News from the West: a reevaluation of the classical Aurignacian sequence of the Périgord

Abstract

The sequences from four sites in northern Aquitaine — Caminade-Est, Roc-de- -Combe, Le Piage and Corbiac-Vignoble II — were reevaluated under a two-step approach: first, the integrity of each assemblage was assessed through taphonomic analysis and, second, the assemblages or parts thereof thus validated were the object of a technological analysis. Results are that 1) the classical regional sequence is globally confirmed and refined, and 2) at Le Piage, the Early Aurignacian is preceded by an industry thus far unknown in northern Aquitaine. This Aurignacian in turn features two clearly differentiated, successive episodes: in an early phase, corresponding to the classical Early Aurignacian or Aurignacian I, “Aurignacian retouch” is common and bladelet cores are of the “carinated scraper” type, with a wide front, and produce straight or curved blanks; in a recent phase, corresponding to the Aurignacian II-IV, bladelet cores are of the “nosed scraper” or “busked burin” types, and mostly produce small, twisted blanks. Both phases share several technological features: 1) blade debitage is unipolar and has the purpose of producing large, thick blanks retouched into a diverse range of tools; and 2) blades and bladelets are obtained through separate procedures. The industry preceding the Early Aurignacian at Le Piage is characterized by continuity in the production of blades and bladelets, the latter being straight and rather long; its features evoke both the Archaic Aurignacian of Mediterranean regions and the Châtelperronian. These results force a reconsideration of the “Aquitaine model” of the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition.

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