Books by Jean-Marc Pétillon
La conquête de la montagne : des premières occupations humaines à l'anthropisation du milieu, 2019
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La conquête de la montagne : des premières occupations humaines à l'anthropisation du milieu, 2019
Les montagnes sont souvent perçues comme des espaces peu et tardivement peuplés, en marge des gra... more Les montagnes sont souvent perçues comme des espaces peu et tardivement peuplés, en marge des grands axes d’échanges. Cependant, les recherches récentes ne cessent de faire reculer dans le temps et augmenter en altitude les plus anciennes traces de présence humaine en milieu montagnard. De nombreuses études environnementales et archéologiques ont permis de mieux appréhender les différentes modalités de la gestion des milieux montagnards par les populations pré- et protohistoriques. Du Paléolithique à l’âge du Bronze, au travers d’exemples d’occupations dans les Pyrénées, les Alpes, le Jura, le Massif central et le Morvan, les textes réunis dans cet ouvrage envisagent la montagne comme territoire d’approvisionnement , territoire culturel et territoire d’échange. Le Congrès national des sociétés historiques et scientifiques rassemble chaque année universitaires, membres de sociétés savantes et jeunes chercheurs. Ce recueil est issu de travaux présentés lors du 142e Congrès sur le thème « Circulations montagnardes, circulations européennes ».
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Magdalenian: chronology, evolution, osseous tech by Jean-Marc Pétillon
Supplementary information 2 for the article "2023_Petillon_et_al_CPF_Magd_Aquit"
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Supplementary information 1 for the article "2023_Petillon_et_al_CPF_Magd_Aquit"
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Hiatus, lacunes et absences : identifier et interpréter les vides archéologiques. Actes du 29e Congrès préhistorique de France, 2023
Previous studies of Magdalenian 14C dates (ca. 19.5-13.5 cal. ka BP) in the western Aquitaine bas... more Previous studies of Magdalenian 14C dates (ca. 19.5-13.5 cal. ka BP) in the western Aquitaine basin have found a disparity in continuity of occupation between the northern part of this western basin (Gironde) and the southern part (western Pyrenees), with a lack of occupation in the northern part ca. 17.5-15.5 cal. ka BP (corresponding to the Late Middle Magdalenian), interpreted as a local depopulation episode triggered by environmental factors. Here we expand on that research to see whether this pattern holds on a wider geographic scale. We compiled a corpus of 373 14C AMS dates from the five sub-regions of the Aquitaine basin. Results confirm that other northern regions (Vienne and Charente) are also virtually devoid of occupation between 17.5 cal. ka BP and 15.5 cal. ka BP, and that the northeast of the basin (Dordogne and Lot) also shows a decline in the number of occupations at that same period, although we do evoke the possibility that this pattern might be due partly to sampling biases. Our results show that the western Pyrenees pattern of continuous occupation holds true also for the southeastern part of the basin (central Pyrenees). Other areas (Centre east) are more difficult to interpret, largely because of the lack of 14C data. These findings lead us to reconsider some previously held tenets about the demography of the Aquitaine basin after the LGM: for instance, the role of the basin as a base for post-LGM population movements towards more northern regions of Europe; and the interpretation of some Pyrenean sites as “aggregation sites”. We end by proposing some avenues for further testing of these various scenarios.
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Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, 2023
OPEN ACCESS PREPRINT: https://hal.science/hal-04177481v1
The Magdalenian site of Courbet cave in ... more OPEN ACCESS PREPRINT: https://hal.science/hal-04177481v1
The Magdalenian site of Courbet cave in the Aveyron valley is renowned for a significant contribution to the nineteenth century debate about human antiquity and an outstanding set of engraved and sculpted artworks. The typological content of the assemblage nevertheless remained poorly known, making it difficult to assess the place of Courbet cave within Magdalenian settlements of south-western France. This paper presents a review of over 1300 pieces of osseous industry recovered during the main excavation led by the Vicomte de Lastic in 1863-64 and now curated at the British Museum. The assemblage composition corroborates the attribution of most of the collection to an Upper Magdalenian characterised by the prevalence of double bevel base points primarily decorated on the lateral faces, numerous barbed implements, and half-round rods decorated with a new variety of engravings. An earlier component includes single bevel base points and typical artworks documented in Middle Magdalenian layers at other sites. Locally, the osseous assemblage from Courbet cave bears a strong resemblance to that from Fontalès and there is abundant evidence of contacts beyond the Aveyron valley. While some representations are indicative of close connections to the Pyrenean and North Aquitaine areas, the actual movement of some objects over long distances is confirmed by the unexpected identification of two artefacts made of whale bone imported from the Atlantic coast. This finding clearly shows the Magdalenian inhabitants of the Aveyron valley were part of wider networks.
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Préhistoire : nouvelles frontières, 2023
Au Paléolithique récent, les matières osseuses sont un support privilégié de l'invention de nouv... more Au Paléolithique récent, les matières osseuses sont un support privilégié de l'invention de nouvelles formes. Deux exemples (pointe barbelée, propulseur) en sont présentés ici. Aborder ces innovations dans une perspective d'histoire comparée des techniques est une démarche classique mais qui reste, pour l'archéologie préhistorique, un programme de recherche central, aujourd'hui aidé de nouvelles méthodes d'analyse.
