Production and Diffusion of Axes in The Seine Valley

Neolithic tool-makers of the Paris basic had access to a great diversity of lithic material resources, among them--secondary or tertiary flint, sandstone and orthoquartzite. Tertiary flint and secondary flint were most commonly used for domestic production. These materials can be found mainly in the Mesozoic Senonian limestone (Coniacian and Campanian), and in the Tertiary Saint Ouen (Bartonian) silicified limestone. Other materials are exogenous, such as Jurassic flint originating from the flint mines of Caen-Falaise plain of Normandy (the fringes of the Armorican Massif), used for the production of axes. The presence of axes manufactured from non-local igneous and metamorphic rocks suggests that some axes were brought to this region from the Armorican massif and the Alps. Others may have come from Vosges, the Central Massif or the Ardennes. This evidence consequently points to the Seine valley's role as an important geographical centre of both distribution and exchange of Armorican and Alpine axes. Evidence points to a sharp difference in use of lithic resources between the Chasséen septentrional and Michelsberg

Journal of Lithic Studies

Limestones are sedimentary rocks more commonly associated with building stones or sculptures than with millstones. Nevertheless, many examples of limestone saddle querns, rotary querns and millstones are spread across France, at times making up the bulk of the archaeological assemblages in various areas characterized by bedrocks rich of sedimentary stones. These limestone millstones are of different types, sources and geological origins: Eocene sandy or fossiliferous limestones, mainly from the various limestones layers from the Lutetian beds, Quaternary calcareous tufas, and fine Jurassic limestones. To explain the behaviour of these rocks, this study advances a classification of the rocks used for millstones, focused not only on the rock-type but mainly on the topological aspect of the stone surface. (empirical macroscopic surface roughness) This renders it possible to classify the rocks into categories by materials, rather than according to petrographic facies. The pure limestone...

Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 2020

Quantifying rates of river incision and continental uplift over Quaternary timescales offer the potential for modelling landscape change due to tectonic and climatic forcing. In many areas, river terraces form datable archives that help constrain the timing and rate of valley incision. However, old river terraces, with high-level deposits, are prone to weathering and often lack datable material. Where valleys are incised through karst areas, caves and sediments can be used to reconstruct the landscape evolution because they can record the elevation of palaeo-water tables and contain preserved datable material. In Normandy (N. France), the Seine River is entrenched into an extensive karstic chalk plateau. Previous estimates of valley incision were hampered by the lack of preserved datable fluvial terraces. A stack of abandoned phreatic cave passages preserved in the sides of the Seine valley can be used to reconstruct the landscape evolution of the region. Combining geomorphological observations, palaeomagnetic and U/Th dating of speleothem and sediments in eight caves along the Lower Seine valley, we have constructed a new age model for cave development and valley incision. Six identified cave levels up to ∼100m a.s.l. were formed during the last ~1 Ma, coeval with the incision of the Seine River. Passage morphologies indicate that the caves formed in a shallow phreatic/epiphreatic setting, modified by sediment influxes. The valley’s maximum age is constrained by the occurrence of late Pliocene marine sand. Palaeomagnetic dating of cave infills indicates that the highest-level caves were being infilled prior to 1.1 Ma. The evidence from the studied caves, complemented by fluvial terrace sequences, indicates that rapid river incision occurred during marine isotope stage (MIS) 28 to 20 (0.8–1 Ma), with maximal rates of ~0.30mka-1, dropping to ~0.08mka-1 between MIS 20–11 (0.8–0.4 Ma) and 0.05mka-1 from MIS 5 to the present time.

Geologica Belgica, 2018

ABSTRACT. For some years, a French-Belgian team of archaeologists and geologists is investigating the provenance of ancient quern-stones and millstones. Their study revealed the frequent occurrence of particular coarse sandstones derived from Lower Devonian strata in the Ardenne region, known as either the “Arkose of Haybes” by geologists or the “Arkose of Macquenoise” by archaeologists. Material for Late Iron Age and Roman quern-stones and millstones was quarried from open pits located west of the border between France and Belgium, between the Belgian village of Macquenoise (Commune of Momignies, Province of Hainaut) and the French town of Hirson (Aisne Department, Hauts-de-France region). This paper describes the raw materials, presents the different types of grindstones produced through historical times and provides a detailed diffusion map of the millstones. KEYWORDS: arkose, Lochkovian, milling stone, Gallo-Roman quarry, distribution area, geoheritage. RÉSUMÉ. Le Grès de Macquenoise, une ressource naturelle du Lochkovien (Dévonien) adaptée à la réalisation de meules à grains : carrières, propriétés du matériau, fabrication et diffusion des meules (Belgique – France). Depuis quelques années, une équipe franco-belge d’archéologues et de géologues travaille sur la caractérisation des roches meulières. Notre étude a révélé l’utilisation fréquente de grès grossiers dévoniens originaires du Massif des Ardennes pour la fabrication de meules rotatives antiques. Ces grès sont connus sous l’appellation d’“Arkose d’Haybes” par les géologues et d’“Arkose de Macquenoise” par les archéologues. Depuis la Protohistoire et jusqu’à la fin de la période romaine, des meules ont été extraites de carrières à ciel ouvert situées à l’ouest de la frontière franco-belge, entre le village belge de Macquenoise (Momignies, Province de Hainaut) et la ville française d’Hirson (Département de l’Aisne, Région des Hauts-de-France). Le but de cet article est de présenter les grès lochkoviens exploités à cet endroit, ainsi que les meules à grains produites à l’époque gallo-romaine dans les différentes carrières de ce district meulier. Ces productions étant désormais bien identifiées et reconnues en de nombreux sites archéologiques de France et de Belgique, il est possible de proposer une carte précise de la diffusion de ces meules en “Grès de Macquenoise”. MOTS-CLÉS: arkose, Lochkovien, meule, carrière gallo-romaine, aire de diffusion, patrimoine géologique.

