Ezra Zubrow, Francoise Audouze & James G. Enloe (ed.). The Magdalenian household: unraveling domesticity.

Pettitt, Paul

EZRA ZUBROW, FRANCOISE AUDOUZE & JAMES G. ENLOE (ed.). The Magdalenian household: unraveling domesticity, x+335 pages, 123 figures, 24 tables. 2010. Albany (NY): State University of New York Press; 978-1-4384-3367-7 hardback $75; 978-1-4384-3366-0 paperback $29.95.

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The well-preserved Late Upper Palaeolithic sites of the Paris Basin have been justifiably famous since the 1960s, and from the 1980s these have been joined by equally well-preserved sites in western Switzerland. Meticulous excavation, recording and analysis of Pincevent, Verberie, Etiolles and Marsangy on the one hand and Monruz and Champreveyres on the other have resulted in an impressive understanding of the domestic organisation of these camps and kill/butchery sites during the Lateglacial Interstadial, broadly c. 15 000-13 000 cal BP. Eighteen specialist chapters in this volume--the result of a conference held in France in 2005--reveal the extent to which technological, faunal and spatial analyses of the sites, informed by appropriate ethnographic observations, unlock the organisation of domestic activities on these sites and reveal new aspects of domesticity such as the gendered division of labour and the social practice of sharing. The book should be required reading for anyone with an interest in Upper Palaeolithic behaviour and the evolution of the use of space.

In recent years early and late Azilian and post-Azilian (Belloisian) sites have been added to the number of Late Magdalenian sites of the Paris Basin, providing the opportunity to examine diachronic change in site organisation. Although the establishment of a precise chronology is hampered by a radiocarbon plateau in this period, similarities and developments between the sites suggest a phasing, in which horse rises to equal reindeer in the later sites and significant changes occur. Early Azilian sites appear to have been organised in ways similar to Late Magdalenian ones, with large groups and behaviours structured around hearths, whereas later Azilian sites lack spatial focus and may have been occupied by much smaller groups, perhaps individual family units. The former are more numerous, and reflect the repeated use of the same location for reindeer exploitation during their autumn migrations. The papers provide excellent summaries of these sites and their materials (Bodu, Enloe & Audouze, Cattin), faunal analysis (Enloe), spatial patterning and materials (Keeler, Audouze, Dumarcay & Caron), technology and its social ramifications (Janny, Averbouh, Pigeot, Keeley, Beyries & Rots), processes of sharing and social inequality (Zubrow), textile production (Sofrer & Adovasio) and ethnographic observations of reindeer processing (David, Karlin & D'Lachenko). Core aspects of the gendered division of labour and its implications for social inequality and the archaeological representation of killing, butchery and crafts is central to all.

Five Magdalenian sites and one Azilian form the focus of the book's analyses, a large number focusing on the Late Magdalenian level II-1 ofVerberie, a substantial primary kill and butchery site some 400[m.sup.2] in extent. Here, activities were organised around two hearths 8m apart, separated by a large dump. Several flint knapping areas are associated with each, revealing intensively used activity areas; the technological and microwear analysis of the flint reveals in great detail the locations and interrelatedness of specific activities. At least 40 reindeer were exploited in level II-1, and the dominance of low-utility and lack of high-utility parts identifies it as a kill/butchery site. By contrast, the presence of high-utility parts at Pincevent mark it out as a domestic camp. At both sites hearths functioned either as domestic foci (for various activities usually distributed asymmetrically around them) or as peripheral foci (for specialised tasks) and, as in the Swiss sites of Monruz and Champreveyres (both linked by refitting lithics), 'male' and 'female' activities mixed in complex spatial patterns which reflect sequential 'access' to the peripheries of hearths and activities further away.

Observations of butchery practices among several Siberian reindeer herding groups--remarkably similar despite subtle inter-group differences--reveal that empty circles on the archaeological sites are butchery circles where the carcass was divided for further sharing. Strong rules govern such sharing in Siberia, and refitting of reindeer bones between several activity areas shows that rule-bound sharing probably occurred at Pincevent. By contrast the clustering of meat-bearing elements in a dump area at Verberie suggests that more cooperative processing took place at this kill site, and probably represents a brief, highly-organised butchery event with only 'snacking' among the (probably male) butchers prior to the removal of carcass parts for consumption elsewhere. In Siberia the autumn hunt is a communal affair for which many people aggregate, governed by complex rules of sharing aimed at the procurement of storable meat for the winter through the organisation of mass kills. This is a very appropriate model for processing sites such as Verberie and associated camps like Pincevent.

There is much subtlety in the detailed analyses of this book, fully justifying the effort spent in interpreting these immaculately preserved sites. The goals of the project are at the heart of why Andre Leroi-Gourhan began excavating at Pincevent in the first place. He would have every reason to be proud of this legacy, one in which the people of the Palaeolithic come to the fore, not as the hot air of archaeological theorising over 'the individual' but as real people, preserved forever in the remains of their very domesticity.

PAUL PETTITT

Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, UK

(Email: p.pettitt@sheffield.ac.uk)