Middle Magdalenian Research Articles

The four seasons of reindeer: Non-migrating reindeer in the Dordogne region (France) between 30 and 18 k? Data from the Middle and Upper Magdalenian at La Madeleine and methods of seasonality determination

This paper presents a study of the reindeer hunting seasons represented in Magdalenian occupations (levels 25 & 27) at the site of La Madeleine where this game comprises between 87 and 95% of the identified remains. The method of reindeer hunting season estimations based on the analysis of archaeological antlers, cheek teeth and fetal long-bone diaphyses underlines that the combined use of antlers, teeth, and fetal bones is indispensable for determining all four seasons. It also shows that summer and winter hunts are the most difficult to identify and may go unnoticed in small or poorly preserved samples, and those without fetal long-bone diaphyses (for winter). The hunting seasons identified, deducted from the minimum number of identified moments, are similar for levels 25 (Upper Magdalenian) and 27 (Middle Magdalenian), providing evidence of reindeer hunting throughout the year, during all four seasons. These results confirm those of four other sites, all of which are located in the same area at distances between 2 and 60km from La Madeleine, while they strongly contrast those of every other currently well documented region (Paris Basin, Massif Central, Aude Basin). This suggests that if these data reflect the reality of non-migrating reindeer, rather than a high instability of seasonal ranges, at least between 30,000 and 15,000cal BP, this phenomenon is related to a specific area, temporarily bordered by the Dronne and the Vézère valleys. The author discusses the assumption that this zone (still to be delineated), with an Atlantic climate in the Mammoth Steppe biome, at least during the Upper Pleniglacial and Oldest Dryas, was a zone of varied landscapes where the living conditions of reindeer would have limited their mobility, perhaps up to the close foothills of the Massif Central.

Methodological contribution to the integrated study of European Palaeolithic rock art: The issue of the audience and the perceptibility of Roc-aux-Sorciers rock art (Angles-sur-l'Anglin, France)

Abstract This paper focuses on the issue of the audience of European Palaeolithic rock art, with a special interest given to the question of perceptibility. The carved, engraved and painted rock art from the Middle Magdalenian occupations of Roc-aux-Sorciers rock shelter (Angles-sur-l'Anglin, France) constitutes our case-study. Our methodology is based on an integrated approach of the rock art that combines an internal analysis of some intrinsic characteristics (techniques, dimensions, shapes, composition) and a study of the physical context it sets in. We particularly consider the characteristics of the environment of the site, its location in the landscape and its accommodation capacity. Thus are examined the visibility of the site and the decorated surfaces as well as the visibility and lisibility of the parietal carvings and engravings. We use GIS analysis processes to determine the view sheds and test several quantitative approaches taken from optics and visual ergonomics to calculate visibility and lisibility distances. If some analytical tools prove to be appropriate and relevant, the application of the formulas from the optical field needs to be qualified for some results are clearly overestimated. This preliminary research brings interesting results although supplementary analytical criteria will be necessary to consolidate them (lightning, painted register, perception of relief forms). Roc-aux-Sorciers was a site with a natural collective vocation given its high accommodation capacity from 75 to 100 people, easily accessible and highly visible in the landscape on a wide area. This study shows two strategies of visibility of the rock art, towards the outside or the inside of the site depending on whether the observer looks at the decorated back wall or ceiling. Moreover, two levels of visibility and legibility separate on the one hand the monumental carved frieze dedicated to a large and public audience, on the other hand the register of small fine engravings which discovery is more individual. Thus this study yields evidence of four levels of perceptibility of Roc-aux-Sorciers rock art: from an area of 1 km around the site until a close observation of the walls which can meet different audiences and hence recover diverse uses of the parietal iconography for these populations. Beyond, it is part of the territorial structuring and mobility of these people that could to be organized around these elements of distant visibility and perception of this decorated site which the Magdalenians were aware of.

