From Keilmesser to Bout coupĂ© handaxes : macro-regional variability among Western European Late Middle Paleolithic bifacial tools
Neanderthals in Western Europe are associated with a plethora of stone tool assemblages and their internal variation has been linked to different causal factors and behavioural interpretations. This thesis presents a new contribution to the study of Middle Palaeolithic variability by focusing specifically on the Late Middle Palaeolithic period (MIS 5d-3) and the typo-technological, spatial and temporal differences amongst bifacially worked tools. Currently, in Western Europe distinct types of Late Middle Palaeolithic bifacial tools are associated with two macro-regional entities, the Mousterian of Acheulean Tradition (MTA) and the Keilmessergruppe (KMG). These two entities, centred in Southwestern France and Germany, also link to two different research traditions which use a variety of competing terms, typologies and definitions. This study uses a new classificatory approach to overcome these epistemological issues and facilitates for the first time wider-scale comparisons, incorporating the regions located in between the MTA and KMG core areas. Bifacial tools from 14 key assemblages were analysed through an extensive attribute analysis, creating a database with primary data for 1,303 bifacial tools. This
Reubens, Karen
CC Archaeology
From Keilmesser to Bout coupĂ© handaxes : macro-regional variability among Western European Late Middle Paleolithic bifacial tools. Neanderthals in Western Europe are associated with a plethora of stone tool assemblages and their internal variation has been linked to different causal factors and behavioural interpretations. This thesis presents a new contribution to the study of Middle Palaeolithic variability by focusing specifically on the Late Middle Palaeolithic period (MIS 5d-3) and the typo-technological, spatial and temporal differences amongst bifacially worked tools. Currently, in Western Europe distinct types of Late Middle Palaeolithic bifacial tools are associated with two macro-regional entities, the Mousterian of Acheulean Tradition (MTA) and the Keilmessergruppe (KMG). These two entities, centred in Southwestern France and Germany, also link to two different research traditions which use a variety of competing terms, typologies and definitions. This study uses a new classificatory approach to overcome these epistemological issues and facilitates for the first time wider-scale comparisons, incorporating the regions located in between the MTA and KMG core areas. Bifacial tools from 14 key assemblages were analysed through an extensive attribute analysis, creating a database with primary data for 1,303 bifacial tools. This
macro regional_variability among western_european late_middle tool neanderthals western_europe associate plethora stone_tool assemblages internal variation link different causal factor behavioural interpretation present_new study middle_palaeolithic variability focus_specifically late middle_palaeolithic period mis typo technological spatial_temporal difference amongst worked tool currently western_europe distinct_type late middle_palaeolithic tool associate macro regional entity acheulean tradition two_entity centre france germany also link two_different tradition use_variety compete term typology definition study use new classificatory overcome epistemological issue facilitates first_time wider_scale comparison incorporate region locate core_area tool key assemblage_analyse extensive attribute analysis create_database primary_data tool