Early Modern Humans in Europe. New evidence from Le Piage (France)
Hélène Rougier, Department of Anthropology
CSUN Probationary Faculty Support Program, Spring 2013
Theoretical context
Modern humans emerged in Africa about 200,000 years ago and migrated into Europe
almost 40,000 years ago. This corresponds to the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic, which lasted until approximately
10,000 years ago. This time period is characterized by technical advances (e.g., the production of blades and bone
artifacts, the invention of the spear thrower) and the blossoming of prehistoric art (e.g., cave paintings, figurines).
However, for the first half of the Upper Paleolithic, the mortuary practices of early modern Europeans are virtually
unknown as they did not favor the preservation of their remains. Our knowledge of the biological characteristics of the
earliest modern Europeans is thus also extremely limited. In this context, the site of Le Piage is exceptional as it has
yielded human remains from both the beginning and a later period of the Upper Paleolithic.
The Le Piage project
Le Piage is a site at the foot of a hill located in south-west France (Figure 1).
It has
been excavated since 2003 by a multidisciplinary team led by J.-G. Bordes (Institute of Prehistory and Quaternary
Geology, Bordeaux University, France) and F. Le Brun-Ricalens (National Museum of History and Art, Luxembourg). I
joined the field and research team in 2005 and have been responsible for the study of the paleoanthropological collection
from the site in collaboration with B. Maureille (Dept of Anthropology, Bordeaux University, France).
The grant I received from the CSUN Probationary Faculty Support Program has allowed
Project results
me to complete research on the early modern Europeans found to date at Le Piage. The collection includes mainly teeth
and cranial and infra-cranial remains. Their biological study shows that they are included in the variation observed among
Upper Paleolithic fossils. Although overall modern, some of their characteristics put them apart from living modern
humans, such as the large size of some of the teeth.
The Le Piage human remains represent a minimum of 4 individuals (a neonate, a child approximately 4.5 – 8.5 years
old, and 2 adults). However, the real number might be higher given that doubts remain about the chrono-cultural
provenience of some of the specimens and their association with
the above mentioned individuals. Direct dating of some of the
Figure 1
fossils are underway in order to sort out this question.
Le Piage joins other Upper Paleolithic sites that have yielded fragmentary and mostly isolated remains. The
best represented individual preserves several cranial fragments and 13 teeth (Figure 2). It is also the only
individual whose original deposit location might be identified. Given its secondary position in the site and the
distribution pattern of the specimens attributed to it, it may come from a fissure in the cliff. Ongoing fieldwork
focuses on the area where it was discovered to gather additional information and further our interpretations.
The enrichment of the fossil record by including the specimens from Le Piage will expand our knowledge of
the biological and cultural identity of early modern Europeans. The results of this project will form the core of a
chapter for a monograph in preparation on the site and I plan to submit an article on the Le Piage fossils to a
major peer-reviewed journal in the field of paleoanthropology. I will also use the study of Le Piage as a case
study in two classes I have been teaching, ANTH 341 ("Bones") and ANTH 445/L ("Human osteology"), starting
with "Bones" in the Fall.
Figure 2