Technologie lithique et circulation des matières premières au Magdalénien moyen ancien. L’exemple de Moulin-Neuf (Saint-Quentin-de-Baron, Gironde)

Moulin-Neuf (Saint-Quentin-de-Baron, Gironde) est un site du Magdalénien moyen ancien daté entre 18700 et 17800 cal. BP. Découvert en 1939, le site s’organise comme la succession latérale de deux abris et d’un gisement en pied de falaise. L’intérieur de l’abri 1, le plus vaste, a d’abord été en partie fouillé par R. Cousté puis par H. Péquart dans les années 1940. Entre 1976 et 1980, M. Lenoir entrepris d’en fouiller la terrasse qui a notamment livré un riche ensemble archéologique (industries lithique et osseuse, faune, matières colorantes, art mobilier) attribué alors au Magdalénien moyen. Moulin-Neuf se situe à l’interface géographique et chronologique des «faciès » à navettes, à pointes de Lussac-Angles et à lamelles scalènes. Pourtant, il n’a livré aucun de ces marqueurs classiques. Nous nous proposons de croiser les approches pétro-archéologiques et technoéconomiques pour déterminer le mode d’exploitation de chaque ressource afin de mieux cerner les occupations de Moulin-Neuf et de les replacer dans l’espace géoculturel du Magdalénien moyen ancien. Cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence à Moulin-Neuf une grande diversité dans le spectre de matières premières exploitées. Au-delà d’un approvisionnement avec la zone périgourdine, le réseau de circulation des matières premières s’élargit nettement vers la Chalosse et le Sud du Bassin parisien. Les blocs de silex du Bergeracois, «grain de mil » et de Chalosse ont fait l’objet d’une exploitation sur place. Cette arrivée de blocs fut complétée par l’apport de supports lamino-lamellaires et d’outils provenant des formations du Turonien inférieur du Berry, du Grand-Pressigny et du Turonien d’Écoyeux. La zone de diffusion des silex du Turonien inférieur du Berry se trouve alors élargie au Nord du Bassin aquitain. Ces résultats inédits ne montrent pas de frontières territoriales nettes entre Poitou et Pyrénées mais plutôt des des réseaux complexes de circulation des matières premières lithiques, tout en conférant à Moulin-Neuf la place de carrefour géographique majeur de ces réseaux. Le partage d’un «litho-espace » similaire entre les différents faciès du Magdalénien moyen ancien relance la question de la pertinence de l’utilisation de ces faciès.

L’attribution chronoculturelle des «objets arciformes» du Paléolithique supérieur. Apports de la datation directe de l’ébauche du Petit Cloup Barrat (Cabrerets, Lot, France) et discussion autour de l’hypothèse badegoulienne

Le Petit Cloup Barrat cave (Cabrerets, Lot, France) is located on the hill of Pech Merle, 800 metres from the famous Palaeolithic art cave. It opens onto the edge of a collapsed doline of 500 m2. Since 2003, the different excavations (by Castel and Chauvière, then by Castel) have revealed an important Upper Palaeolithic stratigraphy, with several archaeological assemblages. More than ten millennia have been recorded discontinuously in the various sedimentary complexes, with occupations dating from the end of the Gravettian to the Middle Magdalenian. Layer 4 of the deposit yielded an ‘ arciform object’ rough-out (so-called ‘ omega-like shape open ring’) made in antler. Until now, this morphotype was known only through the ten specimens discovered at the end of the 19th century in Le Placard cave (Vilhonneur Charente, France) and that of the so-called ‘ Cave à Endives’ archaeological collection (André David collection, Cabrerets, Lot). The direct dating of this rough-out using the AMS radiocarbon method (17720 ± 90 BP or 21770– 21122 cal. BP) was carried out in the Oxford laboratory. According to the chronological frameworks now available for south-western France, it seems to refer to the Badegoulian technical traditions. The implications of the absolute chronological positioning of this original object are important, first on the scale of Le Petit Cloup Barrat, but also for the Upper Palaeolithic ‘ arciform objects’. At Le Petit Cloup Barrat, Badegoulian occupations have been identified since 2003 inside the cave, following the discovery of lithic and osseous remains (respectively raclettes and antler flakes). They were discovered in layer c8a1. This layer has a remarkable sedimentary signature and was dated by the AMS radiocarbon method from a faunal remain (18595 ± 150 BP or 22876– 22101 cal. BP). The direct 14C dating of the open ring fills a gap in the radiometric chronology of the outer area of the main excavation sector, confirming the presence of the Badegoulian, already suspected through the recurrent demonstration of lithic “ markers” on the heart and bottom of layer 4. Moreover, the direct 14C dating of the ‘ omega-like shape open ring’ is consistent with another AMS date, in layer 4, from an antler flake produced by knapping (17800 ± 80 BP or 21838– 21292 cal. BP), technical waste characteristic of the Badegoulian. These two dates are older than one of a splinter fragment from the same layer, and produced by grooving (16,100 ± 70 BP or 19629– 19208 cal. BP). Taken together, they refer to the anteriority of the use of knapping in comparison to the groove and splinter technique, according to the general evolutionary model proposed elsewhere, without excluding, for the moment, the possible coexistence of other elements resulting from these two modes of blank production, at least on the scale of the sedimentary unit which contains them. The bone industry data are added here to other observations about typo-technological analysis of the lithic industry and radiometric data to confirm the diachrony in layer 4. The direct radiocarbon date of the ‘ omega-like shape open ring’ rough-out from Le Petit Cloup Barrat and its technical examination also provide a substantial complement to the study of this rare and original object. The results can be extended to the other ‘ arciform objects’, previously considered as Magdalenian, and constitute a first step towards their chronocultural re-contextualization. Firstly, if the attribution to the Badegoulian of the ‘ arciform object’ type were to be confirmed, it would increase a corpus constituted of elements which, for most of the currently available series, suffer from the disconnection between the production of blanks and the different typo-functional categories (eye needles, awls, chisels and projectile points). Secondly, the direct dating of the ‘ omega-like shape open ring’” rough-out from Le Petit Cloup Barrat encourages a critical re-reading of the typological assemblages yielded by Le Placard cave, according to the radiometric framework from the Badegoulian assemblages of this famous Palaeolithic site. As these assemblages served to seriate the Magdalenian periods, they need reassessment, using the AMS radiocarbon method, in addition to ‘ arciform objects’ with other morphotypes such as ‘ spiked single bevelled points’ and ‘ Lussac-Angles points’.

