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Le musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac conserve une grande statue de pierre rapportée d’Amazonie par le comte de Castelnau en 1847. À peine débarque-t-elle en France qu’elle fait l’objet d’un scandale au Brésil. Certains dénoncent les inexactitudes du récit de l’explorateur, d’autres vont jusqu’à publier une pièce de théâtre comique suggérant que l’objet ne serait pas un artefact archéologique amérindien mais un faux sculpté par un maçon brésilien. Malgré son succès en France, l’authenticité de la statue a été jusqu’à récemment mise en doute. Cet article cherche à dissiper cette incertitude. L’histoire de la sculpture et des écrits la concernant est ici décryptée et l’analyse des stigmates permet de retracer son existence mouvementée. Cette recherche autorise à avancer que l’objet est bien d’origine amérindienne, vraisemblablement du Nord-Ouest amazonien. Une attribution culturelle et chronologique plus précise reste en l’état impossible. The Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Museum holds a large stone statue brought back from Amazonia by the Count of Castelnau in 1847. After its arrival in France, it was the subject of a scandal in Brazil. Some criticized the inaccuracies of the explorer’s account, while others go so far as to publish a play suggesting that the object was in fact a fake carved by a Brazilian mason, and not an Amerindian archaeological artifact. Despite its success in France, the authenticity of the statue was until recently questioned. This papers tries to resolve this uncertainty. The history of the sculpture and the writings concerning it has been deciphered. The analysis of the traces allows a reconstruction of the eventful. Their work permits them to advance that the object is indeed of Amerindian origin, probably from the Amazonian Northwest. More precise cultural and chronological attribution remains impossible.

La fouille d’urgence menee en 2015 et 2016 dans l’abri-sous-roche de Roc’h Santeg Leton (Santec, Finistere) est nee de reflexions convergentes sur les abris-sous-roche (programme « Tous aux abris ! ») et sur l’erosion du patrimoine littoral (programme « ALeRT »). Le site est installe sur un ilot rocheux a 1 300 m de la cote et a ete decouvert par D. Roue en 1985. Neuf moments d’occupation ont ete enregistres dans une stratigraphie de 1,10 m d’epaisseur. Relativement modique, le mobilier archeologique recueilli lors de la fouille comprend des tessons, des charbons, des rares coquilles de noisette et des pieces lithiques (silex, quartz, macro-outils en granite). Le Paleolithique moyen est attribuable a une phase recente, soit pendant le MIS 5 (5d/5a), soit durant le Weichselien recent (MIS 4 a 3). Le mobilier lithique mesolithique est rapportable au groupe de Bertheaume (Premier Mesolithique) et au Teviecien de facies Beg-er-Vil (Second Mesolithique). En sommet de stratigraphie, un petit foyer en cuvette est date par le radiocarbone de la fin de la periode gauloise (La Tene) et accompagne de tessons attribues au debut/milieu du second âge du Fer. Une petite fosse contemporaine etait remplie de coquilles, essentiellement des patelles. L’analyse geoarcheologique montre que le signal « littoral » n’est pas percu a travers la dynamique pedo-sedimentaire qui est largement controlee par des apports colluviaux et des ruissellements concentres. Cette operation de sauvetage a permis de valider des methodes d’intervention rapide, dont n’est jamais exclu le tamisage a l’eau, seul moyen d’echantillonner correctement des sites prehistoriques.

The excavation of the rock-shelter of Roc’h Santeg Leton (Santec, Finistere) have been made in 2015 and 2016. This emergency excavation on the islet is linked to research programs on armorican rock shelters (“Take Shelter!” program) and on the erosion of coastal heritage (“ALeRT” program). D. Roue discovered the site in 1985 on a rocky islet 1300 m from the coast. Nine periods of occupation have been identified recorded in a 1.10 m thick stratigraphy. Relatively modest, the archaeological artefacts collected during the excavation includes shards, charcoals, rare hazelnut shells and lithic pieces (flint, quartz, granite macro-tools). The Middle Paleolithic is attributable to a recent phase of the Middle Paleolithic, either during MIS 5 (5d/5a), or during the Weichselian (MIS 4 to 3). Mesolithic lithic pieces are related to the Bertheaume Group (Early Mesolithic) and the Teviecien of Beg-er-Vil facies (Late Mesolithic). At the top of the stratigraphy, a small bowl-shaped hearth is radiocarbon dated to the late Gallic period (La Tene) and accompanied by shards attributed to the early/mid Iron Age. A small contemporary pit was filled with shells, mainly limpets. The geoarchaeological analysis shows that the “littoral” signal is not perceived through the soil-sedimentary dynamics, which is largely controlled by colluvial inputs and concentrated runoff. This excavation validates fast methods for maritime prehistory, from which water sieving, the only means of correctly sampling prehistoric sites, is never excluded.

Up until now, the neolithisation of Western Europe during the sixth millennium BCE has mainly been approached through the characterisation of its diffusion vectors (cultural vs demic diffusion) and the emergence of technoeconomic innovations (rhythms, scenarios, and transmission). Traditionally, two primary routes of agricultural diffusion are distinguished: one extending along the Danube river corridor to the Atlantic coast (Linearbandkeramik) and the other along the Mediterranean coastal zone (Impressed Ware). To move beyond this dichotomy, this article proposes a first attempt at an integrated approach to the mechanisms of neolithisation in Western Europe, one of the few territories where it is possible, and therefore necessary, to investigate the processes that are common to both of these principal neolithisation complexes. The most widely held vision, inherited from the 1980s, of a European Neolithic that developed from east to west following a regular rhythm has progressively been replaced by a more complex model of diffusion characterised by arrhythmia and cultural reconfigurations. Despite having different origins and trajectories, the expansion of the first farmers was made possible by a number of common mechanisms.Impresso-CardialandLinearbandkeramiksocieties faced similar constraints, especially with regard to ensuring the stability of their social and economic models, while minimising the risks inherent to the colonisation of new territories. Three main mechanisms would have structured the first neolithisation phases of both spheres: a strong mobility of populations regulated to varying degrees by social rules, a strong solidarity expressed at multiple levels of interactions within each sphere, and, finally, the existence of syncretism and cultural recompositions including close and long-distance relations.

