The Middle Palaeolithic of Northern France

International audienceThe Middle Palaeolithic begins around 300 ky ago, and ends around 40 ky. During more than 250 ky, the whole Europe was occupied by Neandertalpopulations, which were characterized by very weak density and demography. The aim of the communication is to focus on the identities of the different cultural groups peopling northern France and to try to discern if “cultural provinces” could have existed in this area. Of course, data are distorted by the few number of well-preserved and well-dated sites, especially for the Saalian period of the Middle Palaeolithic. Data are lacking for the Marine isotopic stage 8 (MIS), while a low number of very important sites are known for MIS 7 (Biache-Saint-Vaast, Therdonne…). Nevertheless, the precision of the chronostratigraphic frame makes possible a diachronic and synchronic analysis of occupations, based on a coherent set of data.The understanding of peopling identities and modalities is easier for the Weichselian period, where different cultural traditions seem to be identified during the Eemian, the Early Weichselian, the Lower and Middle Pleniglacials of the Weichselian. These distinctions are based on mixed technological and typological features (precise characterization of the lithic production and association of the different patterns [handaxes manufacture, discoidal debitage, Levallois or laminar productions, precise characterization of the goals of the productions,….]), because retouched tools are not numerous enough for precise attribution to one or the other Bordes’ typological facies.Human occupation in northern France is discontinuous, and influenced by several interactive factors as climatic and environmental changes, raw materials availability, large fauna density… This overview shows that Middle Palaeolithic is not a long uniform period, but a dynamic one undoubtedly characterized by numerous phases of emergence, colonisation and disappearance