Temps et réseaux de l’art paléolithique : la grotte de La Covaciella (Asturies, Espagne)

The study of graphic convergences and divergences in Palaeolithic art is used to understand the culture, territories and interaction systems of human groups. La Covaciella cave has fifteen animal representations and other linear, dots and geometric motifs. The bison stands out; some were executed with complex technical procedures. Two of them were dated by C14 AMS, obtaining a result of 14,260±130BP (17,733–16,973cal BP) and 14,060±140BP (17,503–16,260cal BP). These correspond chronologically with the beginning of the middle Magdalenian or the very end of the lower Magdalenian. Similar depictions to the bison at La Covaciella are located in other areas of Western Europe. The repertoire of parietal bison displaying graphic similarities with those at La Covaciella is very large; both of the Pyrenean model (Niaux morphotype) and of the Perigordian model (Font-de-Gaume morphotype). A first consideration derived from the search for comparisons involves a new interpretation of the territorial value implied by the term Pyrenean style (Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Navarre, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Ariège, Dordogne, Lot, Ardèche and Vienne). The Font-de-Gaume parietal morphotype is most common in Dordogne. In addition, in some cases, spatial complementariness has been found, with both graphic morphotypes. This article proposes different chronological and anthropological hypothesis to explain the distribution and coexistence of the two graphic models.

The social dimension of human depiction in Magdalenian rock art (16,500 cal. BP–12,000 cal. BP): The case of the Roc-aux-Sorciers rock-shelter

The rock shelter of Le Roc-aux-Sorciers is one of the major Upper Palaeolithic sites of Europe, along with the caves of Chauvet and Lascaux. At the foot of the cliff of Le Roc-aux-Sorciers, from the 1930s onwards, the research carried out by Lucien Rousseau (1927–1933), S. de Saint-Mathurin (between 1947 and 1990), and then by G. Pincon (since 1993) has led to a better understanding of this place that was occupied by hunter-gatherers 15,000 years ago. This is a rare example of an archaeological site that features a rich regular occupation (between 15,000 BP and 14,000 BP) attributed to the Middle Magdalenian associated with monumental parietal art. The sculpted frieze, an exceptional testimony to the artistic mastery of these peoples, contains – over a distance of almost 20 m – more than thirty animal and human depictions. The human figures, which are very prominent in this parietal art, make this place even more remarkable. The humans depicted on the shelter's wall and ceiling enable us to discuss these people's thought processes. The images pose the question of how these hunter-gatherers conceived the body, as well as the constructions of identity that may stem from that. In this article I propose to present a synthesis of the human depictions of Le Roc-aux-Sorciers and to analyse the role of these images in the occupation of the territory, and the inscription of the human groups in the landscape. It appears that, in the mechanisms of otherness of the ethnic groups of the Upper Palaeolithic, human depictions played an important role in the expression of identities.