In European and many African, Middle Eastern and southern Asian populations, lactase persistence (LP) is the most strongly selected monogenic trait to have evolved over the past 10,000 years1. Although the selection of LP and the consumption of prehistoric milk must be linked, considerable uncertainty remains concerning their spatiotemporal configuration and specific interactions2,3. Here we provide detailed distributions of milk exploitation across Europe over the past 9,000 years using around 7,000 pottery fat residues from more than 550 archaeological sites. European milk use was widespread from the Neolithic period onwards but varied spatially and temporally in intensity. Notably, LP selection varying with levels of prehistoric milk exploitation is no better at explaining LP allele frequency trajectories than uniform selection since the Neolithic period. In the UK Biobank4,5 cohort of 500,000 contemporary Europeans, LP genotype was only weakly associated with milk consumption and did not show consistent associations with improved fitness or health indicators. This suggests that other reasons for the beneficial effects of LP should be considered for its rapid frequency increase. We propose that lactase non-persistent individuals consumed milk when it became available but, under conditions of famine and/or increased pathogen exposure, this was disadvantageous, driving LP selection in prehistoric Europe. Comparison of model likelihoods indicates that population fluctuations, settlement density and wild animal exploitation—proxies for these drivers—provide better explanations of LP selection than the extent of milk exploitation. These findings offer new perspectives on prehistoric milk exploitation and LP evolution.

This work demonstrates the importance of integrating sexual division of labour into the research of the transition to the Neolithic and its social implications. During the spread of the Neolithic in Europe, when migration led to the dispersal of domesticated plants and animals, novel tasks and tools, appear in the archaeological record. By examining the use-wear traces from over 400 stone tools from funerary contexts of the earliest Neolithic in central Europe we provide insights into what tasks could have been carried out by women and men. The results of this analysis are then examined for statistically significant correlations with the osteological, isotopic and other grave good data, informing on sexed-based differences in diet, mobility and symbolism. Our data demonstrate males were buried with stone tools used for woodwork, and butchery, hunting or interpersonal violence, while women with those for the working of animal skins, expanding the range of tasks known to have been carried out. The results also show variation along an east-west cline from Slovakia to eastern France, suggesting that the sexual division of labour (or at least its representation in death) changed as farming spread westwards., Funding was provided by the projects: “The Diffusion of Farming Practices: new technologies, craft innovations and symbolic behaviours in Western and Central Europe” (AM) funded by the Fyssen Foundation grant (http://www.fondationfyssen.fr/en/) with the support of the UMR 8215-Trajectoires (CNRS – Université Paris 1), and “The Diffusion of Farming Practices in Central Europe through gender studies” (AM) funded by the DAAD- Short-Term Grant (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst https://www.daad.de/en/). We also acknowledge the funding of a Juan de la Cierva Formación post-doctoral grant (AM) by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (https://www.ciencia.gob.es/portal/site/MICINN/) and the Spanish National Research Council (https://www.csic.es/). We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

This article presents the mineral resource procurement territories of Early Neolithic settlements (LBK or Rubané) in the Aisne valley. Our study focuses on data from 15 LBK sites belonging to the final LBK of central Europe; C14 dates for the sites fall between 5100 and 4900 cal BC. The bulk of pottery from these sites seems to have been produced using local raw materials that can be found over a large part of the valley; only a dozen recorded vessels were made of an exogeneous raw material. Analysis of the supply and management of sandstone and flint productions indicates the presence of three groups of villages. These distinct groups correspond to the definition of a cluster as proposed to define site organization in the Aisne valley. On the LBK sites of the Aisne valley blades, polished tools and certain personal ornaments were occasionally made of non-local materials. Some of these objects seem to indicate contacts outside the LBK settlement zones and suggest relationships with southern Neolithic groups.

While we know that cereals played an important role in the diet of Linearbandkeramik (LBK) and Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain (BVSG) populations in the Paris Basin, many questions remain to be answered as to the real contribution of other plants. To assess this topic, the recovery of other lines of data beyond macrobotanicals is crucial: starch grains have the potential to reveal additional information regarding past plant use. However, in Western Europe, in particular, for the Neolithic period, there is a significant lag in the development of the discipline. We, therefore, present how our current reference collection (composed of nearly 100 taxa spread across 35 families) was established, the reasoning behind our plant selections, and where the material comes from. Overall, our work shows that even though not all the selected plant organs produce diagnostic starch grains, it may be possible to broaden the spectrum of plants likely consumed by Early Neolithic (and beyond) populations in the Paris Basin, in particular concerning the use of wild plants and specific plant parts, especially underground storage organs (tubers, rhizomes, roots, bulbs, etc.). We believe our research will help guide future scholars in the creation of their own starch grain reference collection and to carry out such analyses on archaeological material from this region by consulting our image database. We conclude by providing a brief summary of what the starch grain record in the Paris Basin tells us to date on ancient plant use.

