No Reliable Evidence for a Neanderthal-Châtelperronian Association at La Roche-à-Pierrot, Saint-Césaire

Abstract

The demise of Neanderthals and their interaction with dispersing anatomically modern human populations remain some of the most contentious issues in palaeoanthropology. The Châtelperronian, now generally recognized as the first genuine Upper Palaeolithic industry in Western Europe and commonly attributed to the Neanderthals, plays a pivotal role in these debates. The Neanderthal authorship of this techno-complex is based on reported associations of Neanderthal skeletal material with Châtelperronian assemblages at only two sites, La Roche-à-Pierrot (Saint-Césaire) and the Grotte du Renne (Arcy-sur-Cure). The reliability of such an association has, however, been the subject of heated controversy. Here we present a detailed taphonomic, spatial and typo-technological reassessment of the level (EJOP sup) containing the Neanderthal skeletal material at Saint-Césaire. Our assessment of a new larger sample of lithic artifacts, combined with a systematic refitting program and spatial projections of diagnostic artifacts, produced no reliable evidence for a Neanderthal-Châtelperronian association at the site. These results significantly impact current models concerning the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Western Europe and force a critical reappraisal of who exactly were the makers of the Châtelperronian.

Figure 1

Projection of all lithic material recovered from band G during Lévêque’s excavations. Note that from line 6 onwards the heavily sloped deposits mix material assigned by Lévêque to the Mousterian, Châtelperronian and Aurignacian.

Figure 2

Projection of lithic material recovered from the pale-orange yellow level (EJOP, EJOP inf, EJOP sup) during Lévêque’s excavations (above) compared with our reattributions (below).

Figure 3

Pseudo-Levallois points (N° 1, 2, 4); éclat débordant (N° 3), Levallois flake (No. 5), Discoid cores (N° 6, 7) from the reattributed EJOP sup sample. Drawings S. Ducasse.

Figure 4

Large scraper with thinned back (N° 3), scraper on an éclat débordant (N° 1), denticulate (N° 2), half-Quina scraper (N° 4), Levallois cores (N° 5 and 6) from the reattributed EJOP sup sample. Drawings S. Ducasse.

Figure 5

Projection of bands D through G of reattributed lithic material by chrono-cultural attribution including the position (band E) of the plastered block containing the Neanderthal remains that was removed and excavated in the laboratory.

Figure 6

Vertical (B) and horizontal (A) projection of conjoined lithic artefacts (n = 29) from the systematic conjoining programme. The dotted line indicates the projection axis.

Figure 7

Photo of the moulded block of Neanderthal skeletal remains (upper right) and large éclat débordant found immediately to the right of the mandible (upper left). Drawings S. Ducasse. Projection (middle) of an approximately 40 cm band through area containing the human remains (bottom right). Note that the first human remains discovered lie slightly below the piece-plotted lithic material.