Levallois or various Kombewa methods were used on finer grained raw materials. There are a few re... more Levallois or various Kombewa methods were used on finer grained raw materials. There are a few retouched flake tools and some pebble tools (mainly choppers). These assemblages show us that, despite the influence of the raw materials (which is more of a constraint than a limit), Neanderthals achieved their goals through a variety of methods. These surface stations make it possible to better perceive adaptive strategies in the Middle Palaeolithic in Languedoc-Roussillon, in a context where the Levallois techno-complexes prevail.
Université de Perpignan Via-Domitia – UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique – Fran... more Université de Perpignan Via-Domitia – UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique – France Archéologies et Sciences de l’Antiquité équipe AnTET (ArScAn AnTET) – CNRS : UMR7041, Université Paris X Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense – Maison René Ginouvès Bôıte 32, 21, allée de l’université 92023 NANTERRE CEDEX, France Centro Nacional para la Investigacion sobre la Evolucion Humana – Espagne Institut de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES) – Edificio W3, Campus Sescelades URV, Zona Educacional, 4, 43007 Tarragona, España, Espagne Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) – Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain, Espagne Fundación Atapuerca (FA) – Carretera de Logroño, 44 09198 Ibeas de Juarros (Burgos, España), Espagne Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) – Facultad de Filosof́ıa y Letras, Campus de Cantoblanco, Calle Francisco Tomás y Valiente, 1, 28049 Madrid, Espagne CENIEH – Espagne INRAP GSO Campagne UMR 7041 ArScAn AnTET – UMR 7041 ArScAn AnTET – France
L’identification de negatifs d’enlevements sans contre-bulbes nets, sur les tranchants distaux de... more L’identification de negatifs d’enlevements sans contre-bulbes nets, sur les tranchants distaux de pieces faconnees bifacialement et/ou bilateralement dans des gisements du sud-est de la France (Bois de Riquet, Terra Amata et Le Lazaret), a conduit a envisager qu’il puisse s’agir de traces d’usages. L’analyse Techno-Morpho-Fonctionnelle des pieces presentant ces types de negatifs permet de proposer un mode d’action en percussion et la morphologie des negatifs d’enlevements (allonges, initiations larges, chevauchements), en comparaison avec les donnees issues de referentiels sur materiaux siliceux, etayent cette hypothese. La confirmation de cette observation issue du materiel archeologique necessitait la mise en place d’un referentiel experimental dedie et constitue dans les deux materiaux les plus frequents : calcaire et basalte. Cette demarche experimentale avait pour but de caracteriser les traces d’un usage percussif sur le tranchant de l’outil (agencement et morphologie des macr...
In several Lower Palaeolithic sites of Southeastern France (i.e. Bois-de-Riquet, Terra Amata), He... more In several Lower Palaeolithic sites of Southeastern France (i.e. Bois-de-Riquet, Terra Amata), Heavy-Duty-Tools bear use-wears on their cutting edges. The Techno-Morpho-Functional analysis of these pieces allows to propose a mode of action in launched percussion. This hypothesis was test with specific experimental baseline, dedicated to basalt and limestone. First results show a diagnostic of the launched percussive motion higher for limestone than basalt, for which further developments and experiments still need to be performed.
The different archeostratigraphic units of the Bois-de-Riquet site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, southern ... more The different archeostratigraphic units of the Bois-de-Riquet site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, southern France) have yielded a range of stone tools in association with rich large-mammal assemblages. The oldest stone tools are from archeostratigraphic unit US2, which was initially dated to <1.57 Ma and with later, more detailed dating assigned to the interval between 1.4 and 1.1 Ma. This paper presents results from all small vertebrate fossil remains recovered from US2. The faunal list now comprises the arvicolines Allophaiomys nutiensis, Mimomys savini, Stenocranius gregaloides, Iberomys huescarensis and Terricola arvalidens, the murids Apodemus sylvaticus and Castillomys rivas, the hamster Allocricetus bursae, the toad Epidalea calamita, the snake Vipera sp. and an indeterminanble lizard (Lacertidae indet.). Based on the chronological ranges known to date, the arvicolinae species indicate that the age of US2 is between 1 and 0.9 Ma. This places this site among the southern European localities associated with the first arrivals of hominins in Europe, like Sierra de Atapuerca (Spain), Barranco Le on D and Fuente Nueva 3 (Spain), Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar (Spain), Barranc de la Boella (Spain), Vallaparadis (Spain), Le Vallonnet (France) and Pirro Nord (Italy). The fauna analysis allows us to reconstruct the paleoenvironment of the area surrounding the site during its formation and shows a dominance of open and humid meadow landscape, with scarce areas of humid forest, and woodland margin relatively far from the water's edge.