International audience

International audience; Food practices have always been a key issue to reconstruct part of the cultural identities of past and present societies. In archaeology, the question of vegetal processing and consumption has generally been discussed through different, yet complementary lenses that include botanical remains and cooking pots. However, it has seldom been integrated in a combined approach. Our paper explores the characteristics and role of plant transformation in Early Neolithic contexts from the Paris Basin (5100-4900 BC), by combining use-wear analysis of grinding tools and the study of microbotanical remains (starch grains and phytoliths). Our integrated approach reinforces the interpretations and reduces the methodological limitations that arise when each analysis is considered separately. It also proposes a more complex vision than initially expected regarding the uses and lifecycles of grinding tools in daily plant preparation. Together with the dominant processing of cereals and legumes, tubers and rhizomes appear to have been regularly ground on querns. Different steps in plants processing are also evident, such as dehusking, heating, and sprouting. Other clues point towards the transformation of bark and ferns, known for their varied medicinal properties. These results and related methodological issues support discussions regarding the possible conservatism or innovations in vegetal food practices of Early Neolithic farmers inhabiting a region located at the most westerly point of the Linearbandkeramik expansion during the final centuries of this first wave of Neolithic dispersal throughout the European continent.

Within Linearbandkeramik (LBK) studies, several models of social structure and organisation have been debated since the 1960s, influenced by several major anthropological theories that even today guide the debates. We discuss here the notion of social interactions in LBK contexts by focusing on the primary form of LBK social unit: the household. Assuming that the solutions found by the LBK communities to navigate their ambivalent position regarding sedentism and mobility probably formed the basis of their social organisation, social networks would have played a crucial role in ensuring the longevity and spread of the LBK culture. The village pioneer stage crystallises several core mechanisms of LBK society and is particularly relevant for assessing the dynamic processes involved in the fundamental social interactions that structure LBK societies. Invoking rather the “hofplatz” or the “ward” models, the coexistence of different groups attached to specific expressions of identity within the same settlements was highlighted and led to several hypotheses of social organisation putting clan or lineage structures at the foreground. Differentiation or inequalities between individuals and groups were also debated, even recently based on new technological and bioarchaeological data. In the frame of the current ANR Homes project, our goal is to test the reliability of these models based on an evidence-based approach and deepen the economical model we recently proposed.

International audience; A large stone statue was brought from the Amazon to France in 1848 by the explorer Francis de Castelnau. It depicts a being, apparently human, squatting, with his hands on his chest. Now exhibited at the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, this piece created a strong controversy since it was made public. In the mid-19th century, several Brazilian intellectuals strongly criticized the arrogant attitude of the Frenchman who had ‘looted’ their heritage. In reality, the reasons for this conflict are much deeper since they affect the very identity of the nation, then in formation. In any case, even a play was written to mock the explorer. This gave rise to doubts about the authenticity of the object, which has persisted to this day. The authors therefore studied the artifact to determine its cultural origin, while analyzing existing references to compare it with other pieces from the Amazon. They were thus able to validate the statue’s Amerindian identity, nearly 170 years after its discovery.; Resumo Uma grande estátua de pedra foi trazida da Amazônia para a França em 1848 pelo explorador Francis de Castelnau. A escultura representa um personagem, aparentemente humano, agachado com as mãos no peito. Agora exposta no Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, esta peça gerou uma forte controvérsia desde quando foi tornada pública. Em meados do século XIX, vários intelectuais brasileiros criticaram fortemente a atitude arrogante do francês que havia ‘saqueado’ seu patrimônio. Na realidade, as razões deste conflito eram bem mais profundas, uma vez que afetavam a própria identidade da nação, então em formação. De qualquer forma, uma peça de teatro foi escrita para zombar o explorador. Isto deu origem a dúvidas sobre a autenticidade do objeto, que persistem até hoje. Por isso, os autores apresentam aqui um estudo do artefato para determinar sua origem cultural, analisando as referências existentes para compará-lo com outras peças da Amazônia. Assim, os autores conseguiram validar a identidade ameríndia da estátua, quase 170 anos após sua descoberta.

International audience

The Calabria region of Southern Italy is rich in mineralisation. Unfortunately, no consistent data are available about mineral exploitation in the later prehistoric periods. The Grotta della Monaca mine in Calabria is a prehistoric site that is characterised by the mineralisation of iron ores (such as goethite) and copper carbonates (malachite and azurite). For this reason, the site provides an exceptional opportunity to study a prehistoric mine in which several minerals were exploited during the late Neolithic and early Chalcolithic. In this study, we present the results of an experimental protocol and use-wear analysis conducted using macro-lithic tool replicas to extract mineral resources. The experimental test aimed at reconstructing the function of grooved stone tools found at Grotta della Monaca. Use-wear observation, through a combined low- and high-power approach on experimental and archaeological objects, allowed us to define different extraction techniques and methods of mineral treatments. These data enhance our understanding and reconstruction of the chaîne opératoires, economic choices, and cultural aspects that characterised prehistoric miners in Southern Italy.

This paper aims to address relations between sexes at the start of farming in Europe, particularly through studying the funerary practices of one of the most important North Carpathian Basin Neolithic cemeteries: the site of Vedrovice (Moravia, Czech Republic), considered to be the first Linearbandkeramik (LBK) cemetery documented to date. In order to approach the relationships between women, children and men at the dawn of agriculture, use-wear studies have been undertaken on both ground and flaked stone instruments deposited as grave goods, thus generating new data about the activities performed using these tools. Furthermore, the relationship between sex, age, health condition and spatial distribution has also been addressed together with the isotopic information related to diet and mobility. The results suggest that sexes were valued differently in death. Unequal farming and/or hunting product distribution between the sexes and between women of different origin has been observed as well as higher tool and ornaments accumulation in male burials and a marked sexual differentiation of the male and female spheres of production represented through the stone funerary tools. A discussion is made around the possible interpretation of this result in terms of presence/absence of sexual inequalities., This work has been funded through a Fyssen Foundation post-doctoral grant and the support of UMR 8215-Trajectoires de la Sédentarisation à l’État (CNRS – Université Paris 1).

