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Le Moustérien de type Quina: Nouvelle définition d'une entité technique
... Some Quina-like scrapers at Jaljulia are highly refined, similar to AYCC counterparts (Figure 4 Similar to Acheulian scrapers, Quina-like retouch was applied to a wide range of blanks (Figure 3). Very few blanks correspond to conventional Levantine or European Quina system blank production (Bourguignon 1997;Hiscock et al 2009;Meignen & Bar-Yosef 2024:154-155). Overall, Jaljulia Quina-like scrapers adhere to typical means of Acheulian scraper production and retouch placement, showing typo-technological and metric consistency with the bulk of regular scrapers in all but two divergent trends: 1) preference for thinner, often non-cortical blanks ( Figure 6); 2) narrower edge angles with a mean of The preference for relatively thin blanks with little cortex is actually antithetical to classic Quina blank attributes -thick cortical or corticallybacked flakes with an asymmetric cross-section. ...
... Overall, Jaljulia Quina-like scrapers adhere to typical means of Acheulian scraper production and retouch placement, showing typo-technological and metric consistency with the bulk of regular scrapers in all but two divergent trends: 1) preference for thinner, often non-cortical blanks ( Figure 6); 2) narrower edge angles with a mean of The preference for relatively thin blanks with little cortex is actually antithetical to classic Quina blank attributes -thick cortical or corticallybacked flakes with an asymmetric cross-section. Here, we argue that the selection of thinner blanks, coupled with an application of Quina-like retouch to create sharp working edges, are essentially different from the steep (and often localised) working edges of typical Acheulian scrapers and also from most of the Middle Palaeolithic European Quina scrapers (Bourguignon 1997;Hiscock et al 2009;Lin & Marreiros 2021;Meignen et al 2009). These, however, closely resemble AYCC sharp demi-Quina scrapers (Agam & Zupancich 2020) and can be considered as their forerunners. ...
... Later on, Quina scrapers reappear at various sites of the Middle Palaeolithic of Eurasia (Cyrek 2021;Hu et al 2020;Mihailović et al 2022) and peak during the MIS5-3 in Western Europe as part of a regional system oriented towards long-range mobility and specialised acquisition of migratory prey, especially reindeer (Delagnes & Rendu 2011;Morin et al 2014;Rendu et al 2023). Quina scraper production in post-Acheulian contexts are marked by planned and sophisticated technological behaviour, eg the use of particular core reduction strategies to obtain flakes of particular qualities, combined use of different hammerstones for scraper maintenance, systematic ramification of scrapers and recurrent curation of working edges (Bourguignon 1997;Delagnes & Rendu 2011;Hiscock et al 2009;Meignen et al 2009;Niven et al 2012;Lemorini et al 2016;Romagnoli et al 2016;Turq 1992). Noteworthy is the frequent encounter of bone retouchers used for shaping scrapers in Quina Mousterian contexts Costamagno et al 2015;Martellotta et al 2021;Tartar et al 2022). ...
Animal acquisition, butchering and processing was a crucial activity continuum in the subsistence of Lower Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers bolstered by a persistent Acheulian stone toolkit. Scrapers, bifaces, flakes and other Acheulian implements were successfully used during carcass manipulation, entailing functional compatibility with the prey taxa to be processed. Major changes to the Acheulian butchery toolkit occurred in the late Lower Palaeolithic Levant, with the introduction of novel lithic trajectories stemming from anchored Acheulian traditions. This paper presents two late Acheulian innovations: Quina-like scrapers and flat bifacial knives. Both tool types emerge at a different pace and are rarely recognised in Acheulian contexts. However, numerous fully-fledged Quina scrapers used for butchery and hide working are characteristic of the proceeding Acheulo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex in the Levant, where they are supplemented by a limited number of flat bifaces. Changes to local faunal communities, marked by a decline in megaherbivore availability, may have accelerated the introduction of a new set of butchery implements oriented towards effective processing of smaller-sized ungulates, a habitual Acheulo-Yabrudian subsistence pattern. Dependency on animal-induced calories and underlaying human–animal relationships may have facilitated the development of new butchery implements acting as ‘mediators’ between humans and their preferred prey. The gradual emergence of new butchery tools may signal the practical and ontological adaptability of late Lower Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers to new ecological conditions and trophic interactions in a time of shifting faunal communities and highlight the paramount role of human–animal relationships in Lower Palaeolithic cultural evolution.
