The Châtelperronian is a suggested type of tool-making from the Upper Palaeolithic period. Some experts disagree about its existence. It is the only Upper Palaeolithic industry linked to Neanderthals and the earliest of its kind in central and southwestern France, as well as northern Spain. The name comes from Châtelperron, a village near the cave La Grotte des Fées, where this industry was first discovered.

The Châtelperronian existed around 44,500 to 33,000 years ago and followed the Mousterian industry. Tools made during this time included denticulate stones and a unique flint knife with one sharp edge and a rounded, curved back. Ivory was used more often at Châtelperronian sites than in the later Aurignacian industry, but antler tools have not been found. The Aurignacian industry came after the Châtelperronian.

Some scholars argue that the Châtelperronian is a mix of Mousterian and Aurignacian layers. It may be connected to the Gravettian culture, which is very similar. French archaeologists have historically grouped the Châtelperronian and Gravettian under the name Périgordian, with the Châtelperronian called Early Périgordian. French paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak believes the Châtelperronian was a tool-making tradition made by Homo sapiens, serving as a transition between the Neronian and Proto-Aurignacian cultures.

Important sites and lithic production and associations

Large thick flakes or small blocks were used as main pieces. These were shaped with a raised part over a long, smooth area. One or two striking points were used to remove long, thin blades. A soft hammer was probably used for hitting to ensure accuracy. Thicker blades made this way were often turned into side scrapers. Burins were also made similarly from leftover pieces.

The way these tools were made continues the methods used in the Mousterian period. However, the ivory decorations found nearby are similar to those made by the Aurignacian people. Some experts say the advanced techniques of the Châtelperronian and nearby Uluzzian cultures in Central-Southern Italy were influenced by nearby H. sapiens. Others believe these tools show development by local people that happened before modern humans arrived.

Dispute over disruption of the site

João Zilhão and his team believe that findings from a site are unclear because the area was disturbed in the 19th century. They say the mix of Aurignacian and Châtelperronian layers may not be real but instead a result of this disturbance. Some researchers suggest the Châtelperronian layer itself might also be a result of disturbance. Paul Mellars and others disagree, stating that the original excavation by Delporte was not disturbed. Mellars later used new radiocarbon dating by Thomas Higham to argue that decorative items in Grotte du Renne may have moved from higher Proto-Aurignacian layers into the Châtelperronian layers. He claims this weakens the idea that Neanderthals had complex symbolic behavior. Jean-Jacques Hublin and his team later used new dates from bones, not decorative materials, to argue that Châtelperronian tools were made by Neanderthals. Higham believes dates from decorative items are more reliable, while Hublin says Higham’s dates might be incorrect because the materials were contaminated by varnish from the 1960s. Hublin’s team later used evidence from proteins in bones to support their conclusion.

In popular culture

Author Jared Diamond discusses in his 1991 non-fiction book, The Third Chimpanzee, that the Châtelperron site may show evidence of Neanderthals who partially adopted the culture of Early European modern humans living nearby. This could explain the mix of cultural signs found at the site. Diamond compares these possible Neanderthal groups to more recent Indigenous peoples in North and South America, who used European tools like guns or domesticated horses to survive in areas where more advanced groups lived.

The fifth book in Jean Auel’s Earth’s Children series, The Shelters of Stone (2002), and the sixth book, The Land of the Painted Caves (2010), are set in this area of modern-day France during the same time period.