Quartz and Co: Diversity of Silicites in the Lesser Antilles and their Exploitation in Prehistoric Times

International audienceSilicites constitute a category of rock primarily composed of various phases of silica. These phases (quartz, chalcedony, quartzine, opals, etc.) have varying domains of crystalline stability and thus depend on the physical and chemical conditions of the environment in which they are found. Silicites are thus considered unstable materials whose mineralogical and chemical composition changes based on conditions of the deposit.Within the framework of the collective research project "MAPLA" that brings together several archaeologists and geologists directed by the French Ministry of Culture and the CNRS, we have sought to document the variability of these materials in the Lesser Antilles from both a genetic perspective (that is, concerning their mode of formation) and a gitological perspective (that is, in connection with their deposit environment). This research has identified most of the places where these resources outcrop, and while some characteristics overlap, others are markers of certain sources. This is the case with the genetic diversity of the so-called "Antigua" flints, which we will focus on during this presentation.For archaeologists, the primary interest of this work lies in the possibility of pinpointing the exact origin of materials exploited by past populations by comparing objects found at archaeological sites with geological samples collected from the aforementioned sources. As an example, we will rely on the studies conducted at the site of Fond Brûlé (Martinique, France) to illustrate the existence of well-established inter-island relationships in prehistoric times

Provenance des matériaux lithique dans les îles des Caraïbes: « silex », « jaspes », obsidiennes et les autres ; un point sur le PCR « MAPLA »

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Lithic raw materials provenance in the Caribbean islands: flint, jasper, obsidian and so on

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Lithic raw materials provenance in the Caribbean islands: flint, jasper, obsidian and so on

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Lithic raw materials provenance in the Caribbean islands: flint, jasper, obsidian and so on

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Provenance des matières premières lithiques dans les Antilles : silex, jaspe, obsidienne etcompagnie

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Provenance des matières premières lithiques dans les Antilles : silex, jaspe, obsidienne etcompagnie

International audienc

Provenance des matières premières lithiques dans les Antilles : silex, jaspe, obsidienne etcompagnie

International audienc