Archaeofaunal record of the Lower to early Middle Palaeolithic in Belgium
- Author
- Tristan Dedrie (UGent) , Stéphane Pirson, Kévin Di Modica, Isabelle De Groote (UGent) and Grégory Abrams (UGent)
- Organization
- Project
- Abstract
- New perspectives and developments prompted a reassessment of the Belgian Lower and Early Middle Palaeolithic record from a bioarchaeological perspective. Focus rests on the review of the faunal assemblages, providing a preliminary framework for an ongoing revision of the material. Through a critical literary review of legacy data, multidisciplinary research from the previous century and recent findings, the taphonomic evidence, taxonomic attributions, and biostratigraphic interpretations are synthesised to reassess the current knowledge of these contexts. The limitations of the current Belgian archaeological record are highlighted, particularly due to the absence of clearly dated hominin fossil evidence from the Middle Pleistocene and challenges in directly associating faunal and lithic assemblages. Framed within a broader Northwestern European context, this work emphasises the need for renewed, multidisciplinary investigations. Efforts should include the application of modern dating techniques, the contextual re-evaluation of previously excavated localities, and the exploration of sites with newly identified potential. Together, these approaches are crucial for enhancing our understanding of the early hominin presence, site formation processes, and palaeoecological conditions in Belgium.
- Keywords
- Belgium, zooarchaeology, Middle Pleistocene, Lower Palaeolithic, early Middle Palaeolithic, hominins, LA-BELLE-ROCHE, SCLADINA CAVE, HUMAN-SETTLEMENTS, HUMAN OCCUPATION, ACHEULEAN SITES, KEY-SITE, PLEISTOCENE, SERIES, BONE, SOMME
Downloads
-
Dedrie et al 2025 Manuscript Zooarch Rev.pdf
- full text (Accepted manuscript)
- |
- open access
- |
- |
- 1.48 MB
Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01K2MEB7A6A8AV5510YDCQMS4T
- MLA
- Dedrie, Tristan, et al. “Archaeofaunal Record of the Lower to Early Middle Palaeolithic in Belgium.” HISTORICAL BIOLOGY, vol. 38, no. 7, 2026, pp. 2265–92, doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2539303.
- APA
- Dedrie, T., Pirson, S., Di Modica, K., De Groote, I., & Abrams, G. (2026). Archaeofaunal record of the Lower to early Middle Palaeolithic in Belgium. HISTORICAL BIOLOGY, 38(7), 2265–2292. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2539303
- Chicago author-date
- Dedrie, Tristan, Stéphane Pirson, Kévin Di Modica, Isabelle De Groote, and Grégory Abrams. 2026. “Archaeofaunal Record of the Lower to Early Middle Palaeolithic in Belgium.” HISTORICAL BIOLOGY 38 (7): 2265–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2539303.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Dedrie, Tristan, Stéphane Pirson, Kévin Di Modica, Isabelle De Groote, and Grégory Abrams. 2026. “Archaeofaunal Record of the Lower to Early Middle Palaeolithic in Belgium.” HISTORICAL BIOLOGY 38 (7): 2265–2292. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2539303.
- Vancouver
- 1.Dedrie T, Pirson S, Di Modica K, De Groote I, Abrams G. Archaeofaunal record of the Lower to early Middle Palaeolithic in Belgium. HISTORICAL BIOLOGY. 2026;38(7):2265–92.
- IEEE
- [1]T. Dedrie, S. Pirson, K. Di Modica, I. De Groote, and G. Abrams, “Archaeofaunal record of the Lower to early Middle Palaeolithic in Belgium,” HISTORICAL BIOLOGY, vol. 38, no. 7, pp. 2265–2292, 2026.
@article{01K2MEB7A6A8AV5510YDCQMS4T,
abstract = {{New perspectives and developments prompted a reassessment of the Belgian Lower and Early Middle Palaeolithic record from a bioarchaeological perspective. Focus rests on the review of the faunal assemblages, providing a preliminary framework for an ongoing revision of the material. Through a critical literary review of legacy data, multidisciplinary research from the previous century and recent findings, the taphonomic evidence, taxonomic attributions, and biostratigraphic interpretations are synthesised to reassess the current knowledge of these contexts. The limitations of the current Belgian archaeological record are highlighted, particularly due to the absence of clearly dated hominin fossil evidence from the Middle Pleistocene and challenges in directly associating faunal and lithic assemblages. Framed within a broader Northwestern European context, this work emphasises the need for renewed, multidisciplinary investigations. Efforts should include the application of modern dating techniques, the contextual re-evaluation of previously excavated localities, and the exploration of sites with newly identified potential. Together, these approaches are crucial for enhancing our understanding of the early hominin presence, site formation processes, and palaeoecological conditions in Belgium.}},
author = {{Dedrie, Tristan and Pirson, Stéphane and Di Modica, Kévin and De Groote, Isabelle and Abrams, Grégory}},
issn = {{0891-2963}},
journal = {{HISTORICAL BIOLOGY}},
keywords = {{Belgium,zooarchaeology,Middle Pleistocene,Lower Palaeolithic,early Middle Palaeolithic,hominins,LA-BELLE-ROCHE,SCLADINA CAVE,HUMAN-SETTLEMENTS,HUMAN OCCUPATION,ACHEULEAN SITES,KEY-SITE,PLEISTOCENE,SERIES,BONE,SOMME}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{7}},
pages = {{2265--2292}},
title = {{Archaeofaunal record of the Lower to early Middle Palaeolithic in Belgium}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2539303}},
volume = {{38}},
year = {{2026}},
}
- Altmetric
- View in Altmetric
- Web of Science
- Times cited: