Lower Palaeolithic Europe:
On the
basis of very rich materials from the Somme valley in the
North of
France and the Thames valley in the South of England, two
Main Lower
Palaeolithic traditions have been recognized in Western
Europe.
These are as follows:-
I) Bifacial tool or hand axe tradition (Affevillian and
Achealian); and
II) Flake tool tradition (Clactonian and Levalloisian).
In France and Spain, hand axes came earlier, but in Great
Britain
and central Europe, flakes and choppers continued for a longer
Period.
These choppers were replaced by hand axes. The tools were
Made of
stone only. The principal types were hand axes, cleavers,
Choppers.
I) A) Affevillian:
The type of tools
of the Affevillian (formerly Chellean),
This
takes its name from the town of Affevillie, France, on the 45m
(45ft)
terrace of the Somme valley consist of pointed, bifacial
Implements, hand axes. Their forms vary, and the flaking is generally
Irregular, at is probable that they were manufactured either with a
Stone
hammer or on stone anvil Associated with there crude types of
Hand
axes, simple flake flak tools are found, but they lack the
Definite
form.
(Geological) time:
The Affevillian has been reported from the deposits
Of Lower
Pleistocene (First Interglacial) age.
I) B) Acheulian:-
The type site is
on the 30 metre terrace of Somme Valley at St. Acheual,
Near Amiens, in
Northern France.
Acheulean
hand axe hand axes, which display a marked technological
Refinement over
their Affevillian precursors, were apparently made by
Employing a
wooden or bone fillet rather than the more primitive stone
On stone
technique. But, except at the very end of the Acheulean cycle of
Development, is
very little typological difference in the types of hand
Axes found in
the various layers.
(Geological) Time:
It begins in
the Second Interglacial and persists to the close of the third
Interglacial,
covers by far the longest time span of any of the palaeolithic
Traditions
found in western Europe.
II) A) Clactonian
The type site
is the Clacton – on – sea, England. There are other sites like
Essex, Swanscombe
Kent in the Thames valley of Southeastern England.
The
type artifacts are flakes although core tools ---- single edged
Choppers and chopping
tools ---- do in fact occur. The flakes which have
Large, high angle
(greater than 90o), plan striking platform, as well as
Prominent bulbs of
percussion, were detached from roughly prepared,
__ Cores by the stone hammer or stone anvil
technique. most part of it is
Crude and edge chipping __ from use is far
more characteristic, though
Actual retouching
or secondary flaking is found in some instances.
Geological Time:
The development
of clactonean occurred during Early Second Interglacial.
II) B) Levalloisian:
Named after the
locality at Levallois, a suburb in Paris.
It
is primarily a flake tradition, although hand axes are found in
Certain of the
middle and upper Levalloisian stages It is characterized by
New and improved method of producing flakes,
which previously had
Been obtained
in a more or less haphazard manner. This involves the
Careful
shaping of the core by the removal of centrally directed flakes,
And the
preparation of an extremity for the detachment of a symmetrical
Oval flake.
Since unstruct cores of this type exhibit a Plano – convex
Section
suggesting the from of a tortoise. They are known as Tortoise
Cores. On the
striking platform of typical levallois flakes, small vertical
Flake scars,
called facets, may be observed, and the scars of the
Converging
core preparation flakes are present on the upper surface. In
The middle
and upper Levalloisian, a variation of this same basic
Technique was developed where by it was
possible to produce either
Triangular
flakes (__ points) or rectangular flakes (or flake blades) by
Modifying the method of core preparation.
Geological Time:
It first
appears in the deposits of the Late second Interglacial in
Association
with hand axes of middle Acheulian type and persist in to
Fourth Glacial
(__) times.
Important Sites of Palaeolithic (lower):
1) St
Acheul 5)
Swanscombe,
2) St
Abbeville
6) Terra amate,
3) Clacton – on
– Sea 7) Torralba,
4) Vert
ezzollos, 8) Ehringsdort.
9) Heidelberg,
Absolute Dates;
Szabo
and colloins (1975):
Swans comb 326 + 99 kg6p
Clacton – on – Sea 245 + 35 kg6p
Cook et al
(1982)
Ehringsdort 225 +
26 kg6p.