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La Grotte-abri de Peyrazet (Creysse, Lot, France) au Magdalénien. Originalité fonctionnelle d’un habitat des derniers chasseurs de rennes du Quercy, 2021
Étude technotypologique de l'industrie en matières osseuses du Magdalénien supérieur de la grotte... more Étude technotypologique de l'industrie en matières osseuses du Magdalénien supérieur de la grotte-abri de Peyrazet (Creysse, Lot)
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Quaternary International, 2015
During the Tardiglacial, the significant changes in plant communities relating to climate changes... more During the Tardiglacial, the significant changes in plant communities relating to climate changes were responsible for faunal recompositions perceptible throughout Europe. In this article, by comparing all the AMS radiocarbon dates obtained on reindeer bone and the faunal communities derived from bone assemblages dated between ca. 19,000 cal BP and 11,700 cal BP, we examine the disappearance of reindeer from the southwest of France. The new dating shows that the species disappeared slightly earlier in the Pyrenees, at ca. 14,000 cal BP, than in the northern Aquitaine where reindeer remained until ca. 13,800 cal BP. In the southwest of France, the natural range of reindeer began to fragment very early, from the Bølling period, and by the end of the GI-1e only residual reindeer populations remained in the Dordogne. These results are consistent with those observed throughout the rest of France and Switzerland, where reindeer also disappeared at the GI-1e/GI-1ca transition. Further north (Belgium, Germany, and Denmark), the species found favourable conditions for its development throughout the GS-1. In England, reindeer remained present until the beginning of the Holocene at very low latitudes compared to what has been observed on the continent. These results clearly illustrate the gradual withdrawal of reindeer towards the north and east of Europe and probably the local extinction of reindeer in Britain.
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What about Bordes and de Sonneville-Bordes' Azilianisation model after thirty years of archae... more What about Bordes and de Sonneville-Bordes' Azilianisation model after thirty years of archaeology? At the end of the 1970's F. Bordes and D. de Sonneville Bordes proposed the progressive Azilianisation model for Tardiglacial human populations in Dordogne Valley based on the sites of Morin and Gare-de-Couze. More recent excavations of key series such as Pont d'Ambon by Guy Ce le rier or Bois Ragot by Andre Chollet contrasted with this paradigm by characterizing an internal Azilian phasing with no Magdalenian elements. As part of the ANR Magdatis project, we reassessed the emblematic series of Morin in order to test the model advanced by F. Bordes and D. de Sonneville-Bordes in 1979. Abri Morin (Gironde, France) was excavated by Deffarge at the end of the 1950s. The site stratigraphy proposed by Deffarge consists of two main units (A and B). The lower unit B is divided into two levels, BII and BI. Unit A is divided into four levels (AIV at the base to AI at the top). The ...
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PaleoAnthropology, 2019
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"In south-western France, between 18,000 and 14,000 calBP, socio-economic changes are evident in ... more "In south-western France, between 18,000 and 14,000 calBP, socio-economic changes are evident in several spheres of Magdalenian hunter-gatherer activities which brought with them an array of transformations in osseous and lithic tools. Targeted prey species, although still dominated by ungulates, also show an evolution during a period that was marked by significant climatic and environmental changes that can be correlated with cultural developments. Changes in procurement strategies and new patterns in osseous and lithic weaponry are accompanied by the maintenance of social networks across large regions, while at the same time there appears to be a geographic contraction of groups within regional procurement networks. Ungulates remain the primary prey species but are supplemented by small game. While it is important to evaluate the forces driving behind technological and socio-economic processes through time, cultural evolution within each techno-complex ought to be accounted for as well. In order to evaluate these internal developments, a more precise radiometric framework is necessary, which integrates studies of osseous and lithic technology with available archaeozoological data. This contribution presents the first results of such an undertaking based on a higher-resolution seriation of technological innovations and their implications in hunting activities. The rhythm of change appears to be complex and nonlinear, and it highlights the innovative nature of Magdalenian weaponry. These rapidchanges, with respect to the Upper Paleolithic as a whole, provide insight into the impact of social
interactions as cultural stimulation, as well as how resource availability and human demography functioned as factors of changes."
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"À coup d’éclats !" La fracturation des matières osseuses en Préhistoire., 2018
The exclusive use of fracturing techniques is well established in the antler industries of numero... more The exclusive use of fracturing techniques is well established in the antler industries of numerous Upper Palaeolithic cultures (Aurignacian, Gravettian, Solutrean, Badegoulian). During the Magdalenian period (21–14 ka cal. BP) antler blanks production seems to be fully dominated by the double groove procedure (DGP). However, there are indications suggesting that fracturing techniques did not completely disappear. Recent discoveries of debitage by fracturing during the Last Glacial Maximum in South-Western Europe (Solutrean, Badegoulian) have prompted us to question here the possible persistence of fracturing techniques during the Magdalenian. Based on both first-hand studies of assemblages and a survey of bibliographic sources, this initial inventory shows that nine assemblages from the northern part of the Aquitaine Basin up to Valencia, attributed to the Middle and Upper Magdalenian (19–14 ka cal. BP), yielded traces of debitage by fracturing (Bourrouilla US2007 CC—or E—and F, Isturitz I/F1, Enlène SF, Bora Gran, Cendres, Rochereil 2, Peyrazet 4-5, Murat V/Vn/VI). With generally few occurrences per assemblage, debitage by fracturing remains a limited phenomenon compared to the dominant debitage produced by grooving. Only the assemblages from Cendres and Bora Gran, located on the Mediterranean Iberian coast (the latter being the most significant for this period), do not follow this pattern. Two operational schemes have been proposed: the progressive reduction of a block by successive flake removal (Isturitz I/F1, Peyrazet 4-5 and perhaps Bora Gran) and splitting sometimes carried out on an anvil (Bora Gran, Isturitz I/F1). Despite the difficulty of incorporating these elements into a consistent techno-economic system, the few finished objects identified that were manufactured by fracturing (Isturitz I/F1, Peyrazet 4-5 and possibly Murat V/Vn/VI) provide insights into the co-occurrence of these types of debitage with the production of a minimally shaped toolkit (wedges, pressure tools). Renewed interest over the last few years in antler debitage by fracturing, which falls squarely within this session of the Société préhistorique française, sheds new light on the position of fracturing techniques which, ultimately, persist throughout the Upper Palaeolithic/Epipalaeolithic sequence in south-western Europe. The paradigm that tended to limit these practices to distinct techno-complexes no longer fits the current state of research: fracturing techniques were an integral part of thetechnical system of Palaeolithic societies for nearly 30 millennia.