Abstract The Bois-de-Riquet site, located in a basalt quarry at Lezignan-la-Cebe (l'Herault, ... more Abstract The Bois-de-Riquet site, located in a basalt quarry at Lezignan-la-Cebe (l'Herault, France), contains two stratigraphical levels that have yielded archeological and paleontological materials. Level US2 is already known for its rich paleontological record in association with a few basalt stone tools dating to around 1.2 Ma. Level US4, presented here for the first time, corresponds to a mudflow event containing stone tools attributed to the Acheulian techno-complex. Geomorphological data from the l'Herault Valley region, as well as combined paleomagnetic and cosmogenic dating, all indicate that the mudflow event most likely occurred at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. The industries found within the mudflow are knapped mainly from basalt. The assemblage collected so far include flakes and cores knapped from four different raw materials, as well as some Large Flakes (>10 cm) and a few bifacial tools, retouched items and a few very large pieces knapped on basalt blocks interpreted as ‘Giant Cores’. In the European context, assemblages presenting such features are scarce outside of Spain and may indicate an affiliation to an early phase of the Acheulian.
Paléontologie humaine et préhistoire Une nouvelle faune de vertébrés continentaux, associée à des... more Paléontologie humaine et préhistoire Une nouvelle faune de vertébrés continentaux, associée à des artefacts dans le Pléistocène inférieur de l'Hérault
Level US4 of the Bois-de-Riquet archeological site represents a mudslide type deposit dating to t... more Level US4 of the Bois-de-Riquet archeological site represents a mudslide type deposit dating to the early Middle Pleistocene. It has yielded a rich lithic assemblage made from basalt, aplite and quartz, whose components represent all of the operating chains of production: cores, flakes, hammers, worked cobbles and blocks, as well as a biface. The latter, associated with the production of large flakes, testifies to the first phases of the European Acheulian. This article presents the analysis of part of the macro-tools made from basalt. The methodology is based on a techno-morpho-functional and traceological analysis of the artefacts, coupled with the creation of a specific experimental frame of reference. These approaches allow us to distinguish among five tool types. Three groups of tools present a transverse opposition between their cutting edges and gripping zones, while the other two groups present an oblique opposition. These functional structures refer to different gestures. H...
In archeological record for the late Lower Pleistocene, manuports often represent a high proporti... more In archeological record for the late Lower Pleistocene, manuports often represent a high proportion of the stone tool assemblages. Examples from well-known sites in Eurasia, such as; Olduvai Gorge Beds I and II, Dmanisi or Hummal, underline the significance of these items. Yet these materials are usually only summarily mentioned and their analysis is generally occulted by the, more thoroughly studies knapped materials. Archeostratigraphic Unit 2 (US2) of the Bois-de-Riquet site provides a good opportunity to evaluate the importance of imported materials for understanding hominin activities and interactions with carnivores. A few basalt cores and flakes were uncovered from the excavation, along with some rounded basalt nodules imported to the site. The relative abundance of manuports in the BDR-US2 assemblage raises issues pertaining to their significance: where do they originate from? Which characteristics were involved in their selection? What were they used for? Were the nodules u...
The Bois-de-Riquet archeological site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, H erault, France) provides significant... more The Bois-de-Riquet archeological site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, H erault, France) provides significant paleontological and archeological data about the first occupations of Western Europe. Although only partially excavated, the site has already yielded an exceptionally rich paleontological assemblage as well as some stone artefacts. The archeostratigraphical unit "US2" is encased within a basalt flowstone radiometrically dated to 1.57 Ma. The sedimentary infill has preserved large and small mammal fossils, as well as coprolites. Biochronological interpretations suggest an age of around 1.3e1.1 Ma for the accumulation. A few basalt artefacts were exhumed alongside the fossil bones. Interpretation of the lithics has required the elaboration of a strict selection protocol based upon extensive knapping experiments with local basalt. This paper presents results from the interdisciplinary study of the Bois-de-Riquet site in the aim of contextualizing these discoveries. The microstratigraphical analysis of the deposits is presented with recent geological interpretations in order to contribute a better understanding of the main features of this assemblage, and its remarkable preservation within the thermal and textural boundary between a basalt flowstone's base and its entablature.