Hunting fast-moving, low-turnover small game: The status of the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) in the Magdalenian

The hunting of small game in the Upper Palaeolithic is a practice that hides a still underestimated complexity. This article provides an overview of the exploitation of a fast-moving, low-turnover small game: the snowy owl in the Magdalenian. This overview is based on the existing literature as well as unpublished taphonomic and zooarchaeological data.The data are unevenly distributed over the cultural territory of the Magdalenian, being concentrated in the Aquitaine Basin and its vicinity. Greater local availability on the wintering ground and contexts in which the bones have been well preserved could explain this distribution. Between 21 and 14 ka cal BP, the hunting of the snowy owl appears to have been a discontinuous phenomenon, no reliable data currently existing for the late Middle Magdalenian (18–16 ka cal BP).In both the Lower and Upper Magdalenian, the carcasses have undergone thorough treatment. A variety of products were sought—meat, long bones, phalanges, claws and feathers—relating to different spheres of hunter–gatherer activity. Only a technique for segmenting the bones by sawing appears specific to the Upper Magdalenian.

The Magdalenian occupation of level IX of Las Caldas Cave (Asturias, Spain): A spatial approach

Las Caldas Cave is located in the middle valley of the Nalón River, in a setting widely occupied from the end of the Pleistocene until the Late Glacial Maximum. Level IX, which has been preserved in Chamber II, constitutes the first occupation of the Middle Magdalenian, in a very cold and humid phase of the climate at the end of the Older Dryas, with dates from 14347 ± 436 cal BC. The random distribution of the material record over the surface of the excavated area (H2-G2, H3-G3, H4-G4, G5), as well as the wealth and relevance of the materials recovered, require analysis of the floor of occupation from a spatial perspective in order to reveal the interrelations among the different elements comprising the whole archaeological floor. In addition, a study was made of the lithic and osseous industries from a techno-functional perspective, with a view to making an approximation of the activities carried out by the hunter-gatherer groups of the Cantabrian Middle Magdalenian.

The exploitation of ungulates in the Magdalenian in the Entre-Deux-Mers (Gironde, France)

This paper presents an overview of unpublished or recent data obtained from taphonomic and zooarchaeological studies carried out on several Magdalenian osseous assemblages in the Gironde, most of which were performed or updated as part of the Magdatis project. These assemblages have been attributed to techno-complexes from the Lower Magdalenian (Saint-Germain-la-Rivière lower complex), Middle Magdalenian (Roc de Marcamps 2, Moulin-Neuf layer 2, Saint-Germain-la-Rivière upper complex and Fongaban) and Upper Magdalenian (Morin and row 24 of Faustin). They document, from a diachronic and synchronic standpoint, the relationships between Magdalenian hunter gatherers and their prey, principally ungulates. Our study focuses on the butchery of carcasses, from their transport to their disposal, through an investigation of the transportation methods, resources obtained, intensity of butchery, and techniques used, as well as any recurrences in the chaînes opératoires. We also discuss the variations in the modes of consumption in relation to the size of the prey, the seasons of procurement, and the function of the sites.Irrespective of the size of the hunted games, the carcasses are incomplete. The post-cranial axial skeletons have been abandoned at the kill site. The limb and mandible bones are common, but differences are observed between the species exploited, reflecting either logistical constraints or nutritional contingencies. The resources used are diverse at the residential sites (skin, meat, marrow, tendons and hoofs). The marrow has been particularly intensely exploited regardless of the season; this advanced use does not however extend to the extraction of the fat. The results of this study indicate that, despite palaeoenvironmental and cultural changes, there were no real differences during the whole Magdalenian period in Gironde and that human groups remained faithful to the same traditions regarding the acquisition and processing of carcasses.