National audience; Les habitats de l'âge du Bronze connus entre Île-de-France et Champagne ne sont le plus souvent que des petites fermes familiales sans clôture. Édifié en un lieu visible et accessible permettant de contrôler les allées et venues sur le fleuve voisin, le site de Villiers-sur-Seine s'en distingue de tous points de vue : les deux grands bâtiments et leurs annexes étaient protégés par un système de fossés et une palissade à caractère ostentatoire. Et, même si la vallée de la Seine était déjà anthropisée à la fin du IXe siècle avant notre ère, cet habitat semble avoir eu un impact important sur l'environnement naturel proche : développement des activités agro-pastorales grâce à l’extension des prairies humides ; épisodes de défrichement pour la construction ; culture d'espèces végétales variés dont la production nécessitait une agriculture intensive ; chasse au gros gibier. À ces aspects marquant un statut social élevé des occupants s'ajoutent des activités exceptionnelles comme la métallurgie du bronze et l'organisation de repas collectifs. Villiers-sur-Seine était autant une plaque tournante de l'économie locale qu'un point de ralliement pour les populations aux alentours.

International audience; River management is generally thought to have started at 5500 cal. BC within the development of eastern Neolithic societies. In the Lesser Caucasus, evidence of early river management has been discovered around the famous Neolithic sites of Shulaveri, Gadachrili Gora, and Imiris Gora in Georgia. Here we report a preliminary data set indicating that river management was set up at 5900 cal. BC leading to the flooding, destruction, and local abandonment of the hydraulic infrastructures of the Gadachrili village between 5750 and 5430 cal. BC. The hydraulic infrastructures were developed during a more humid period encompassing the 8200 cal. BP (6200 cal. BC) climatic event, probably to optimize agricultural yield. It potentially led to the first prehistoric engineering accident for which there is evidence, which may have been followed by the reorganisation of the occupation and/or to architectural modifications.

International audience

Despite their reputation, little work has been carried out on Chupicuaro ceramics, and the organization of pottery production and its role in the economy of these populations are still poorly known...

International audience; At the turn of the second millennium BC in Europe, the development of copper and bronze metallurgies stimulated major economic shifts, with the emergence of elites and far-reaching diffusion networks. However, the exact organization, techniques, processes, and equipment employed in this early copper and bronze metallurgy still remain poorly understood. In this context, our aim has been to identify the first stone toolkits used by Early Bronze Age metallurgists on a site in western Brittany (France), a region connected to the so-called Atlantic complex. The combination of use-wear analysis and Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) imaging highlights a correlation between the distribution of diagnostic use-wear traces (smoothing and micropolishes) related to metal ore processing or metal objet shaping and elemental residues of copper and zinc. These results demonstrate the existence of copper ore processing in western Brittany during the Early Bronze Age (2200–1900 BC). They also highlight the diversity of the stone tools involved in metal production. Finally, this comprehensive methodology underlines the potential of functional analysis of macrolithic tools to reveal the existence of metal production. This is particularly relevant for archeological sites where the structures of metallurgical production are barely visible and often unrecognizable and where metallic objects are rare due to their intensive recycling and diffusion.

The emergence of mining reflects profound changes in the organization of late prehistoric societies. In terms of lithic and ore mining, salt is a highly strategic mineral resource which was exploited for its dietary and healing properties. The exceptional prehistoric salt mine of Duzdagi (Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan) is located in a high salt-bearing region centered on the Aras River in the Lesser Caucasus. Field survey, spatial recording of archaeological materials and use-wear analysis of macrolithic tools have allowed us to outline the mining operations and techniques there from the Chalcolithic period onwards. We have identified workshops for the manufacture and repair of tools, as well as salt extraction and processing areas.

This paper aims to present the context, the methodological approaches and the results of a research project, called ORIMIL and funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR). An integrative multi-proxy analysis, in collaboration with the Musée des Confluences in Lyon, has been designed to identify whether the region of the South Caucasus was also a hotbed of millet domestication and expansion, like China. The results from the fields of anthropology, archaeozoology, archaeobotany, geomorphology and isotopic biogeochemistry for the territories of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia did not reveal the presence of an early Neolithic or Early Bronze Age hub of millet domestication. Isotopic data associated with direct radiocarbon dating on bones showed that millet was consumed by animals and humans at the earliest towards the end of the Middle Bronze Age (1621-1450 cal BC) in Georgia. These results are in keeping with (1) the numerous direct radiocarbon dates on charred millet seeds and (2) the geomorphological studies showing an increase of better soil quality and cultivable areas during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods in the Kura valley. Cet article vise à présenter le contexte, les approches méthodologiques et les résultats d’un projet de recherche, nommé ORIMIL et financé par l’Agence Nationale pour la Recherche (ANR). Une approche intégrée multi-paramètres, en collaboration avec le Musée des Confluences de Lyon, a été élaborée pour déterminer si la région du Caucase (Arménie, Azerbaïdjan, Géorgie et sud de la Russie) a été, à l’instar de la Chine au Néolithique, un foyer de domestication et d'expansion du millet. Les résultats des études anthropologique, archéozoologique, archéobotanique, géomorphologique et de la biogéochimie isotopique réfutent la présence d'un ancien foyer de domestication du millet au Néolithique tout comme au début de l’âge du Bronze. Les données isotopiques, associées aux datations radiocarbone des humains, montrent que le millet était consommé par les animaux et les humains au plus tôt vers la fin de l'âge du Bronze moyen (1621-1450 cal BC) en Géorgie. Ces résultats s’accordent (1) avec les nombreuses datations radiocarbone réalisées directement sur les graines de millet carbonisées et (2) les études géomorphologiques montrant une meilleure qualité du sol et une augmentation des superficies cultivables dans la vallée du Kura du Néolithique à l’âge du Bronze.