Resume Parfois representes en forts pourcentages, les manuports constituent, dans les sites du pl... more Resume Parfois representes en forts pourcentages, les manuports constituent, dans les sites du pleistocene inferieur, une composante importante des outillages. A ce titre, ils participent grandement aux modeles etablis d’organisation des territoires des hominides du Plio-Pleistocene en Afrique. Leur role parmi cette composante reste cependant hypothetique. L’assemblage lithique de l’US2 du site de Bois-de-Riquet comporte 100 nodules. Leur presence anormale dans le contexte de la cavite questionne sur le caractere anthropique de leur introduction et donc de leur usage possible. L’industrie du Bois-de-Riquet participe donc du debat ouvert sur la fonction des manuports. L’objectif principal est ici de demontrer que ces objets, bien que de formation locale, ne sont ni produits dans la cavite, ni introduits naturellement, mais bien qu’ils ont ete l’objet d’un apport anthropique au sein de la nappe de vestiges osseux et probablement en lien avec eux. L’emport anthropique de nodules naturels depuis des sources locales d’approvisionnement fera ici l’objet de la demonstration. Pour cela un echantillonnage a ete effectue dans tous les contextes volcaniques locaux en positon primaire ou secondaire livrant naturellement des nodules. Chacun de ces echantillons a ete compare a celui constitue par les artefacts archeologiques de l’US2. Un contexte anthropique historique local, ou ces nodules forment exclusivement l’appareillage de la structure (une calade), complete cette comparaison en servant de referent en tant que temoin anthropique. Les resultats obtenus ont non seulement permis de confirmer l’emport anthropique des boules de basaltes dans l’US2 du Bois-de-Riquet mais ont egalement permis d’identifier les sources dans le complexe basaltique sub-synchrone de l’US2 dans lequel ils ont ete selectionnes.
The Bois-de-Riquet archeological site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, H erault, France) provides significant... more The Bois-de-Riquet archeological site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, H erault, France) provides significant paleon-tological and archeological data about the first occupations of Western Europe. Although only partially excavated, the site has already yielded an exceptionally rich paleontological assemblage as well as some stone artefacts. The archeostratigraphical unit " US2 " is encased within a basalt flowstone radiometrically dated to 1.57 Ma. The sedimentary infill has preserved large and small mammal fossils, as well as coprolites. Biochronological interpretations suggest an age of around 1.3e1.1 Ma for the accumulation. A few basalt artefacts were exhumed alongside the fossil bones. Interpretation of the lithics has required the elaboration of a strict selection protocol based upon extensive knapping experiments with local basalt. This paper presents results from the interdisciplinary study of the Bois-de-Riquet site in the aim of contextualizing these discoveries. The microstratigraphical analysis of the deposits is presented with recent geological interpretations in order to contribute a better understanding of the main features of this assemblage, and its remarkable preservation within the thermal and textural boundary between a basalt flowstone's base and its entablature.
Levallois or various Kombewa methods were used on finer grained raw materials. There are a few re... more Levallois or various Kombewa methods were used on finer grained raw materials. There are a few retouched flake tools and some pebble tools (mainly choppers). These assemblages show us that, despite the influence of the raw materials (which is more of a constraint than a limit), Neanderthals achieved their goals through a variety of methods. These surface stations make it possible to better perceive adaptive strategies in the Middle Palaeolithic in Languedoc-Roussillon, in a context where the Levallois techno-complexes prevail.
