When modern humans arrived in Western Europe, they took their love for projectiles along with them. That is what a new analysis in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences It seems to suggest, after identifying the oldest shell workshop throughout Western Europe, in an archaeological site in Saint-Césaire, France.
Splicing shells and color pigments, all about 42,000 years ago, the French jewelry manufacturing site It is connected to Châtelperronian cultureA technological tradition that coincides with the transition between Neanderthals and modern humans in Western Europe. The workshop, which suggests the cultural complexity of prehistoric populations, emphasizes that modern humans inspired an aesthetic change in the area when they arrived, introducing new art styles and ornaments that had not been seen in Western Europe before.
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The cultural complexity of Châtelperronian
In the upper Paleolithic, around 55,000 to 42,000 years ago, the prehistoric populations of Western Europe were transforming. The Neanderthals of the area were decreasing, being supplanted by modern humans, who arrived from Africa through Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. But, despite its importance in human history, little is known about this transition and about the tradition of Châtelperronian of the creation of tools and jewels that was linked to it. In fact, so much is still a mystery about the tradition of Châtelperronian, seen only in France and Spain at this time, which is still not clear if its creators were modern neanderthal or human.
Up to the left: Microtomographic postprocessing and virtual reconstruction of a Obtusata litorine Shell de la Roche-à-Pierrot (Saint-Césaire, France), broken in situ during post-positive events. Center on the left: Perforated Them Obtusata Shells associated with Châtelperronian stone tools. Down to the left: Red and yellow pigments in the same area. KidneyIight: Microscopic views of the modifications observed in Them Obtusataincluding the perforations carried out by the pressure (AE, G, H) and the pigment staining (F, H).
© S. Rigaud and L. Dayet
With the hope of learning more about the Châtelperronian culture, the authors of the new study resorted to the Upper Paleolithic site of La Roche-à-Pierrot in Saint-Césaire, France. There, they found a collection of shells from Châtelperronian, some perforated and others not operated, and red and yellow pigments, which makes the site the first example of a Conchas workshop throughout Western Europe.
According to the team, jewels and pigments point to a level of artistic thought and ornament that is traditionally attributed to modern humans. Showing the cultural progress of the period of time, the workshop suggests that the creators of the Châtelperronian tradition were inspired by the influx of modern humans that appeared in Western Europe, or potentially they were part of that influence themselves.
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A sea shell workshop, far from the sea
Small and spiral, the shells in the workshop were tones of cream, brown and red, typical of the Obtusata litorine Be Snail, and probably came from distant coasts. In fact, the team discovered that the shells were probably obtained along the shore of the Atlantic Sea, somewhere about 62 miles away from the workshop, while the pigments probably originated about 24 miles away, which indicates a high level of individual mobility or human to human.
Left: Reference collection Obtusata litorine Collected from thatocoenosis on October 8, 2016. Good: Color variability L. Obtusata.
© S. Rigaud
The team argues that the presence of perforated and not operated shells, and the absence of wear in perforations, suggests that the site was a jewelry workshop, not for food processing or for some other activity. Meanwhile, the other artifacts in the area, including the typical stone tools of the Châtelperronian tradition and fragmented bones of bison and horses, call attention to the other activities of the occupants in France, such as the manufacture of tools and hunting.
Together, the results of the analysis reveal much more than the mobility and culture of the prehistoric populations of Western Europe; They also discover possible interactions between Neanderthals and modern humans in the upper Paleolithic.
While it is not yet clear who were the artisans of Châtelperronian who occupied this site, the analysis implies that they could be Neanderthals, instead of modern humans, imitating the art and ornaments that our own ancestors brought to the area, thousands of years ago.
Read more: A Neanderthal fingerprint points to art, and possibly portraits, about 43,000 years ago
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