Quelle place pour le Mammouth dans l’économie des Gravettiens d’Arcy-Sur-Cure (Yonne, France) il y a 27 000 ans cal BP ?

National audienc

Something new in the quivers: experimental approach to functioning of the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic geometric bitruncations

International audienceDuring the 7th and 6th millennium BC, a major cultural change took place in Mesolithic societies. Particularly perceptible in the light of the lithic industries, this technological and stylistic rupture spread in the western basin of the Mediterranean and then affected most of Western Europe. The changeovers occur at different levels, including the introduction of the pressure knapping technic and the indirect percussion and the adoption of trapezoidal shaped microliths, manufactured on the regular blades using the microburin technique. Probably echoing changes in the different registers - technical, economic, social or symbolic - of the hunting system, these new arrowheads shapes reflect functional roles which are still underexplored.In this poster, we present the results of a projectile experimental program performing in order to characterize and interpret this new conception of the wounding tip of the arrow. Centered on the Late Mesolithic (Castelnovian) but with extensions in the Early Neolithic (Impressa/Cardial), it has enabled the creation of a large-scale reference collection by the implementation of experimental shooting sessions following different protocols, archery session on animal target and parametric shooting session on a ballistic gel with automated bench. On the one side, we got a model of macro and micro-impact damages as well as on symmetrical and asymmetrical bitruncations according to their shape and their mode of hafting (transverse and piercing tip hafting) but also on bones. Through systematic research of the link between the wear on the arrowhead and on bone, one of the objectives was to assess how the nature of the impacted skeletal element and the angle of penetration of the arrow into the carcass, affect the type and the intensity of damage to lithic projectiles. On the other side, we have obtained some initial data on the behavior of the projectile (trajectory, damage, detachment….) and evaluate the performance and the wounding efficiency of different arrows, in term of penetration depths and damage to gelatin (laceration, tearing, etc.).At last, this experimental program and traceological approach, provide an analytical tool for a better understanding of the mechanisms of projectile changeovers and their typological diversity, through a detailed analysis of their use and a reading beyond their shape

Fire Features from the Gravettian Open-Air Site of Les Bossats (Ormesson, France): An Ongoing Collective Study

Actes du colloque international « Le Nord-Ouest européen au Gravettien : apports des travaux récents à la compréhension des sociétés et de leurs environnements » (Université de Liège, 12-13 avril 2018)International audienceAmong the rare Western European examples of Gravettian dwellings, the Early Gravettian locus from Les Bossats (Ormesson, France) provides material evidence that permits a thorough analysis of the status of fire features within living spaces. This contribution presents the first steps of this endeavour, namely an exploration of the nature of these features (e.g. primary fireplaces or secondary discards), the strategies entailed in their operation and realization (e.g. structure architecture and fuel selection), as their potential functions and relationships. By focusing on the analysis of heated rocks, charcoal remains, fauna, sediment samples and of the overall organization of fire-related remains, we will discuss the importance of such evidence for the interpretation of the site and the range of activities that occurred within. Despite the ongoing nature of this analysis, preliminary results already highlight the structured nature of fire-related activities on site, with evidence for the selection of mixed fuels, the use of heated rocks, and the elaboration of a multi-feature combustion area. This case study underlines the benefits of a multi-proxy and collective analysis applied to the question of Early Upper Palaeolithic pyrotechnologies, and ultimately argues for their more frequent and systematic interrogation. Pyrotechnology, while not a straightforward topic, plays a crucial role in our understanding of the elaborate techno- and socio-economic behaviors of past populations.Parmi les sites d’habitat gravettiens connus en Europe occidentale, le locus des Bossats (Ormesson, France), attribué au Gravettien ancien, offre l’opportunité de conduire une analyse détaillée de la place des structures de combustion au sein d’un espace habité. Cette contribution fournit les premiers éléments de ce programme de recherche en s’intéressant en particulier à la nature de ces structures (par ex. foyers primaires ou zones de rejet secondaires), aux stratégies liées à leurs fonctionnements (aménagement et approvisionnement en combustible) et en abordant leurs fonctions potentielles et leurs relations. Pour ce faire, les roches chauffées, les restes anthracologiques et archéozoologiques, les sédiments et l’organisation générale des vestiges sont pris en compte afin de proposer une lecture de la place du feu au sein du locus. Bien que préliminaires, les résultats obtenus permettent d’ores et déjà de souligner la nature fortement structurée des activités liées au feu avec notamment des indices probants d’une sélection des combustibles, de l’implication de roches chauffées dans le fonctionnement et la réalisation d’une aire de combustion complexe formée de plusieurs structures. Finalement, cette étude souligne à la fois le besoin pour de plus fréquentes enquêtes sur les paléo-pyrotechnologies des débuts du Paléolithique supérieur, question plus complexe qu’il n’y parait et qui occupe une place cruciale dans notre perception des comportements techno- et socio-économiques passés, et l’intérêt d’une approche multi-proxy et collective de cette problématique

