La Quina

a multilayered Paleolithic site on the left bank of the Voultron River, 25 km south of the city of Angoulême, Charente Department, France. It was excavated by the French archaeologists H. Martin (from 1905) and J. Henri-Martin (from 1953). The bones of more than 20 late Neanderthal individuals were found in the layers of the middle and end of the Mousterian period (radiocarbon dating puts it at 55,000–35,000 years ago). Also found were numerous flint tools and various remains of man’s household activities (stone spheres, or bolas, and bones of animals with traces left by flint tools and weapons.) A special variant of the Mousterian culture in France (Moustier Quina, or the Charente culture) characterized by the abundance of carefully fashioned oval flint side-scrapers has been identified from the articles found at La Quina.