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L'Aquitaine à la fin des temps glaciaires. Les sociétés de la transition du Paléolithique final au début du Mésolithique dans l'espace nord-aquitain, 2018
Dans le cadre du projet Magdatis, nous avons pu réévaluer la série emblématique de l'abri Morin (... more Dans le cadre du projet Magdatis, nous avons pu réévaluer la série emblématique de l'abri Morin (Gironde). Ce gisement, fouillé dans les années 1950 par R. Deffarge, est célèbre pour sa richesse en oeuvres d'art mais aussi pour ses industries lithique et osseuse et sa faune aussi abondante que diversifiée. La séquence archéologique du Morin semblait accréditer le modèle d'azilianisation progressive des populations humaines du Tardiglaciaire dans la vallée de la Dordogne proposé par F. Bordes et D. de Sonneville-Bordes. Ces auteurs privilégiaient en effet l'hypothèse d'un enrichissement en éléments aziliens au sein d'industries attribuées au Magdalénien final. Ce paradigme d'une azilianisation interne au Magdalénien s'oppose à celui défendu aujourd'hui grâce aux données acquises par G. Célérier lors de ses travaux au Pont-d'Ambon et confirmées par les fouilles menées au Bois-Ragot sur la base de la caractérisation d'une phase ancienne de l'Azilien, dépourvue d'éléments magdaléniens. La réévaluation des faunes et du matériel lithique et la réalisation de datations radiocarbone sur vestiges fauniques déterminés et industrie osseuse nous permettent de proposer une critique du scénario établi il y plus de trente ans pour ce site. Nos résultats montrent ainsi que les subdivisions stratigraphiques établies par R. Deffarge ne peuvent être retenues et que, dès lors, l'enrichissement progressif du Magdalénien en éléments aziliens relèverait plus de facteurs taphonomiques que de facteurs culturels. Jusqu'ici considérée comme appartenant à un Magdalénien final, l'archéostratigraphie supérieure du Morin devait être beaucoup plus dilatée, renfermant non seulement des occupations de différentes phases de l'Azilien mais aussi du Laborien.
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Animal symbolisé, animal exploité : du Paléolithique à la Protohistoire, 2018
Le renne, Rangifer tarandus, tout comme les autres gibiers des chasseurs-collecteurs paléolithiqu... more Le renne, Rangifer tarandus, tout comme les autres gibiers des chasseurs-collecteurs paléolithiques, fournit potentiellement de multiples matières premières à usage alimentaire, technique ou symbolique. Par une étude pluridisciplinaire des restes fauniques issus de l’ensemble Magdalénien supérieur de la grotte-abri de Peyrazet, nous nous sommes attachés à reconstituer la chaîne opératoire d’exploitation globale de cette espèce, gibier de prédilection des chasseurs-collecteurs ayant occupé ce site il y a 15000 ans. Le profil squelettique dominé par les extrémités de pattes pourrait suggérer une introduction complémentaire de peaux – en plus des quartiers de carcasses – qui serait en lien avec certaines activités réalisées sur le site. Les traces anthropogènes, nombreuses et variées, indiquent une exploitation de viande, de moelle et de matières dures provenant du renne. La mise en évidence d’un schéma opératoire complet de production d’aiguilles sur os ainsi que la présence d’éléments de parure, principalement des incisives sciées, soutient l’hypothèse que, à côté d’un panel d’activités variées, des objets ou des vêtements ont été confectionnés voire décorés sur place.
