The Upper Paleolithic nature of the Châtelperronian in South-Western France: Archeostratigraphic and lithic evidence

This paper aims to review current evidence and to develop new ideas and hypotheses concerning the status of the Châtelperronian in the context of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition. Attention is focused on archeostratigraphy and lithic evidence from South-Western France. The stratigraphic evidence can no longer be used to affirm a Châtelperronian/Aurignacian contemporaneity and is not a good indicator of Mousterian of Acheulean Tradition/Châtelperronian continuity. Concerning lithic productions, the transitional aspect of the Châtelperronian industry seems to be a result of post-depositional disturbances. The industry that directly followed the Châtelperronian in several sequences of South-Western France was the Protoaurignacian. Based on lithic equipment, the Châtelperronian is a pure leptolithic industry, which has a more common orientation with the Protoaurignacian than with any final Mousterian technocomplexes.