La fracturation osseuse : du fait technique à l’essai d’interprétation sociétale : l’exemple de l’antilope saïga du gisement magdalénien de Saint-Germain-la-Rivière (Gironde)

La fracturation osseuse est une pratique couramment observée sur les gisements paléolithiques, celle-ci intervenant dans diverses chaînes opératoires de transformation et d’utilisation des ressources animales, notamment alimentaires. La moelle osseuse, contenue dans la cavité médullaire des os longs, est une ressource alimentaire non négligeable pour de nombreux groupes humains, en particulier dans les zones périglaciaires, tels les Nunamiuts d’Alaska ou les Koriaks de Sibérie. Différents procédés sont mis en oeuvre pour sa récupération ; leur variabilité s’explique en partie par l’existence de traditions techniques et de modes de consommation de la moelle, propres aux différents groupes. Ces traditions entraînent souvent une standardisation des procédés de fracturation à l’intérieur de chaque groupe. De tels schémas récurrents sont-ils perceptibles dans le registre paléolithique ? Si oui, est-il possible de mettre en évidence une transmission des gestes relatifs à la récupération de la moelle ? Afin d’apporter des éléments de réponse à ces questions nous proposons dans le cadre de cet article, une étude détaillée des traces de percussion observées sur les os longs d’antilope saïga (Saiga tatarica), provenant de l’ensemble supérieur Magdalénien moyen de Saint-Germain-la-Rivière (Gironde). Les schémas observés ont ensuite été comparés à ceux décrits dans la littérature afin d’apprécier leurs spécificités et de discuter des paramètres ayant pu influer sur cette répartition des traces. Les vestiges fauniques de Saint-Germain-la-Rivière sont intensément fracturés et présentent de nombreuses traces de percussion d’origine anthropique attribuables à cette activité de fracturation de l’os. Des récurrences dans la localisation des traces de percussion ont pu être mises en évidence. Celles-ci varient selon les éléments squelettiques considérés et sont plus ou moins marquées. L’existence de telles récurrences tend à prouver que la disposition des points d’impact dépend d’un choix délibéré. Ces choix ne semblent pas être dictés exclusivement par l’existence de contraintes mécaniques (e. g. la structure osseuse) ou ergonomiques spécifiques aux éléments squelettiques. Par ailleurs, l’existence d’une variabilité inter-et intra-spécifique, observable d''après les données de la littérature laisse à penser qu’il s’agit de choix dictés en partie par un facteur culturel. L’analyse des traces de percussion a également permis de mettre en évidence, dans certains cas, la présence de plusieurs points d’impact sur une surface réduite. L’une des hypothèses que l’on peut émettre ici serait qu’il y ait eu plusieurs tentatives pour fracturer l’os. Ces pièces posent alors la question de l’acharnement et de la maîtrise du geste et pourraient évoquer des os fracturés par des novices.

The horse mandibles at Duruthy rockshelter (Sorde-l'Abbaye, Landes, France) and the identification of ontological systems in the Pyrenean Magdalenian

The excavations of 1961, led by Robert Arambourou in layer 4 of Duruthy rockshelter at Sorde-l'Abbaye, Landes in France, revealed an exceptional assemblage in two adjacent squares. According to the lithic and the bone industry and the radiocarbon dating, this was attributable to a late phase of the Middle Magdalenian. This assemblage included three horse sculptures in sandstone, marl limestone, and ivory, and somebody ornaments and tools made of both mineral and organic materials. A concentration of 23 horse mandible fragments found near or in direct contact with the three horse sculptures comprised a selection of bones from old horses (MNIc = 11) that had been subject to particular treatment. All the bones had scraping marks aimed at the removal of the connective tissue down to the alveolar bone, possibly to reveal the teeth entirely. On three pieces, saw marks, made with flint, and deep incisions were observed. One piece had deep grooves in an almond shape, and a mandible fragment had an engraved design on it that was unique among the geometrical designs of the Pastou group of sites. By drawing upon concepts taken from Descola's anthropology of nature, we have been able to consider the informative potential of these pieces regarding the ontology of their authors.

