Browsing by Autor "Laurent Chiotti"

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    Desert Pavement Disturbance and Artifact Taphonomy: A Case Study from the Eastern Libyan Plateau, Egypt
    (Wiley, 2013) Katherine A. Adelsberger; Jennifer R. Smith; Shannon P. McPherron; Harold L. Dibble; Deborah I. Olszewski; Utsav A. Schurmans; Laurent Chiotti
    Accretionary desert pavements on the eastern Libyan Plateau of central Egypt support a rich Middle and Upper Paleolithic artifact assemblage exhibiting intensive blank production and minimal tool production. These assemblages appear to be in primary context with numerous examples of lithic refits showing on‐site lithic production. However, the smallest (length ≤2.5 cm) archaeological fragments are recovered at a much lower rate on this desert pavement surface than expected given comparable data from lithic assemblages in cave and shelter contexts in France. Excavation of archaeological contexts on the Libyan Plateau reveals the loss of small artifact fragments into the subsurface due to aeolian accumulation of silts, whereas geomorphic examination of desert pavement surfaces suggests a potential for relatively isolated bioturbation as a source of lateral and vertical disturbance of desert pavement surfaces over small areas. Archaeologists should be aware of the potential for long‐term assemblage stability as well as small artifact burial in surficial desert pavement contexts.
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    The new <sup>14</sup>C chronology for the Palaeolithic site of La Ferrassie, France: the disappearance of Neanderthals and the arrival of <i>Homo sapiens</i> in France
    (Wiley, 2020) Sahra Talamo; Vera Aldeias; Paul Goldberg; Laurent Chiotti; H. L. Dibble; Guillaume Guérin; Jean‐Jacques Hublin; Stéphane Madelaine; Raquel Maria; Dennis Sandgathe
    Abstract The grand abri at La Ferrassie (France) has been a key site for Palaeolithic research since the early part of the 20th century. It became the eponymous site for one variant of Middle Palaeolithic stone tools, and its sequence was used to define stages of the Aurignacian, an early phase of the Upper Palaeolithic. Several Neanderthal remains, including two relatively intact skeletons, make it one of the most important sites for the study of Neanderthal morphology and one of the more important data sets when discussing the Neanderthal treatment of the dead. However, the site has remained essentially undated. Our goal here is to provide a robust chronological framework of the La Ferrassie sequence to be used for broad regional models about human behaviour during the late Middle to Upper Palaeolithic periods. To achieve this goal, we used a combination of modern excavation methods, extensive geoarchaeological analyses, and radiocarbon dating. If we accept that Neanderthals were responsible for the Châtelperronian, then our results suggest an overlap of ca. 1600 years with the newly arrived Homo sapiens found elsewhere in France.