in the Late Gravettian – The case study of Lubná VI (Bohemian Massif)

This paper presents the results of excavations conducted at the Late Gravettian site of Lubná VI in 2012 and 2018. This site is an exceptional example of a short-term Late Gravettian campsite, occupied between 27.5 and 27.1 ka cal BP. Due to the specific location of this site, in an area situated far from lithic raw material sources, the archaeological remains offer a rare possibility to understand the subsistence strategy of highly mobile hunter-gatherers in the Late Pleistocene. The knapped lithic assemblage is composed of erratic Cretaceous flint imported over long distances, and the tool inventory is typical of Late Gravettian assemblages from Central Europe, with a dominance of burins and backed implements. However, the lack of chert and flint raw material in the vicinity of the site inspired the occupants to use bladelet blanks to make hunting weaponry from burin spalls. This specific behaviour is unique among Gravettian inventories known from the western Carpathians. Reindeer dominate the faunal assemblage over other species. The season of occupation at Lubná VI was probably early autumn, and may be associated with the maximum use of environmental resources by the hunter-gatherers. The small campsite was located at a convenient spot for processing reindeer carcasses, where some hearth stone constructions were arranged. Because there was no woody vegetation in the closest vicinity of the site, reindeer bones and fat were used as fuel in hearths. Given the lack of nearby flint raw materials, the accessibility of large numbers of reindeer near Lubná, probably present on a seasonal basis, explains the occurrence of Late Gravettian occupation in this micro-region.

Gathering in the dunes. Seeds and fruits from the Gravettian levels of Cova de les Cendres (Teulada-Moraira, Alicante, Spain)

Plants were key elements of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer subsistence. However, because of methodological and preservation issues, little attention has been devoted to studying them. Nevertheless, new information has recently come to light on this topic. The Palaeolithic site of Cova de les Cendres (Teulada-Moraira, Alicante, Spain) has provided new archaeobotanical data about plant gathering during the Upper Palaeolithic, when different biotopes could have been exploited to obtain mineral, animal and plant raw materials and food. During the time of the Gravettian culture, the configuration of the environment was extremely different from the present environment. Based on the ecology of some of the documented taxa, we know that dune systems and ponds were developed near the coast, which may have been systematically visited by human groups. There, they could harvest fleshy fruits from Corema album, which could be used as food, Alkanna tinctoria, whose roots could provide dye, and leaves from Eleocharis sp., which could be used as raw material. The richness of the environment of Cova de les Cendres could explain the recurrent and intense occupations of the site.

Mobility and season of death of the Arctic foxes killed by Gravettian hunters at Kraków Spadzista, Poland

The Late Gravettian site of Kraków Spadzista is important for understanding human behaviour and adaptation in cold, northern and marginal landscapes approaching the coldest part of the last glacial cycle. This paper focuses on the large assemblage of Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus L.) remains found at the site, and presents new data on the mobility patterns and season of death of the animals killed by Gravettian hunters. Laser ablation strontium isotope analysis of teeth from five individuals indicates that each analysed fox was born and grew up in a different and isotopically distinct location, and had migrated tens or hundreds of kilometres into the vicinity of Kraków Spadzista before being killed by Gravettian hunters. Season of death data gathered from the dental cementum of at least 10 fox individuals demonstrate that the majority were killed in a window between late winter and late spring. Given the predictable nature of seasonal changes in Arctic fox hide quality and bodily fat reserves, we argue that the foxes were most likely killed at the start of this window, i.e. in late winter. The results are interesting for reconstructing the context to human hunting strategies in the Late Gravettian, revealing the choices made by hunters about where and when to procure these small prey.

