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Studia Archeologiczne
Tom 41
Strony 1–3 (tytułowe) razem z okładkami
Studia Archeologiczne
Tom 41
Middle Palaeolithic Human
Activity and Palaeoecology:
New Discoveries and Ideas
edited by
Jan Michał Burdukiewicz and Andrzej Wiśniewski
Wrocław 2009
Editor-in-chief
Jerzy Piekalski
Referees
Bolesław Ginter, Stefan K. Kozłowski
Editorial layout
Agnieszka Wiszewska
Cover concept by
Nicole Lenkow
Layout
Bogusław Wrona
This volume is partly sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education
On the cover: Stone artefacts from Obłazowa Cave, Poland (at the top; phot. by P. Valde-Nowak)
and Bečov I, the Czech Republic (at the bottom; phot. by A. Wiśniewski).
Map presents the location of Middle Palaeolithic sites in Northern Eurasia (after N. Rolland)
© Copyright by Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego Sp. z o.o., Wrocław 2010
ISSN 0239-6661
ISSN 0520-9250
ISBN 978-83-229-3114-1
Typesetting by Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego Sp. z o.o.
50-137 Wrocław, pl. Uniwersytecki 15
tel./fax +48 71 3752735, e-mail: marketing@wuwr.com.pl
Printed by Wrocławska Drukarnia Naukowa PAN im. S. Kulczyńskiego Sp. z o.o.
CONTENTS
Introduction (Jan Michał Burdukiewicz and Andrzej Wi ś niewski) . . . . . . . . 7
Nicolas R olland, The early human occupation of high latitudes, boreal, continental and
periglacial habitats: Middle Palaeolithic milestones in Northern Eurasia . . . . . . . . 15
Hans-Peter Schulz, The Susiluola Cave site in Western Finland – evidence of the northern-
most Middle Palaeolithic settlement in Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Krzysztof C yrek, The Biśnik Cave in Southern Poland: reconstruction of the Palaeolithic
cave habitation in relation to the environmental changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Eugeniusz F oltyn, Janusz K. Kozłowski, Jan M. W a g a, Geochron ology and envi-
ronment of the pre-Eemian Middle Palaeolithic in Southern Poland . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Rudolf Musil, The environment of the Middle Palaeolithic sites in Central and Eastern
Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Enrico B rühl, Thomas Laurat, The Middle Palaeolithic at the Geisel Valley – recent
excavations at the fossil lake Neumark-Nord 2 (Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany) . . . . . . 181
Andrzej W iśniewski, Jan Fridrich, Early Middle Palaeolithic activity exemplifi ed
by the industry from Bečov I, A-III-6 and other sites of Central Europe . . . . . . . . 217
Jan F ridrich, Ivana F ridrichová-Sýkorová, Bečov I and Bečov IV: comparison
of human activity in different Middle Palaeolithic cultures (Czech Republic) . . . . . 245
Karel Valoch, Slavomil V encl, Stone axe: surprise or not in the Middle Palaeolithic? . . . 255
Paweł Valde-Nowak, Mousterian sequences of the Obłazowa Cave (Polish Carpathians) 269
Ľubomíra K aminská, Neue mittelpaläolitische Funde aus der Slowakei . . . . . . . . . 281
Marta Po łtowicz-Bobak, Les relations entre le support et l’outil dans les industries
laminaires du Paléolithique moyen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Marie-Hélène M oncel, Les étapes du peuplement de la moyenne vallée du Rhône (Sud-
Est, France) du stade isotopique 9 au début du stade isotopique 3. État des connais-
sances sur le cadre chronologique, paléoenvironnemental et sur les comportements
humains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Céline T hiébaut, Denticulate Mousterian: myth or reality? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Laura L o n g o, Paolo Giunti, Raw material exploitation during the Middle Palaeolithic in
the Lessini Mountains (Verona, Veneto, Italy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Stefano G rimaldi, Enza Spinapolice, The Late Mousterian of the Grotta Breuil
(Monte Circeo, Lazio, Italy): interpreting new and ancient data . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Avraham Ronen, Ivan Chernikov, The Mousterian of the red loam on the Carmel
Coast (Israel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Marco Häckel, Zur Technik des Schlagens am Beispiel der Schlagsteine von Bilzings-
leben (Thüringen, Germany) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
INTRODUCTION
For more than two decades studies on the Middle Palaeolithic have had the
multidimensional character and covered a wide range of issues. A current approach
is pursued on the basis of a few signifi cant discoveries, which have changed the
direction of research on archaeology and palaeoecology of the Pleistocene. It
should be mentioned about the development in studies of subsistence strategies,
exploitation and occupation of different environment, as well as analysis of food
and raw material supply. At the same time, the studies on settlement dynamics in
the MSA and the Middle Palaeolithic have been intensifi ed (Conard 2001; 2006).