Université de Perpignan Via-Domitia – UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique – Fran... more Université de Perpignan Via-Domitia – UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique – France Archéologies et Sciences de l’Antiquité équipe AnTET (ArScAn AnTET) – CNRS : UMR7041, Université Paris X Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense – Maison René Ginouvès Bôıte 32, 21, allée de l’université 92023 NANTERRE CEDEX, France Centro Nacional para la Investigacion sobre la Evolucion Humana – Espagne Institut de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES) – Edificio W3, Campus Sescelades URV, Zona Educacional, 4, 43007 Tarragona, España, Espagne Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) – Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain, Espagne Fundación Atapuerca (FA) – Carretera de Logroño, 44 09198 Ibeas de Juarros (Burgos, España), Espagne Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) – Facultad de Filosof́ıa y Letras, Campus de Cantoblanco, Calle Francisco Tomás y Valiente, 1, 28049 Madrid, Espagne CENIEH – Espagne INRAP GSO Campagne UMR 7041 ArScAn AnTET – UMR 7041 ArScAn AnTET – France
L’identification de negatifs d’enlevements sans contre-bulbes nets, sur les tranchants distaux de... more L’identification de negatifs d’enlevements sans contre-bulbes nets, sur les tranchants distaux de pieces faconnees bifacialement et/ou bilateralement dans des gisements du sud-est de la France (Bois de Riquet, Terra Amata et Le Lazaret), a conduit a envisager qu’il puisse s’agir de traces d’usages. L’analyse Techno-Morpho-Fonctionnelle des pieces presentant ces types de negatifs permet de proposer un mode d’action en percussion et la morphologie des negatifs d’enlevements (allonges, initiations larges, chevauchements), en comparaison avec les donnees issues de referentiels sur materiaux siliceux, etayent cette hypothese. La confirmation de cette observation issue du materiel archeologique necessitait la mise en place d’un referentiel experimental dedie et constitue dans les deux materiaux les plus frequents : calcaire et basalte. Cette demarche experimentale avait pour but de caracteriser les traces d’un usage percussif sur le tranchant de l’outil (agencement et morphologie des macr...
In several Lower Palaeolithic sites of Southeastern France (i.e. Bois-de-Riquet, Terra Amata), He... more In several Lower Palaeolithic sites of Southeastern France (i.e. Bois-de-Riquet, Terra Amata), Heavy-Duty-Tools bear use-wears on their cutting edges. The Techno-Morpho-Functional analysis of these pieces allows to propose a mode of action in launched percussion. This hypothesis was test with specific experimental baseline, dedicated to basalt and limestone. First results show a diagnostic of the launched percussive motion higher for limestone than basalt, for which further developments and experiments still need to be performed.
The different archeostratigraphic units of the Bois-de-Riquet site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, southern ... more The different archeostratigraphic units of the Bois-de-Riquet site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, southern France) have yielded a range of stone tools in association with rich large-mammal assemblages. The oldest stone tools are from archeostratigraphic unit US2, which was initially dated to <1.57 Ma and with later, more detailed dating assigned to the interval between 1.4 and 1.1 Ma. This paper presents results from all small vertebrate fossil remains recovered from US2. The faunal list now comprises the arvicolines Allophaiomys nutiensis, Mimomys savini, Stenocranius gregaloides, Iberomys huescarensis and Terricola arvalidens, the murids Apodemus sylvaticus and Castillomys rivas, the hamster Allocricetus bursae, the toad Epidalea calamita, the snake Vipera sp. and an indeterminanble lizard (Lacertidae indet.). Based on the chronological ranges known to date, the arvicolinae species indicate that the age of US2 is between 1 and 0.9 Ma. This places this site among the southern European localities associated with the first arrivals of hominins in Europe, like Sierra de Atapuerca (Spain), Barranco Le on D and Fuente Nueva 3 (Spain), Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar (Spain), Barranc de la Boella (Spain), Vallaparadis (Spain), Le Vallonnet (France) and Pirro Nord (Italy). The fauna analysis allows us to reconstruct the paleoenvironment of the area surrounding the site during its formation and shows a dominance of open and humid meadow landscape, with scarce areas of humid forest, and woodland margin relatively far from the water's edge.
Abstract The Bois-de-Riquet site, located in a basalt quarry at Lezignan-la-Cebe (l'Herault, ... more Abstract The Bois-de-Riquet site, located in a basalt quarry at Lezignan-la-Cebe (l'Herault, France), contains two stratigraphical levels that have yielded archeological and paleontological materials. Level US2 is already known for its rich paleontological record in association with a few basalt stone tools dating to around 1.2 Ma. Level US4, presented here for the first time, corresponds to a mudflow event containing stone tools attributed to the Acheulian techno-complex. Geomorphological data from the l'Herault Valley region, as well as combined paleomagnetic and cosmogenic dating, all indicate that the mudflow event most likely occurred at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. The industries found within the mudflow are knapped mainly from basalt. The assemblage collected so far include flakes and cores knapped from four different raw materials, as well as some Large Flakes (>10 cm) and a few bifacial tools, retouched items and a few very large pieces knapped on basalt blocks interpreted as ‘Giant Cores’. In the European context, assemblages presenting such features are scarce outside of Spain and may indicate an affiliation to an early phase of the Acheulian.