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Préhistoire du Sud-Ouest, 2017
La collection dite "de a Cave à Endives" (CàE ; ou collection David), mêlant industries lithiques... more La collection dite "de a Cave à Endives" (CàE ; ou collection David), mêlant industries lithiques, osseuses, élément de parure et faune, fut constituée par André David dans les environs de la grotte du Pech Merle dont il est l'inventeur. Après sa redécouverte au tout début des années 1990 et la publication d'une note concernant l'anneau ouvert en bois de renne qu'elle renferme, cette série, alors reliée à un gisement potentiellement situé au "Pech-Del-Mas", fit l’objet quelques années plus tard d’un premier article de synthèse. Ce travail, très essentiellement basé sur l'étude de l'industrie osseuse, permit à P. Raux et J.-L. Piel-Desruisseaux de discuter de l'homogénéité du matériel recueilli et d'émettre une première proposition d'attribution chronoculturelle (i. e. Magdalénien ancien ou moyen). À la fin des années 2000, en marge de l'étude du matériel lithique post-solutréen de la grotte voisine du Petit Cloup Barrat (PCB), un rapide diagnostic de la composante lithique de la "Cave à Endives" révéla la grande proximité litho-typo-technologique du matériel issu des deux assemblages. Renforcée par l'existence, au Petit Cloup Barrat, de sondages antérieurs aux fouilles actuelles et partiellement attribués à A. David, l'hypothèse d’une origine commune se devait d'être discutée. Ainsi, dans le cadre du PCR "SaM", une réévaluation de l'intégralité de la collection fut entreprise et assortie de plusieurs datations 14C sur objets finis et déchets techniques en bois de renne. Le présent article détaille les principaux résultats de ce travail collectif, résultats qui viennent compléter, et dans certains cas nuancer, les interprétations proposées jusqu'ici.
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Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, Sep 30, 2015
Le Roc de Marcamps (Prignac-et-Marcamps, Gironde) est un site du Magdalénien moyen connu notam-me... more Le Roc de Marcamps (Prignac-et-Marcamps, Gironde) est un site du Magdalénien moyen connu notam-ment par la découverte de nombreuses navettes dans les fouilles anciennes du secteur 1. Les travaux menés par Michel Lenoir dans le secteur 2 durant les années 1980 n'ont pas livré ce type de marqueur osseux mais un ensemble de vestiges attribués également à cette période. Plusieurs dates radiocarbone raisonnées placent ce gisement autour de 18900-18600 cal. BP, soit lors des premiers temps du Magdalénien moyen. Cette phase de transition apparaît synchrone de l'événement climatique d'Heinrich 1 marquant une péjoration climatique avec des conditions froides et steppiques. Elle se caractérise en outre par d'importants changements techno-économiques ou symboliques. À l'interface des « faciès » à navettes, à pointes de Lussac-Angles ou à lamelles scalènes, le Roc de Marcamps 2, et plus largement la Gironde, occupe une place privilégiée pour la compréhension de la mosaïque géoculturelle structurant la genèse du Magdalénien moyen. Dans le cadre d'une révision collective du gisement par des membres du projet « Magdatis », cet article présente une approche croisée, détaillant les analyses taphonomiques et archéozoologiques des restes de faune (ongulés, méso-mammifères et avifaune) ainsi que les études typotechnologiques des industries lithique et osseuse et de la parure. La stratigraphie du Roc de Marcamps 2 comprend un ensemble supérieur mêlant dépôts récents, déblais de carrières, céra-miques et vestiges paléolithiques brassés par des animaux fouisseurs. L'ensemble inférieur apparaît mieux conservé et renferme les vestiges magdaléniens. Les restes fauniques documentent une chasse principalement axée sur les bisons, les antilopes saïga, les chevaux et les rennes durant la mauvaise saison et au début de la bonne saison. L'exploitation de ces ressources animales est intensive et orientée vers la récupération de la moelle en complément de la viande. L'étude des matières premières siliceuses, préférentiellement d'origine locale, atteste toutefois un apport de silex de Saintonge (silex « grain-de-mil »). La production lithique est principalement composée de débitages lamellaires voués à la confection d'éléments d'armatures de chasse. Le débitage laminaire fournit des supports normalisés pour la fabrication d'outils. L'industrie en matières dures d'origine animale est assez pauvre et comprend un équipement en os (aiguilles, lissoirs, retouchoirs) et en bois de renne (essentiellement des armatures de projectile) ainsi que des éléments de parure sur coquillages (en majorité des dentales) et sur dents (en majorité des incisives de renne sciées). L'étude typotechnologique des industries lithique et osseuse et de la parure suggère des rapprochements tant avec le « Magdalénien à navettes » qu'avec le « Magdalénien à pointes de Lussac-Angles », deux faciès dont le Roc de Marcamps 2 est contemporain. Ceci doit conduire à s'interroger sur la pertinence de l'utilisation de ces faciès pour définir des « cultures exclusives » qui finalement se recouvrent chronologiquement et géographiquement, notamment en Gironde.
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Books by Jean-Marc Pétillon
Magdalenian: chronology, evolution, osseous tech by Jean-Marc Pétillon
The Magdalenian site of Courbet cave in the Aveyron valley is renowned for a significant contribution to the nineteenth century debate about human antiquity and an outstanding set of engraved and sculpted artworks. The typological content of the assemblage nevertheless remained poorly known, making it difficult to assess the place of Courbet cave within Magdalenian settlements of south-western France. This paper presents a review of over 1300 pieces of osseous industry recovered during the main excavation led by the Vicomte de Lastic in 1863-64 and now curated at the British Museum. The assemblage composition corroborates the attribution of most of the collection to an Upper Magdalenian characterised by the prevalence of double bevel base points primarily decorated on the lateral faces, numerous barbed implements, and half-round rods decorated with a new variety of engravings. An earlier component includes single bevel base points and typical artworks documented in Middle Magdalenian layers at other sites. Locally, the osseous assemblage from Courbet cave bears a strong resemblance to that from Fontalès and there is abundant evidence of contacts beyond the Aveyron valley. While some representations are indicative of close connections to the Pyrenean and North Aquitaine areas, the actual movement of some objects over long distances is confirmed by the unexpected identification of two artefacts made of whale bone imported from the Atlantic coast. This finding clearly shows the Magdalenian inhabitants of the Aveyron valley were part of wider networks.
interactions as cultural stimulation, as well as how resource availability and human demography functioned as factors of changes."
