Isolation, Exploration or Seasonal Migration? Investigating Technological Organization in the Late Middle Palaeolithic of Britain During Marine Isotope Stage 3

The archaeological record of the later Middle Palaeolithic in Britain presents a very different character to that found in France: numerically far smaller, with a more ephemeral character. This, together with a challenging history in terms of collection bias resulting from early excavations, has created an impression that it cannot contribute to broader questions on Neanderthal behaviour. Based on a thorough technological re-analysis of the lithic material, this paper finds that even with taphonomic factors accounted for, the archaeology genuinely appears distinctive. Possible reasons for this are explored, including the unique adaptive situation of the recolonization of the British landmass after MIS-4, together with contemporary Neanderthal subsistence strategies which emerged as a response to new environments in MIS-3.