Châtelperronian
Châtelperroniense
- Date
- c. 1909 · confidence low
- Place
- Châtelperron, Allier, France
- Credited to
- Henri Breuil
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
A proposed Upper Palaeolithic stone-tool industry, with curved-back flint knives, attributed to Neanderthals of central and southwestern France and northern Spain around 44,500 to 33,000 years ago; its existence as a distinct industry is debated.
Some researchers argue it is an archaeological mix of Mousterian and Aurignacian layers rather than a distinct industry; it precedes the Aurignacian.
What it led to
- Debate over Neanderthal symbolic capacity
- Reconsideration of the Mousterian-Aurignacian transition
Built on
- Mousterian industry