The Magdalenian site of Courbet cave in the Aveyron valley is renowned for a significant contribution to the nineteenth century debate about human antiquity and an outstanding set of engraved and sculpted artworks. The typological content of the assemblage nevertheless remained poorly known, making it difficult to assess the place of Courbet cave within Magdalenian settlements of south-western France. This paper presents a review of over 1300 pieces of osseous industry recovered during the main excavation led by the Vicomte de Lastic in 1863-64 and now curated at the British Museum. The assemblage composition corroborates the attribution of most of the collection to an Upper Magdalenian characterised by the prevalence of double bevel base points primarily decorated on the lateral faces, numerous barbed implements, and half-round rods decorated with a new variety of engravings. An earlier component includes single bevel base points and typical artworks documented in Middle Magdalenian layers at other sites. Locally, the osseous assemblage from Courbet cave bears a strong resemblance to that from Fontalès and there is abundant evidence of contacts beyond the Aveyron valley. While some representations are indicative of close connections to the Pyrenean and North Aquitaine areas, the actual movement of some objects over long distances is confirmed by the unexpected identification of two artefacts made of whale bone imported from the Atlantic coast. This finding clearly shows the Magdalenian inhabitants of the Aveyron valley were part of wider networks.
interactions as cultural stimulation, as well as how resource availability and human demography functioned as factors of changes."
Magdalenian has breathed new life into research concerning the emergence of Magdalenian societies in Western Europe. Moreover,
the initial phase of the Middle Magdalenian, or ‘Early Middle Magdalenian’ or EMM, plays a unique role for our understanding of the
Late Paleolithic given converging technological, economic and symbolic changes and innovations. Such developments are reflected,
for example, in individual burials (e.g. Saint-Germain-la-Rivière, Laugerie-Basse, Lafaye, Chancelade…), rockshelters with friezes of sculpted animals (e.g. Roc-aux-Sorciers, Chaire-à-Calvin…), development of human representations (engraved slabs, decorations on
bone and antler implements). Historically, this period has been characterised by different ‘facies’ defined by the presence of particular
objects: the Magdalenian with Lussac-Angles points, the Magdalenian with navettes or the Magdalenian with scalene bladelets.
The distribution of these three so-called entities of the EMM overlaps from the Poitou to the Périgord, and especially in the Gironde,
which is the subject of the present work. Building on the work of M. Lenoir, the re-evaluation of several assemblages North of the Sable
des Landes as part of the ‘Magdatis’ Project has revitalised questions concerning the characterisation of EMM lithic and osseous implements
as well as the regional demography of these groups. In addition to revising the ‘classic’ assemblages assigned to the Magdalenian
with navettes — Roc-de-Marcamps (original collections) — the analysis was expanded to included Saint-Germain-la-Rivière (Blanchard
Collection and Trécolle excavations), Moulin-Neuf (Lenoir excavations), Roc-de-Marcamps 1 and 2 (Lenoir excavations) and the Grotte
des Fées (Daleau Collection). While clearly biased by differing excavation methods, this database nevertheless allows varying techno-
economic behaviours reflected in the composition of the flint and osseous industries from sites attributed to the different entities
of the EMM to be addressed. The identification of Lussac-Angles points at the Grotte des Fées, located just above Roc-de-Marcamps
(Magdalenian with navettes), opened the debate concerning the contemporaneity of these two sites.
New radiocarbon dates obtained on diagnostic objects (Lussac-Angles points, ‘navette’, pierced phallic batons) and identifiable faunal
material (reindeer, saïga, bison) and human remains demonstrate some degree of contemporaneity between the different EMM entities.
Beyond the presence or absence of particular objects, comparing data from lithic and osseous industries in terms of the organisation of
the chaînes opératoires for the production of domestic tools and hunting weaponry revealed elements common to the different entities,
suggesting a relative cultural permeability. Additionally, new data concerning the circulation of lithic raw materials further reinforces the
idea of dynamic cultural interactions between the valley of the Cher, the Poitou, the Charentes, the Périgord and the Chalosse, exposing for
the first time a north-south axis of communication. Comparisons of lithic and osseous material from several assemblages dated to approximately
19 and 17,5 ky cal. BP thanks to a series of targeted radiocarbon dates has allowed traits particular to the EMM of southwestern
France to be identified. Future research goals include better understanding this important period which, while clearly marked by ideas from
the Lower Magdalenian, sees an acceleration in the emergence of the ‘classic’ Magdalenian. This general increase in the pace of cultural
innovations is clear both in symbolic manifestations as well as techno-economic changes. The integration of these different data forms
should help refine the mechanisms underlying the development of a Pan-European Palaeolithic culture with distinct regional variations.