This paper proposes a novel interpretation of Neolithic Linear Pottery (LBK) settlement organisation, based on comparative analysis of data on subsistence (faunal remains, macrolithic tools) and on pottery manufacturing techniques and apprenticeship networks in the settlement of Cuiry-les-Chaudardes (Aisne, France). This new model explains differences in house size in terms of both varying degrees of economic maturity and particular functional status. We argue that each house is self-sufficient in terms of subsistence, but at the same time maintained reciprocal relations with a number of other houses. Our model also describes how the stages of establishment, assimilation and integration of family units evolved within the village community. We ultimately offer insights into the social rules, stable over time, underlying matrimonial networks and mobility patterns in the LBK.

Due to the construction of the A304 motorway at Remilly-les-Pothées, “la Culotte” (Ardennes, France), the rescue excavation allowed the discovery of several mesolithic occupations at the foot of a gently slope. These occupations belong to middle Mesolithic (RMS-A, level II) and final Mesolithic (level I) which are two periods rarely excavated and dated in the north of France. Extensive stripping revealed an area of about one hectare, within which the stratigraphy is more dilated and well-preserved. Mesolithic occupations were covered by slope deposits and in some sectors two levels are layered. The two Mesolithic levels identified allowed the discovery of six locus and several structures (5 clusters, 3 hearts and 6 hearth empying). Thanks to the presence of burned bones, charcoal in structures (mainly hazel) and burnt hazelnut shells, fourteen dating were obtained for the two Mesolithic levels. On both levels, many macrolithic tools, mainly oblong shale pebbles, have been discovered on locus periphery. Some carry percussion use-wear. Jean-Georges Rozoy works during a long time (1970 to 1990) on the Mesolithic in French Ardennes and defined a cultural group «l’Ardennien » (Rozoy, 1978) re-discussed today. At Remilly, the final mesolithic level is caracterized by a large concentration of 3300 lithic and bone artefacts scattered on 100 m ² (locus 2), a smaller concentration (locus 5), two clusters and one hearth emptying. 14 radiocarbon dates allow to assign this occupation to the end of the 6th millennium, between 5630 and 5326 BC cal (6650 ± 30 BP à 6410 ± 30 BP). Lithic artefacts are mainly waste related to the production of lamino-lamellar supports for the shaping of tools and microliths. Microlits are very few and essentially on locus 2. Large asymmetric trapezes and triangular points with flat inverse retouching (“ flèches de Belloy” : Fagnart 1991) dominate. Tools are better represented on locus 2 and characterized by sporadic laterally notched blades. The two clusters (structures 11528 and 11529), around 4 to 7 m², are specific and mainly constituted of cortical or semi-cortical flakes. No hearth has been identified but one hearth emptying was discovered near structure 11528, outside locus. This corresponds to a more or less elongated discharge area, composed of burnt bones, burned or unburnt stones and flint artefacts. One large triangular point, unburnt, was discover inside, confirming its attribution to final Mesolithic. No refitting could be carried out between the various structures and locus. Along with this structures or locus, several isolated bones (especially aurochs) or flint artefacts were discovered and could delimit peripheral and specific areas. Different activities were performed on the site, especially animal resource procurement and treatment. Animal bones were preserved but often in poor state of preservation. Deer (Cervus elaphus) is the best represented species, particularly in locus 2 and 5, followed by wild boar (Sus scrofa). Aurochs is well-documented in locus 5 and isolated remains. On locus 2, several burnt bones suggest on-site consumption. Butchery and animal hard material working are attested. Therefore, several remains appear to result of bovinae metapodial exploitation. Plant working is attested by some laterally notched blades. No fish remains demonstrate exploitation of aquatic resources despite the proximity of the Audry river (less than 300 m). In the north of France, only two well preserved sites are dated to final Mesolithic (de Castel «Camping du Hameau » (Castel «Camping du Hameau » and Lhéry «la Presle » ). Same microliths are presents but radiocarbon dates are more recent (Ducrocq, 2001 and 2009 ; Bostyn and Séara, 2011). Some sites are also similar in south Belgium. The oldest Mesolithic occupation (7300-7000 cal. BC) is caracterized by four small locus, three clusters, three hearths and four heaths emptying. Three locus are dedicated to lamellar production and microliths manufacturing. Microliths are dominated by invasively retouched armatures (“ feuille de gui”) and narrow backed bladelets. In fact, most of invasively retouched armatures are drafts, but wear analysis confirms their projectile function. Lamellar production correspond mainly to invasively retouched armatures blanks. Faunal remains are dominated by wild boar and one decorated bone point was identified. Wear analysis reveals a functional difference between two locus. Locus 3 is dedicated to animal hard material with burins and borers, and butchery with unretouched flakes. Locus 8 is characterized by several scrappers used for hide working. Tools used for plant working are very few. Well-dated sites of this period are rare in the north of France. Only few sites are similar and located especially in Picardie (Beaurainville, Hangest : Ducrocq, 2001 et 2014 ; Saleux : Fagnart et al., 2008). Thus, Mesolithic discoveries of Remilly are part of current issues, chronocultural, functional or societal. The multiplication of such well-preserved and dated discoveries should allow us to better understand this particular period that characterizes the end of the Mesolithic period, after 7500 BC., La fouille du site de Remilly-les-Pothées (Ardennes, France), a permis la découverte de plusieurs occupations mésolithiques postérieures à 7500 avant notre ère au bas d’un versant peu abrupt, en rive droite de l’Audry. Les décapages successifs réalisés ont mis au jour deux niveaux d’occupations attribuables à la fin de la phase moyenne du Mésolithique (groupes du RMS-A) et au Mésolithique final. Au total, six locus et plusieurs structures ont été identifiés. Le niveau d’occupation le plus récent se caractérise par une vaste concentration occupant une superficie d’environ 100 m ² . Deux amas et une vidange de foyer sont également associés. Parallèlement, des zones d’activités impliquant de nombreux ossements, des lames brutes et des outils divers ont été identifiées en dehors. L’outillage comme les datations permettent de rapporter cette occupation au Mésolithique final, entre 5600 et 5300 avant notre ère. Parallèlement, le second niveau d’occupation daté de la fin du Mésolithique moyen, aux environs de 7300-7000 avant notre ère, se matérialise par quatre locus peu étendus, trois amas, trois foyers et quatre zones de vidanges. Trois locus semblent dédiés à la fabrication d’armatures caractéristiques de cette période (armatures à retouche couvrante et lamelles à dos) et attribuées aux groupes du RMS-A bien connus en Belgique et au Luxembourg. Ce niveau, au sein duquel les ossements de sanglier dominent, se caractérise également par la découverte exceptionnelle d’une pointe en os décorée., Souffi Bénédicte, Guéret Colas, Leduc Charlotte, Gebhardt Anne, Foucher Cécile, Griselin Sylvain, Hamon Caroline, Pélegrin Jacques, Salavert Aurélie. Nouvelles données chronoculturelles et palethnographiques sur le Mésolithique des VIIIe et VIe millénaires dans le Nord de la France : le site de « la Culotte » à Remilly-les-Pothées (Ardennes, France). In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 115, n°3, 2018. pp. 531-565.

