Léon Henri-Martin (1864–1936) was a French physician turned pioneering prehistoric archaeologist whose work significantly advanced understanding of the Middle Paleolithic in Western Europe. Although trained as an anatomist, he devoted much of his time between 1905 and World War I to systematic excavations at the La Quina site in southwestern France, where he exposed deep stratigraphic deposits containing Mousterian and Aurignacian artifacts—crucial to reconstructing prehistoric lifeways. Henri-Martin’s meticulous work uncovered abundant stone and bone tools, and he was among the first to analyze bone retouchers and butchery marks, laying groundwork in what would become archaeozoology and taphonomy. He identified and classified intensively worked Mousterian tools, coining the term Moustérienne perfectionée to capture their increasing complexity over time, and thereby highlighted improvements in Neanderthal toolmaking.
In 1911 he discovered a Neanderthal skeleton at La Quina, which he carefully excavated, described, and reconstructed—although his anatomical interpretations reflected contemporary perspectives. Beyond fieldwork, Henri-Martin established a laboratory at La Quina, welcomed visiting researchers, and helped foster international prehistoric research. Through collaborations such as with Charles Peabody, he influenced the creation of the American School of Prehistoric Research, helping expand scientific engagement with Old World Paleolithic collections and methods.