In many research centres studies on organisation of stone technology have been
developed, linking the theories in various countries (Dobres 2000; Inizan et al.
1999; Andrefsky 2008).
As a result, many new projects have been undertaken. One of them was
the symposium Middle Palaeolithic Human Activity and Palaeoecology: New
Discoveries and Ideas, organised by Wrocław University (Poland) in June 2006.
The present volume includes papers presented by the contributors of the meeting
and other scholars who could not participate in the conference because of various
reasons. In most cases the papers are the summaries of the most recent research
covering the broad scope of phenomenon defi ned as the Middle Palaeolithic.
One of them concerns the problem of migration of Middle Palaeolithic peo-
ple toward the high latitudes. It required many special skills and abilities, which
allow people to exist in the new environmental conditions – continental climate
with specifi c bioms. The papers in our volume are ordered from north to south
showing a difference between less known northern part of Eurasia to much better
recognised southern one.
First paper shows interesting research results of Nicolas Rolland. He exam-
ines “human biogeography” in the light of a rich data collection. In his analysis
he considers three main issues: culture seen as a set of human activities producing
artifi cial environment that support competition with the natural selection; human
ecology characterized by a diverse Pleistocene environment with famous mam-
moth steppe (Guthrie 2001); combining the results of Palaeolithic human behav-
iour analysis and palaeoethnology with the observations of historical and modern
groups of hunters and gatherers. The author argues that the settlement of the North
8 Introduction
has much bigger “time depth” than it has been previously supposed. He suggests
that the Middle Palaeolithic is a developmental threshold in human evolution.
In his paper Rolland refers to the Susiluola Cave (Wolf Cave) in western
Finland which is also the subject of the next article written by its explorer – Hans-
Peter Schulz. According to the stratigraphical data, the Susiluola Cave is dated
back to the Eemian interglacial, to the beginning of the fi rst Middle Weichselian
glaciation. From the very beginning, the site drew the attention of many archae-
ologists, biologists, geologists and anthropologists. The site provoked a lively
debate among scholars over the fi nds made from the local raw material. It was
believed that artefacts from Sisiluola could have represented unintentional assem-
blage of chunks. Now, after the new discoveries of sites in Siberia (Derevianko
et al. 2005; Pavlov et al. 2004; Ugan and Byers 2007), more scholars accept
H.-P. Schultz’s opinion that high latitudes could have been areas of Neanderthal’s
temporary presence. It should be reminded that also 90 years ago archaeologists
doubted the presence of Neanderthals in the Lower Silesia between 50° and 51°
latitude. Almost a century was needed to move the border about 12° to the north
and change our mind fi lled with stereotypes.
The research carried out in caves forces scholars to ask questions about dia-
chronic character of human behaviour. The next paper, by Krzysztof Cyrek, sum-
marizes the results of excavation in the Biśnik Cave, characterized by the longest
stratigraphic sequence in Polish archaeology, where the older layers are dated to
the Saalian (OIS 8). The long sequence of cultural layers provokes asking new
questions about their taxonomical meaning. One of the most interesting problems
concerns knives obtained from layers dated to the Middle Pleistocene. These fi nds
are interpreted as the evidence of the oldest Micoquian industry in Poland (see
also Foltyn et al., in this volume).
The next article, written by Eugeniusz Foltyn, Janusz K. Kozłowski and Jan
M. Waga, focuses on the settlement of areas located to the north of the Carpathi-
ans and the Sudetes during OIS period (8–6). Sites situated within the mentioned
areas are rare and frequently comprised only sparse artefacts. Moreover, due to the
fact that they occur within complicated geological context, an accurate dating is
problematic. Taking into account all these facts, great differences, in comparison
with sites located in Elbe basin and to the west of this region, can be seen (Brühl
2004; Brühl and Laurat in this volume; Mania and Baumann 1983; Feustel 1993;
Pasda 1996). This situation can be explained e.g. by pre- and early Neanderthals’
minimal interest in exploitation of these areas, especially during cold stages or by
dramatic formation processes that resulted in destruction of most of the camps.
However, as authors noted, some similarities between inventories from Polish
sites and Elbe basin can be seen.
The next paper, by Rudolf Musil, concerns changes in palaeobiotic environ-
ment, especially fauna, during OIS 3, when Neanderthal population disappeared
and groups of Homo sapiens spread through the Northern Europe. Describing
the problem of animals hunted by Neanderthals, R. Musil turns attention to geo-
Introduction 9
graphic differences, which, according to him, could have encouraged not only an
exploitation of an environment, but also a lifestyle. The more stable settlement
system prevailed in the south, whereas short-term activity forms – in the north.