« Type 2a » the earliest type of Palaeolithic spearthrower: a new object in the Middle Magdalenian of Isturitz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France) and its implications

Cet article presente un propulseur en bois de renne provenant du Magdalenien moyen du site d’Isturitz (couche II, fouilles Saint-Perier de 1932 dans la Grande Salle de la grotte). Cet objet, aujourd’hui quasi complet, n’a ete reconstitue que recemment (2008) a partir de deux fragments conserves dans des musees differents. Ses caracteres morphometriques et techniques le rapprochent d’une serie de 14 autres propulseurs provenant des sites d’El Castillo (1), d’El Miron (1), du Roc de Marcamps (3), de Combe-Sauniere I (1), du Placard (6) et de La Garenne (2). Nous proposons de denommer ce groupe « type 2a », avec cinq criteres de definition : propulseur court ; generalement sur baguette, et non sur troncon de bois de renne ; a extremite proximale generalement en biseau simple ; avec un crochet d’une forme specifique, resultant d’un procede de faconnage particulier ; sans decor, a l’exception parfois d’incisions courtes et droites. Sur le plan typologique et technologique comme dans sa distribution geographique, le type 2a se distingue tant des autres propulseurs du type 2 que des types 1, 3 et 4. Sur le plan chronologique, il apparait egalement plus ancien et represente vraisemblablement le premier modele de propulseur paleolithique connu. Sa datation precise reste delicate dans plusieurs sites mais, dans quelques cas (El Miron, Le Roc de Marcamps, La Garenne), une attribution a la phase 19 000-18 000 cal BP (soit autour de 15 500-15 000 BP) semble probable. Suivant les regions et les traditions de recherche, cette phase a recu des appellations multiples : Magdalenien inferieur cantabrique, Magdalenien III, Magdalenien a navettes, Magdalenien a pointes de Lussac-Angles et, recemment, Magdalenien moyen ancien.

Lithic tool kits: A Metronome of the evolution of the Magdalenian in southwest France (19,000–14,000 cal BP)

Under the Magdatis project a new evolutionary model has been proposed for the Middle and Upper Magdalenian based on a review of several lithic assemblages from southwest France. The Lower Magdalenian is not addressed in this article. Single lithic assemblages and stratigraphic sequences have been compared according to several parameters: the origin of the siliceous raw materials, the interconnection between domestic tool production and hunting armatures, and the typo-technology of the microliths. Alongside the new techno-economic data, the geographical distribution of certain practices and particular artefacts in southwest France has led to a discussion of the cultural geography of the different phases of the Magdalenian between 19,000 and 14,000 cal BP. The Early Middle Magdalenian covers an extensive European cultural territory, demonstrating social interactions over vast distances both in the circulation of raw materials and in the distribution of certain morphotypes of lithic armament. The Late Middle Magdalenian appears to correspond to a phase of population contraction in which cultural emulation is observed among lithic tool kits in the socio-economic value placed on large blades. The Early Upper Magdalenian coincides with the renewed settlement of the north Aquitaine plains. Among the technological innovations observed is the development of lithic points on small blades, leading to a first geographical division of the southwest (Aquitaine Basin versus Pyrenees). Finally, the Late Upper Magdalenian confirms this evolution of lithic equipment with new developments in lithic armaments in parallel with some easing off of the technical constraints associated with blade production. This period thus coincides with the progressive dilution of Magdalenian norms. With these four phases of the Middle and Upper Magdalenian, it is possible to gain a clearer understanding of the sequence of technical and economic changes observed in an environment in recomposition. At the same time, population fluctuations over these five millennia can be associated with developing phenomena of regionalism, particularly in the southwest of France.

The Venuses Block From Arlanpe Cave (Northern Iberian Peninsula): Implications for the Origins and Dispersion of Gönnersdorf‐Lalinde Style Depictions Throughout the European Magdalenian

SummaryIn 2011, an engraved limestone block was found in the cave of Arlanpe (Lemoa, northern Iberian Peninsula). One of the figures represented on it was identified as a schematic feminine representation similar to those of the Gönnersdorf‐Lalinde style. The stratigraphical position of the block is not totally clear owing to severe disturbance in the Upper Pleistocene deposits located near the entrance sector of the cave. Nevertheless, the most probable stratigraphical correlation is with Level I, which has been dated to the beginning of the Middle Magdalenian. This finding extends the distribution range of this kind of representation to the northern Iberian Peninsula, where, up to now, only two other, less clear, Gönnersdorf‐Lalinde style representations have been found. It also extends its chronological range, pushing it back to the beginning of the Middle Magdalenian. In this paper, we present the archaeological context of the engraved block, followed by a detailed description of technological and stylistic features. These data will be used to discuss the implication of this discovery for an understanding of the origins, expansion and diffusion of this kind of feminine representation across Europe.

