Veldwezelt-Hezerwater - Conclusions

Conclusions

Finally, we could try to answer the question why there is such a variation in technology, in the proportions of the artefacts and in the types of tools present in the different lithic assemblages at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater. In our view, many factors influenced the type of flint-working taking place in a particular location. Some we may never fully understand, such as the ad hoc response to a local situation. But, if we accept it is no longer realistic to look only for "cultural" divisions in the Middle Palaeolithic lithic assemblages, we will be free to study the other factors that also influenced them.

We think, that we can begin to understand some factors, like the influence of raw material availability. At Veldwezelt-Hezerwater the lithic assemblages of the "Lower Sites" and of the VBLB-Site were located on sources of poor quality flint. Exactly this kind of flint, which was generally unsuitable for large artefact manufacture, was used for stone tool processing.

At the VBLB-South-Site and at all the temperate Middle Weichselian occupations at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater, the proximity of good-quality flint sources in the Jeker valley and the Maas valley seemed to result in an important effect, namely the import of fresh grey good quality flint and even the import of translucent flint. Chalk outcrops and chalk cliffs, out of which fresh good quality flint (e.g. Lanaye Flint) was being eroded, are situated at not more than 5 km away from Veldwezelt-Hezerwater. This phenomenon led to the production of significantly larger good quality flint artefacts at the very end of the Last Interglacial s.l. (late MIS 5) and during the Middle Weichselian (MIS 3).

Our approach also tries to understand the role played by the palaeoclimate, which profoundly shaped the existence of Middle Palaeolithic humans. Since climate change interacts with the biosphere, we can therefore expect climate change to influence human activity and human "culture" as well. Either directly or through paths leading from climate via plant cover to food animals. The variation in technology, in the proportions of the artefacts and in the types of tools present in the different lithic assemblages at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater indicates, in our view, also the adaptation by the Neanderthals to the unsteady climatic conditions.

In the same geographical zone, lithic technology appears to change each time climate changes occur, especially in the event of stress conditions and consequently unstable natural resources availability. Of course local conditions of raw material availability have affected lithic production, but raw material availability is very often a function of a particular climatic setting. This phenomenon seems to play a key role at the "Lower-Sites" at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater during the Late Saalian to Eemian s.s. climatic shift (late MIS 6 to MIS 5e), with in general the presence of very small tools s.s.

In times of relative stable climatic conditions, e.g. during the late Last Interglacial s.l. (MIS 5a), lithic technology appears to be more settled. This seems to be the case at the VBLB-Site and at the VBLB-South-Site at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater where a more "classical" Levallois flake technology is present, together with already larger tools.

During the Middle Weichselian (MIS 3), under temperate interstadial climatic conditions, we see in the lithic assemblages of the TL-R-Site, the TL-GF-Site and the WFL-Site at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater the presence of in general very large Levallois products in association with large Quina tools.

Although there are a few exceptions, we can state that at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater, from the Late Saalian (late MIS 6) onwards, the general trend in the Middle Palaeolithic succession of lithic artefacts and tools is that they seem to increase in size through the Middle Palaeolithic. At Veldwezelt-Hezerwater, there is thus a clear tendency to manufacture progressively heavier-duty tools.

There is a clear correlation between the raw material availability and the size of the artefacts. But could there be also a correlation between the size of the artefacts and the body size of the food animals? The hunt for bigger animals would have produced a need for heavier-duty tools. Raw material availability and food animal availability are a function of the oscillating climatic conditions.

Middle Palaeolithic humans were compelled to change the ways in which they procured and processed meat, because they were forced to accede to a particular climatic setting that they could not control. The only alternative they had, was to move Southwards or Eastwards, leaving our regions deserted, which seems to be the case at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater during the warmest (MIS 5e) and coldest (MIS 4) climatic phases, when no large herds of food animals seemed to be present.

Middle Palaeolithic humans, who wanted to make a living in a particular climatic setting, had to respond to that setting. This fact of course led to adaptation in terms of migrational, technological and "cultural" behaviour, which in turn affected their clothing, shelter, mobility, meat procurement and butchery methods and thus their lithic technology.

We thus could put forward the hypothesis that Middle Palaeolithic humans could react instrumental in creating their own adequate life-sustaining technologies and this through interactions with the environment, changes in behaviour and modifications in their lithic technology. This approach considers Middle Palaeolithic humans as active agents, rather than passive recipients of optimised environmental conditions.