The fragment of antler spearthrower was found at the bottom of layer 7 (fig. 1-4). It is 57 mm long, 13 mm wide and 9.5 m thick, with a curved profile in the distal part. Its upper side shows a longitudinal gutter, 5 mm wide and 1 mm deep, ending in a short spur (fig. 5). The presence of this “gutter and spur” system to hold the projectile in place is characteristic of “type 1” spearthrowers—i.e., “mixed type” or “androgynous” spearthrowers, as opposed to male and female types. The upper face is decorated with 4 longitudinal striae and the morphology of the proximal fracture suggests breakage during use.
Layer 7 yielded 6 other objects that can unquestionably, probably or possibly classified as fragments of antler spearthrowers (fig. 6). Two specimens belong to type 3 (decorated with an herbivore fore-end, usually a horse, integrated in to the general shape of the shaft) and one can be related to type 4 (decorated with an “in the round” figure, or ronde-bosse, protruding from the shaft). The material, dimensions and morphology of the last 3 objects are compatible with an identification as spearthrower fragments, without certainty. None is typologically or morphologically compatible with the androgynous specimen.
Outside the specimen from Gazel, only 3 androgynous spearthrowers are known in the European Upper Paleolithic. The specimen from Isturitz (fig. 7) dates to the LMM but is morphologically very different from the object found at Gazel, and its identification as spearthrower remains debated. Conversely, the specimen from Laugerie-Basse (fig. 8-9), found in the 1860s and deprived of any precise archeological context, is very similar to the object from Gazel: it was made from an antler tine, shows a “gutter and spur” system, has a curved profile in the distal part, and is decorated with striae. The specimen from Le Flageolet II (fig. 10) was found out of context but very probably comes from layer IX, which is 14C-dated to the Middle Magdalenian (probably the LMM according to its lithic industries). Made of bone, it is also very similar to the Gazel and Laugerie-Basse specimens: it has a “gutter and spur” system, a slightly curved distal profile, and a decoration mostly made of carved incisions.
While type 1 spearthrowers had no precise chronological attribution so far, the identification of the androgynous spearthrower from Gazel firmly places this type within the LMM, between 17.5 and 17 cal ka BP according to the 14C data from layer 7. This discovery also extends the distribution area of type 1 spearthrowers outside the Périgord to the Montagne Noire, thus adding to the list of evidence for long-distance contacts in this region during the Magdalenian.
The attribution of type 1 spearthrowers to the LMM reinforces the idea that this period constitutes, at the scale of the whole Magdalenian, the peak of technical and stylistic variation for this type of weapon. It is yet another example of the technical inventiveness visible in weapon design during this period, and which represents the culmination of a long-term trend starting in the beginning of the Magdalenian.
The specimen from Gazel shows small dimensions compared to the ones from Laugerie-Basse and Le Flageolet II (fig. 11). These unusually small dimensions are also found on a few specimens belonging to other types of Magdalenian spearthrowers. The hypothesis that these “miniature” weapons were made for children is admissible but cannot be ascertained.
18,000 cal BP phase (around 15,500-15,000 BP). Depending on the region and the research traditions, this phase has
received many names: Cantabrian Lower Magdalenian, Magdalenian III, Magdalénien à navettes, Magdalenian with
Lussac-Angles points, and the most recent, Early Middle Magdalenian.
prevalence in museum collections is only now becoming visible. Identifying and removing collagen
glue is crucial before the execution of any geochemical or molecular analyses. Palaeolithic bone
objects from old excavations intended for radiocarbon dating were frst analysed using ZooMS
(Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) to identify the animal species, however peaks characteristic
of both cattle and whale were discovered. Two extraction methods for ZooMS were tested to identify
the authentic animal species of these objects, which revealed that these were originally whale bone
objects that had been consolidated with cattle collagen glue. This is the frst time animal collagen glue
has been identifed in archaeological remains with ZooMS, illustrating again the incredible versatility
of this technique. Another technique, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Attenuated Total
Refectance mode (FTIR-ATR), was also tested if it could rapidly identify the presence of collagen
glue in archaeological bone material, which was not the case. Two other cleaning methods were
tested to remove bone glue contamination prior to radiocarbon dating, along with two modifed
collagen extraction methods for ZooMS. These methods were applied to bone blank samples
(FmC= 0.0031 ± 0.0002, (n= 219), 47 336 ± 277 yr BP) that were experimentally consolidated with
collagen glue and to the Palaeolithic bone material (ca. 15 000 and 12 000 yr BP). The experimental
bone blanks produced excellent 14C ages, suggesting the cleaning methods were successful, however
the 14C ages for some of the Palaeolithic material remained too young considering their contextual
age, suggesting that the collagen glue contamination had most likely cross-linked to the authentic
collagen molecule. More research is needed in order to gain a deeper understanding of the occurrence
and elimination of cross-linked collagen-based glues in material from museum collections.
provenant des fouilles de la Salle Monique nous a permis d’identifier cinq vestiges osseux attribuables à un phocidé. Ces restes appartiennent au squelette post-crânien d’au moins
deux individus adultes et portent des traces d’intervention humaine. Leur détermination spécifique n’est pas encore assurée, mais ils se rapportent avec certitude à une espèce de phoque atlantique, peut-être le phoque gris (Halichoerus grypus). Ils sont donc
les témoins d’un territoire d’acquisition large et d’un transport de tout ou partie de carcasses au moins depuis une vallée fluviale, voire depuis le littoral. Ils constituent ainsi une source de réflexion supplémentaire sur les stratégies d’acquisition et de transport des ressources animales au Tardiglaciaire.
