11 octobre 2021
Audrey Roussel et al., « Homme, Gibier et Environnement au Paléolithique moyen : regards sur la gestion territoriale de l’espace semi-montagnard du Midi de la France », HAL-SHS : archéologie, ID : 10670/1.dx6omp
Man-environment relations in the Middle Paleolithic in altitude or semi-mountainous environments represent a particular topic we propose to address through the archaeological study of deposits in the southern Massif Central and the Pre-Alps. These concern the Canalettes and Rescoundudou in Aveyron, and Lazaret and Pié Lombard in the Alpes-Maritimes. The analyses combined eruption and tooth wear methods with cementochronology to assess the ages and seasons of killing of ungulates at higher resolution. This approach is applied to the dental remains of red deer, ibex and bovine (bison/aurochs), the most common preys in the contexts studied. This study allows to discuss both the relevance of the methods used and to provide new information on the relations between the availability of animal resources and ecological and climatic conditions, which can account for the constraints or advantages of prehistoric human settlements in these regions.The first results of these analyses indicate that the sites located on the margins of mountain areas (Rescoundudou, Les Canalettes and Pié Lombard) are used only in the warm season. The climatic improvements of interstage 5 may have favored the exploitation of the semi-mountain environments and their resources. Conversely, according to the data from UA29 layer, in the coastal site of Lazaret dated to the glacial period (OIS 6), men occupied the cave during the coldest months and in spring. Moreover, the settlement patterns between the sites in the Causses (multi-seasonal) and the pre-Alps (seasonal) are different, probably due to the difference in the biotopes available in the area (plateaus vs. escarpments).