Paléontologie humaine et préhistoire Une nouvelle faune de vertébrés continentaux, associée à des... more Paléontologie humaine et préhistoire Une nouvelle faune de vertébrés continentaux, associée à des artefacts dans le Pléistocène inférieur de l'Hérault
Level US4 of the Bois-de-Riquet archeological site represents a mudslide type deposit dating to t... more Level US4 of the Bois-de-Riquet archeological site represents a mudslide type deposit dating to the early Middle Pleistocene. It has yielded a rich lithic assemblage made from basalt, aplite and quartz, whose components represent all of the operating chains of production: cores, flakes, hammers, worked cobbles and blocks, as well as a biface. The latter, associated with the production of large flakes, testifies to the first phases of the European Acheulian. This article presents the analysis of part of the macro-tools made from basalt. The methodology is based on a techno-morpho-functional and traceological analysis of the artefacts, coupled with the creation of a specific experimental frame of reference. These approaches allow us to distinguish among five tool types. Three groups of tools present a transverse opposition between their cutting edges and gripping zones, while the other two groups present an oblique opposition. These functional structures refer to different gestures. H...
In archeological record for the late Lower Pleistocene, manuports often represent a high proporti... more In archeological record for the late Lower Pleistocene, manuports often represent a high proportion of the stone tool assemblages. Examples from well-known sites in Eurasia, such as; Olduvai Gorge Beds I and II, Dmanisi or Hummal, underline the significance of these items. Yet these materials are usually only summarily mentioned and their analysis is generally occulted by the, more thoroughly studies knapped materials. Archeostratigraphic Unit 2 (US2) of the Bois-de-Riquet site provides a good opportunity to evaluate the importance of imported materials for understanding hominin activities and interactions with carnivores. A few basalt cores and flakes were uncovered from the excavation, along with some rounded basalt nodules imported to the site. The relative abundance of manuports in the BDR-US2 assemblage raises issues pertaining to their significance: where do they originate from? Which characteristics were involved in their selection? What were they used for? Were the nodules u...
The Bois-de-Riquet archeological site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, H erault, France) provides significant... more The Bois-de-Riquet archeological site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, H erault, France) provides significant paleontological and archeological data about the first occupations of Western Europe. Although only partially excavated, the site has already yielded an exceptionally rich paleontological assemblage as well as some stone artefacts. The archeostratigraphical unit "US2" is encased within a basalt flowstone radiometrically dated to 1.57 Ma. The sedimentary infill has preserved large and small mammal fossils, as well as coprolites. Biochronological interpretations suggest an age of around 1.3e1.1 Ma for the accumulation. A few basalt artefacts were exhumed alongside the fossil bones. Interpretation of the lithics has required the elaboration of a strict selection protocol based upon extensive knapping experiments with local basalt. This paper presents results from the interdisciplinary study of the Bois-de-Riquet site in the aim of contextualizing these discoveries. The microstratigraphical analysis of the deposits is presented with recent geological interpretations in order to contribute a better understanding of the main features of this assemblage, and its remarkable preservation within the thermal and textural boundary between a basalt flowstone's base and its entablature.