... The chaîne opératoire analysis was conducted using general parameters (cortex, dorsal surface, and platform attributes) alongside criteria for identifying Levallois (Boëda, 2013), discoid (Terradas, 2003), and Quina (Turq 1989;Bourguignon, 1996Bourguignon, , 1997 methods, with additional consideration given to criteria for other reduction methods-including Kombewa (Tixier and Turq, 1999), and the "Asprochaliko method" (Papaconstantinou, 1989). The so-called truncated-faceted pieces (TFP) were identified based on the Dibble and McPherron (2007) criteria, though they were predominantly classified as tools (Shalagina et al., 2015). ...
... Some researchers still interpret Charentian as a distinct cultural phenomenon, limited to Western Europe and the period spanning MIS 4 and the beginning of MIS 3 (see ERC project "Quina World" No. 851793). In contrast to earlier typological approaches, modern studies of the Charentian are grounded in technological criteria (e.g., Turq, 1989;Bourguignon, 1997;Geneste et al.,1997). The Quina method is linked to the high mobility of Neanderthal groups during MIS 4 and highlights the use of sidescrapers as curated tools-likely transported and employed across various locations (Hiscock et al., 2009). ...
... The use of conventional Quina blanks (e.g. thick cortical or cortically-backed flakes asymmetric in cross-section, Bourguignon 1997), is rather occasional in Jaljulia. Quina-like scrapers do show some preference for a particular blank type: 76% (n = 23) were made on non-cortical thin flakes or fragments (Figure 4), and thus mostly resemble demi-Quina scrapers (Bourguignon 1997;Lemorini et al. 2016). ...
... thick cortical or cortically-backed flakes asymmetric in cross-section, Bourguignon 1997), is rather occasional in Jaljulia. Quina-like scrapers do show some preference for a particular blank type: 76% (n = 23) were made on non-cortical thin flakes or fragments (Figure 4), and thus mostly resemble demi-Quina scrapers (Bourguignon 1997;Lemorini et al. 2016). Overall, Quina-like blanks were smaller and thinner than typical Acheulian scraper blanks. ...
... Parte de las raíces conceptuales de este enfoque estructural se encuentra en la morfología funcional (Albrecht et al. 1984;Vayson de Pradenne 1922), la morfología macroscópica (caracterización morfológico-funcional y técnico-morfológica) de Aschero (1975Aschero ( , 1983, y la tecnología funcional de Boëda (1991de Boëda ( , 2001, Bourguignon (1997), Hoguin (2013), Lepot (1993) y Soriano (2000). Todos estos estudios comparten un mismo objetivo: comprender cómo la forma tridimensional y la fisionomía específica de un instrumento determinan su potencial funcional. ...
Este artículo presenta una metodología de análisis tecnoestructural de artefactos líticos tallados cuyo objetivo es comprender cómo funcionaron en el pasado. Esta propuesta se basa en la premisa de que todo instrumento es un sistema estructurado compuesto por tres partes: transformativa, prensil y receptiva de la energía. Con la participación de estudiantes de diferentes niveles universitarios, se analiza un artefacto del conjunto lítico recuperado en el sitio de Vadopampa, Ayacucho, Perú, como ejemplo de aplicación de un análisis tecnoestructural. En este sentido, este trabajo busca introducir una nueva metodología para los Andes Centrales de manera didáctica y crítica, promoviendo una perspectiva dinámica del instrumental lítico y evaluando los potenciales y límites de cualquier interpretación tecnológica.
