Where to draw the line? The transformation of Magdalenian into Federmesser-Gruppen in NW-Europe

Where to draw the line?The transformation of Magdalenian into Federmesser-Gruppen in NW-Europe

Sonja B. GrimmUCL Institute of Archaeology31-34 Gordon SquareLondon WC1H 0PYUnited [email protected]

UCL INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY

What‘s awaiting you?UCL INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY

Introduction- why study this transformation?- which transformation?

Where and how to draw the lineCase study

- study area- chronology- my way to change- where I drew the line

More recent insights

Study background



Ph.D. dissertation MONREPOS

Human behavioural strategies in interglacial

environments

Becoming Human:the Evolution of Hominin Behaviour

Diet and nutrition

Strategic systems of

early societies

Ph.D. dissertation


Ph.D. dissertation


Bonn

Koblenz

NeuwiedLaacher See

Gönnersdorf

Andernach

Bad BreisigNiederbieber

Andernach Urbar

Boppard

Kettig

Pumice 1m thick

Wesseling

c. 12,900 years ago

Ph.D. dissertation


Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)

Rhiannon Stevens: UP-NORTH project

Which transformation?


Transformation from the Late Magdalenian (MAG) to the Federmesser-Gruppen (FMG)


FMGMAGc. 16,300 to 14,600 years ago c. 13,900 to 12,700 years ago

Upper Palaeolithic Final Palaeolithic?c. 700years

Magdalenian vs. Federmesser-Gruppen


Differences between MAG and FMG



Photos: MONREPOS, RGZM

15-20 %(burnt artefacts)

Gelhausen 2011

<< 1 %( burntartefacts)

Jöris / Street / Turner 2012

Photo: MONREPOS, RGZM

logistic mobility

residential mobilityBinford 1980




200km

100km

200km

100km

Street et al. 2006 Street et al. 2006

Floss 1994unspecific nodules

prepared blanks & cores

Franken / Veil 1983 Veil 1982




200km

100km

200km

100km

Street et al. 2006

Gaudzinski-Windheuser / Jöris 2006; according to Stodiek 1993

Street et al. 2006

Gaudzinski-Windheuser / Jöris 2006

Veil 1982Franken / Veil 1983




200km

100km

200km

100km

Street et al. 2006

Gaudzinski-Windheuser / Jöris 2006; according to Stodiek 1993

Street et al. 2006

Gaudzinski-Windheuser / Jöris 2006

Photos: Martin Street, RGZM Baales 2006




Gaudzinski-Windheuser / Jöris 2006; according to Stodiek 1993 Gaudzinski-Windheuser / Jöris 2006

Photos: Martin Street, RGZM Baales 2006

Photo: MONREPOS, RGZM

Photo: Gelhausen, RGZM





FMGMAG

How and where to draw the line?



ART ORGANIC ARTEFACTS

EVIDENT STRUCTURES

PROJECTILES TECHNO-LOGY

Federmesser-Gruppen (FMG)

o o - curve-backed points

flake

Late Magdalénien (MAG)

xx x xx backed bladelets

blade-bladelet

Multiple lines of evidence

A. Whiten / J. Goodall / W. C. McGrew / T. Nishida / V. Reynolds / Y. Sugiyama / C. E. G. Tutin / R. W. Wrangham / C. Boesch, Charting cultural variation in chimpanzees. Behaviour 138, 2001, 1481–1516.

- set of characteristics- location in space- position in time


ART ORGANIC ARTEFACTS

EVIDENT STRUCTURES

PROJECT-ILES

TECHNO-LOGY

FMG / Azilien récent o - - curve-backed points

flake

Early FMG PB o o - various backed points

blade

Early FMG RL o o - curve-backed point

bladelet-flake

Azilien ancien PB - - xx curve-backed point

bladelet

Final MAG PB - - x various backed points

blade-bladelet

Late MAG PB o - x backed bladelets

blade-bladelet

Late MAG RL xx x xx backed bladelets

blade-bladelet

Multiple lines of evidence

RL – Rhineland, PB – Paris Basin & Somme Valley


Drawing the line: Projectile typology



Bodu 1998, Fig. 418

Valentin 1995, Planche 38

Lhomme et al. 2004, Fig. 32

Schmider 1992, Figs. 106, 108-109, 111



Standardisation?


Evaluate characteristic in space, time, and society

DeterminantsUnit Level Equivalent

ATU 1tradition /

community

Level 1 epoch

Level 2 period

Level 3 subperiod

ATU 2alliance /

population

Level 1 technocomplex

Level 2 industry

Level 3 faciès / group

ATU 3household / family group

Level 1 assemblage / settlement

Level 2 artefact group / concentration

Level 3 artefact / structure

ATU 4individual

Level 1 type

Level 2 attribute

Level 3 trace

Archaeological taxonomic units (ATU)(Foley / Mirazón Lahr 1997)

(cf. Gamble et al. 2005)


Evaluate difference over time


Evaluate difference over time

Why draw a line?


Cause and effect

Climate? Environment? Population?

Lateglacial case study



Study area


Dating

goes beyond radiocarbon dates and calibration!


Projectile measurement standardisation


Changes in standardisation


Changes in standardisation as characteristic


Changes in standardisation as characteristic


Further changes


Further changes


Accumulation of change

FMGMAG

Running in circles




MAG FMG



MAG FMG


Causeandeffect?

MAG FMG

From lines and circles to the point



Populationturnover

MAG FMGPosth et al, in press

U8a

U5

Acknowledgments


Thanks are due to various institutions for their financial and / or academic support



Adaptive cycle

Documents

Where to draw the line? The transformation of Magdalenian into Federmesser-Gruppen in NW-Europe