International audience; Recently, several sites dating from the Early Neolithic were discovered in the extreme North of France, in a region where this period had been unknown up until now. The ten sites presented here all date from the Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain (BVSG) chrono-cultural horizon, in a geographic sector located between the Oise valley to the east, the Somme valley to the south and the shores of the Channel/North Sea to the northwest. These sites are rather late for an Early Neolithic, compared to the more imposing Linear Pottery Culture settlements in Belgian Hainaut or the Paris basin, which are several centuries older. The synopsis of these studies defines the typo-chronological framework of these settlements, in parallel with the radiocarbon results and a techno-functional approach to the different objects. Comparisons with Early Neolithic sites from the Paris basin and Belgium contribute to the discussion on the links between the different regions and the broader question of regional axes of Linear Pottery Culture and BVSG.; La découverte récente de plusieurs gisements datés du Néolithique ancien dans l’extrême Nord de la France s’est faite dans une région où cette période n’était pas attestée. Les dix sites présentés ici, sont tous datés de l’horizon chrono-culturel Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain (BVSG) et sont implantés dans un secteur géographique compris entre les vallées de l’Oise à l’est, de la Somme au sud et des rivages de la Manche/Mer du Nord au nord-ouest. Cet effectif faible est aussi tardif pour un premier néolithique comparé aux occupations rubanées reconnues, dans le Hainaut belge ou le Bassin parisien, plus importantes mais aussi plus anciennes de quelques siècles. La synthèse des études a permis de préciser le cadre typo-chronologique de ces occupations à l’aide d’approches techno-fonctionnelles sur les différents mobiliers en les mettant en parallèle avec les mesures radiocarbone. Les comparaisons avec les sites du Néolithique ancien du Bassin parisien et de Belgique viendront alimenter la discussion sur les liens entretenus entre les différentes régions et permettront finalement de revenir sur les apports de ces sites dans l'étude plus générale des axes régionaux de colonisation néolithique rubanés et BVSG.

International audience; Among the new technologies that emerged in the Neolithic, the development of macrolithic implements was a key technological shift which accompanied the development of food processing (querns) and craft activities (e.g. polishers). Throughout the Early Neolithic of continental Europe (Linear Pottery Culture [LBK] contexts, 5500–4900 BCE), it has been observed that sandstones (sedimentary rocks) were virtually the only resource used for the production of macrolithic blanks. Our study focuses on a particularly well documented area of the Paris Basin, located along an 80 km stretch of the Aisne valley, which was intensively occupied by LBK populations. By combining regional and local approaches (based on geological maps and field surveys) to sedimentary sandstone sources and diversity on the one hand, and a technological analysis of macrolithic production on six LBK sites on the other, we have been able to correlate accessibility and quality of sandstones with specific raw material supply and management strategies developed by LBK populations. The high resolution model of mineral resource exploitation highlights how the dependence of Neolithic people on certain specific rocks led them to develop quite complex strategies for the production of macrolithic tools, even at a local scale.