... Additionally, we described the characteristics of the retouch according to standard nomenclature (Inizan et al., 1999) and measured the degree of initial supports modification using the specific index, such as Shaping Index -SI-or Back Index -BI- (Fig. SI 1e) and the number of scars. Related to the knapping of this type of artefact, we identified clear examples of resharpening flakes, according to criteria defined by Bourguignon (1997). ...
The emergence of the Acheulean is a central topic in human evolution research. Current data suggest that this process began around 2.0 million years ago in the upper Awash River basin, specifically on the Ethiopian plateau, in the region of Melka Kunture. There are so far few known sites of the early stages of development of this technocomplex, most of which are restricted to East Africa. Although some of the major milestones in Acheulean stone tool innovations are reasonably well understood, detailed information on the technological characteristics of these early assemblages remains sparse. Most of the evidence is surface materials collected in small numbers. The site of Gombore I Level B (Melka Kunture, Ethiopia) is one of the few Early Acheulean sites that has been extensively excavated and retains a substantial collection of stone tools. Analysis of the record reveals that they retain many features typical of the Oldowan technology, such as the extensive use of core-and-flake methods. However, they also exhibit decisive innovations that extend beyond the production of large flakes or the shaping of handaxes. Among these are the spatial segmentation of operational sequences, the increased complexity in the selection of raw materials and the retouching of tools, as well as the emergence of complex flake production systems, such as the Kombewa and Prepared Core Technology. 50 days' free access to the paper is granted since February 19, 2025 at https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1kdiP_NgJ7zloy
... Per l'analisi dei manufatti si è adottato l'approccio della catena operativa di produzione, che mira a ricostruire i processi di approvvigionamento e sfruttamento delle materie prime litiche inserendo ogni manufatto nella relativa fase tecnica (Lemonnier 1976;Geneste 1985). Questo approccio ha anche tenuto conto delle indicazioni volumetriche inferite sulla base delle caratteristiche morfo-tecniche di nuclei, prodotti e sotto-prodotti della scheggiatura, permettendo in tal modo di identificare i principali metodi di scheggiatura adottati, in uso nel Paleolitico medio e superiore europeo (Boëda 1993;Bourguignon 1997) (Tab. 2). ...
La Grotta della Ghiacciaia (Comune di Fumane, VR), situata a 250 metri di quota in una valle orientata E-W, è uno dei siti musteriani dei Monti Lessini. Indagato in via preliminare negli anni 1979-1980, il giacimento conserva una stratigrafia potente oltre 3,5 m e costituita da quattro macro-unità stratigrafiche, di cui le più recenti hanno restituito evidenze di alcune fasi di occupazione antropica. La campagna di ricerca del 2021, che si inserisce in un più ampio progetto di approfondimento della frequentazione neandertaliana dell'arco alpino, ha portato alla bonifica del deposito rimaneggiato e allo scavo stratigrafico di parte del deposito archeologico nell'area occidentale della cavità. Le ricerche si sono concentrate sulla porzione superiore della stratigrafia, caratterizzata da limi e brecce di origine sia esterna (eolica e colluviale) che autogena (crioclastica). Le unità indagate, dall'alto, comprendono le UUSS 20÷24, composte da livelli brecciosi pressoché sterili (21-24) ed archeologici (20) riferibili al Paleolitico superiore antico, e le UUSS 31÷36, riferibili a livelli limo-argillosi con brecce sterili (32) e lievemente (31) o fortemente (33-36) antropizzati nel corso del Paleolitico medio. Le ricerche hanno permesso di recuperare migliaia tra manufatti e reperti faunistici, dei quali si presentano in questa sede i risultati delle analisi preliminari. La ripresa delle ricerche ha permesso di ampliare lo spettro di occupazioni umane attestate nella cavità, con la registrazione di materiali riferibili a una fase antica del Paleolitico superiore e concorrerà a intraprendere un'indagine più estesa dei livelli antropici da concretizzare nelle prossime campagne.
