The earliest occupation of Europe

This collection of papers arises from a meeting of distinguished scholars at Tautavel in 1993, sponsored by the European Science Fund. The aim of the meeting was to discuss and review the evidence for the earliest occupation of different European regions, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean and from the United Kingdom to the Russian Plains and including neighbouring areas such as the Caucasus and Northern Africa. Discussion focused on four themes: chronology, environment, industries and subsistence. The central dispute between proponents of the Long chronology (placing the first hominids in Europe almost 2m years ago) and the supporters of a Short chronology (no hominids until 500,000 years ago) is covered in detail. The disputed 1.5m years are crucial to our understanding of how our earliest ancestors adapted to the European environment and this book will be crucial in furthering the debate.

contents

Luis Raposo and Manuel Santonja: The earliest occupation of Europe: the Iberian peninsula

Margherita Mussi: The earliest occupation of Europe: Italy

Andreas Darlas: The earliest occupation of Europe: the Balkans

Nikolai D. Praslov: The earliest occupation of the Russian Plain: a short note

Karel Valoch: The earliest occupation of Europe: Eastern Central and Southeastern Europe

Dietrich Mania: The earliest occupation of Europe: the Elbe-Saale region (Germany)

Gerhard Bosinski: The earliest occupation of Europe: Western Central Europe

Jean-Paul Raynal, Lionel Magoga and Peter Bindon: Tephrofacts and the first human occupation of the French Massif Central

Alain Tuffreau and Pierre Antoine: The earliest occupation of Europe: Continental Northwestern Europe

Mark B. Roberts, Clive S. Gamble and David R. Bridgland: The earliest occupation of Europe: the British Isles

Jorgen Holm and Lars Larsson: The earliest occupation of Europe: Scandinavia

Vassilij P. Ljubin and Gerhard Bosinski: The earliest occupation of the Caucasus region

Jean-Paul Raynal, Lionel Magoga, Fatima-Zohra Sbihi-Alaoui and Denis Geraads: The earliest occupation of Atlantic Morocco: the Casablanca evidence

Gerhard Bosinski: Stone artefacts of the European Lower Palaeolithic: a short note

Martin J. Aitken: Chronometric techniques for the Middle Pleistocene

Clive S. Gamble: The earliest occupation of Europe: the environmental background

Wil Roebroeks and Thijs van Kolfschoten: The earliest occupation of Europe: a reappraisal of artefactual and chronological evidence