The fi rst region was characterized by a larger biotic diversity. This contrast is
well observed between two adjacent areas: Moravia and Silesia. Analyzing the
situation in Central Europe, R. Musil noticed that there was no specialization in
hunting. Groups of people hunted animals from the vicinity, choosing various spe-
cies of large herbivorous. However, in other regions, earlier, at the same time and
a little bit later, such specialization is well confi rmed (Gaudzinski 2006).
Our knowledge about the exploitation of particular areas by human in prehis-
tory still depends on the quality and amount of sources. The next paper, by Enrico
Brühl and Thomas Laurat, is a report on the continuity of excavations within the
area of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites near Neumark Nord in Thuringia
(NN2/2, NN2/1 and NN2/0), which begun in the mid-eighties (Mania et al. 1990).
At present, it is one of the biggest trap-place in the Old World, with the data con-
cerning various exploitation periods and different subsistence strategies in the lit-
toral environment. The recent research has brought steeped in the biostratigraphic
context remains, predominated by stone artefacts and bones with traces of human
activity. As a result, it was possible to propose a new chronostratigraphic model
including current and previous, disputable, due to their stratigraphic position,
data from the site NN1. It is interesting that better preserved remains at NN2/2
and NN2/0 differ signifi cantly – in technology, exploitation model and the way of
management of coastal area of the former lake – from the remains retrieved from
the site number 1.
The next paper, on the early Middle Palaeolithic level of Bečov site I and
other well preserved assemblages from the same period in Central Europe, was
prepared by Andrzej Wiśniewski with the share of late Jan Fridrich. The latter
author during long-term excavations in Bečov yielded unique sequence of layers
for open-air sites containing industries dated to the Middle and Upper Pleistocene.
The paper is a revision of the previous theories regarding the so-called early
Mousterian level A-III-6 from Bečov. It is also a comment about factors that dif-
ferentiate assemblages from Central Europe. Analysis of the artefacts from Bečov
site I indicates that its uniqueness of industry is rather the result of a specifi c set-
tlement pattern and adaptation to local environment than only cultural processes.
These assumptions made it possible to view other assemblages discussed in the
article from a new perspective. Apart from the infl uence of the socio-technical
trends, their diversity can be at least in part explained by different subsistence
strategies, methods of resource exploitation and adaptation to the raw material
conditions.
The next paper, by Jan Fridrich and Ivana Fridrichová-Sýkorová, also focuses
on the Middle Pleistocene industries. The authors compare settlement patterns
of Acheulean with the so-called early Mousterian in the context of Sandy Hill
(Písečný vrch) and its vicinity, located in the north-west part of the Czech Repub-
10 Introduction
lic. According to them, Acheulean episode, noted within the extensive site IV at
the bottom of the elevation, predate Mousterian settlement (site I) limited only to
the small concentration of 60 sq m on the slope.
The problem of industries with notched and denticulated tools is proceeded
by Karel Valoch and Slavomil Vencl, who presented the inventory from partly
destroyed site Ládvi Hill in Prague, Czech Massif. According to the authors, it
should be dated back to the Eemian interglacial. Observed similarities in tools
and methods of the core reduction have allowed to correlate artefacts from Ládvi
Hill with Taubachian from the Kůlna Cave, layer 11. However, the main focus is
put on the stone artefact resembling axe/adze of chopping tool type widespread
in Australia.
The article of Paweł Valde-Nowak concerns the site Obłazowa Cave, located
in the north part of the Carpathians, where the unique sequence of Middle Palaeo-
lithic layers has been preserved. These layers, dated to the last glacial, hitherto are
the oldest traces of Neanderthals’ occupation in these areas. Another fact worth
recalling is that they are coming from six stratigraphic units affi rming frequent
human occupation in the cave and its vicinity. All traces composed a very charac-
teristic technological profi le that can be described by almost the lack of Levallois
methods, miniaturization of artefacts with the participation of bifacial and uni-
facial tools. According to the author, these features have cultural and functional
character typical for mountainous areas of Central Europe.
The problem of Micoquian and other industries, which are chronologically
compared or followed by Micoquian, is raised by L’ubomíra Kaminská. The paper
summarizes results of the last research in Dzeravá Cave with new fi nds retrieved
from the layer 11 and new dating. It allowed revising the previous classifi cation
of this layer as Micoquian. Because of the presence of points and the Middle Pal-
aeolithic technical systems, scholars had to build up a new relation between the
Micoquian and Szeletian.
An article by Marta Połtowicz-Bobak concentrates on the phenomenon of
Middle Palaeolithic blade technology in Europe. A special attention is paid to the
relations between blanks and tools from laminar assemblages. The author also
brings up a very interesting subject of unclear links between those two typological
groups of artefacts.
