Intra‐interstadial environmental changes in Last Glacial loess revealed by molluscan assemblages from the Upper Palaeolithic site of Amiens‐Renancourt 1 (Somme, France)

The Amiens-Renancourt 1 site recently yielded one of the most important Upper Palaeolithic human occupations northern France by number flint artefacts and especially presence Venus figurines. All material comes from a single archaeological layer located in tundra gley bracketed loess units. A multi-proxy study combining detailed stratigraphy, luminescence radiocarbon datings high-resolution (5 cm per sample) grain size molluscan analyses was therefore carried out to reconstruct date associated environmental changes determine exact context occupation. chronological frame thus established supports correlations archaeology-bearing an underlying arctic brown soil with Greenland interstadials GI-4 GI-3. Composition population enabled identification transitional optimum phases sub-phases within these two pedogenetic horizons. conceptual correlation model linking millennial-scale variations ice-core Sieben Hengste speleothem climate records is proposed. Human occupation appears contemporaneous end stadial–interstadial transition Synchronous Nussloch, subsequent micro-gleys may also result regional/global forcing. Such level detail unprecedented sequence.