The Use of Spatial Taphonomy for Interpreting Pleistocene Palimpsests: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Châtelperronian and Carnivore Occupations at Cassenade (Dordogne, France)

Emmanuel Discamps (1) , François Bachellerie (2) , Michael Baillet (2) , Luca Sitzia (3)

1 TRACES - Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les cultures, les espaces et les sociétés
2 PACEA - De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie
3 Universidad de Tarapaca

One of the challenges commonly faced by Paleolithic archaeologists is disentangling archaeological layers in caves and rockshelters that often reflect complex palimpests. Layers defined in the field are primarly used to distinguish occupations, yet their actual nature and integrity are rarely tested or justified after excavation. Distinct occupations may become mixed together in a single field layer either following depositional and post-depositional processes (taphonomic admixture) or difficulties in reliably separating assemblages in the field (analytical lumping). Here we explore how three-dimensional spatial analyses combined with geoarchaeological and taphonomical data can be used to interpret Pleistocene palimpsests using the example of the Châtelperronian and carnivore occupations of Cassenade, a recently excavated site in Dordogne (France). We combine field observations with extensive post-excavation analysis (using spatial, geoarchaeological, lithic and faunal data, lithic particle-size distributions, fabrics, refits, and Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates) in order to (re)define assemblage boundaries and test their integrity. This approach resulted in a more comprehensive understanding of Cassenade sequence, including 1) increased stratigraphic resolution compared to initial field layer attributions; 2) evidence of how carnivore and human activity could be mixed by natural processes; 3) more reliable interpretations weighed against data from site formation processes; and, 4) a clearer understanding of the nature of the Châtelperronian occupations at Cassenade (short stopovers with a distinct site function?) and related mobility systems. Cassenade provides yet another example of the necessity of critically revising field layers after excavation through three-dimensional spatial and taphonomic analyses.

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire

Emmanuel Discamps, François Bachellerie, Michael Baillet, Luca Sitzia. The Use of Spatial Taphonomy for Interpreting Pleistocene Palimpsests: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Châtelperronian and Carnivore Occupations at Cassenade (Dordogne, France). Paleoanthropology, 2019, 2019, pp.362-388. ⟨10.4207/PA.2019.ART136⟩. ⟨hal-02190243⟩