Typo technological Trend of Acheulian
Hand axes:
The Acheulian. __
with the presence of crude hand axes. The Acheulian
May be classified
in to five stages on the basis of typo technology. The
Earliest
Abbevillian hand axes (which is now equivalent to Acheulian I)
Are large and
irregular shaped having large and deep flake __. The
Developmental
features of hand axes starting from Ach – I – V can be
Stated below:-
i) Reduction in
size, hand axes become smaller and lighter.
ii) Increase of
effective working area.
iii) The flake scars become
shallow and small due to controlled flaking
technique.
iv) Number of secondary and tertiary flake
scars more than the primary
ones. There is
application of retouching technique along the margins.
v) The shape and
function of the tool is effective by suitable flake scars.
vi) Step flaking is
seen in Acheulian V making the – hand axes bilaterally
Shaped.
vii) The lateral
margins become thin, sharp and continuous. The margins
acquire an ‘S’
or ‘Z’ shaped tourist in the highest form of development.
viii) The __ end
becomes lighter; sometimes with finger holes for better grip.
Middle Palaeolithic Europe:-
Time: Third Interglacial and persist during the first major
oscillation of the fourth
Glacial (__) stages.
Sites:
A) France:
Fonte chevade, Charente, La
chapel – aux – Saints, Le Moustier, La Quina,
La Ferassie, Combe
capelle,
B) Yugoslavia:
Krapina.
C) Germany:
Pinhole.
The middle palaeolithic comprises the Mousterian (named after the Type
site
“Le moustier” in NW France), a portion of the Levalloisian and the
Tayacian,
All of which are complexes based on production of flakes, although
survivals of
The old hand ax tradition are manifest in many instances. This middle
Palaeolithic assemblages first appear in deposits of third
Interglacial.
Associated with the Tayacian in which the artifacts consist of very
crude flakes,
Remains of modern man (Homo Sapiens) have been found. Mousterian man, on
The other hand, is of the Neanderthal race by the 1960s, no human
remains have
Yet been found associated with the Levalloisian. It is in the Mousterian
levels in
The caves and rock shelters of central and southern France that the
earliest
Evidence of the use of five
and first definite burials have been discovered in
Western Europe.
The Typology of the artifacts is complex, it consists of three
Distinct increments ; (i) the prepared striking platform – tortoise core
(Levalloisian) tradition,
ii) the plain
striking – platform – discoidal – core technique of ultimate
Clactonean
tradition and.
iii) a
persistence of the bifacial core tool or Acheulian tradition.
The type of
artifacts from the Mousterian consists of points and side
Scrapers, in addition to a few hand axes (especially heart or triangular
shaped
Forms) and the second working is coarse.
A crude bone in __ appears here for the
first time.
Judging by what is known concerning modern hunting groups, small band or
Tribes of people already had developed simple social institutions, even
at this
Early level of development.
Middle palaeolithic Europe has been worked upon extensively
By François Bordes in western
Europe, he identified four cultural variants of
Middle palaeolithic. The main
cultural component were levallois flakes. The
Main technique of tool making is levallois and the use of Mousterian
technique
Which in combined form has been ascribed as
Levallois __ technique as the
Tools made during this
time used both the Mousterian and levallois technique,
Time:
The middle
palaeolithic culture flourished between the time frame of
118000 years B.P. up to
35000 B.P.
Human remains:
The classic Neanderthal
of western Europe developed this culture.
The cultural
variants as found by François __ are as follows:-
(1) Typical Mousterian:-
It is
characterized by large number of side scrapers made of
Levallois
flakes. Other kinds of scrapers, points and knives are also found.
Backed knives
are few and hand axes are rare.
(2) Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition:-
This
complex is made up of numerous small cordate hand axes,
Side scrapers
and backed knives and a variety of rotched tools. This has
Been further divided
in to two subgroups ; namely
a) Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition A ; and
b) Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition B ;
a) Type A is earlier and flourished during __ - I glaciations. It
contains more hand
axes and scrapers.
b) Type B flourished during __ I/II Interstitial. There are degrees of frequency
of
hand axes and backed knives. Few backed blades on flake are also found.
3) Denticulate Mousterian:-
This culture complex is predominated by denticulate tools and is
Marked by absence of hand axes. Side scrapers, points & knives are
few.
4) Charentian Mousterian:-
Named after
the site of Charente in France, here side scrapers are
Present in large numbers with a few points. Denticulate and bifaces are
absent.
The
major element of middle palaeolithic culture are scrapers,
Points and knives. Hand axes persisted in some places. In south western
Europe
At la micoque. The isolated
specialized type of hand axes known as micoquian
Hand axes flourished.