Resume Parfois representes en forts pourcentages, les manuports constituent, dans les sites du pl... more Resume Parfois representes en forts pourcentages, les manuports constituent, dans les sites du pleistocene inferieur, une composante importante des outillages. A ce titre, ils participent grandement aux modeles etablis d’organisation des territoires des hominides du Plio-Pleistocene en Afrique. Leur role parmi cette composante reste cependant hypothetique. L’assemblage lithique de l’US2 du site de Bois-de-Riquet comporte 100 nodules. Leur presence anormale dans le contexte de la cavite questionne sur le caractere anthropique de leur introduction et donc de leur usage possible. L’industrie du Bois-de-Riquet participe donc du debat ouvert sur la fonction des manuports. L’objectif principal est ici de demontrer que ces objets, bien que de formation locale, ne sont ni produits dans la cavite, ni introduits naturellement, mais bien qu’ils ont ete l’objet d’un apport anthropique au sein de la nappe de vestiges osseux et probablement en lien avec eux. L’emport anthropique de nodules naturels depuis des sources locales d’approvisionnement fera ici l’objet de la demonstration. Pour cela un echantillonnage a ete effectue dans tous les contextes volcaniques locaux en positon primaire ou secondaire livrant naturellement des nodules. Chacun de ces echantillons a ete compare a celui constitue par les artefacts archeologiques de l’US2. Un contexte anthropique historique local, ou ces nodules forment exclusivement l’appareillage de la structure (une calade), complete cette comparaison en servant de referent en tant que temoin anthropique. Les resultats obtenus ont non seulement permis de confirmer l’emport anthropique des boules de basaltes dans l’US2 du Bois-de-Riquet mais ont egalement permis d’identifier les sources dans le complexe basaltique sub-synchrone de l’US2 dans lequel ils ont ete selectionnes.
The Bois-de-Riquet archeological site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, H erault, France) provides significant... more The Bois-de-Riquet archeological site (L ezignan-la-C ebe, H erault, France) provides significant paleon-tological and archeological data about the first occupations of Western Europe. Although only partially excavated, the site has already yielded an exceptionally rich paleontological assemblage as well as some stone artefacts. The archeostratigraphical unit " US2 " is encased within a basalt flowstone radiometrically dated to 1.57 Ma. The sedimentary infill has preserved large and small mammal fossils, as well as coprolites. Biochronological interpretations suggest an age of around 1.3e1.1 Ma for the accumulation. A few basalt artefacts were exhumed alongside the fossil bones. Interpretation of the lithics has required the elaboration of a strict selection protocol based upon extensive knapping experiments with local basalt. This paper presents results from the interdisciplinary study of the Bois-de-Riquet site in the aim of contextualizing these discoveries. The microstratigraphical analysis of the deposits is presented with recent geological interpretations in order to contribute a better understanding of the main features of this assemblage, and its remarkable preservation within the thermal and textural boundary between a basalt flowstone's base and its entablature.
Ongoing research at the Bois-de-Riquet site (Lézignanla-
Cèbe, l’Hérault, France) has significant... more Ongoing research at the Bois-de-Riquet site (Lézignanla- Cèbe, l’Hérault, France) has significantly increased the archeological data available for this exceptional Lower Pleistocene occurrence. Since its discovery in the 1990’s, the rich paleontological level situated within a basalt flowstone radiometrically dated to 1.57 Ma (archeostratigraphical unit: ‘US2’) has yielded a well preserved large and small mammal assemblage. New biochronological evaluations based on the entire faunal assemblage allow an age evaluation of around 1.3-1.2 Ma for this level (late-Early Pleistocene). A small lithic assemblage in basalt is attributed to anthropic intrusion.
In archeological record for the late Lower Pleistocene, manuports often represent a high proporti... more In archeological record for the late Lower Pleistocene, manuports often represent a high proportion of the stone tool assemblages. Examples from well-known sites in Eurasia, such as; Olduvai Gorge Beds I and II, Dmanisi or Hummal, underline the significance of these items. Yet these materials are usually only summarily mentioned and their analysis is generally occulted by the, more thoroughly studies knapped materials. Archeostratigraphic Unit 2 (US2) of the Bois-de-Riquet site provides a good opportunity to evaluate the importance of imported materials for understanding hominin activities and interactions with carnivores. A few basalt cores and flakes were uncovered from the excavation , along with some rounded basalt nodules imported to the site.
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Papers by Jérôme Ivorra
Cèbe, l’Hérault, France) has significantly increased the
archeological data available for this exceptional Lower
Pleistocene occurrence. Since its discovery in the 1990’s,
the rich paleontological level situated within a basalt
flowstone radiometrically dated to 1.57 Ma (archeostratigraphical
unit: ‘US2’) has yielded a well preserved large
and small mammal assemblage. New biochronological
evaluations based on the entire faunal assemblage
allow an age evaluation of around 1.3-1.2 Ma for this
level (late-Early Pleistocene). A small lithic assemblage
in basalt is attributed to anthropic intrusion.