Research conducted in the framework of the “SaM” project since 2012 (S. Ducasse and C. Renard coord.) has addressed these issues via the interdisciplinary analysis of a large corpus of data. This corpus is derived from 20 sites located between the Charente, Landes and Aude regions, encompassing the Périgord/Quercy core area (tabl. 1). Depending on the nature of each archaeological context and site type (rockshelter/cave, N=17; open air site, N=3), we have constantly adapted our approach to ensure two basic points: the homogeneity of each studied assemblage (i. e., critical analyses of the stratigraphic sequences) and the availability of a renewed and robust radiometric framework. This last point led us to design a 14C dating program aimed at addressing both “taphonomic” and chronological issues, most notably through the direct dating of culturally diagnostic bone and antler technical waste and tools, whenever possible. From this point, assemblages are studied in a systemic manner that takes into account the entire technical system. Our approach, focused on the techno-economic relationships between the production of “domestic” tools and the production of hunting equipment (sensu Bon, 2009) allows us to discuss and compare the different strategies developed by Solutrean and Badegoulian groups. This, in turn, allows us to identify evolutionary trends. Once examined from a techno- and socio-economic perspective, the newly defined balances are discussed in regards to the changes documented in the symbolic component, thereby reinforcing the cultural significance of the transformations at work and allowing us to place our results in a paleohistorical perspective (sensu Valentin, 2008).
Although the results of the 14C program allow us (1) to define a chronological boundary around 23 kyr cal BP corresponding to a terminus post quem for the Upper Solutrean and (2) to place the Solutrean-to-Badegoulian transition (23.5-23 kyr cal BP) to the GI-2 interstadial (sensu Rasmussen et al., 2014), which was characterized by two abrupt warming events (GI 2.2 and 2.1) with a brief intervening stadial (GS 2.2), there is no local evidence of pronounced environmental changes between Upper Solutrean and Badegoulian - available data from archaeological sites and natural traps indicate, respectively, that the hunted and available fauna were identical. Thus, we can hypothesize that the use of very different hunting implements to procure game within the same or similar environmental contexts was related to more complex cultural factors rather than functional constraints.
Our interdisciplinary study shows that beyond a broad restructuring of the lithic and osseous array of tools, the Solutrean-to-Badegoulian transition is characterized by a significant reconfiguration of the techno-economical management of the productions and tools depending on their functional aim (i.e., “overinvestment” in the production of hunting tools and weapons in the Upper Solutrean versus equal investment regardless of the type of activity during the Badegoulian, notably expressed through a “ramification” of the chaînes opératoires – sensu Bourguignon et al. 2004). This reconfiguration is also expressed through clearly distinct anticipation strategies of needs based on a very distinct spatial-temporal segmentation of the chaînes opératoires, preferentially related to the hunting equipment during the Upper Solutrean, whereas it concerns both domestic and hunting equipment during the Badegoulian. We assume that this opposition between a techno-economical dissociation of needs on the one hand (Upper Solutrean model) and the fact that they are techno-economically intertwined on the other (Badegoulian model) could correspond to an opposition between various levels of the social segmentation of activities. At a broader, inter-site scale, one might well think that this varying degree of segmentation could also explain the perceptible differences relating to the various site types documented for each techno-complex: whereas we observe a possible site “complementarity” during the Upper Solutrean (i.e., lithic production sites, “hunting camps”, “base camps”, etc.) the Badegoulian seems to be characterized by a very similar pattern of occupation at all sites (i. e., occupations characterized by a diverse range of activities).
In the end, if we follow the line of thinking that the changes documented in the management of the lithic and osseous equipment, and more specifically hunting equipment, reflect changes in the groups social organization, all these transformations could reflect not only economical but also socio-symbolical changes (i. e., the various lines of evidence that support the hypothesis of a special sociological status for Solutrean hunters within the groups – see Pelegrin, 2007 and 2013; Renard et Geneste, 2006 – versus the absence of such evidence in the Badegoulian archaeological record). Such socio-symbolical changes are possibly suggested by the results of the ornaments study, which show a typo-technological reorganization between the end of the Solutrean and the Badegoulian that is defined by two coherent and distinct ensembles.
In the wake of the recent work undertaken on Grotte des Scilles (Lespugue, Haute-Garonne) providing the first evidence of Lower Magdalenian settlement in the Pyrenees (second part of the LGM; circa 19.5 ky cal. BP), our research focused on the gorges of the Save. This canyon, carved in the limestone of the Pre-Pyrenees, has recorded a long-term and continuous human occupation thanks to several sequences from caves and rockshelters. In this rich Palaeolithic environment, Abri des Harpons (Lespugue, Haute-Garonne), excavated by R. de Saint-Périer from 1912 to 1930, attracted our attention. Besides layers from the historical periods, it reveals one of the longest Upper Palaeolithic sequences, comprised at least between the Early Solutrean and the Azilian. In the early 2000s the Upper Solutrean industries and faunal remains from layer D were reassessed by two of us (P. F. and C. S. J.-F.) providing new data on the Pyrenean Solutrean but demonstrating at the same time the heterogeneity of the assemblage on typological and radiometric bases. However, while this heterogeneity was circumscribed on a Solutrean scale (from the early to the upper/final phases), the discovery of several “raclettes typiques” raised questions, in addition to 14C dates more or less compatible with a Badegoulian chronology. In 2012, these elements led us to set up a new reassessment project with the aim of 1) evaluating the existence of a Badegoulian component in layer D, 2) carrying out a technological analysis of the Solutrean component to complete the typological and lithological data previously acquired, 3) searching for technological evidence of these two technocomplexes in the osseous industries and 4) renewing the radiometric framework through direct dating of several characteristic antler and bone waste products.
