In this thesis a reduction model on the retouched blades of layer US04 (sup.) of Les Cottés was proposed. Reduction is the resharpening of an artefact to maintain a sharp, usable edge. It has been...Show moreIn this thesis a reduction model on the retouched blades of layer US04 (sup.) of Les Cottés was proposed. Reduction is the resharpening of an artefact to maintain a sharp, usable edge. It has been widely observed both in ethnographic studies as in archaeological cases. It served an argument in the Bordes-Binford debate on what caused the variability in Middle-Palaeolithic assemblages. Reduction is nowadays used to gain information on site functions, such as the use-life of tools, mobility, duration of occupation and raw material availability. In this thesis a model, based on typology, with different parameters was proposed. This model consists of three types of blades that are part of a continuum of lateral retouch. The site where the material originates from is Les Cottés, Vienne, France. This is a cave site with an excellent sequence covering both the Middle-Palaeolithic and the Upper- Palaeolithic. The layer where the material originates from is US04 (sup.), which dates to the Aurignacian. Results have been obtained through measuring and classifying artefacts. Measurements were taken with a calliper and a protractor. The results were rather unexpected. Most of the parameters did not follow their hypothesis. A reduction model on the retouched blades could not be confirmed. Several arguments were given on what might have been the cause. Those were 1. methodological aspects, 2. wrong defining of the parameters (and blank selection beforehand), and 3. the abundant raw material in proximity of the site. The level of reduction was generally low and pieces had a short use-life. This would suggest a high mobility and a short occupation span, but the proximity of abundant raw material should be considered. Suggestions for an adjustment to the model and suggestions for further research were given. A reduction model could, at least in this study, not be validated, however it was shown that the gained knowledge from these models is contributing to solving important archaeological issues regarding site functions.Show less
Neanderthal behaviour has formed a popular and debated field of research over the past decades. Within this debate the extent to which Neanderthals show symbolic behaviour, comparable to that of...Show moreNeanderthal behaviour has formed a popular and debated field of research over the past decades. Within this debate the extent to which Neanderthals show symbolic behaviour, comparable to that of the Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH), has been an important subject. Artefacts associated with symbolic behaviour have been found within the Châtelperronian layer (authored by Neanderthals) at Grotte du Renne (France). However, the validity to interpret these as indicative of symbolic behaviour amongst Neanderthals is debated: post depositional processes are believed to have transported these artefacts from the superior Protoaurignacien layer (authored by AMH) into that of the Châtelperronian, and could also have transported Neanderthal skeletal remains from the underlying Mousterian layer. As the integrity of the Châtelperronian is generally challenged, and as at the site of Les Cottés, France, a Protoaurignacien, Châtelperronian and Mousterian layer are present, this thesis reconstructs what site formation processes might have taken place at Les Cottés, and how these site formation processes may have influenced the degree of integrity of the Châtelperronian layer. This is done by performing a fabric analysis on the Châtelperronian layer of Les Cottés. Within this analysis, the orientations of all elongated artefacts are used as indicators of the site formation processes that took place. Patterning within the orientations are used to distinguish between different types of site formation processes.Show less
