Economie des matériaux lithiques en Corse pré- et protohistorique : dynamiques d'exploitations, circulation et diffusion de la rhyolite

The exchanges and mobilities of pre- and protohistoric peoples in the western Mediterranean have been studied for many years, particularly between Corsica, Sardinia, and continental Italy, notably through the analysis of flint and obsidian artefacts. However, the circulation of human groups and raw materials within Corsica itself has been little studied, even though rhyolite, a local volcanic rock, was exploited and spread throughout the island from the beginning of the Neolithic. This raw material has been the focus of few provenance studies to date, and most essentially used macroscopic methods of analysis.In order to make this type of study more efficient, we have developed an analytical methodology based on the geochemistry of rhyolites, similar to what has existed for many years for obsidian. We have started the construction of a geochemical database for Corsican rhyolites. Our analysis protocol allows us to study the artefacts non-destructively and to determine the origin of the materials used by the Neolithic communities, sometimes with great geographical precision. The results obtained also allow easier comparisons of rhyolite supplies at different sites and thus highlight the specificities of each occupation and the links that may have existed between them.The construction of a repository approaching exhaustiveness is a long-term process and will have to be pursued in the future. We have studied five lithic assemblages, which has enabled us to highlight the high mobility of the Early Neolithic communities, the links that certain groups had with the mountain area, as well as the existence of coastal diffusion networks. However, this corpus of sites will have to be increased in order to obtain data comparable with those existing for obsidian and flint, which will allow us to carry out real network studies that will contribute to our knowledge of pre- and protohistoric societies in Corsica.Les échanges et les mobilités des populations pré- et protohistoriques en Méditerranée occidentale sont étudiés depuis de nombreuses années, notamment entre la Corse, la Sardaigne et l’Italie continentale, en particulier grâce à l’analyse des artefacts en silex et en obsidienne. La circulation des groupes humains et des matières premières au sein de la Corse a cependant été peu étudiée alors qu’une roche volcanique, la rhyolite, a été exploitée et diffusée sur l’ensemble de l’île dès le début du Néolithique. Ce matériau a fait l’objet de peu d’études de provenance jusqu’à aujourd’hui, utilisant des méthodes d’analyses essentiellement macroscopiques.Afin de rendre ce type d’étude plus efficace, nous avons donc développé une méthodologie analytique basée sur la géochimie des rhyolites, à l’image de ce qui existe depuis de nombreuses années pour les obsidiennes. Nous avons débuté la construction d’un référentiel géochimique des rhyolites corses. Notre protocole d’analyse nous permet d’étudier les artefacts de manière non destructive et de définir la provenance des matériaux utilisés par les populations néolithiques, avec parfois une grande précision géographique. Les résultats obtenus permettent également de comparer plus aisément les approvisionnements en rhyolite de différents sites et donc de mettre en évidence les spécificités de chaque occupation et les liens qui ont pu exister entre les sites.La construction d’un référentiel s’approchant de l’exhaustivité s’inscrit sur le temps long et devra se poursuivre pendant de nombreuses années. Nous avons étudié cinq séries lithiques, ce qui nous a permis de mettre en évidence la grande mobilité des populations du Néolithique ancien, les liens qu’entretiennent certains groupes avec l’espace montagnard ou l’existence de réseaux de diffusion côtiers. Cependant, ce corpus de sites devra être augmenté pour obtenir des données comparables avec celles existant pour l’obsidienne et le silex ce qui permettra d’effectuer de véritables études de réseaux qui viendront nourrir notre connaissance des sociétés pré- et protohistoriques de Corse

The economy of lithic materials in Corsica during pre- and protohistorical periods : exploitation dynamics, provenance and circulation of rhyolite