New Radiocarbon Dates for the Late Gravettian in Eastern Central Europe

AbstractThe Middle Upper Palaeolithic (MUP) in eastern Central Europe (ECE) comprises three variants of Gravettian culture: Early Gravettian, Pavlovian, and Late Gravettian. While Early Gravettian and Pavlovian are merely located in Lower Austria and Moravia, the Late Gravettian occupations occurred over the entire territory of ECE. Compared to the number of sites the radiocarbon dating and the absolute chronology of the Late Gravettian is rather poor. The results presented here bring a new set of radiocarbon (14C) dates for the Late Gravettian period in ECE and propose that this period began and ended earlier than previously suggested.

Mammoth hunting strategies during the Late Gravettian in Central Europe as determined from case studies of Milovice I (Czech Republic) and Kraków Spadzista (Poland)

This paper compares lithic and faunal assemblages from Milovice (Czech Republic) and Kraków Spadzista (Poland) archaeological sites, with the aim of reconstructing temporal variations and patterning in Gravettian hunting of Mammuthus primigenius (woolly mammoth) in Central Europe. Milovice I was occupied ∼1 ky earlier than Kraków Spadzista, and is contemporaneous with Willendorf-Kostienkan sites. It is dated between 30.1 and 29.2 ka cal BP, overlapping the end of the GS 5.1 stadial in the Greenland ice core paleoclimatic record; the site was formed during cold climatic conditions. Radiocarbon dates from Kraków Spadzista indicate the site was occupied between 28.6 and 27 ka cal BP, spanning periods of significant climate instability through the GI 4 interstadial, GS 4 stadial, and the short interstadial GI 3. The two sites have fundamental differences in armature tool kits, such as raw materials and tool sizes. The hunter-gatherers at both sites had a mammoth-hunting focus, although they used different sized lithic weapon tips for hunting and thus probably had different strategies for procuring prey. The mammoth mortality profiles are significantly different at the two sites. At Milovice I, mid-life adults dominate the profile, while juveniles greatly dominate at Kraków Spadzista. We suggest that climatically mediated differences in mammoth migratory behavior, feeding behavior, population sizes, and demography influenced Gravettian people to manufacture and use different sizes of projectile points and to significantly increase the number of tool types during the most climatically unstable periods; these changes reflected tactical changes in Late Gravettian subsistence hunting in East-Central Europe.

Reassessing the timeframe of Upper Palaeolithic deposits in the Ceahlău Basin (Eastern Carpathians, Romania): Geochronological and archaeological implications

Abstract The Pleistocene deposits capping fluvial terraces in the Bistrita valley (Eastern Carpathians, Romania) host a high density of Upper Palaeolithic (UP) settlements, rendering this area a type-region for Late Pleistocene cultural evolution in eastern Romania and beyond. Despite its archaeological significance, site formation, palaeoenvironmental contextualisation and chronostratigraphy are still insufficiently resolved to draw a consistent picture of UP cultural dynamics. In the frame of recent excavations at the sites Bistricioara-Lutarie I and III (BLI, BLIII), we aimed at establishing a comprehensive multi-method (TL on heated flints, OSL on sedimentary quartz, radiocarbon dating of charcoal) chronology of the pluristratified archaeological records contained in the loess-like sediments on the lower and middle terraces of the Bistrița river. Therefore, new chronometric data are reviewed in conjunction with OSL ages and radiocarbon dates of a precursor study (Trandafir et al., 2015). Multi-emission TL ages of four heated flints, OSL sediment ages and radiocarbon dates are consistent within 2σ throughout the investigated archaeological profiles and allow a much more precise chronological framing of the identified lithostratigraphic units within the last glacial cycle. However, the silt-sized and sand-sized quartz fractions of a luminescence sample do not always produce identical results at 1σ. Numerical ages and field observations indicate that the geological record reaches back to Marine Isotope Stage 5 and is preserved on a lower terrace. Depending on their location, the investigated terrace cover beds represent genetically independent geomorphological units, and up to three palaeosols (cambisols) developed in the cover beds, of which at this stage of research only the youngest (PS1) can be traced unequivocally within all profiles. In archaeological terms, the new chronological framing confirms that the currently identified cultural layers belong to the Late Gravettian (28–25 ka BP), and to several Epigravettian stages (24–15 ka BP), leaving limited chronological space for the previously suspected Aurignacian presence at BLI and at other settlements nearby.

