Le Grand Abri aux Puces,a Mousterian site from the Last Interglacial: paleogeography,paleoenvironment, and new excavation results |
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Authors: | Ludovic Slimak,Jason E. Lewis,Evelyne Cré gut-Bonnoure,Laure Metz,Vincent Ollivier,Pierre André ,Julia Chrzavzez,Yves Giraud,Marcel Jeannet,Fré dé ric Magnin |
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Affiliation: | 1. UMR 5608, TRACES, CNRS, Université de Toulouse-Le Mirail, Maison de la Recherche, 5 allées Antonio-Machado, 31058 Toulouse Cedex 9, France;2. Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Bldg 50, Stanford, CA 94305-2034, USA;3. Musée Requien, 67, rue Joseph-Vernet, 84000 Avignon & UMR 5608 (UTAH), 31058 Toulouse, France;4. UMR 6636, LAMPEA, CNRS, Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme, BP 647, 5 rue du Château de l’Horloge, 13094 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 2, France;5. UMR 6130. CÉPAM, 250 rue Albert Einstein, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560 Valbonne, France;6. UMR 6116, IMEP, CNRS, Université Paul Cézanne, 3 avenue Robert-Schuman, 13628 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 1, France |
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Abstract: | Le Grand Abri aux Puces (GAP), located on the right bank of the Ouvèze River of southern France, has been known to contain well-preserved stone tools and faunal remains, but our work in 2008 was the first professional, controlled excavation at the site and has exposed at least 1 archaeological layer with a very rich and diverse faunal assemblage (23 macrofaunal species, as many for the microfauna, 27 land snail species), abundant charcoals (fragments are large and preserve small twigs with their pith and bark still intact), and stone tools with immaculate surface preservation (retaining their original freshness and preserving microscopic use wear). The information issuing from paleontology, micropaleontology, malacology, and anthracology all place the principle GAP human occupation unambiguously in a temperate climatic phase. Different biometric and biochronological characters of the fauna converge to place the layers found thus far from before the last glacial, and most likely in MIS 5e (127–117 kya). The lithic elements, mainly composed of tools of superior quality, demonstrating particular technical investment, and made from widely distributed raw material sources, lead us to hypothesize brief passages of hunting groups in the cave focused around an anticipated activity. This hypothesis will be refined and tested during further excavations. |
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Keywords: | Mousterian Eemian Lithics Fauna Paleogeography Paleoenvironment France |
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