What Is the Acheulean?
The Acheulean represents the longest cultural period known to human history, lasting globally for more than 1.75 million years. It may have emerged as early as 1.95 Ma in Africa, spreading throughout much of the continent and then into Eurasia and lasting up to 350–200 ka in western Europe and South...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:digitalcsic_::34c74a14280a7a3cef049555ca5e3a5b |
| Acesso em linha: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/430450 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | Acheulean Early pleistocene Eurasia Middle Pleistocene (Chibanian) Palaeolithic Prehistory |
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What Is the Acheulean? |
| title |
What Is the Acheulean? |
| spellingShingle |
What Is the Acheulean? Moncel, Marie-Hélène Acheulean Early pleistocene Eurasia Middle Pleistocene (Chibanian) Palaeolithic Prehistory |
| title_short |
What Is the Acheulean? |
| title_full |
What Is the Acheulean? |
| title_fullStr |
What Is the Acheulean? |
| title_full_unstemmed |
What Is the Acheulean? |
| title_sort |
What Is the Acheulean? |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Moncel, Marie-Hélène Cucart-Mora, Carolina Arzarello, Marta Ashton, Nick M. Baena, Javier Barsky, Deborah Torre Sainz, Ignacio de la Galanidou, Nena García-Medrano, Paula Hertler, Christine Herzlinger, Gadi Ingicco, Thomas Li, Hao Ma, Dongdong Mosquera, Marina Ollé, Andreu Pappu, Shanti Pei, Shuwen Tian, Chun Wang, Wei Bae, Christopher J. |
| author |
Moncel, Marie-Hélène |
| author_facet |
Moncel, Marie-Hélène Cucart-Mora, Carolina Arzarello, Marta Ashton, Nick M. Baena, Javier Barsky, Deborah Torre Sainz, Ignacio de la Galanidou, Nena García-Medrano, Paula Hertler, Christine Herzlinger, Gadi Ingicco, Thomas Li, Hao Ma, Dongdong Mosquera, Marina Ollé, Andreu Pappu, Shanti Pei, Shuwen Tian, Chun Wang, Wei Bae, Christopher J. |
| author_role |
author |
| author2 |
Cucart-Mora, Carolina Arzarello, Marta Ashton, Nick M. Baena, Javier Barsky, Deborah Torre Sainz, Ignacio de la Galanidou, Nena García-Medrano, Paula Hertler, Christine Herzlinger, Gadi Ingicco, Thomas Li, Hao Ma, Dongdong Mosquera, Marina Ollé, Andreu Pappu, Shanti Pei, Shuwen Tian, Chun Wang, Wei Bae, Christopher J. |
| author2_role |
author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author author |
| dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv |
Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España) Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España) European Commission Universidad Rovira i Virgili Shandong University Moncel, Marie-Hélène [0000-0001-6203-786X] Cucart-Mora, Carolina [0000-0001-7716-292X] Ashton, Nick M. [0000-0001-9787-3892] Torre Sainz, Ignacio de la [0000-0002-1805-634X] García-Medrano, Paula [0000-0002-4574-1019] Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72] |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
Acheulean Early pleistocene Eurasia Middle Pleistocene (Chibanian) Palaeolithic Prehistory |
| topic |
Acheulean Early pleistocene Eurasia Middle Pleistocene (Chibanian) Palaeolithic Prehistory |
| description |
The Acheulean represents the longest cultural period known to human history, lasting globally for more than 1.75 million years. It may have emerged as early as 1.95 Ma in Africa, spreading throughout much of the continent and then into Eurasia and lasting up to 350–200 ka in western Europe and South Asia, and even later in eastern Asia. Originally defined in the 1870s, the term Acheulean is one of the earliest and most contested classifications in prehistoric archaeology. Almost 150 years after its first appearance, it remains a source of continuous debate. This paper summarizes roundtable discussions that took place at the Musée de l'Homme (Paris) in November 2025 that focused on the meaning of the Acheulean and the diversity of its manifestations across Eurasia. Some 20 researchers, from various institutions across Europe, Asia, and the Pacific participated in this event, during which it became clear that the Acheulean had different meanings to the participants. Among the major points raised during the meeting was the question of how different specialists differentiate the Acheulean from the older Oldowan techno-complex, with specificities emerging from each of their respective regions of study. The geographic origins and hominin species' attribution of the Acheulean toolmakers were also brought to the fore since important questions have been raised in the last decades by the growing record of hominin taxa that existed during this timeframe across Eurasia and the relatively late arrival of this techno-complex in Europe. These issues become even more important when we consider the recent evidence emanating out of Asia, which indicates that hominins were present well before their earliest appearance in Europe. The purpose of this paper is not only to make a statement regarding how to define the Acheulean, but also to illustrate its diversity across Eurasia. |
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2026 |
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2026 2026 2026 |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 Publisher's version info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
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article |
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http://hdl.handle.net/10261/430450 |
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http://hdl.handle.net/10261/430450 |
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Inglés |