The Late Gravettian Site of Kostënki 21 Layer III, Russia: a Chronocultural Reassessment Based on a New Interpretation of the Significance of Intra-site Spatial Patterning

The site of Kostenki 21 (also known as Gmelin or Gmelinskaia) is located on the very edge of the Don River at Kostenki (Voronezh Oblast, Russia). The main archaeological horizon, layer III, is dated to c. 23,000–21,000 14C BP (c. 27,500–24,500 cal BP) and contained six concentrations of archaeological material, mostly interpreted as the remains of dwelling structures. A substantial Gravettian lithic assemblage was found. The site has traditionally been seen as without parallels within the Gravettian chronocultural framework of Eastern Europe. It has long been noted that clear differences in the lithic typology and faunal assemblages of the six concentrations can be used to separate them into two groups, but this has previously been attributed to differences in the activities carried out in the two areas. In this paper, we argue that the two parts of the site were created at different times and that one part of the site can potentially be grouped with several other sites in Russia and Ukraine on lithic techno-typological grounds. The degree of patination of the flint artefacts found at the site provides support for our interpretation.

Wind Instruments in the Mid Upper Palaeolithic of the Eastern Carpathians

Three perforated reindeer phalanxes, hitherto unknown, found in the Brînzeni and Duruitoarea Veche caves in the Republic of Moldova, are discussed in comparison with the perforated reindeer phalanx from Poiana Cireșului-Piatra Neamț in Romania, which has anthropic working marks to be considered a genuine wind instrument in the Late Gravettian. Furthermore, a mammalian diaphysis from the Duruitoarea Veche Cave, unfortunately split in two, with four perforations aligned along the length of the bone, is presented in this paper.

New insights on Final Epigravettian funerary behavior at Arene Candide Cave (Western Liguria, Italy).

We gained new insights on Epigravettian funerary behavior at the Arene Candide cave through the osteological and spatial analysis of the burials and human bone accumulations found in the cave during past excavations. Archaeothanathological information on the human skeletal remains was recovered from diaries, field pictures and notes, and data from recent excavations was integrated. The secondary deposits have traditionally been interpreted as older burials that were disturbed to make space for new inhumations. Our results suggest that those disturbances were not casual: older burials were intentionally displaced to bury younger inhumations. Subsequently, some skeletal elements, especially crania, were arranged around the new burial; these were often placed within stone niches. Based on the composition of some clusters, which contain the bones of two individuals displaced together, it is possible that a double burial composed of two adults was originally present at the site. This would be a burial type that had not been recognized at Arene Candide until now. Strikingly, this potential double burial contained an individual showing pathological bowing of the limbs, a finding which is not infrequent in skeletons from Gravettian and Epigravettian multiple burials. In addition, the crania and other skeletal elements derived from this burial were intentionally placed around a new inhumation, whose skeleton possibly shows a milder form of the same disease (possibly hereditary rickets). This and other observations suggest that the five individuals belonging to the second phase of this "cemetery" (AMS dates spanning 12,030 -11,180 cal BP) might have been buried over a relatively brief time span. Our study demonstrated similar behaviors in the first phase of mortuary use of the cave (12,820-12,420 cal BP), indicating a remarkable persistence in Final Epigravettian funerary models despite their archaeologically apparent rarity and intermittent nature.

