Refined dating of Orgnac 3, one of the oldest Levallois assemblages

The site of Orgnac 3 (Central France) is known for its 11 metres thick stratigraphic sequence that encompasses the appearance of Levallois debitage. Originally a cave, the site gradually became a rock shelter and eventually an open-air site. 50,000 stone tools were found, alongside abundant faunal remains and a series of Homo heidelbergensis teeth (from the middle levels). Biostratigraphy places the lower levels (8-3) in MIS-9 and the upper levels (1-2) in MIS-8. A new study in PloS ONE reports on the application of  a new series of U/Th and 40Ar/39Ar methods to refine the dating of the site and come to a better understanding of the emergence of the Middle Palaeolithic (as defined by the onset of Levallois reduction). [...] globalpalaeonews.wordpress.com

Link 3: Nueva datación de Orgnac 3 confirma que el Paleolítico Medio europeo surgió hace 300 ka (B&W2)
han datado de nuevo el yacimiento achelense tardío y Paleolítico Medio Temprano de Orgnac 3 (Mattecarlinque, sur de Ardèche, centro de Francia), donde se ha hallado uno de los ejemplos más antiguos de tecnología Levallois. En los niveles 6, 5b y 5a aparecieron siete dientes asignados a Homo heidelbergensis. Dataciones anteriores habían obtenido resultados erráticos...