The prehistoric site of Quina is located on the commune of Guards-the-Pontaroux in Charente, France. It extends on nearly 700 m and comprises two layers, the station upstream and the station downstream. It was occupied with the Paléolithique means (Moustérien) and at the beginning of the Paléolithique superior (Châtelperronien, Aurignacien)

History

Known since 1872 and recut by a road in 1881, the layers of Quina were acquired by Leon Henri-Martin in 1905. This doctor, known like “Doctor Henri-Martin”, excavated the layers of 1906 to 1936. His/her daughter, German Henri-Martin, continued her work of 1953 with 1965. Starting from 1985, A. Jelinek, A. Debénath and H. Dibble undertook new excavations ^, .

The station upstream

The first layer primarily delivered lithic industries of the Moustérien. It is about the layer éponyme of the facies says “Moustérien of the Quina type”, characterized by the abundance of the convex scrapers with scalariform scaly final improvement (“Quina final improvement”), on short and thick glares. The sequence moustérienne ends in an industry allotted to Moustérien with Denticulés, gone back to 43.000 ± 3600 years BP by Thermoluminescence.

The levels moustériens delivered many faunal remainders (Large Bovidae, Cheval, Renne) of which some present traces of anthropic action (fracturing, scratch of cutting, use as retouching instrument) like had noted it and described L. Henri-Martin.

The remainders of 27 individuals showing the characteristics of Homo neanderthalensis were also discovered in this layer. At least one of these individuals had profited from a primary burial: it was put at the day in 1911 and it is about an adult individual, probably a woman (Quina 5) ^, . The skeleton of a child néandertalien of approximately eight years was also put at the day (Quina 18).

The station downstream

The layer downstream delivered industries of the Châtelperronien, presenting affinities with Moustérien to Denticulés, and of the Aurignacien (Sagaie S at split bases).

See too

References

Random links:

Svínavatn | Saint-Martin-of-Boschet | Murat Ray | Dalälven | Art and manner