Les échanges et les mobilités des populations pré- et protohistoriques en Méditerranée occidentale sont étudiés depuis de nombreuses années, notamment entre la Corse, la Sardaigne et l’Italie continentale, en particulier grâce à l’analyse des artefacts en silex et en obsidienne. La circulation des groupes humains et des matières premières au sein de la Corse a cependant été peu étudiée alors qu’une roche volcanique, la rhyolite, a été exploitée et diffusée sur l’ensemble de l’île dès le début du Néolithique. Ce matériau a fait l’objet de peu d’études de provenance jusqu’à aujourd’hui, utilisant des méthodes d’analyses essentiellement macroscopiques.Afin de rendre ce type d’étude plus efficace, nous avons donc développé une méthodologie analytique basée sur la géochimie des rhyolites, à l’image de ce qui existe depuis de nombreuses années pour les obsidiennes. Nous avons débuté la construction d’un référentiel géochimique des rhyolites corses. Notre protocole d’analyse nous permet d’étudier les artefacts de manière non destructive et de définir la provenance des matériaux utilisés par les populations néolithiques, avec parfois une grande précision géographique. Les résultats obtenus permettent également de comparer plus aisément les approvisionnements en rhyolite de différents sites et donc de mettre en évidence les spécificités de chaque occupation et les liens qui ont pu exister entre les sites.La construction d’un référentiel s’approchant de l’exhaustivité s’inscrit sur le temps long et devra se poursuivre pendant de nombreuses années. Nous avons étudié cinq séries lithiques, ce qui nous a permis de mettre en évidence la grande mobilité des populations du Néolithique ancien, les liens qu’entretiennent certains groupes avec l’espace montagnard ou l’existence de réseaux de diffusion côtiers. Cependant, ce corpus de sites devra être augmenté pour obtenir des données comparables avec celles existant pour l’obsidienne et le silex ce qui permettra d’effectuer de véritables études de réseaux qui viendront nourrir notre connaissance des sociétés pré- et protohistoriques de Corse.The exchanges and mobilities of pre- and protohistoric peoples in the western Mediterranean have been studied for many years, particularly between Corsica, Sardinia, and continental Italy, notably through the analysis of flint and obsidian artefacts. However, the circulation of human groups and raw materials within Corsica itself has been little studied, even though rhyolite, a local volcanic rock, was exploited and spread throughout the island from the beginning of the Neolithic. This raw material has been the focus of few provenance studies to date, and most essentially used macroscopic methods of analysis.In order to make this type of study more efficient, we have developed an analytical methodology based on the geochemistry of rhyolites, similar to what has existed for many years for obsidian. We have started the construction of a geochemical database for Corsican rhyolites. Our analysis protocol allows us to study the artefacts non-destructively and to determine the origin of the materials used by the Neolithic communities, sometimes with great geographical precision. The results obtained also allow easier comparisons of rhyolite supplies at different sites and thus highlight the specificities of each occupation and the links that may have existed between them.The construction of a repository approaching exhaustiveness is a long-term process and will have to be pursued in the future. We have studied five lithic assemblages, which has enabled us to highlight the high mobility of the Early Neolithic communities, the links that certain groups had with the mountain area, as well as the existence of coastal diffusion networks. However, this corpus of sites will have to be increased in order to obtain data comparable with those existing for obsidian and flint, which will allow us to carry out real network studies that will contribute to our knowledge of pre- and protohistoric societies in Corsica

MAPLA

Lithic raw material charcaterization and diffusion in the Caribbean island

Following people by following rocks: intra-island exchanges and mobility in pre- and protohistoric Corsica

International audienceDuring pre- and protohistory, the first inhabitants of Corsica imported many lithic materials to make their tools, in particular obsidian and flint from Sardinia, two materials of good quality but absent from the Corsican landscape. These exogenous rocks have been at the heart of most of the typotechnological and provenance studies carried out on the lithic series unearthed in Corsica, highlighting the existence of long-distance diffusion networks. Endogenous rocks have also been used, notably rhyolite, a fine-grained siliceous volcanic rock widely distributed in Corsica, but they have received much less attention, notably due to a lack of methodological tools. Indeed, provenance studies of flint and obsidian have been carried out for several decades in many places in the world and multiple methodological developments have already been realized, which has not been the case for rhyolites. However, this material seems to have circulated at different levels within the island, from local to regional, and is thus potentially a carrier of information on mobility, exchange networks or territoriality, inaccessible from the study of exogenous materials.After setting up an effective and non-destructive analytical protocol to determine the origin of Corsican rhyolites, mostly based on EDXRF method, we analysed several archaeological series, from the Early Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. Our results are still preliminary, and we will require analysis of other sites to obtain a more detailed view. However, these studies already allow us to get a first glimpse of unsuspected intra-island diffusion networks, to shed light on the relationships between coastal and mountain sites and to inform us of the ways in which these peoples used their environment

La géochimie, un nouvel outil pour retracer l’origine des rhyolites en Corse préhistorique

National audienc

Following people by following rocks: intra-island exchanges and mobility in pre- and protohistoric Corsica

International audienceDuring pre- and protohistory, the first inhabitants of Corsica imported many lithic materials to make their tools, in particular obsidian and flint from Sardinia, two materials of good quality but absent from the Corsican landscape. These exogenous rocks have been at the heart of most of the typotechnological and provenance studies carried out on the lithic series unearthed in Corsica, highlighting the existence of long-distance diffusion networks. Endogenous rocks have also been used, notably rhyolite, a fine-grained siliceous volcanic rock widely distributed in Corsica, but they have received much less attention, notably due to a lack of methodological tools. Indeed, provenance studies of flint and obsidian have been carried out for several decades in many places in the world and multiple methodological developments have already been realized, which has not been the case for rhyolites. However, this material seems to have circulated at different levels within the island, from local to regional, and is thus potentially a carrier of information on mobility, exchange networks or territoriality, inaccessible from the study of exogenous materials.After setting up an effective and non-destructive analytical protocol to determine the origin of Corsican rhyolites, mostly based on EDXRF method, we analysed several archaeological series, from the Early Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. Our results are still preliminary, and we will require analysis of other sites to obtain a more detailed view. However, these studies already allow us to get a first glimpse of unsuspected intra-island diffusion networks, to shed light on the relationships between coastal and mountain sites and to inform us of the ways in which these peoples used their environment

Référentiel géochimique des rhyolites corses : méthodologie analytique et recherches de terrain

International audienc

Référentiel géochimique des rhyolites corses : méthodologie analytique et recherches de terrain

International audienc

Circulations, mobilités et échanges intra-île en Corse pré- et protohistorique, les roches locales comme traceurs

International audienc