Neanderthal acculturation in Western Europe? A critical review of the evidence and its interpretation

Francesco d'Errico (1) , João Zilhão (2) , Michèle Julien (3) , Dominique Baffier (4) , Jacques Pelegrin (4)

1 PACEA - De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie
2 Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
3 ArScAn - Archéologies et Sciences de l'Antiquité
4 PréTech - Préhistoire et Technologie

The presence of bone tools, personal ornaments, and apparently "modern" stone tools in European late Middle Paleolithic or pre- Aurignacian Paleolithic contexts is generally interpreted as the result of the acculturation of final Neanderthal populations by anatomically modern humans. Analysis of the stratigraphic, chronological, and archaeological data from the key site of Grotte du Renne (Arcy-sur-Cure, France) shows that the notion of acculturation, as commonly understood, is inconsistent with the evidence. It is argued here that this site is not an exceptional case and is best explained by models of independent development that are supported by a reevaluation of Châtelperronian technology and by the patterns of chronological and geographical distribution of Aurignacian, Châtelperronian, Uluzzian, and late Mousterian settlements.

Mots clés: Middle-to-Upper-Paleolithic transition; Neanderthal; anatomically modern humans; cultural interactions; Europe

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire

Francesco d'Errico, João Zilhão, Michèle Julien, Dominique Baffier, Jacques Pelegrin. Neanderthal acculturation in Western Europe? A critical review of the evidence and its interpretation. Current Anthropology, 1998, 39, pp.1-44. ⟨10.1086/204689⟩. ⟨halshs-00453403⟩