The Ghiacciaia cave (Fumane, VR) opens at 250 metres a.s.l in the Southern Lessini Mounts, along a E-W oriented narrow valley. Preliminarily investigated in 1979-1980, the cave preserves a stratified deposit more than 3.5 m thick made up of four stratigraphic macro-units; among the others, the most recent units yielded evidence of anthropic occupations. During the research campaign of 2021, part of a wider project on the Neanderthal settlements in the Alps, we carried out the stratigraphic excavation of the western area of the cavity after the removal of the reworked deposit. Our research focused on the upper layers, characterized by loamy sediments and breccias accumulated by both external (aeolian and slope-washed sediments) and autogenic (cryogenic) processes. The investigated units, from the top, are UUSS 20 to 24, composed of almost sterile (21-24) breccia and an archaeological (20) layer referable to the early Upper Palaeolithic, and UUSS 31 to 36, silt-clay sequence with sterile (32) and slightly (31) or strongly (33-36) anthropized layers framed in the Middle Palaeolithic. During fieldwork we recovered thousands of lithic artefacts, bones and charcoal fragments, which allow to broaden the spectrum of human frequentations attested in the cavity to an early phase of the Upper Palaeolithic, besides the already known Ne-anderthal occupations. More extensive investigations of the anthropogenic levels are planned for the next campaigns.
... For the Quina flaking method, the definitions by Bourguignon (1996Bourguignon ( , 1997 have been followed. ...
The variability in Neanderthal behaviour is one of the key debates in Middle Palaeolithic archaeology. Here we present the analysis of the lithic industry from a unit at one of Europe’s main Palaeolithic sites: El Castillo Cave. Unit XXf1.1, dated to the beginning of MIS 4, is an example of human occupation during a period of population decrease. In this assemblage, the technology is organised with the aim of obtaining the largest possible blanks in an environment in which small-sized raw materials predominate, with the presence of imported tools and clear differences in the management of different raw materials. This assemblage is characterized by the predominance of centripetal exploitation methods, and there is only a small number of blanks with laminar tendency, and cleavers. From all this we can observe how Neanderthals were able to find ways to achieve their specific objectives, planning their behaviour to overcome the limitations imposed by the environment.
L’analyse des chaînes opératoires lithiques d’un nouveau site contenant deux ensembles attribués au Paléolithique moyen et datés du Pléistocène supérieur, en Corrèze, révèle une variabilité dans le choix et l’utilisation des outils en percussion lancée directe. Pour partie, les outils de percussion sont des galets de quartz/quartzite présentant des morphologies variées. À côté de cela, certaines chaînes opératoires s’imbriquent, illustrant le réemploi de percuteurs fracturés pour la production d’éclats, l’utilisation de nucléus comme percuteurs ou encore l’utilisation de la face inférieure des éclats pour percuter. Ces comportements sont perceptibles essentiellement sur les produits en quartz/quartzite, mais également en moindre proportion sur des silicites. Nous présentons ici la variabilité des usages dont l’interprétation est étayée par un test expérimental dédié. Au-delà d’une simple plasticité comportementale adaptative, l’analyse soutient qu’il pourrait s’agir de véritables choix techniques réalisés par les néandertaliens.
Background The Mousterian technocomplex is commonly associated with Neanderthals and therefore serves as a proxy for their presence across Europe. Stratified archaeological sites are the most informative because they can yield information about artefacts' spatial distribution and dating. Only a few of the Mousterian sites in Tuscany (Italy) met these conditions and most of these sites are concentrated in the North-Western area, with three specific sites situated in proximity to the village of Piano di Mommio, on the slopes of a small river canyon. Nevertheless, research on the sites stopped early on due to their small extent and complete excavation, which does not allow for additional fieldwork. Methods This article presents previously unpublished field notes, reports, and images, which are then correlated with recent archaeological surveys. Results This combination of historical and contemporary data aims to provide a more detailed understanding of the context in which the assemblages at these sites were found. The insights gained from this research shed light on the arrangement and positioning of artefacts at these locations, offering valuable information to guide future investigations on the assemblages. Conclusions The proposed stratigraphical interpretation adheres to the available information and therefore contributes to a future baseline for new research on the sites and on Neanderthal presence in the area.
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