The work of the commission focuses on the Lower Palaeolithic period in Africa and Eurasia. Its objective is to foster collaboration among teams and researchers to invigorate the field, promote publications, and organize workshops.
The commission is devoted to the study of the Lower Palaeolithic, including assemblages attesting the practice of bifacial technology, in Africa and Eurasia, between 1.8 Ma and 200 ka ago. In regard to new discoveries over the course of the two last decades, the aim of this commission is to develop relationships between teams and researchers to invigorate the field and to encourage publications and workshops. The commission brings together specialists in lithic technology and faunal remains, based on fieldwork at major sites currently under excavation.
In terms of its geographical extension and cultural variability, the Lower Palaeolithic of Africa, Asia and Europe exhibits diverse cultural expressions shaped by different environmental contexts and chronologies. Various hominins (i.e. Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo antecessor…) and cultural traditions have coexisted or succeeded one another during this period. The commission aims to explore the variability of Lower Palaeolithic cultural traditions across different spatial and temporal scales, with a focus on the potential interaction between humans and climatic or environmental conditions.