This work allowed us to confirm and enlarge the heterogeneity of the layer D assemblage: the Solutrean remains are clearly associated with Magdalenian, Gravettian and indisputably Badegoulian elements. Although the existing conditions of the Saint-Périer collections are a brake on the precise characterization of this Badegoulian component, these results allow us to contradict the idea that the Pyrenees were a no man’s land for the Badegoulian groups. If the question of the early expressions of this cultural tradition (i. e. Early Badegoulian) cannot be addressed from the Abri des Harpons data, we are now at least able to confirm the frequentation of the Pyrenees by holders of Recent Badegoulian technology as was suggested at Enlène cave (Montesquieu-Avantès, Ariège) in the 1980s through another mixed assemblage. Based on the comparison of the new AMS 14C dates with the most reliable data available in south-western France, we finally propose an alternative archaeostratigraphic framework of the Pyrenean LGM occupations that restores the role of the Badegoulian in regional palaeohistory and demonstrates a significant aging of the end of the Upper Solutrean (circa 23 ky cal. BP). These encouraging results should be supplemented by further analysis and will ultimately allow discussion of the nature and rhythm of the French Solutreo-Badegoulian transition outside the area of the classical definition of these two cultural traditions.
(Actes des rencontres internationales d’archéologie et d’histoire d’Antibes, 35), 442 p.
d’Ossau, en Béarn. Sous leurs observations croisées, l’histoire – ou plutôt les histoires – des estives se dévoilent progressivement. Troupeaux, herbages, forêts, cabanes, fromages mais aussi terres communes ou droits d’usage, partages territoriaux et pratiques de l’espace sont appréhendés dans le temps à la lumière de nouvelles sources et de nouveaux regards. Il s’agit de comprendre des aspects de la culture et du patrimoine encore largement méconnus ainsi que la façon dont la recherche les construit. Richement illustré de photographies, cartes et schémas, cet ouvrage est accessible à un large public.
Intervention de Jean-Marc Pétillon (CNRS, labo TRACES) sur le thème : "Préhistoire de la domination masculine". La grande majorité des sociétés humaines qui ont existé dans le passé ne nous ont pas laissé de documents écrits. Pour reconstituer leurs structures sociales - notamment les rapports de genre - les archéologues ne disposent donc que de traces matérielles : des outils, des œuvres d’art, des bâtiments ou des tombes, traces par définition muettes, partielles et ambivalentes. Peut-on quand même espérer mener une préhistoire du genre, et explorer ainsi les racines historiques de la domination masculine et de la division sexuelle du travail ? Cette présentation tentera de faire un point rapide sur la façon dont les archéologues ont jusqu’ici abordé le problème, et sur ce que l’archéologie peut dire, ou pas, de cette question dans les sociétés humaines les plus anciennes.
Dans le Sud-Ouest de la France, de nouvelles analyses menées sur les équipements lithiques et osseux et un corpus de dates 14C permettent d’aborder la question de la genèse du Magdalénien. Pour le Magdalénien inférieur la révision des séries lithiques et osseuses de l’ensemble inférieur des fouilles Trécolle de Saint-Germain-La Rivière en Gironde permet de préciser les comportements techno-économiques de ces groupes. Des comparaisons sont proposées avec d’autres gisements comme l’abri Gandil à Bruniquel ou les Scilles à Lespugue. Ce « premier » Magdalénien est daté entre environ 21 et 19 ky calBP. De nouveaux résultats obtenus dans le cadre du projet MAGDATIS ont également permis de préciser la définition d’un Magdalénien moyen ancien en Gironde daté entre 19 et 18 ky calBP. Il s’agit notamment des sites de Marcamps et de Moulin Neuf en Gironde mais aussi des ensemble supérieurs provenant d’une part des fouilles Trécolle de Saint-Germain-La Rivière et d’autre part, des fouilles en cours menées au Petit Cloup Barrat dans le Lot. Ces sites alimentent la problématique des premiers temps du Magdalénien classique avec les dits « faciès » à pointes de Lussac-Angles, navettes ou lamelles scalènes.
Cette communication sera donc l’occasion de présenter une nouvelle synthèse revisitant les différents scénarios actuellement envisageables pour comprendre les débuts du Magdalénien. La poursuite des fouilles tant dans les Pyrénées que dans le Quercy livrent aujourd’hui de nouvelles données complémentaires à la révision de séries anciennes. Entre Magdalénien inférieur et Magdalénien moyen ancien, la caractérisation techno-économique des procédés de débitage du bois de cervidé ainsi que la datation directe d’objets diagnostiques mettent en lumière l’existence de traditions techniques distinctes. Parallèlement, la poursuite des recherches sur les équipements lithiques montre des changements techniques. Ces données permettant ainsi de préciser les rythmes de transformation du Magdalénien inférieur et la lente genèse du Magdalénien classique, au travers de nouveaux comportements tant techniques qu’économiques ou symboliques.