Regions of Western and Central Europe recognized as the territories of Nean-
derthal’s population existence and development, are still, as it can be seen in the
paper by Marie-Hélène Moncel, the inexhaustible source of information concern-
ing various adaptation phenomena. In her paper, M.-H. Moncel focused on the
middle Rhone Valley (south-eastern France). This area played a role of the main
passage, where people were moving during the end of the Middle Palaeolithic and
the Upper Palaeolithic. The new chronostratigraphic, geological and palaeozoo-
logical data, as well as information concerning the circulation of raw material and
technological behaviour, have allowed building a model of environment exploita-
tion. What is interesting, most of the mentioned data shows behaviour continuum
Introduction 11
that suggests a presence of the durable system with permanent elements like raw
material deposits and agglomeration of large game. Again, the results confi rmed
the existence of the territorial systems that spread over an area of thousands square
kilometres, where groups of people performed all tasks characteristic for the hunt-
ing system (Gamble 1999).
The next paper discusses the problem of the so-called Denticulate Moust-
erian distinguished by F. Bordes in the fi fties of the last century. The observations
presented by Céline Thiébaut challenge theories about the integrity of this indus-
try. She points out that Denticulate Mousterian components are present in many
Mousterian industries belonging to different periods and coming from various
environments. As such, these components represent different technical systems
based on various raw materials and settlement dynamics. Results of this analysis
can be an inspiration to make the revisions of similar fi nds from other parts of
Europe.
Another interesting region, the Lessini Mountains (northern Italy), also
played an important role as a passage between Padana Plain, the Alps and Central
Europe. The advantages of this area were described by Laura Longo and Paolo
Giunti, who used S. Binford’s model and some Wallace and Shea’s (2006) sug-
gestions. They pointed out that human attention was focused on this area from
around 400 000 years. Among the most important virtues of the Lessini Moun-
tains, they specify raw material, quality of which is comparable with siliceous
rocks of south-western France or central Poland. The authors present a few steps
of project, which aim is to reconstruct resource management in the Pleistocene
and the Holocene. They consider localization of outcrops, features of lithic ma-
terial and chaîne opératoire of the archaeological artefacts integrated by GIS
analysis. Their research shed light on the technological activity as the results of
the conscious decision connected with the choice of raw material for making ap-
propriate type of specimens. In Lessini, according to the mentioned authors, it is
possible to record different strategies depending on the quality of raw material.
It has been demonstrated that some kinds of raw material were used in a formal
reduction and others in expedient reduction.
A paper by Stefano Grimaldi and Enza Spinapolice concerns the site Grotta
Breuil, widely known from excavation initiated in the 1st half of the last century.
The authors present the revision of previous statements regarding the Middle Pal-
aeolithic settlement strategy of this place. They have drawn their conclusions on
the basis of the renewed excavations and material studies. It has been proved that
the inner part of the cave must have been settled repeatedly and could not have
been a trash deposit zone, as it was maintained previously. The settlement system
had a different dynamics. According to the technological analysis, signifi cant dif-
ferences in knapping methods between the upper and lower levels can be pointed
out. These observations are very similar to palaeoethnologic analysis, which em-
phasise complicated character of the formation processes within caves, where
older remains are very often mixed with younger deposits (e.g. Galanidou 2000).
12 Introduction
A paper of Avraham Ronen and Ivan Chernikov shows the southernmost
Middle Palaeolithic occupations of Levalloiso-Mousterian (sensu Garrod) affi ni-
ties are found in red loam horizons on the Carmel coastal plain (Israel), dated to
OIS 5 and 4. The loam occupations are probably off-shoots of the nearby Mount
Carmel cave sites. These occupations were apparently favored by humid condi-
tions brought to the southern Levant by a northward expansion of the monsoons.
Dominated by fl akes, these open-air occurrences are clearly of a Tabun C or B
type industry, not Tabun D type. In West European terms, they can be qualifi ed
as Typical Mousterian. However, the loam occupations may be expected to be
functionally associated.
The article by Marco Häckel, although concerns the Lower Palaeolithic site
Bilzigsleben-Steinrinne, focuses on the problem of precussors; however, several
archaeologists describe this site as Middle Palaeolithic. The precursors are the ex-
ample of the description of technical activities that in our archaeological practice
is less perceptible than e.g. the process of tool production. Our knowledge about
the Middle Palaeolithic and its palaeoecology has been enriched with new discov-
eries and ideas during the last few years but old questions still remain actual.
We would like to express warm thanks to Ms Iris Glaesslein from the Uni-
versity of Liverpool (Great Britain), who helped us to make correction and fi nal
examination of the papers in English and German with generous outlay of her
time. We express also our warm appreciations to the volume reviewer Bolesław
Ginter and Stefan Karol Kozłowski, who did general review of the book for the
publisher.
Jan Michał Burdukiewicz and Andrzej Wiśniewski
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