La Cotte de St.Brelade is a deep, t-shaped fissure system through the cliffs on the south-east coast of Jersey, infilled with a variety of deposits. The site began accumulating sediments at least 220 000 years ago, and reflects alternating climatic conditions, with sedimentation continuing until after 48 000 years ago. The site was used semi-continuously by Neanderthal groups exploiting the landscapes of the channel river plain throughout this period, only being abandoned when conditions were at their coldest in MIS 6. The Neanderthal occupation of La Cotte can be subdivided into two main phases: the “Saalian layers”, preserved only within the North Ravine of the fissure system (Layers H – 6.1: MIS 7-6) and the “Weichselian layers” (Layers 7.1-11). The “Saalian layers” are emplaced on top of a raised beach and were predominantly excavated by Professor Charles McBurney in the 1960-70s; these layers were truncated by a further marine highstand, correlated with MIS 5e. The latter were excavated by the Societé Jersiaise, Professor R.R. Marrett, and latterly, Father C. Burdo from the late 19th century onwards. These deposits produced Neanderthal teeth, and a fragment of skull. More recently, a downslope continuation of the “Weichselian layers” has been discovered in the West Ravine: being threatened by modern marine erosion during storm events, rescue work has been directed at dating and understanding these deposits, which are the key to reconstructing the “lost” stratigraphy of the Weichselian Levels and the Neanderthal archaeology and fossils contained therein.
The Saalian occupation of La Cotte reflects Neanderthal use of the site during a period of climatic deterioration, ceasing with the deposition of substantial loess deposits during MIS 6. Levallois technology dominates, with most artefacts being made of flint carried into the site from sea bed sources – no flint exists on Jersey today, and the nearest sea bed source is some 20 km north of the site. The site was probably used in many different ways throughout this period; abundant evidence of fire has been recovered from throughout the sequence. During periods of low sea level, the hard architecture of the site would have provided shelter, together with an excellent vantage point out over the now submerged landscapes of the Channel River Valley. The uppermost deposits of the “Saalian sequence” are the best known from the site; Layers 3 and 6 comprise the stacked remains of Woolly Rhino and Mammoth, swiftly sealed by loess. These bones heaps were originally interpreted as the residues of a mass kill – Neanderthals driving mammoth off the cliff to butcher them in the ravines below. However, other possibilities remain to be explored; marine survey conducted during the AHOB project has demonstrated that the landscape surrounding La Cotte is profoundly dissected, and suitable for ambush hunting.
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