2007

Sedimentology, 2002

Danian marine sedimentation in the Paris Basin occurred between two major erosional phases. The earlier was responsible for the stripping of presumably deposited Maastrichtian sediments and of a variable thickness of Campanian chalk. The later occurred during the late Palaeocene and resulted in the erosion of almost all Danian deposits, which are now limited to small and scattered outcrops. One of these outcrops corresponds to reefal and peri-reefal limestones of middle to late Danian age, exposed in the quarries of Vigny (NW of Paris). Danian deposits here show intricate relations with the surrounding Campanian chalk. Danian sedimentation was contemporaneous with faulting, which generated signifiant sea-floor relief and resulted in contrasting depositional areas: topographic highs with coralgal reefs, and depressions where calcirudite channel fill accumulated. Normal faulting occurred along WNW-ESE master faults. The generation of submarine fault scarps gave rise to various types of gravity-driven phenomena, including the sliding and slumping of large blocks of reefal limestone and the deposition of carbonate debris flows. Along with the redeposition of the Danian carbonates, flows of fluidized and reworked Campanian chalk resulted from the peculiar physical properties of the undercompacted chalks. Erosion and faulting occurred predominantly during the Palaeocene and represent a major episode in the physiographic evolution of the Paris Basin.

This paper examines the geology of the Lagrasse area, southern France. The stratigraphy in the area ranges in age from 72ma-52ma with recent Quaternary superficial deposits noted. All the strata in the region are calcite bearing, this along with tectonic influences in the area forms the rugged valley filled landscape around Lagrasse. The area is located in the Pyrenean foothills and has noticeable deformation throughout many units especially the Ribaute Limestone, likely deformed during the Eocene. The tectonic processes before the Eocene that led to the formation of the Pyrenees are also responsible for the depositional environments of the strata. The depositional settings are controlled by related processes such as foreland basin formation. The rugged landscape created makes the region prone to flooding with narrow valleys that have to share waterways and roads making natural disasters ever present in the area such as disastrous floods in 1999 and 2014.

PALEO, 23 | 2012, p. 55-84

MARTINEAU R., IMBEAUX M., AFFOLTER J., CHARPY J-J., BOSTYN F., DUMONTET A., 2019, The Neolithic Flint Mines of Les Marais de Saint-Gond and La Côte des Blancs (Marne, France), Anthropologica et Praehistorica, p. 101-118. , 2019

The Côte d'Île-de-France, in particular around the Saint-Gond Marshes, is well known for numerous collective burials and notably for its hypogea. Eighteen flint mines have also been excavated there during the nineteenth or at the beginning of the twentieth century, or have more recently been detected by aerial photography. Five mining areas have been identified. The excavation of Vert-la-Gravelle 'La Crayère' concerns one of these sectors. These excavations have discovered three trenches and four shafts for flint exploitation. The flint of Saint-Gond has been geologically and petrographically studied in order to characterise the micro-facies. In the same region, the presence of these numerous flint mines and 120 hypogea, five gallery graves, eight earthfast polissoirs and hundreds of knapping workshops suggest the presence of a new mining complex in the Saint-Gond Marshes. The study of this sector opens many new perspectives concerning the regional distribution of flint, the quantitative estimation of flint exploitation surface area and the study of territorial organisation. Résumé Le secteur sud-est de la Côte d'Île-de-France, et notamment la région des Marais de Saint-Gond, a livré de très nombreuses sépultures collectives en hypogées, mais aussi 18 minières de silex fouillées au XIX e ou au début du XX e siècle. Plusieurs autres minières ont été récemment détectées par photographie aérienne. Cinq secteurs miniers ont été identifiés. L'un d'eux a fait l'objet d'une fouille sur le site de « La Crayère » à Vert-la-Gravelle, où trois tranchées à ciel ouvert et quatre puits pour l'extraction du silex ont été mis au jour. Le silex de Saint-Gond a fait l'objet d'une caractérisation pétrographique détaillée des micro-faciès. La présence de ces nombreuses minières de silex situées dans une région comprenant plus de 120 hypogées, cinq allées couvertes, huit polissoirs fixes et des centaines d'ateliers de taille permet d'évoquer la présence d'un nouveau complexe minier. L'étude de ce secteur ouvre de nombreuses perspectives concernant la diffusion de ce silex à l'échelle régionale, l'estimation des surfaces d'extraction du silex et l'étude de l'occupation du territoire. Mots-clés : Marne, Saint-Gond, Néolithique récent, mines de silex, atelier de taille, hypogée, photographies aériennes.

Episodes, 2020

Several important monuments in Normandy were constructed from antiquity onwards with Normandy chalkstone (coccolithic limestone). These demonstrate the role of this stone in the development of traditional architecture, especially in the Medieval Age and, so, this work aims to propose the nomination of the chalkstone from Normandy as Global Heritage Stone Resource. Stratigraphic, petrographic and geochemical analyses allow identifying three main varieties of Normandy chalkstone used as a building stone: dedolomitized chalkstone, calcarenite and glauconite-quartz chalkstone, all Cenomanian to Coniacian in age. These varieties of chalkstones were quarried in underground galleries totalling over 15 km in length, mainly in the Caumont, Vernon and Fécamp quarries. Technological data are in accordance to their usual applications for building and indoor works of the Historical Monuments in Normandy. Archaeological research has reported the historical and extensive utilization of the chalkstone for specific works (walling, foundations, openings, sculptures) during Roman times and after the 10th century, in relation with three constructive techniques of historical value.