La ‘Galería de los Bisontes’: un nuevo sector decorado en la Cueva de Alkerdi (Urdazubi/Urdax, Navarra)

Alkerdi is the only cave with Paleolithic rock art engravings known in the Regional Community of Navarre. Located in Pyrenean foothills, its discovery was carried out by the French speleologist N. Casteret in 1930, who published it briefly shortly after (1933). The detailed study of the engravings will not take place until several decades after, by I. Barandiaran (1974) who, in the last years, has excavated the archaeological deposit of the cavity (2009). During 2014 the signers have developed a new study of the parietal art because of the finding of a new decorated gallery in which there are concentrated twenty engraved figures, mainly representations of bison, which exponentially multiply the previously known set. The conventions and formal characteristics of the figures respond to those ones of the Middle Magdalenian, and especially tie to the sets of the Pyrenean region. This new turn in the knowledge of the parietal art of the cavity forces a re-evaluation of the study in this area hinged in the western Pyrenees.

Radiocarbon Dating the Late Upper Paleolithic of Cantabrian Spain: El Mirón Cave Date List IV

This fourth date list for the long cultural sequence in El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain) reports on 19 new AMS assays for Solutrean, Initial, Lower, and Middle Magdalenian and Azilian levels, ranging from about 19 to 11 uncalibrated kyr. Key results are provision of further precision on the transition between the Solutrean and Magdalenian at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum and the very exact dating of a Magdalenian human burial and its relationship to both major living floors and closely associated rock art in the cave.

Premiers temps du Magdalénien en Gironde : réévaluation des fouilles Trécolle à Saint-Germain-la-Rivière (France)

The Magdalenian site of Saint-Germain-la-Rivière (Gironde, France) has often figured in debates and discussions about the Late Upper Palaeolithic of Western Europe. Most of the discussions are based on the material excavated by R. Blanchard — in particular the now well-known burial — as well as the more rigorous excavations by G. Trécolle in the slope deposits. After the detailed study of all this material by M. Lenoir, which allowed the material from the slope and terrace deposits to be attributed to the Lower and Middle Magdalenian, many other studies were carried out by various researchers on specific aspects of the collections (lithics, personal ornaments, fauna). It became clear, however, that the stratigraphic framework and chronology of the site needed to be reexamined. In order to understand the rise of the classic Magdalenian in Gironde, members of the Magdatis project reexamined many early Middle Magdalenian sites and collections of that area. The thorough work of Trécolle at Saint-Germain-la-Rivière was pivotal to this reas sessment. Initially, this involved the analysis of his fieldnotes which led to an archaeostratigraphic reattribution of most artefacts into two principal units, with a potentially problematic interface between these. Once these new archaeostratigraphic divisions had been determined, analysis of the artefacts could proceed. The comparison of the lithic and bone/ antler industries with those of other sites has afforded us new insights into the nature of the types of technical and economic behaviour of this initial Magdalenian in Western Europe. In terms of lithic and osseous raw material, we have found a good degree of continuity between the two units. The differing treatment of domestic versus hunting flint tools is also an important aspect to consider in the discussion of the changes that took place in huntergatherer societies at this time. The bone/ antler industry shows some continuity between units (for example the use of the groove and splinter technique), but also some differences (in the upper unit : less diversity in tools ; a higher frequency of decorated objects). The systematization of standardized blade production in the upper unit is accompanied by an increase in size of antler points. The production of different lithic projectile morphotypes (backed microbladelets versus scalene bladelets), in parallel with a change in base types within antler points, in addition to the presence or absence of grooves, demonstrate that changes occurred in the toolkits used. A reassessment of the faunal remains also helped to clarify the practices having occurred in each of the two principal stratigraphic units ; combined with a taphonomic analysis, the specific subsistence practices in each could be identified. Different hunting strategies were noticed regarding saiga antelope (hunting within female groups versus mixed herds) as well as differing carcass treatment (degree of intensity of marrow extraction, carcass processing techniques). Our analysis also revealed that small-game hunting (birds and small mammals) had already been practised in the earliest Magdalenian phases at the site, thus providing a more complete picture of these reindeer and saiga antelope hunters. Taking into account all of these data and practices allows us to be more specific about the type and pace of technical and subsistence changes having occurred during this period. New 14C dates taken directly from bones of identified species or characteristic organic artefacts also aid us in shedding new light on the two main phases of the Magdalenian. The Trécolle excavation and its collections can thus be placed within the overall Saint-Germain-la-Rivière site sequence and compared with other contemporaneous sites in Western Europe which have also benefited from a renewed stratigraphic, archaeological and chronological assessment and framework.