The Age of the ‘Anosovka-Tel’manskaya Culture’ and the Issue of a Late Streletskian at Kostёnki 11, SW Russia

Triangular, concave-base ‘Streletskian points’ are documented in several assemblages from the Kostёnki complex of Upper Palaeolithic sites in south-western Russia. Some of these assemblages have been argued to evidence very early modern human occupation of Eastern Europe. However, Streletskian points are also recorded from younger contexts, notably at Kostёnki 11, where examples are attributed both to Layer V and the stratigraphically higher Layer III. The apparent relatively young age of Layer III has led some to view it as the latest manifestation of the Streletskian, although its assemblage has also been compared to the non-Streletskian Layer I of Kostёnki 8, with the two described together as the Anosovka-Tel’manskaya Culture.Radiocarbon dates of 24–23,000 bp (c. 28,500–27,000 cal bp) for a wolf burial associated with Layer III of Kostёnki 11 confirm the layer as younger than other Streletskian assemblages at Kostёnki. New radiocarbon dates for Kostёnki 8 Layer I show that the two layers are broadly contemporary, and that both are close in age to assemblages of Kostёnki’s (Late Gravettian) Kostёnki-Avdeevo Culture. In the light of these new radiocarbon dates the context of the Streletskian point from Kostёnki 11 Layer III is considered. Although firm conclusions are not possible, unresolved stratigraphic problems and the lack of technological context for this single artefact at the very least leave a question mark over its association with other material from the layer.

Gravettian and Epigravettian lithics in Slovakia

The Gravettian is the most widespread Paleolithic culture in Slovakia. The Early Gravettian (30–25/24 ka BP) does not involve any significant network of sites. It represents mainly workshop sites for processing of radiolarite (Nemšová, Zamarovce) or short-term cave camps (the Dzeravá skala cave near Plavecký Mikuláš, the Slaninová cave near the village of Háj). Trenčianske Bohuslavice, dated to 26–25/24 ka BP, is a rather important site. The Late Gravettian (24–20 ka BP) involves a thick network of sites in the Váh and Nitra river regions and in Eastern Slovakia, around the Zemplín Hills. The shouldered points horizon is named after its typical tool. The group of tools comprises frequent retouched blades and retouched pointed blades. Burins usually prevail over end-scrapers. The number of backed tools varies. In the Váh region, larger concentrations of settlement are documented, confirmed also by radiometric dating in the region of Moravany nad Váhom and Trenčín, in the Nitra river region and the town of Nitra, in Cejkov and Kašov in Eastern Slovakia. Smaller groups of Gravettian hunters with high mobility often founded multiple settlements. Imports of Polish raw materials in Slovak sites document the connection of the Váh and Nitra river regions with the territory of the Upper Vistula river. Inventories of individual sites are different in terms of used raw materials and tool typology. Future investigation and new analyses of lithic inventories might confirm the assumption that the Late Gravettian in Slovakia consisted of several independent facies.The Epigravettian (20–17 ka BP) production used local raw materials: radiolarite in Western Slovakia and obsidian in Eastern Slovakia. End-scrapers on short blades and flakes prevail over burins. Aurignacoidal elements also occur and there are backed tools. The number of microbladelets with microretouch increases.

The Late Gravettian and Szeleta Cave, northeast Hungary

The archaeological sequence of Szeleta Cave, northeast Hungary, had represented the development of a bifacial leaf-shaped point lithic industry between the late Middle Palaeolithic and the Upper Palaeolithic with the evolution of Early Szeletian into the Developed Szeletian culture. In the 1990s, a hypothesis emerged that reconsidered the Developed Szeletian and related the artifacts with a Gravettian that used bifacial leaf point technology in Eastern Central Europe. Unfortunately, details on artifact types remained unpublished, which could have supported the Gravettian thesis. To test this hypothesis, we undertook a typological analysis of the lithic assemblages from the lowermost to the uppermost stratigraphic occurrence of Gravettian tool types. Our analysis found the Gravettian thesis supportable. We argue for classifying Layers 5 and 6 of Szeleta Cave Late Gravettian, among which Layer 6 could represent a Late Gravettian with leaf points. We claim that the bifacial tool technology could have been an integral part in the Eastern Central European Late Gravettian archaeological record.