As the culture flourished during the cold phase, most of the sites
Are cave or rock shelters. The presence of the living floors and hearths
points to
Group living of the people. New cultural addition during the middle
palaeolithic
Europe is the presence of burial practices. Sites like la Quina, la
Ferassie,
Charente, etc. bear evidences. The bodies are anointed with red achre
(__)
Placed in boctal position. Grave offering in the form of store tools,
hells,
Perforated teeth etc,
are seen. An important grave good was the cowries shell
All these practices possibly indicate the belief in afterlife and
Supernaturalism. The
bodies were anointed with red which is the color of
Blood and which
signifies life. The __ position is indicative of birth after life.
The __ shells are shaped
like female sex organs. Hence it is possible that belief
In after life and
rebirth was present in the minds of the people as early as
Middle palaeolithic
times.
The Upper Palaeolithic:
Geological
Time:
Warm I- II
interstadial, and it persists to the very end of late glacial
Times. The upper palaeolithic,
which occupies only approximately one
Tenth of the time
span of the period as a whole.
Early
man made its greatest cultural progress at this time (i) the
Hand axes and
flake tools of the earlier assemblages were replaced by
Diversified and
specialized tools made on blades struck from specially
Prepared cores.
ii) many important inventions appeared, such as needles and thread, skin
clothing
hafted stone and bone
tools, harpoons, the spear thrower and special fishing
equipment.
iii) Bone, ivory, and antler in addition to flint were extensively used.
iv) the earliest man made dwellings are found, consisting of
subterranean pit –
houses.
v) of prime importance and interest is the beginning of basic techniques
of
drawing, modeling,
sculpture, and painting, as well as the earliest
manifestations of
dancing, music, the use of masks, ceremonies and the
organization of
society in to patterns fairly complex.
vi) indeed, the location of certain settlements suggests a more complex
social life
including perhaps
collective hunting.
vii) there is evidence for
fertility magic, private property and possible social
stratification.
viii) Furthermore,
primitive types of early man disappeared, and the remains
of men of modern times (Homo Sapiens) alone
are in upper palaeolithic
sites.
Climate;
The climate
of the upper palaeolithic varied from cold Steppe, or even
Arctic tundra, to
north temperate (taiga), similar to parts of Siberia and
Canada of the
present day.
Time:
Mousteroid Variants:-
Upper Palaeolithic.
Early Upper Palaeolithic:-
i) between 35000 to 20, 000 years B.P.
ii) between 20, 000 to 10, 000 years B.P.
the
transition from middle to upper palaeolithic took place very
rapidly
apparently simultaneously across the continent just after?
Glaciations, According to C14 dates probably just about 35000
Years B.P.
Early Upper Palaeolithic:
Aurignacian:
C14 dates:
Two stratified levels
of Aurignacian have been found by Gabori Csank, 1970:
Lower level: 3105 KY B.P.
Higher level: 30.6 KY B.P.
The type site
of the Aurignacian is near the village of Aurignac (Haute –
Garonne) in southern
France.
This culture
was mainly excavated by lerois – Gourhan. Aurignacian is
Best represented from
Grotto – du – renne.
The tool types include
various kinds of step - ended scrapers, nose
Scrapers, blades with heavy marginal retouch,
strangulated blades, basked
Gravers (or burins)
and split – base bone points. Bone was extensively used
For javelin points,
chisels, perforators and batons – de – commandment or
Arrow straghtners.
Articles of
personal adornment probably worn as necklaces
Such as __ teeth and
shells, as well as decorated bits of bone and ivory, appear
For the first time in the
Aurignacian.
The oldest manifestations of art were produced during the
Aurignacian, and the
development continued during upper perigordian times. In
General, upper palaeolithic
art falls in to: i) moral art and ii) portable art.
i) Moral art
includes finger __, paintings, engravings, bas – reliefs, and
sculptures on the
walls of caves and rock shelters;
ii) Portable art
is
characterized by small engravings and sculptures on stone
and bone found
in the occupation layers.
the whole
development almost certainly took owes its inspiration to the
__ religious ideas,
especially the customs of hunting magic as practiced to day
By living primitive
peoples.
Sdutrean:-
The sdutrean which is
named after the site of solutre’, near Macon (Saone – et
Loire), is noted for the
beautifully made, symmetrical, bifacial flaked, laurel __ and
Shouldered points, the finest
examples of __ workmanship of the palaeolithic in
Western Europe. In addition, the
usual types of gravers, end scrapers, points,
Perforators, etc., are present.
