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International audience; the project was carried out between 2006 and 2009as part of a collaboration between the University of Sassari and the town Council of Usini, aiming to promoteand enhance the cultural heritage of its territory, backed by a multi-year research fund and coordinatedby Maria Grazia Melis. An interdisciplinary team was assembled, with the collaboration of specialists fromthe UMR 6636, Lampea Laboratory of Aix-en-Provence, lead by André D’Anna. the research aimed to reconstructthe environmental and socio-economic framework of human inhabitants, of the prehistoric phases,encompassing the territory that gravitates around the hypogean necropolis of S’Elighe Entosu. the knowledgeof the area, in fact, is due to a clever politic development. the interests of involved researchers then extendedto the entire territory and accommodated to a larger land mass, which exceeds the municipalboundaries.the main instruments used in the survey are the archaeological excavation of a necropolis and prospecting ofthe area. the first one, still unfinished, allowed for a partial reconstruction of the sequence of human settlementsand the use of this prehistoric necropolis. it also exposed the existence of a Roman necropolis. thestudy of the monuments in their territory, incorporates multidisciplinary research, directed by André D’Anna,and integrates different coordinated surveys, the characterization of natural resources (flint outcrops, geologicalformations, sedimentary dynamics and natural environment) associated to the improvement of thearchaeological map, from archaeological surveys of large surfaces, and the technological study of stone artifactsand their material origins. these activities help to improve understanding of settlements’ characteristicsin a territory according to the guidelines from the methods of regional archaeology and human geography.the archaeological sites census was inserted in 2010 for the purposes of the City Urban Planning at the RegionalLandscape Plan.An analysis of craft production, carried out with a morphological and technological approach, has helped tobetter define the chrono-cultural sequence of the necropolis’ use, frequented during the ozieri, Sub-ozieri,Bell Beaker, Middle Bronze Age 1 and 2, Late and final Bronze Age, iron Age, Punic and Roman phases. Asfor the technological characteristics of the pottery, a first analysis has been made on macroscopic examinationof the diagnostic materials from various cultural phases that have allowed the identification of a varietyof techniques, processes and tools used in the stages of shaping, finishing and decorating. the study of theflint industry, although only partial, showed patterns of supply and management of resources, either by raw materials choice or by the finds typology. those last ones’ presence refers to issues related to the meaning oftheir presence in burial contexts, either from a symbolic standpoint or in terms of technology. the analysis ofthe hard animal material artifacts was carried out on some ornamental shell dating back to Bell Beaker period.in addition to brief remarks on the usage marks, have been rebuilt the operative sequences of simplybored pendants, pearls and shell.With the help of geographical, architectural data and those from chemical, physical, archaeobotanic, archaeozoologic,paleoanthropological analyses, and also from experimental archaeology, the research constitutesin itself an innovative methodological proposal for Sardinia.

Through the intervention of the French team of LAMPEA - UMR 6636, University of Provence and field work carriedout on Usini town, material discovered during the various operations (2006-2009) now enables the production of acomprehensive study on both the terms of acquisition of raw materials and terms of their use.This contribution will be limited to two general aspects: the question of the origin of siliceous raw materials, especiallythe flint for which the geomorphological surveys have shown the presence of local deposits. The problem in this regardwill focus on the macroscopic identification of materials present in the series studied based on samples takenfrom various deposits of the northern boundary of Usini town. This first part of the study presented here will providetrains of thought on the economics of raw materials during the prehistoric occupation of the limestone plateauxof Riu Mannu. The joint results with some technological considerations allow proposing hypotheses about the requirementand selection of local siliceous materials. The main question which we try to answer is whether the presence.of similar deposits may be correlated with the needs of the prehistoric societies on Usini territory., L’équipe francese del LAMPEA - UMR 6636, Université de Provence, ha condotto ricognizioni nel comune di Usini(2006-2009). L’analisi dei manufatti litici rinvenuti consente di presentare uno studio generale incentrato sia sulle strategiedi acquizione delle diverse materie prime che sulle loro modalità di utilizzo.Tale contributo si concentrerà quindi su due aspetti, discussi nelle loro linee generali: la questione dell’origine dellematerie prime silicee, in particolare la selce per la quale le indagini geomorfologiche hanno evidenziato la presenzadi giacimenti locali e l’analisi tecnologica. Il primo aspetto si svilupperà attraverso l’individuazione macroscopicadelle materie prime presenti nelle serie studiate sulla base di campioni prelevati da vari giacimenti, ubicati verso ilconfine settentrionale del comune di Usini. Questa prima parte dello studio fornirà spunti di riflessione circa l’economiadelle materie prime durante l’occupazione degli altipiani calcarei del Riu Mannu. I risultati ottenuti, congiunticon alcune considerazioni tecnologiche, hanno consentito di proporre ipotesi concernenti le necessità e le sceltesulle materie silicee locali. Lo scopo principale del presente lavoro è infatti capire se la presenza di giacimenti localipuò essere correlata alle necessità tecnologiche delle società preistoriche del territorio di Usini.

International audience