The human occupation of the northwestern Pyrenees in the Late Glacial: New data from the Arudy basin, lower Ossau valley

Excavated since the 1860s, the Arudy basin has yielded a number of rich Magdalenian sites that enable us to address the question of the human reoccupation of the lower Pyrenean valleys at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Until the 1990s, it was considered that at Arudy this reoccupation started ca. 16,000 cal BP in the Middle Magdalenian and continued into the Upper Magdalenian until ca. 14,000 cal BP. However, since the mid-2000 s, this picture has been modified through a series of new analyses, excavations (caves of Laa 2 and Tastet), 14C dates and reassessment of ancient collections. Evidence of human occupation ca. 20,000–19,000 cal BP, although limited, has been identified at Laa 2 and Tastet, consistent with numerous data obtained at Pyrenean scale showing a deglaciation of the north Pyrenean foothills as early as the end of the global LGM. The number of sites with evidence of Magdalenian has increased, showing that human presence in the basin was more intensive than previously thought. The Middle and Upper Magdalenian occupations have been redated to at least 18,000–17,500 cal BP to 15,000–14,500 cal BP, with the transition between the two phases probably occurring ca. 16,600–16,200 cal BP. The faunal records of these sites document an emphasis on horse hunting, which is not common in the northern Pyrenees, but also witness an evolution over time in the range of species hunted. Furthermore, the Pyrenean affinities of the Arudy groups and their relations with neighboring regions, such as Spain and the northern part of the Aquitaine basin, can be addressed through new evidence: in particular lithic and osseous raw materials and specific types of projectile tips. These results significantly change our view of the nature, rhythm and chronology of the Late Glacial settlement in this area.

Fifty thousand years of prehistory at the cave of Abauntz (Arraitz, Navarre): A nexus point between the Ebro Valley, Aquitaine and the Cantabrian Corridor

The cave of Abauntz is, since the beginning of fieldwork in the 1970s, one of the major milestones of the Iberian prehistory. It has yielded thousands of first-level remains that belong to at least nine cultural periods from the Mousterian to the Late Roman period. This paper presents to the international scientific community the state of the art of our knowledge about the stratigraphy, the materials, and their interpretation in its regional context. Situated in a strategic place, the cave was used as a camp by Neanderthal groups; Solutrean, Magdalenian and Azilian hunters; Neolithic shepherds; employed for funerary purposes by Chalcolithic people; and as a hiding place by Roman citizens who feared the first Germanic invaders. Many of the remains (Vasconian cleavers, saiga bones and decorative motifs from the Middle Magdalenian, an engraved horse in a block from the Late Magdalenian) suggest strong links with the Aquitaine area, easily reachable through the passes that communicate this zone with the northern territories. In some moments (such as the Solutrean), the cave clearly acted as a nexus point between the Mediterranean-related sites of the Ebro basin and the Cantabria-Aquitania zone.

Defining Magdalenian cultural groups in Franco-Cantabria by the formal analysis of portable artworks

The motifs, techniques and stylistic features of Upper Palaeolithic art offer enormous potential for the investigation of social and cultural interactions in south-western France and northern Spain during the later stages of the last ice age. The key regions of Aquitaine, Cantabria and the Pyrenees clearly share an overall family resemblance, but detailed analysis of horse heads on portable objects of bone, antler and stone from Magdalenian contexts reveal that particular features can be attributed to different regions at different periods. Furthermore, the patterns of interconnection are structured very differently in the Upper Magdalenian than in the Middle Magdalenian, perhaps as rising temperatures in the latter period led to territorial expansion and social realignment.