Pech de l'Azé IV - Layer I2
In Bordes’ own words, the assemblages from I1 and I2 are, “esthétiquement parlant, la plus belle [industrie] du site,” and present a very different kind of industry from the underlying Asinipodian. Here scrapers are the dominant tool, Levallois production is moderate, and the flakes and tools have the largest dimensions of any in the Pech IV sequence. Among the scrapers, there are many more of the more reduced convergent and transverse types than in other assemblages of the site. Although the hiatus between the upper J levels and Layer I suggests some length of time between the deposition of these two units, the fact remains that it represents a extreme shift in terms of tool production relative to flake production and in terms of artifact dimension. Whether this relates to a change in raw material availability at the site, a significant change in the use of the site, or some other factor remains to be determined.
