SESS 0_retro e indice edi.pub Il Quaternario Italian Journal of Quaternary Sciences 24, (Abstract AIQUA, Roma 02/2011), Congresso AIQUA Il Quaternario Italiano: conoscenze e prospettive Roma 24 e 25 febbraio 2011 THE ACHEULIAN PHENOMENON IN WESTERN EUROPE WITH A FOCUS ON ITALY Nicoud Elisa INRAP/ UMR 6130 CEPAM, France Corresponding author: E. Nicoud ABSTRACT: Nicoud E., The Acheulian phenomenon in Western Europe with a focus on Italy. (IT ISSN 0349-3356, 2011) If the Acheulian “culture” appears in Western Europe during 300.000 years (Oxygen Isotopic Stage 16 to 8), it cannot be considered as a unic phenomenon because of the technical diversity within the industries (bifaces, tools, and chaînes opératoires). Italian datas from Notarchirico, Castel di Guido and Torre in Pietra are presented in the european chrono- spatial framework and used to discus the “Out of Africa” diffusion patterns and the reinvention hypothesis. RIASSUNTO: Nicoud Elisa, il fenomeno acheuleano in Europa occidentale. (IT ISSN 0349-3356, 2011) Se la “cultura” dell’Acheuleano persiste in Europa occidentale per 300 000 anni (Stadi isotopici dell’ossigeno 16 a 8), non deve essere considerata come un fenomeno unico perchè le industrie litiche sono molto diverse (bifacciali, strumenti o catene operative). I dati dei siti italiani di Notarchirico, Castel di Guido e Torre in Pietra sono presentati nel quadro chro- no-spaziale europeo. Sono anche utilizzati per discutere i modeli della diffusione “Out of Africa” e la possibilità della rein- venzione locale. Acheulian, Biface, Western Europe, Out of Africa, Diffusion Patterns, Bifacial Piece Acheuleano, Bifacciale, Europa occidentale, Out of Africa, modeli di diffuzione, Pezzi bifacciale. The Acheulian culture has been created in the XIXth century by G. De Mortillet to describe the lithic industries with handaxes found in the Somme river valley, in Northern France. Then the word “Acheulian” has been used to categrorize Lower Palaeolithic industries everywhere in the Old World. If the biface is essential to the Acheulian, its inner diversity and variablity has been denounced very often, even at the creation of the word (D’ACY IN MORTILLET, 1910). So, historically and substan- cially, the Acheulian is a variability. What appears today to be a paradox and thus an intellectural de- adlock (one world define many different things) seemed for Mortillet a solution to answer his pro- blematic, mostly relevant to the typochronological classification of the industries. The Acheulian is a very confused paradigm becau- se of the broad differences within its appearances. The diversity can be see within the industries: typologically (many classifications of the biface tried to clarify it), petrographically, technically and technologically. In addition, the sites are rare, abo- ve all, the ones with a reliable chrono- stratigraphical context. The dating must be taken with great care. Also, the biface appears at 1.7 million years ago in Africa but also at the end of the Mousterian (MTA). Notarchirico level F, well-dated at 630 ka (PIPERNO, 1999), is the first appearance of the han- daxe in Western Europe. The Upper limit of the Acheulian is not clear and commonly, but artifi- cially, is put at 300 ka, when the Levallois concept massively appears. Before OIS 11, biface appearances are scarse in Western Europe but increase at this time, mostly in the Paris basin (South of England, North of Fran- ce). It become common in Italy, Spain andSou- thern France after that, during OIS 9. We tried to light up the vagueness of the Acheulian by confronting the industries with a technological approch (Nicoud, PhD in progress). The biface is described by a structural analysis that allows us to understand its systemic role within the serie. Three italian sites showing three very different li- thic productions are used here to illustrate the spe- ech: Notarchirico in Basilicata (PIPERNO, 1999), Torre in Pietra (MALATESTA, 1978) and Castel di Guido in Lazio (RADMILLI & BOSCHIAN, 1996). Thus, the biface seems to take almost three diffe- rent forms, involving direct and major changes in the whole lithic production systems. The diversity shown by comparing the three italian sites but also all the Western Europe appearances, make us believe that the Acheulian doesn’t exist as a homogeneous entity, in a technical or a chro- nological meaning. We can only understand the phenomenon by comprehending the uniqueness of each appearances. As we cannot see a homogeneous Western Euro- pe during the Acheulian, we propose to discuss here the Acheulian diffusion patterns of the Acheu- lian and consider the idea of a re-invention of the bifacial piece inside Europe, maybe at different 192 - 193 193 Ms. received: Testo ricevuto il times and in different forms. Also, because of te- chnical links and chronological succession of some forms of the bifacial piece, it is possible to hypothe- tize an evolution of it and a diffusion inside We- stern Europe. REFERENCES MALATESTA A. a cura di (1978) - Torre in Pietra. Quaternaria XX, Roma, 205-580. NICAUD E. (in progress) - Le Phénomène acheu- léen en Europe occidentale. PhD, Université de Provence, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sa- pienza. PIPERNO M. Ed. (1999) - Notarchirico, un sito del Pleistocene medio antico nel bacino di Venosa. Osanna ed., Venosa. RADMILLI A. & BOSCHIAN G. (1996) - Gli scavi a Castel di Guido, il più antico giacimento di cac- ciatori del Paleolitico inferiore nell’Agro Romano. Origines, Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protoisto- ria di Firenze, ETS Ed., Pisa. January 15, 2011 15 gennaio 2011 The Acheulian phenomenon in Western Europe with a ...