Intent on the Paleolithic

This collection of papers was compiled in celebration of the remarkable academic career of Professor Wil Roebroeks, who has established himself as one of Europe’s leading figures in Palaeolithic archaeology over the past three decades and founded the Human origins research group at Leiden University. The volume features a diverse array of chapters contributed by close colleagues, as well as former and current students, providing a thorough overview of the flourishing field of Palaeolithic archaeology both at Leiden University and beyond its academic walls. Among the studies presented, several focus on the landmark site of Maastricht-Belvédère, which was initially excavated under the direction of Roebroeks. The detailed analyses offered within these chapters shed light on Neanderthal behaviour, providing an exceptionally high-resolution view of their activities and adaptations. Additional contributions explore broader themes in human prehistory, delving into Neanderthal land-use strategies, their sophisticated management of fire, and aspects of modern human subsistence practices, including the use of shelters and living spaces.

This volume will be of great interest to archaeologists specializing in hunter-gatherer studies, Pleistocene archaeology, or those with a more general interest in human prehistory and the behaviours of early hominin species.

Table of Contents

Introduction
G. L. Dusseldorp, W. Chu, C. Bakels & M. Soressi

Preface
J.-J. Hublin

Four decades of Middle Palaeolithic research at Maastricht-Belvédère (Limburg, The Netherlands): current state of knowledge and perspectives
D. DeLoecker

Forty years after Maastricht-Belvédère: The story of a Middle Palaeolithic quarry site at Roeselare (Flanders)
P. Van Peer, W. Caes, D. Geerts, B. Peeters

Avocational archaeology and the Middle Palaeolithic of Dutch and Belgian Limburg
P. Glauberman, Y. Raczynski-Henk, L. Amkreutz

A handaxe made from a ‘Meuse egg’, found at Zandvoort in shell grit from the North Sea
D. Stapert, L. Johansen, M. Niekus

Faunal exploitation at Laugerie Basse, Dordogne, France: The Legacy of Alain Roussot
R. Cosgrove

Zaozer’e: the site of the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic in the northeastern Europe (western foothills of the Middle Urals)
P. Pavlov

L’apport de l’analyse lithologique et technologique des bifaces dans l’analyse des comportements des derniers neandertaliens
A. Turq, J. Ph. Faivre

Reflections on the Eemian hornbeam (Carpinus) forest at Neumark-Nord 2
C. Bakels

Fire in the hole: a prototype agent-based model for studying hunter-gatherers’ fire-driven hunting
A. Nikulina, F. Scherjon

The power of the water vole
T. van Kolfschoten

Exploring landscape burning as the earliest active use of fire
F. Reidsma, A. Henry

“Classical” geography, Carl Sauer and the evolution of human fire use
J. Kolen

Protection against fire usage-associated toxic compounds in Neanderthal and Denisovan hominins, compared to ancient and extant modern humans
J. Aarts, G. Alink

Remarks on taxonomy, signal to noise, scaling, Paleolithic life, lemmings and the joys of archaeology
N.J. Conard

Hearths, huts, and hospitality: a dive into deep history
C. Gamble

Terra Incognita Revisited: the settlement patterns of early humans in north-west Europe
N. Ashton, R. Davis, S. Lewis, S. Parfitt

Gerrit L. Dusseldorp is a Stone Age archaeologist focussing on Pleistocene societies in both Europe and Southern Africa. His PhD work on Neanderthal foraging behaviour was co-supervised by Prof. Corbey. He currently directs work on the Middle to Later Stone Age transition Umhlatuzana rockshelter, South Africa. He is also involved in the multidisciplinary project “Liveable Planet” to develop strategies to develop more sustainable human societies. He is currently appointed as associate professor at the Faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University and as senior research fellow at the Paleo-Research Institute at the University of Johannesburg.

Wei Chu is a Palaeolithic archaeologist focussing on the late Pleistocene of Europe. His PhD focused on experimental archaeology and taphonomy. He currently leads a project focused on the early Upper Palaeolithic in East-Central Europe. He is currently appointed as assistant professor at the Faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University.



Marie Soressi is a Palaeolithic archaeologist working with paleogeneticists and geoarcheologists to better reconstruct the demise of Neandertals and their interactions with Homo sapiens. Since 2021, she has served as the head of the Human Origins Research Unit at the Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, a position previously held by its founder, Will Roebroeks.