Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Radiocarbon dating of interstratified Neanderthal and early modern human occupations at the Chatelperronian type-site

Abstract

The question of the coexistence and potential interaction between the last Neanderthal and the earliest intrusive populations of anatomically modern humans in Europe has recently emerged as a topic of lively debate in the archaeological and anthropological literature. Here we report the results of radiocarbon accelerator dating for what has been reported as an interstratified sequence of late Neanderthal and early anatomically modern occupations at the French type-site of the Chatelperronian, the Grotte des Fées de Châtelperron, in east-central France. The radiocarbon measurements seem to provide the earliest secure dates for the presence of Aurignacian technology—and from this, we infer the presence of anatomically modern human populations—in France.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Stratigraphy of the Grotte des Fées at Châtelperron.
Figure 2: Aurignacian artefacts from the Grotte des Fées at Châtelperron.
Figure 3: Perforated animal teeth from level B4 of Delporte's excavation.
Figure 4: Radiocarbon dates for Châtelperron and other Chatelperronian sites.
Figure 5: Comparison of Châtelperron data to the radiocarbon record from the Cariaco basin33.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bar-Yosef, O. The Upper Paleolithic revolution. Annu. Rev. Anthropol. 31, 363–393 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Hublin, J.-J. in The Geography of Neandertals and Modern Humans in Europe and the Greater Mediterranean (eds Bar-Yosef, O. & Pilbeam, P.) 157–182 (Peabody Museum, Harvard Univ., Cambridge, 2000)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Klein, R. G. Archaeology and the evolution of human behaviour. Evol. Anthropol. 9, 7–36 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Conard, N. & Bolus, M. Radiocarbon dating the appearance of modern humans and the timing of cultural innovations in Europe: new results and new challenges. J. Hum. Evol. 44, 331–371 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Zilhão, J. & d'Errico, F. The chronology and taphonomy of the earliest Aurignacian and its implications for the understanding of Neanderthal extinction. J. World Prehist. 13, 1–68 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Zilhão, J. & d'Errico, F. (eds) The Chronology of the Aurignacian and of the Transitional Technocomplexes: Dating, Stratigraphies, Cultural Implications (Instituto Português de Arqueologia, Lisbon, 2003)

  7. Mellars, P. A. The Neanderthal problem continued. Curr. Anthropol. 40, 341–364 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Mellars, P. A. in The Geography of Neandertals and Modern Humans in Europe and the Greater Mediterranean (eds Bar-Yosef, O. & Pilbeam, P.) 35–48 (Peabody Museum, Harvard Univ., Cambridge, 2000)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Mellars, P. A. Neanderthals and the modern human colonization of Europe. Nature 432, 461–465 (2004)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Mellars, P. A. The impossible coincidence: a single species model for the origins of modern human behaviour in Europe. Evol. Anthropol. 14, 12–27 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Gambier, D. in The Human Revolution: Behavioural and Biological Perspectives on the Origins of Modern Humans (eds Mellars, P. A. & Stringer, C.) 194–211 (Edinburgh Univ. Press, Edinburgh, 1989)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Churchill, S. & Smith, F. Makers of the early Aurignacian of Europe. Yb. Phys. Anthropol. 43, 61–115 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. d'Errico, F., Zilhão, J., Julien, M., Baffier, D. & Pelegrin, J. Neanderthal acculturation in western Europe? A critical review of the evidence and its interpretation. Curr. Anthropol. 39, S1–S44 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Bordes, J. G. in The Chronology of the Aurignacian and of the Transitional Technocomplexes: Dating, Stratigraphies, Cultural Implications (eds Zilhão, J. & d'Errico, F.) 223–246 (Instituto Português de Arqueologia, Lisbon, 2003)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Breuil, H. Etudes de morphologie paléolithique. 2. L'industrie de la grotte de Châtelperron (Allier) et d'autres gisements similaires. Revue Ecole Anthropol. Paris 29, 29–40 (1910)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Delporte, M. H. L'industrie de Châtelperron et son extension géographique. Congrès Préhist. Fr. 14, 233–250 (1955)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Delporte, M. H. Les fouilles des grottes paléolithiques de Châtelperron (Allier). Gallia 13, 79–84 (1955)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Delporte, M. H. La Grotte des Fées de Châtelperron (Allier). Congrès Préhist. Fr. 15, 452–477 (1957)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Delporte, M. H. Excavations at Châtelperron (Musée des Antiquités Nationales, Paris, unpublished manuscript 1964)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Leroi-Gourhan, A. Les fouilles d'Arcy-sur-Cure (Yonne). Gallia Préhistoire 4, 3–16 (1961)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Farizy, C. in Paléolithique Moyen Récent et Paléolithique Supérieur Ancien en Europe (ed. Farizy, C.) 281–289 (Mémoires du Musée de Préhistoire d'Ile de France 3, Paris, 1990)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Harrold, F. B. A study of the Chatelperronian PhD Thesis, Univ. Chicago (1978)

  23. Delporte, M. H., Surmely, F. & Urgal, A. Châtelperron: Un Grand Gisement Préhistorique de l'Allier (Conseil General de L'Allier, Moulins, 1999)

