Technological innovations and regional diversity in Western Europe at ca. the MIS 11 threshold: a cladistic approach

Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 interglacial is considered to be a threshold for behavioural innovations in Western Europe. Innovations both in technology and subsistence are observed, as well as the appearance of Neanderthal anatomical features. Core technologies and Large Cutting Tools reflect changes in behaviours and innovations, with for instance, the onset and diffusion of the iconic Levallois core technology associated with more complex and standardized debitage. Following the severe glacial event of MIS 12, the lithic assemblages yield evidence of both innovations, but the chronology of their appearance remains unclear. For tracking these innovations and generally characterizing the technological and typological features of this period of time, a large database of the available ca. MIS 11 assemblages (from MIS 12 to MIS 10) has been built including a revision of some of the assemblages. In order to unravel the relationship between sites of this period, we applied a cladistic approach using three-item analysis, considering the assemblages themselves as the object of analysis, with an emphasis on core technology. We show how three-item analysis is an efficient method capable of correctly analysing characters from lithic technologies that appear to be intrinsically hierarchical. Our results suggest that Levallois core technology survived during the glacial event of MIS 12 and diversified during the long interglacial of MIS 11. Our results also show the absence of cultural endemism, which may be linked to significant mingling between northern and southern Europe.