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Inglés |
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#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE# #PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE# #PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE# info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2021-2023/PID2022-138590NB-C42 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MICIU//PID2024-156477NB-C31 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MICIU//PID2024-156477NB-C32 https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.70029 Sí |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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openAccess |
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https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/pdf |
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John Wiley & Sons |
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John Wiley & Sons |
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reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
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DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
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1869415638996353024 |
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What Is the Acheulean?Moncel, Marie-HélèneCucart-Mora, CarolinaArzarello, MartaAshton, Nick M.Baena, JavierBarsky, DeborahTorre Sainz, Ignacio de laGalanidou, NenaGarcía-Medrano, PaulaHertler, ChristineHerzlinger, GadiIngicco, ThomasLi, HaoMa, DongdongMosquera, MarinaOllé, AndreuPappu, ShantiPei, ShuwenTian, ChunWang, WeiBae, Christopher J.AcheuleanEarly pleistoceneEurasiaMiddle Pleistocene (Chibanian)PalaeolithicPrehistoryThe Acheulean represents the longest cultural period known to human history, lasting globally for more than 1.75 million years. It may have emerged as early as 1.95 Ma in Africa, spreading throughout much of the continent and then into Eurasia and lasting up to 350–200 ka in western Europe and South Asia, and even later in eastern Asia. Originally defined in the 1870s, the term Acheulean is one of the earliest and most contested classifications in prehistoric archaeology. Almost 150 years after its first appearance, it remains a source of continuous debate. This paper summarizes roundtable discussions that took place at the Musée de l'Homme (Paris) in November 2025 that focused on the meaning of the Acheulean and the diversity of its manifestations across Eurasia. Some 20 researchers, from various institutions across Europe, Asia, and the Pacific participated in this event, during which it became clear that the Acheulean had different meanings to the participants. Among the major points raised during the meeting was the question of how different specialists differentiate the Acheulean from the older Oldowan techno-complex, with specificities emerging from each of their respective regions of study. The geographic origins and hominin species' attribution of the Acheulean toolmakers were also brought to the fore since important questions have been raised in the last decades by the growing record of hominin taxa that existed during this timeframe across Eurasia and the relatively late arrival of this techno-complex in Europe. These issues become even more important when we consider the recent evidence emanating out of Asia, which indicates that hominins were present well before their earliest appearance in Europe. The purpose of this paper is not only to make a statement regarding how to define the Acheulean, but also to illustrate its diversity across Eurasia.This meeting was funded by the ERC Lateurope n° 101052653 grant to M.H. Moncel. D. Barsky acknowledges the following grants: Spanish National Projects PID2022-138590NB-C42, PID2024-156477NB-C31 and PID2024-156477NB-C32 financed by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE; the 2021SGR01239 project financed by AGAUR; and the 2023PFR-URV-01239 project financed by URV. The IPHES-CERCA has received financial support through the “María de Maeztu” program for Units of Excellence (CEX2024-01485-M/funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). C.J. Bae acknowledges the support of the Tangzhongying Fellowship from Shandong UniversityPeer reviewedJohn Wiley & SonsAgencia Estatal de Investigación (España)Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)European CommissionUniversidad Rovira i VirgiliShandong UniversityMoncel, Marie-Hélène [0000-0001-6203-786X]Cucart-Mora, Carolina [0000-0001-7716-292X]Ashton, Nick M. [0000-0001-9787-3892]Torre Sainz, Ignacio de la [0000-0002-1805-634X]García-Medrano, Paula [0000-0002-4574-1019]Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]202620262026info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501Publisher's versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttps://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10261/430450reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Inglés#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE##PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE##PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2021-2023/PID2022-138590NB-C42info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MICIU//PID2024-156477NB-C31info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MICIU//PID2024-156477NB-C32https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.70029Síinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:dnet:digitalcsic_::34c74a14280a7a3cef049555ca5e3a5b2026-05-22T06:33:51Z |
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15,812429 |