The three waves: Rethinking the structure of the first Upper Paleolithic in Western Eurasia

Abstract

The Neronian is a lithic tradition recognized in the Middle Rhône Valley of Mediterranean France now directly linked to Homo sapiens and securely dated to 54,000 years ago (ka), pushing back the arrival of modern humans in Europe by 10 ka. This incursion of modern humans into Neandertal territory and the relationships evoked between the Neronian and the Levantine Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) question the validity of concepts that define the first H. sapiens migrations and the very nature of the first Upper Paleolithic in western Eurasia. Direct comparative analyses between lithic technology from Grotte Mandrin and East Mediterranean archeological sequences, especially Ksar Akil, suggest that the three key phases of the earliest Levantine Upper Paleolithic have very precise technical and chronological counterparts in Western Europe, recognized from the Rhône Valley to Franco-Cantabria. These trans-Mediterranean technical connections suggest three distinct waves of H. sapiens expansion into Europe between 55-42 ka. These elements support an original thesis on the origin, structure, and evolution of the first moments of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe tracing parallel archaeological changes in the East Mediterranean region and Europe.

Fig 1. Summary of interpretations from the Ksar Akil sequence from 1947 to 2017 [, , , , –80].

The columns on the right present the keys to the technical and cultural readings based on my analyses and interpretations.

Fig 2. Sequence from Ksar Akil, 1947–1948 excavations.

Representation of Levallois debitage between the Middle Paleolithic units, layers XXVII-XXVI, and the sequence of the beginnings of the Upper Paleolithic until layer XIII. Even though Levallois debitage represents more than 25% of the assemblage in the last units of the Mousterian (blue), they are virtually absent or anecdotal from the very start of the Upper Paleolithic (green). These representations illustrate a clear and abrupt rupture between the Middle and the Upper Paleolithic. Layer XXV, the first IUP unit, documents the highest proportion of these Mousterian debitages. This XXV unit is only composed of a few lithic pieces and this lithic assemblage could well be artificial and only constitute a mix of layers XXVI and XXIV.

Fig 3. Sequence from Ksar Akil, 1947–1948 excavations.

Representation of laminar blanks (blades and bladelets) and points within the Mousterian sequence (blue) and the first three phases of the Upper Paleolithic (green). Blades and points abruptly appear in the sequence with no possibility of continuity between the end of the Mousterian and the IUP.

Fig 4. Sequence from Ksar Akil, 1947–1948 excavations, located at the Peabody Museum, Harvard.

Representation of microlith products -bladelets and micropoints- in the first phases of the Upper Paleolithic, IUP (dark green), EUP I/NEA (medium green), and EUP II/SEA (light green).

Fig 5. Sequence from Ksar Akil, 1947–1948 excavations.

Representation of bipolar productions within the blade and point debitage of the IUP (dark green), the EUP I/NEA (medium green), and the EUP II/SEA (layer XIII, 0%).

Fig 6. Representation of backed retouched tools from Ksar Akil within the typological corpus in the IUP (dark green), EUP I/NEA (medium green), and EUP II/SEA (layer XIII, 0%).

(a) 1937–1938 excavations (British Museum, Ohnuma 1988 [38]). (b) 1947–1948 excavations.

Fig 7. Sequence from Ksar Akil, 1947–1948 excavations, located at the Peabody Museum, Harvard.

Points and blades from the Initial Upper Paleolithic of Ksar Akil, layers XXV-XXII. Drawings by L. Metz.

Fig 8. Points, micropoints, and cores from the IUP of Ksar Akil and from the Neronian of Mandrin E.

The technical systems and the production objectives are strictly identical. The TCSA (width and thickness ratios) relate to measurements per mm and show no statistical difference. Drawings by L. Metz and L. Slimak.

Fig 9. Based on the analysis of the technical structures of the Ksar Akil sequence, I propose that the three phases of the first Levantine Upper Paleolithic find strict corollaries across Europe.