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Launde, a Terminal Palaeolithic Camp-site in the English Midlands and its North European Context

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2014

Lynden P. Cooper
Lynden P. Cooper
Affiliation:
University of Leicester Archaeological Services, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
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Abstract

The paper describes a small late Upper Palaeolithic open-air site situated on a prominent ridge top interfluve in the English Midlands. A discrete cluster of worked flint of late Palaeolithic blade technology was discovered within an excavated area of 100 m2. The lithic scatter represents the hearth-side activities of a short-term occupancy by a small hunting group with evidence for provisioning of flint, production of blades/bladelets, and toolkit maintenance. Spatial analysis provides some dynamics to these activities. The assemblage has strong affinities with the Late Glacial–early Post-glacial Long Blade industries of southern England and northern France but displays many attributes that are atypical of the classic sites. The Launde assemblage appears to be a missing fades of the Long Blade tradition. The blade technology and the typology of the projectile points are also closely paralleled further afield in Belgium, the Netherlands and western Germany, what might be termed a late Western Ahrensburgian, probably dating to the early Pre-Boreal at the beginning of the 10th millennium BP.

Résumé

Cette étude décrit un petit site de plein air datant de la fin du paléolithique supérieur et situé au sommet d'une crête proéminente entre deux rivières dans les Midlands anglais. Une concentration peu évidente de silex travaillé de la technologie des lames de la fin du paléolithique se situait à l'intérieur d'une aire excavée de 100 m2. La répartition lithique est représentative des industries de proximité de foyer d'une occupation à court terme d'un petit groupe de chasseurs avec des témoignages d'approvisionnement en silex, la production de lames/lamelles et l'entretien d'un outillage. L'analyse spatiale démontre la dynamique de ces industries. L'assemblage a de solides affinités avec les industries des grandes lames, de la fin de la période glaciaire – du début de la période post-glaciaire, du sud de l'Angleterre et du nord de la France, mais met en évidence de nombreuses caractéristiques qui sont atypiques de ces sites classiques. L'assemblage de Launde semble être un faciès manquant de la tradition des grandes lames. La technologie des lames et la typologie des pointes de projectiles sont également étroitement apparentées à des sites plus éloignés en Belgique, aux Pays-Bas et en Allemagne occidentale, ce qu'on pourrait nommer un Ahrensburg occidental tardif, datant probablement du début de la période pré-boréale au début du lOième millénaire B.P.

Zusammenfassung

Der Beitrag beschreibt eine kleinere, späte jungpaläolithische Freilandfundstelle, die auf einem hervorspringenden Grat in den Englischen Midlands gelegen ist. In einer 100 m2 großen Ausgrabungsfläche konnte ein getrenntes Cluster aus Feuersteinen, die in spätpaläolithischer Klingentechnik bearbeitetet sind, festgestellt werden. Die Feuersteinstreuung weist auf Aktivitäten in der Herdzone hin, und deutet auf eine kurzzeitige Benutzung einer kleineren Jägergruppe hin; der Befund liefert Indizien für die Beschaffung von Flint, die Herstellung von Klingen/Lamellen und die Pflege der Geräteausstattung. Eine räumliche Analyse erlaubt Aussagen zur Dynamik dieser Aktivitäten. Das Inventar ähnelt stark den spätglazialen – frühen postglazialen langen Klingenindustrien Südenglands und Nordfrankreichs, zeigt aber gleichzeitig auch mehrere Merkmale, die eher untypisch für diese klassischen Fundstellen sind. Das Inventar von Launde scheint eine bisher fehlende Fazies innerhalb der Tradition der langen Klingen zu bilden. Die Klingentechnologie und die Typologie der Geschoßspitzen finden weitere engere Parallelen in Belgien, den Niederlanden und in Westdeutschland; dies könnte vielleicht als spätes, westliches Ahrensburg bezeichnet werden und datiert sehr wahrscheinlich ins frühe Präboreal an den Beginn des 10. Jahrtausends BP.

Résumen

El artículo describe un pequeño yacimiento al aire libre del Paleolítico Superior, situado en una prominente cresta ínter fluvial en las Midlands inglesas. Un clúster diferenciado de sílex trabajado en tecnología de hoja del Paleolítico Superior fue localizado en un área excavada de 100 m2. La dispersión lítica representa actividades al lado del fuego durante una breve ocupación por parte de un pequeño grupo de cazadores con evidencia de aprovisionamiento de sílex, producción de hojas y hojitas, y mantenimiento de artefactos. El análisis espacial revela alguna de las dinámicas de estas actividades. Los artefactos tiene gran afinidad con las industrias de Hoja Larga del Glacial Tardío– Postglacial Temprano del sur de Inglaterra y norte de Francia pero exhibe muchos atributos que son atípicos de los yacimientos clásicos. El grupo de artefactos de Launde parece ser una facies perdida de la tradición de Hoja Larga. La tecnología de hoja y la tipología de las puntas de proyectil también tienen paralelos cercanos más lejos en Bélgica, Holanda y el oeste de Alemania, lo que puede llamarse un Ahrensburgiano occidental tardío, que data probablemente al periodo preboreal temprano a comienzos del 10 milenio BP.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 72 , 2006 , pp. 53 - 93
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 2006

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