1996/01/01 by Ruth Charles · 23 citations
Social Sciences · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies #Radiocarbon dating #Glacial period #Stadial #Magdalenian #Archaeology #Western europe #Geology #Geography #Paleontology #Physical geography #Cave
paper · doi:10.1017/s0079497x00002711
published in Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 62, 1-17 (Cambridge University Press)
openalex publication_date 1996/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
This paper critically examines the known radiocarbon evidence for the human recolonisation of a part of north-western Europe, the north-western Ardennes. Two sites in this region, the Trou de Blaireaux at Vaucelles and the Grotte de Sy Verlaine, have been suggested as two of the earliest human occupation sites after the Last Glacial Maximum in northern Europe. The dating evidence from these two sites, alongside other late Magdalenian sites in the immediate area, is reviewed and found to be highly problematic. More recent radiocarbon work using AMS is described and the results discussed. On this basis it is suggested that there is no direct evidence for human presence in this region prior to the start of the Böiling Interstadial phase of the Lateglacial, c. 13,000 BP.