The environment of Upper Palaeolithic (Magdalenian and Azilian) hunters atHauterive-Champreveyres, Neuchatel, Switzerland, interpreted from coleopteran remains

An excavation primarily intended to investigate the Bronze Age deposits at Hautrive-Champreveyres, Neuchatel, Switzerland, encountered beneath the Bro nze Age levels a sequence of Late-glacial sediments that were deposited bet ween about 13 000 yr BP and 11 800 yr BP. Within these deposits Upper Palae olithic hearths, bones and flint implements were found in a context that le ft no doubt that they accumulated on the actual living floors. Two separate cultures were involved; an earlier Magdalenian one overlain by a rather la ter Azilian assemblage. Coleoptera from the associated organic silts and sa nds provide detailed ecological and climatic information about the time whe n these people lived in the area, Radiocarbon dares indicate that the Magda lenians lived in the area at about 13 000 yr BP. The Coleoptera show that t he mean July temperature at this time was about 9 degrees C and mean temper ature of the coldest month was about -25 degrees C. The landscape was bare of trees with an open patchy vegetation. Shortly after the area was abandon ed by the Magdalenian hunters, the climate became suddenly warmer and mean July temperatures rose abruptly to at least 16 degrees C and winter tempera tures rose to levels not much different from those of the present day. Ther e is evidence that at this time, intense slope instability and mud flows ma y have rendered the locality unsuitable for human occupation. About seven c enturies after the episode of sudden climatic warming, namely at about 12 3 00 yr BP, palaeolithic Azilian hunters occupied the area at a time when the climate was thoroughly temperate and the landscape was clothed in birch an d willow woodland. This was gradually replaced by pine forest at the top of the sequence and Late-glacial deposition ceased by about 11 800 yr BP. Cop yright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.