Le site de Voves se caractérise par une occupation composée d’au moins 6 unités d’habitation organisées probablement en 2 phases successives d’implantation. Il est localisé en pleine Beauce et situé en bordure d’un petit ru de Péau, affluent du Loir à 20km vers l’Ouest. Les conditions taphonomiques du gisement indiquent une érosion de la couche d’occupation archéologique conservée. Les vestiges sont essentiellement représentés par les fosses latérales des maisonnées et par quelques fosses isolées. Les unités d’habitat sont caractérisées par des fosses et groupes de fosses alignées selon une orientation comprise entre 280 et 292° constituant les fosses latérales des bâtiments. Seuls les poteaux d’un bâtiment présentent un plan constitué de tierces irrégulières. Les poteaux des murs extérieurs ne sont pas visibles. La longueur maximale entre les tierces des extrémités, vues à la fouille, est de 12m et on estime que les conditions de gisement n’ont pas permis l’observation d’un certain nombre de poteaux à l’avant du bâtiment. Si on restitue cette partie manquante, par ailleurs classique des sites contemporains du Bassin parisien, on peut proposer l’hypothèse d’une longueur de 15 à 17m pour ce bâtiment. Les fosses latérales sud de chaque unité d’habitation concentrent l’essentiel du mobilier archéologique. Les études carpologiques et anthracologiques indiquent une ouverture du milieu et la fréquentation de lisières. Les champs et les aires de pâturage sont situés à proximité de l’habitat et étaient entourés de bois. L’étude du mobilier céramique permet d’attribuer l’ensemble à la transition Rubané/VSG, tandis que l’étude de l’assemblage en silex taillé tendrait plus vers une attribution au Rubané final qu’au début du VSG tant la différence avec ce qui est connu dans la région est grande principalement pour la qualité du débitage laminaire et la très forte proportion d’outils retouchés sur lames. Dans tous les cas, de nombreux rapprochements sont à faire avec le Rubané récent et final de la vallée de l’Yonne, tant pour la céramique, avec la fréquence des décors plastiques que pour l’industrie lithique.Le rattachement de l’occupation de Voves à la tradition rubanée s’inscrit également par son insertion dans un réseau d’échanges complexe orienté vers le nord et le nord-ouest pour les matières siliceuses, vers les Vosges par la présence d’une herminette et enfin avec le sud pour les relations entretenues avec l’Epicardial et notamment la mise en culture du froment.Le site de Voves, par son attribution au Rubané final ou à la transition Rubané final/BVSG, vient combler un vide archéologique et géographique entre les vallées de l’Yonne, de l’Oise et de l’Aisne, et le site isolé de Colombelles en Normandie, tout en complétant les données déjà acquises sur le site de Sours Les Ouches. Il confirme la néolithisation précoce de cette région de la Beauce.

International audience; The ypresian Tertiary levels located in the centre of the Paris Basin present a specific layer of sandstone called ‘Fosses-Belleu’.This rock, characterised by black and white grains measuring less than a millimetre, was exploited from the Early Neolithic throughProtohistory for saddle querns (both upper and lower stones). The introduction of the rotary mill resulted in an increase of « Fosses-Belleu »exploitation and distribution that reached a peak in Antiquity with production of rotary querns, water-powered millstones, and, interestinglyenough, Pompeian mills. The end of Antiquity saw the end the exploitation of this rock for millstones.; Les niveaux tertiaires yprésiens du centre du Bassin de Paris présentent un niveau de grésification rare et très caractéristique parses éléments millimétriques (grains noirs et blancs) nommé grès de « Fosses-Belleu ». Ce matériau est employé dès le Néolithique ancienpour le façonnage de meules et de molettes va-et-vient et son utilisation perdure pour ce type de moulin tout au long de la Protohistoire. Lepassage au moulin rotatif montre une diffusion plus large des productions qui atteint son apogée à la période antique, touchant alors tantles moulins domestiques manuels que les meules de grand diamètre et particulièrement une production originale de meules de type Pompéi.La fin de l’Antiquité voit l’arrêt de l’utilisation de ce grès comme matériau meulier.

The large diversity of querns and millstones in France and adjacent countries in different chronological periods poses problems to characterisation, identification and indexing for databases and reference sources. It is generally very difficult to fulfil both the expectations and requirements of millstone specialists, geologists, archaeologists or geomatics when attempting to design accurate petrological portraits, petrographical classifications and geochemical analyses. This task becomes even more complex when there is a wide variability within the facies of certain rocks. Furthermore, while certain simplifications can be a source of confusion, other descriptions can be too precise and complex. The process becomes even more cumbersome when the analyses are recorded in a database with a limited number of fields or when attempting to correlated specific rocks to their sources. The issues and problems related to the different approaches to recording data are presented in this paper, notably through the description of different methods of characterising archaeomaterials. Several examples of distribution maps deriving from broad categories or types of millstones of the database are also presented. These reveal the benefits and drawbacks of the method applied to the rotary millstone database stemming from the research project "The typological and technological development of millstones from the Neolithic to the Year One Thousand"., La diversité de la nature des pierres meulières rencontrées aux différentes périodes en France et dans les pays adjacents pose de nombreux problèmes de caractérisation, d'identification et d'indexation au sein des bases de données et des référentiels. Entre les déterminations pétrologiques précises, les classifications pétrographiques diverses, les analyses géochimiques et la forte variabilité de certains faciès, il est généralement très complexe de faire correspondre les attentes et les exigences des différents spécialistes et approches : géologues, archéologues ou géomaticiens. Certaines simplifications seront sources de confusions, tout comme certaines descriptions, trop précises, seront très difficilement utilisables dans les interprétations. L'exercice devient encore plus difficile quand l'analyse des matériaux doit être indexée dans une base de données ou quand il s'agit d'établir des correspondances entre une pierre et une provenance. Les intérêts ou les problèmes liés aux différentes approches sont ici présentés, notamment au travers de la définition de différentes méthodologies de caractérisation de ces archéomatériaux. Quelques exemples de cartographies réalisées à partir des grandes catégories de pierres meulières retenues, ou des appellation-types bien identifiées, sont mises en avant pour montrer les intérêts et défauts de la méthode utilisée au sein de la base de données de meules rotatives du PCR « Évolution typologique et technologiques des meules du Néolithique à l'an mille ».