    Google Scholar 

  24. White, R. Personal ornaments from Grotte du Renne at Arcy-sur-Cure. Athena Rev. 2, 41–46 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Combier, J. in Paléolithique Moyen Récent et Paléolithique Supérieur Ancien en Europe (ed. Farizy, C.) 267–278 (Mémoires du Musée de Préhistoire d'Ile de France 3, Paris, 1990)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Pelegrin, J. Technologie Lithique: Le Châtelperronien de Roc-de-Combe (Lot) et de la Côte (Dordogne) (CNRS, Paris, 1995)

    Google Scholar 

  27. d'Errico, F., Zilhão, J., Julien, M., Baffier, D. & Pelegrin, J. Neanderthal acculturation in western Europe? A critical review of the evidence and its interpretation. Curr. Anthropol. 39, S1–S44 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Lévêque, F. & Vandermeersch, B. Découverte de restes humains dans un niveau castelperronien à Saint-Césaire (Charente-Maritime). C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris 129, 187–189 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Hublin, J.-J., Spoor, F., Braun, M., Zonneveld, F. & Condemi, S. A late Neanderthal associated with Upper Palaeolithic artefacts. Nature 381, 224–226 (1996)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Bronk Ramsey, C., Higham, T., Bowles, T. & Hedges, R. Improvements to the pretreatment of bone at Oxford. Radiocarbon 46, 155–163 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Richter, D., Waiblinger, J., Rink, J. & Wagner, G. Thermoluminescence, electron-spin-resonance and 14C dating of the late Middle and early Upper Paleolithic site of Geissenklösterle Cave in southern Germany. J. Archaeol. Sci. 27, 71–89 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Haesaerts, P. & Teyssandier, N. in The Chronology of the Aurignacian and of the Transitional Technocomplexes: Dating, Stratigraphies, Cultural Implications (eds Zilhão, J. & d'Errico, F.) 133–151 (Instituto Português de Arqueologia, Lisbon, 2003)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Hughen, K. et al. 14C activity and global carbon cycle changes over the past 50,000 years. Science 303, 202–207 (2004)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Meese, D. A. et al. The Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 depth-age scale: methods and results. J. Geophys. Res. 102(C12), 26411–26423 (1997)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Grootes, P., Stuiver, M., White, J., Johnsen, S. & Jouzel, J. Comparison of oxygen isotope records from the GISP2 and GRIP Greenland ice cores. Nature 366, 552–554 (1993)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Grootes, P. & Stuiver, M. Oxygen 18/16 variability in Greenland snow and ice with 103 to 105-year time resolution. J. Geophys. Res. 102, 26455–26470 (1997)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Shackleton, N. J., Hall, M. A. & Vincent, E. Phase relationships between millennial-scale events 64,000–24,000 years ago. Paleoceanography 15, 565–569 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  38. Voelker, A. H. L. & and workshop participants, Global distribution of centennial-scale records for Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3: a database. Quat. Sci. Rev. 21, 1185–1212 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  39. Van Andel, T. H. & Davies, W. (eds) Neanderthals and Modern Humans in the European Landscape during the Last Glaciation (McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge, 2003)

  40. Bronk Ramsey, C., Pettitt, P., Hedges, R., Hodgins, G. & Owens, D. Radiocarbon dates from the Oxford AMS system: Archaeometry Datelist 30. Archaeometry 42, 459–479 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Bronk Ramsey, C., Higham, T. & Leach, P. Towards high precision AMS: progress and limitations. Radiocarbon 46, 17–24 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Bronk Ramsey, C. & Hedges, R. Hybrid ion sources: Radiocarbon measurements from microgram to milligram. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. 123, 539–545 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  43. Bronk Ramsey, C. Radiocarbon calibration and analysis of stratigraphy: the OxCal program. Radiocarbon 37, 425–430 (1995)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Bronk Ramsey, C. Development of the radiocarbon program OxCal. Radiocarbon 43, 355–363 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Stuiver, M. & Polach, H. Discussion: Reporting of 14C data. Radiocarbon 19, 355–363 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. David, F. et al. Le Châtelperronien de la Grotte du Renne à Arcy-sur-Cure (Yonne). Données sédimentologiques et chronostratigraphiques. Bull. Soc. Préhist. Fr. 98, 207–230 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Lucas, G., Rigaud, J.-P., Simek, J. & Soressi, M. in The Chronology of the Aurignacian and of the Transitional Technocomplexes: Dating, Stratigraphies, Cultural Implications (eds Zilhão, J. & d'Errico, F.) 289–300 (Instituto Português de Arqueologia, Lisbon, 2003)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are indebted to the Musée des Antiquités Nationales, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, for providing the samples for the radiocarbon dating, to the NERC for their support for the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Dating Service (ORADS) at Oxford, to D. Kemp for assistance with the illustrations, to J.-P. and D. Steenhuyse, M. C. Dawson, C. Schwab, R. White and N. Ashton for other assistance, and to K. Boyle, R. Hedges, T. Higham and N. Shackleton for discussions. B.G. is indebted to Magdalene College, Cambridge, for a Leslie Wilson Research Studentship.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul Mellars.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

Reprints and permissions information is available at npg.nature.com/reprintsandpermissions. The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gravina, B., Mellars, P. & Ramsey, C. Radiocarbon dating of interstratified Neanderthal and early modern human occupations at the Chatelperronian type-site. Nature 438, 51–56 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04006

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04006

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing