The Palaeolithic Discoveries from Mitoc - Malu Galben (Romania). The Aurignacian I and I Inferior Layers

Abstract

The paper makes a presentation of the two oldest archaeological layers at the Upper Palaeolithic site of Mitoc -Malu Galben: the Aurignacian I and Iinferior assemblages. The study provides ageographic andgeologic characterization of the area, by pointing out that the main reason for the prehistoric human communities to install their encampments here was the availability of the rich flint resources. The pedo-sedimentary stratigraphy of the site is also presented along with the distribution of the archaeological layers in the sedimentary units and the established climatic cycles. Among the Aurignacian layers, the Aurignacian I (subunit 10b inferior - 11 superior) provided the richest archaeological material: flint workshops concentrated around hearths, faunal remains and hard animal tissue artefacts (Mladec spearheads). The lithic typology is specific to the classical old Aurignacian (carenated endscrapers and burins, nosed endscrapers). The absolute chronology data indicate afirst occupation of the site around 32.730 ± 220 BP (Aurignacian I inferior - subunit 12 b) and the 30.000 BP for the end of the Aurignacian I occupation. The final part of the text propounds a framing of the Aurignacian discoveries from Malu Galben in the context of the Early Upper Palaeolithic from Europe.

Keywords: Early Upper Palaeolithic, Aurignacian, climatic cycles, technocomplexes, knapping workshops, combustion structures, paleo-environment, hard animal tissue artifacts.