Example of solitarian art are comparatively rare; they
Consist of sculpture in low –
relief, and incised stone slabs. The fauna indicates that
This culture flourished in a
relatively cold climate.
Magdalenian:-
The rock shelter of La Madeleine, near les
Eyzies (Dordogne) is the type
Magdalenian locality. This final culture of
the upper palaeolithic is noted for
The dominance of bone and antler tools over
those of blint and stone and for
The very remarkable
works of art that were produced at this time. The wide
Variety of bone tools
include javelin points, barted bone points (or harpoons)
Eyed needles, batons – de – commandment (often
__ decorated), perforators,
Spear throwers, chisel,
etc.. the blint and stone tools include a variety of
Special forms, include
a variety of special forms among which small
Geometric forms,
denticulate blades, scrapers with steeply retouched edges,
And the parrot – beaked
graver are specially distinctive. The six phases of
Magdalenian have been established
stratigraphically and are characterized by
The contained bone and
antler implements. But the heights attained by the
People responsible for
this culture can best be evaluated on the basis of art
Objects which the
Magdalenian sites have yielded. They consist of mural art
And portable art.
Animals of this period are often portrayed in polychrome
Paintings, engravings
and sculptures. The fauna from the various
Magdalenian horizons
demonstrates that cold conditions prevailed in
Western Europe at the end of palaeolithic
times.
Perigordian:
In France, during upper
palaeolithic, there is another culture in Europe known
As “Perigordian Culture” the
exact sequence of cultural tradition from middle
Palaeolithic in western
Europe is not typical of what happened elsewhere.
However, __ and
Perigordian cultures are completely independent at leads in
France. Perigordian is the
earliest upper Palaeolithic culture and is divided in to
5 stages. The major type
is Perigordian point.
Chattel - Perronian
Was typical
form is a knife with a blunted back on the curved side.
The Gravetlian
is the last culture and existed between 26000 and 21000
Years B.P. the
Gravetlian culture consists of varieties of blade and points
The chief types
of blades, graver, Font – Robert point, Gravette an point,
Etc…
Gravitation culture as widely distributed in the whole of Europe
Originating from
France.
Of the upper
Palaeolithic cultures, three of them i.e. Perigordian, chattel –
Perronian and
Gravitation are early upper Palaeolithic regional variants.
But the
Aurignacian is comparatively more widespread and homogeneous
In France, it
appeared after perigordian and are represented by large
Number of
blades and gravers. For this reason earlier scholars had named
Aurignacian as
a Blade – Burin culture. But later discoveries have
Yielded a
number of variations in the tool types of Aurignacian culture,
Although the basic blank remained the blade.
‘Archaeological record is a text which needs to be properly
Interpreted’
---------- Ian Hodder.
Lower Palaeolithic
Europe:
On the basis of very rich materials from the Somme valley in the
North of
France and the Thames valley in the South of England, two
Main Lower
Palaeolithic traditions have been recognized in Western
Europe.
These are as follows:-
(I) Bifacial tool or hand – axe tradition (affevillian and
Acheulian); and (II) Flake tool tradition (Clactonean and
Levalloisian)
In France and Spain, hand axes came
earlier, but in Great Britain and
Central
Europe, flakes and choppers continued for a longer period. These
Choppers were
replaced by hand axes. The tools were made of stone
Only. The
principal types were hand axes, cleavers, choppers.
(I) A) Abbevillian:
The type of tools of the Abbevillian (formerly chellean),
Which
takes its name from the town Abbeville, France, on the
45m
(15ft) terrace of the Somme valley consist of pointed,
Bifacial implements, hand – axes. Their forms vary, and the flaking
Is
generally irregular, it is probable that they were manufactured,
Either with a stone hammer or on stone anvil associated with there
Crude types of hand axes, simple flake tools
are found, but they
Lack
the definite form.
(Geological) time:
The
Abbevillian has been reported from the deposits of Lower
Pleistocene
(First Interglacial) age.
I) (B) Acheulian:
The
type site is on the 30 meter terrace of the Somme valley at St.
Acheul, near
Amiens, in Northern France.
Acheulean hand axes,
which display a marked technological refinement over
Their Abbevillian
precursory, were Apparently made by employing a wooden
Or bone fillet rather
than the more.
