Le début de l’Acheuléen en Europe entre 700 et 650 ka ?

Abstract

In this article, we provide a review of the few European sites where the Acheulean appears in Europe. The oldest traces of occupation in Europe, without bifaces and mainly located in the south, are late, around 1.5-1.4 Ma, while the first signs of biface production can be observed in the Levant as early as 1.4 Ma. In Western Europe, there are sporadic evidence from 900 ka before the multiplication of bifaces with already developed technology, at around 700 ka. Three sites in France and Italy suggest a rapid expansion of this techno-complex throughout Western Europe from 700-650 ka, whatever the climate. The diversity of strategies may be due to the successive arrivals of different hominins, with or without extinction, bringing and spreading new ideas, traditions and expertise and adapting to new environments. In view of the archaeological data available to us, we adopt the hypothesis of an "introduction" of new behaviors, which gives the image of an "abrupt transition", although it took place over a long period.

Keywords

• Acheulean
• behavior
• biface
• transition
• archaeology
• ecology