late pleistocene population interaction in western europe

Bordes (1959), and Bouchud (1965), refined the chronology of the findings and attributed
them to the Aurignacian. However, these remains are now probably associated with the
Early Gravettian as suggested by an AMS date of 27,680 ± 270 on a Littorina shell
associated with the burials (Henry-Gambier 2002). The excavation of several modern
human burials near Menton (Verneau 1907; Cartailhac 1907) followed the discovery of
the Cro-Magnon remains. In 1881-1882, a large sample of early modern humans,
possibly associated with an Early Aurignacian, was uncovered at Mladec (Moravia).
Additional human remains were also found in 1903-1904. In the same region, three early
modern human burials were excavated at Brno between 1885 and 1927. One of the
skeletons was apparently found with an Aurignacian-like industry, whereas the other two
were presumably affiliated with the Pavlovian (Jelínek 1969; Smith 1982).
Another find made in 1909, this time at Roc de Combe-Capelle, attracted much
interest. The skeletal remains unearthed at this site were supposed to be associated with a
Châtelperronian assemblage and considered to be the earliest evidence of modern human
presence in the early Upper Paleolithic of Western Europe (Klaatsch and Hauser 1910).
These remains, discovered by Otto Hauser, were published as a member of the species
Homo aurignacensis hauseri. With few exceptions (Sonneville-Bordes 1958, Bordes
1981), the crude stratigraphic descriptions, combined with the bad reputation of Hauser in
France, partially motivated by political and nationalistic issues (see Boule 1923:189-190
for an example), raised strong doubts, especially among archaeologists, about its
attribution to the Châtelperronian and relevance to the question of modern human origins
(Henri-Martin 1961; Leroi-Gourhan 1965; Delporte 1970; Lévêque and Vandermeersch
1980, 1981; Vandermeersch 1984, see comments after Thoma 1978). The skull, thought
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