Zwischen 2000 und 2007 wurde in einem Steinbruch in einer torfigen Talaue eine Reihe von Präventivgrabungen durchgeführt. Der 2003 ausgegrabene Fundplatz Warluis VII hat paläolithische und dem mesolithische Funde und Befunde geliefert. Die stratigraphischen, taphonomischen und typologischen Daten lassen auf eine Begehung der Alluvialebene des Thérain vor der mesolithischen Periode schließen. Warluis VII hat in der Tat zahlreiche Steingeräte geliefert darunter einfache Rückenspitzen auf lamellaren Grundformen, die durch direkten Schlag mit einem harten Schlagstein erzeugt wurden. Diese technotypologischen Merkmale erlauben die eindeutige Zuordnung zu den spätjungpaläolithischen Federmessergruppen (oder Azilien). In dem ergrabenen Areal sind in nächster Nähe zueinander kleine Konzentrationen von Steingeräten zu beobachten, die dem gleichen Muster folgen. Eindeutig identifizierbare Befunde sind an erhitzten Feuersteinen und Häufungen von Abschlägen erkennbare Feuerstellen. Die erhitzten Geräte, die Präsenz von sämtlichen Zerlegungsphasen und die Vielseitigkeit der Artefakte zeugen von einer breitgefächerten Palette von Aktivitäten. Die geringe Funddichte legt relativ kurze Aufenthalte nahe. Die Anzahl der Fundkonzentrationen könnte auf mehrere aufeinanderfolgende saisonale Aufenthalte weisen. Sie könnte aber auch den Aufenthalt einer relativ großen Gruppe widerspiegeln. In der Tat stellen die Ähnlichkeit der Fundkonzentrationen, von denen einige in einander übergehen, die Frage einer strikten Gleichzeitigkeit der unterschiedlichen Sektoren von Warluis VII. Im Übrigen zeugen einige Rückenmesser aus exogenem tertiärem Silex von einer Mobilität innerhalb eines Territoriums, das sich mindestens bis 25 Kilometer südöstlich der Lagerstätte erstreckt., Between 2000 and 2007, a series of preventive excavations was undertaken in an extensive quarry at the bottom of a peaty valley. The rapid excavation of Warluis VII in 2003 yielded Paleolithic and Mesolithic vestiges. Stratigraphic, taphonomic and typological data all point clearly to an occupation of the alluvial plain of the river Thérain prior to the Mesolithic period. Indeed, Warluis VII reveals a rich flint industry, with backed points worked from laminate supports detached by direct percussion with a hard stone. These technological characteristics encourage cultural comparison with the recent phase of the Federmesser Paleolithic (or Azilien). The area excavated reveals a juxtaposition of small concentrations of lithic items based on the same model. The observable structures are hearths materialized by heated flints and heaps of debitage products. The heated items, the presence of every stage of lithic industry and the diversity of the tools would suggest a wide range of activity. The low frequency of vestiges points to relatively short stays. The number of concentrations may indicate a succession of seasonal occupations, or, more likely, the presence of a human group composed of a considerable number of individuals. Indeed, the resemblance between concentrations together with a number of connections might possibly imply the strict contemporaneity of the different sectors of Warluis VII. Moreover, a number of backed knives of exogenous tertiary flint attest mobility over a territory extending at least 25 km to the S-E of the site., La structuration du site repose sur une superposition d’au moins trois enclos et de quelques structures associées. Un premier enclos A assimilé à une zone de pacage plus qu’à un établissement rural, correspond à une occupation qui a livré très peu de mobilier. Ce sont les enclos B et C qui constituent l’essentiel de cet ouvrage : leur particularités est de s’inscrire dans un même espace tout en changeant d’orientation. Ces occupations ont pris place entre -180 et - 60 avant notre ère.Cette occupation est exceptionnelle du point de vue de sa structuration, de son évolution à travers le temps, de la simple ferme à une occupation dédiée à des pratiques rituelles en passant par un très riche établissement aristocratique qui se caractérise par de grandes quantités de mobiliers. Les fragments d’une soixantaine d’amphores suggèrent la quantité de vin consommé, de grandes quantités de restes fauniques constituent les indices d’une consommation massive de viande de porcs et de bœufs. La quantité impressionnante de vaisselle (plus de 2000 vases), mais aussi celle des meules, abondent dans le sens de consommations massives communautaires. Parmi le mobilier métallique, fourchette à chaudron, poêlon, gril sont les témoins directs des ustensiles liés au banquet. Le caractère monumental de l’entrée et des bâtiments, auxquels s’ajoutent les expositions de crânes d’animaux qui mettent en scène l’ostentation du lieu, participent au caractère hors du commun du site de Braine "La Grange des Moines".

Les meules du Neolithique a l'epoque medievale : technique, culture, diffusion, p. 285-300 (43 e suppl. a la RAE), Resume Les meules va-et-vient provenant de differents contextes (fosses detritiques, silos, greniers, fosses, puits, depots, sepultures…) permettent d'aborder des questions economiques et sociales de premier ordre pour les sites du Neolithique a l'âge du Fer en France. Dans le cadre du PCR « Evolution typologique et technologique des meules du Neolithique a l'an mille », la mise en commun des donnees disponibles sur ces outils de mouture dans une base de donnees vise a degager les grandes tendances evolutives sur le long terme (plus de 5 millenaires) selon differents criteres specifiques (matieres premieres, morphologie, dimensions). Malgre une documentation encore inegale, selon les regions et les periodes, il est d'ores et deja possible de mettre en evidence de veritables evolutions techniques.

International audience