The chronology of hand stencils in European Palaeolithic rock art: implications of new U-series results from El Castillo Cave (Cantabria, Spain).

The hand stencils of European Paleolithic art tend to be considered of pre-Magdalenian age and scholars have generally assigned them to the Gravettian period. At El Castillo Cave, application of U-series dating to calcite accretions has established a minimum age of 37,290 years for underlying red hand stencils, implying execution in the earlier part of the Aurignacian if not beforehand. Together with the series of red disks, one of which has a minimum age of 40,800 years, these motifs lie at the base of the El Castillo parietal stratigraphy. The similarity in technique and colour support the notion that both kinds of artistic manifestations are synchronic and define an initial, non-figurative phase of European cave art. However, available data indicate that hand stencils continued to be painted subsequently. Currently, the youngest, reliably dated examples fall in the Late Gravettian, approximately 27,000 years ago.

Upper Palaeolithic population histories of Southwestern France: a comparison of the demographic signatures of 14C date distributions and archaeological site counts

Radiocarbon date frequency distributions and archaeological site counts are two popular proxies used to investigate prehistoric demography, following the assumption that variations in these data reflect fluctuations in the relative size and distribution of past populations. However, the two approaches are rarely applied to the same data-set and their applicability is heavily conditioned by the archaeological record in question, particularly research histories, agendas, and funding availability. In this paper we use both types of data to examine the population history of the Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherers (∼40 000–12 000 cal BP) of Southwestern France, comparing the demographic signatures generated.Both proxies produce similar signatures across the Upper Palaeolithic sequence of the region, strengthening the interpretation of relative demographic changes as the cause of the pattern. In particular, a marked population decline is seen in both datasets during the Late Gravettian (∼28 000 cal BP), as well as a population increase in the Late Solutrean (∼25 000 cal BP) supporting the notion that the region acted as a population refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum. Where the two proxies diverge in the demographic signatures they produce, the radiocarbon date distribution shows peaks compared to troughs in site counts; the opposite pattern expected given taphonomic issues surrounding cultural carbon. Despite differences in chronological resolution and sampling bias, our data suggest that the two proxies can be considered broadly equivalent; a finding which warrants the investigation of prehistoric demography in regions where either extensive survey data or radiometric dating programmes are unavailable. While some preliminary observations are made, the impact of changing mobility on diachronic patterns seen in both proxies remains, however, difficult to assess.

Données inédites sur le Gravettien oriental : apport de la technologie osseuse à la caractérisation des occupations de Kostienki 4 (Alexandrovska, région de Voronej, Russie)

Le Gravettien oriental est encore trop souvent réduit à sa manifestation la plus spectaculaire : la «culture de Kostienki-Avdeevo » . Certains sites ont pourtant livré des industries lithiques qui s’en démarquent très nettement. C’est le cas du gisement de Kostienki 4 auquel nous consacrons cette étude. Ce site a livré deux occupations généralement rapportées au Gravettien lato sensu, et prenant place entre 21000 et 23000 uncal. BP. L’ancienneté des fouilles, autant que l’absence d’études archéozoologiques rendent la documentation disponible souvent parcellaire. En confrontant, pour la première fois, les données inédites de l’industrie en matières dures d’origine animale de Kostienki 4, aux autres sphères de la culture matérielle, nous avons pu mettre en évidence de nouveaux éléments de caractérisation de ses deux phases d’occupation. Nous verrons que ce sont des groupes indubitablement différents qui s’y sont succédés, et probablement à différentes saisons de l’année. Des différences majeures transparaissent dans les matières osseuses exploitées, dans leur transformation et leur utilisation, questionnant sur la pertinence d’un rattachement de ces deux niveaux d’occupation à une même entité culturelle. Enfin, les différences observées entre les deux habitats du niveau inférieur, nous permettront de discuter d’une éventuelle différentiation fonctionnelle ou sociale de l’espace.