A review of the Gravettian collections from the excavation of Maisières "Canal" (Prov. of Hainaut, Belgium). A combined study of fossil and non-fossil animal resources for alimentary and technical exploitation

International audienc

L'occupation du versant nord des Pyrénées au Paléolithique récent : apport des données archéozoologiques

International audienc

A Review of the Gravettian Collections from the Excavation of Maisières ‘Canal’ (Prov. of Hainaut, Belgium). A Combined Study of Fossil and Non-Fossil Animal Resources for Alimentary and Technical Exploitation

International audienceThe Palaeolithic site of Maisières ‘Canal’ (province of Hainaut, Belgium), is a vital reference for the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic in Northern Europe. The abundant archaeological record from the site enables us to approach the complexity of the human, technical, and economic dynamics accompanying the disappearance of Aurignacian technocomplexes and the emergence of the first Gravettian technocomplexes in Belgium, and more generally in North-western Europe. This is a key site due to its specific characteristics and its excellent preservation. It thus appears crucial to document another aspect of the economy: the alimentary and technical exploitation of animal resources and their possible complementarity. To this end, we collectively undertook a revision of the old collections, previously published as part of a mainly paleontological study (Gautier et al., 1973). Because of the seemingly anthropogenic introduction of mostly non-transformed marine fossil resources, as well as the peculiar way in which ivory was worked and the processing of small game, this site holds a singular position in the ‘cultural mosaic’ of the Early Upper Palaeolithic in Western Europe. The present study resulted in an increase in previous counts, a comparative taphonomic analysis of the different categories of remains and lastly, paved the way for the first interpretations of the activities carried out at this site. The unique informative potential of the site of Maisières ‘Canal’, which is still largely unexplored, makes it a major site for our understanding of hunting strategies and the processing of hard animal materials of the Early Upper Palaeolithic.Le site paléolithique de Maisières « Canal » (province de Hainaut, Belgique), constitue une référence incontournable pour le début du Paléolithique supérieur dans le Nord de l’Europe. Sa richesse documentaire permet d’approcher la complexité des dynamiques humaines, techniques et économiques qui accompagnent la disparition des industries aurignaciennes et l’apparition des premières industries gravettiennes en Belgique et plus largement dans le nord-ouest de l’Europe. Ses particularismes et son excellente conservation ont fait de ce gisement un site clé. Il apparaissait donc crucial de documenter un autre volet de l’économie : celui relatif à l’exploitation alimentaire et technique des ressources animales et à leurs éventuellescomplémentarités. Un retour aux séries anciennes, publiées précédemment avec une approche principalement paléontologique (Gautier et al., 1973), a donc été entrepris collectivement. L’introduction vraisemblablement anthropique de ressources marines fossiles non transformées pour la plupart autant que les modalités d’exploitation de l’ivoire de mammouth et de traitement de la petite faune confèrent une place singulière à ce gisement au sein de la « mosaïque culturelle » du Paléolithique supérieur ancien en Europe de l’Ouest. Ce travail a notamment permis un accroissement des décomptes, une analyse taphonomique comparée des différentes catégories de vestiges et enfin, ouvre la porte à de premières interprétations sur les activités menées sur ce site. Disposant d’un potentiel informatif unique et toujours à explorer, Maisières « Canal » se révèle désormais être une fenêtre d’observation majeure sur les stratégies cynégétiques et l’exploitation des matières dures animales du Paléolithique supérieur ancien