Titre | Waulsort Caverne X: A new cave site with Early Mesolithic human remains in Belgium |
Type de publication | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2020 |
Auteurs | Polet, C, Drucker, DG, Glas, C, Sabaux, C, Goffette, Q, Samsel, M, Jadin, I, Warmenbol, E, Villotte, S |
Journal | Mesolithic Miscellany |
Volume | 28 |
Pagination | 25-43 |
ISSN | 0259-3548 |
Mots-clés | ANALYSIS, Anthropology, Belgium, cave burial, Early Mesolithic, radiocarbon dating, stable isotope |
Résumé | Caverne X in Waulsort (Namur province, Belgium), excavated in the 19th century, revealed a burial site which was unexpectedly dated to the Final Upper Paleolithic (10,820 $\pm$ 80 BP, OxA-6856) in the 1990{'}s. A re-examination of the collection and a new radiocarbon dating program was recently undertaken. The dates obtained on four left femurs (9285 $\pm$ 30 BP, ETH-74725; 9310 $\pm$ 30 BP, ETH-74726; 9340 $\pm$ 30 BP, ETH-74727; 9300 $\pm$ 30 BP, ETH-74728) revealed that the remains should in fact be attributed to the Early Mesolithic,consistent with 24 other 14 C dates obtained for eight cave sites in the Meuse Basin which range from ca . 9600 BP to 9000 BP. Caverne X contained 544 human remains belonging to at least nine individuals (one fetus, one perinatal/young child, one teenager, two adolescents/young adults and four adults), and 66 faunal remains consisting mainly of intrusive animals with the possible exception of a cervid antler, and one artefact (a small flint blade). Other than ochre deposits, all alterations (breakage, surface abrasion, impact scars and concretions) are post-depositional in origin. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis indicates a diet primarily based on terrestrial resources from an open landscape with proteins provided by large herbivores. Our study shows that Caverne X fits well with results already obtained for the Meuse Basin cave burials in terms of chronology, minimum number of individuals, funerary rituals and diet. |