THE PALAEOLITHIC SITE OF PONT-DE-PLANCHES (HAUTE-SAONE, FRANCE): PALAEOENVIRONNEMENT DATAS AND DATATIONS OF MIDDLE PALAEOLITHIC AND UPPER PALAEOLITHIC OCCUPATIONS

Twice the open-air site of Pont-de-Planches has been occupied by men from palaeolithic: the oldest occupation is around 50 ka (marine isotopic stage MIS 3) and is characterized by a bifacial tools industry called micoquian while the most recent one is a gravettian occupation. From many aspects, this open air-site looks exceptional for that region. It gives us a stratigraphy sequence which goes from the middle Pleistocene to Holocene, and compares with Ajoie region in Switherland, 100 km distant from the site. It gives us the first bison discovered in open-air site. This report from the principal specialists present the initial synthesis of the site, the dating of sediments by thermoluminescence, paleontological data on the teeth and cranian of a Bison priscus associated to gravettian occupation, and general descriptions of the typology and technological aspects of the two industries separated by 35000 years. The composition of the micoquian industry shows many common lithic features shared with South Germany or Danubia regions. All this, helps us to follow the incursions of Neanderthal and modern humans during the stage 3 and 2 along a pan-European east-west axis.