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À Cussac, grotte ornée et sépulcrale gravettienne, les manifestations graphiques relèvent presque exclusivement de la gravure. Ce choix technique est-il volontaire ? Est-il dicté par le support que sont les parois de la cavité ou par les instruments à disposition, ou par les deux simultanément ? Si les outils utilisés demeurent encore inconnus, les caractéristiques des parois peuvent a minima être précisées. Envisageant les media de la gravure, c’est-à-dire à la fois le support et les instruments, par une approche interdisciplinaire associant observations de terrain, analyses pétrographiques, outils 3D et tests expérimentaux, l’étude permet d’élaborer et d’éprouver une méthodologie afin de définir une typologie des incisions, et de documenter de potentiels instruments ainsi que la nature des faciès lithologiques choisis. Les reproductions expérimentales des types de gravure ont permis de définir des stigmates témoins de ces media qu’il est possible de retrouver sur quelques-uns des panneaux ornés de la cavité. The choice of tools and techniques to produce parietal art reflect the physical interaction between the artist and the cave wall, which is equally influenced by specific cultural norms that varied over time and space (Feruglio 2018). These choices, as well as the types of graphic representations produced, can thus be studied as an element of material cultural in order to better elucidate and define the various Late Palaeolithic techno-complexes. The tools used to produce cave art are therefore central to this issue. However, studying them faces certain methodological difficulties linked to accessing the decorated walls and the adoption of tools and techniques initially developed for analysing portable art. Here, we address the technology of engravings found in Cussac Cave using an interdisciplinary approach that considers both the nature of the cave wall and potential tools for producing rock art, which we collectively refer to here as media.Cussac Cave, in the Dordogne departement of south-western France (fig. 1), contains both graphic expressions and human funerary deposits (Kacki et al. 2020), the latter dated to the Middle Gravettian, between 29,700 and 28,700 cal BP (Jaubert et al. 2017). The most recent surveys of the site recorded more than one thousand figurative and abstract graphic units (Feruglio et al. 2020a), of which engravings account for three-quarters. The decorated rock surfaces are mainly concentrated in a large segment of the middle part of the wall (Ferrier et al. 2017; fig. 2). In addition to the availability of large surfaces, the possibility of broad fluid movements afforded by the physical properties of this area also contributed to the monumental aspect of the artworks.The superficial dissolution of the calcium carbonate component increased the porosity of the limestone walls to a depth of several millimetres, reducing the cohesion between particles and highlighting the soft character of the support (Ferrier et al. 2017). Nonetheless, important questions remained concerning the properties and thickness of this alteration, with it quickly becoming clear that a sampling programme was necessary. As conservation measures prohibit directly sampling the cave wall, this problem could be overcome thanks to the proximity of the Pigeonnier Caves. Located about 500 m from the entrance of Cussac and formed by the dissolution of Upper Campanian limestones, the walls of these caves present similar superficial alterations (Ferrier et al. 2017).While mechanical and physical analyses were inconclusive, the porosity of the altered cave walls could be quantified using microscopic imagery (fig. 6) and led to the identification of a 2.6-mm-thick surface alteration that was particularly porous compared to the underlying rock surface. We used measurements of surface porosity as a proxy for evaluating the humidity of the wall surfaces.The relatively plastic aspect of the cave wall likely allowed engravings to be produced using a large range of tools.Initial observations of the Cussac engravings showed them to have been produced using either fingers or soft and hard tools with large, rounded or pointed active ends (Feruglio et al. 2020a). A technological analysis of a test panel (Panneau du Réticulé, 3D2; fig. 3) was carried out in order to more precisely document the tools used to produce the engravings. This panel, composed of 23 graphic units (tabl. 1), was chosen for several reasons:- it hosts a large variety of engravings representative of the range of marks observed at Cussac;- the engravings were produced on two lithologically distinct surfaces that allow the influence of the rock support on the morphology of the marks to be evaluated;- direct observations could easily be made from the passageway;- a photogrammetric model was recently produced for the panel.The morpho-typological description of the engravings was based on three criteria that could be quantified using measurements obtained from the 3D model using the SensoMAP (Mountains) software package:- width: narrow (≤ 10 mm) / medium (10-15 mm) / wide (≥ 15 mm);- depth: shallow (≤ 2 mm) / medium (2-4 mm) / deep (≥ 4 mm);- cross-section morphology: V-shaped, asymmetrically V-shaped, U-shaped, W-shaped.This data was subsequently used to produce a technological survey of the panel (fig. 7, 8, 9, 10 et 11).Experiments were then carried out using a protocole based on four varying parameters: rock support, tool, rendering and execution. Engravings were produced directly on the cave walls of the neighbouring Pigeonnier Cave (fig. 4) using fingers and seven tools: a flint blade and burin, a stalactite, an antler rod (Cervus elaphus) and two wooden sticks (Pinus sylvestris, Betula pendula). “Rendering” corresponds to basic graphic types (rectilinear or curvilinear lines) as well as the repetition of marks. Lastly, “execution” can group several variables: stature, position, pressure exerted, hand preference, tool motion (pitch and working angle; fig. 5) and direction of movement.Photogrammetric models of the wall were produced before and after engraving using the Agisoft Metashape software and subsequently compared using CloudCompare (EDF R&D) to determine the depth of the marks according to the techniques used (fig. 14). The morpho-typological description of the engravings was made on-site, complemented by observations of both the photogrammetric and microphotographic models.Two types of engravings could be distinguished by combining archaeological and experimental data. As regards the first type, the altered surface of the wall was incised with a tool made of hard animal matter (fig. 13B), wood, or using the fingers (fig. 13A), which produced a U-shaped section and traces resembling scales and fins (fig. 12). In the second type, surfaces incised using flint tools generated a V-shaped section (fig. 13C). In this case, matter was removed from the wall rather than remodelling the surface alteration as is the case for the first type.These analyses pave the way for future studies of the Cussac Cave engravings, including the establishment of a relative chronology for techniques employed on the same panel or mapping the techniques and tools used throughout the cave. Our novel methodology for the technological analysis of marks and the identification of engraving tools at Cussac will be refined and carried out for more areas of the cave and, if necessary, extended to other sites.

Summary. Due to the important number of archaeological sites studied therein, the Arudy basin is a favored place for seeking improved understanding of settlement dynamics and cultural characteristics of the populations that occupied these sites since the Paleolithic. In this case, the Mesolithic and Final Neolithic archaeological levels of room 5 of the Laà 2 cave will be analyzed and then inserted within the larger context of the Béarn valleys, as well as the northwestern Pyrenees. Four Mesolithic levels allow us to address certain features of the mobility of small groups utilizing impermanent campsite installations. These provide new data for the analysis of modalities of land occupancy and mobility strategies of the last hunter-gatherer societies of the French Pyrenees and their outskirts. Four or five phases of occupation are also identified for the Final Neolithic, and likewise, provide evidence of short-lived encampments. When compared with what is currently known for the northwestern Pyrenees, analysis of the ceramic material allows us to highlight Véraza influences, the likes of which are already known to exist within the Toulouse region. Résumé. Le bassin d’Arudy, du fait du nombre important de sites archéologiques étudiés, est un lieu privilégié pour actualiser nos connaissances sur les dynamiques de peuplement et les caractéristiques culturelles des populations qui ont occupé ces lieux depuis le Paléolithique. Ici, ce sont les niveaux du Mésolithique et du Néolithique final de la salle 5 de la grotte de Laà 2 qui seront analysés puis replacés dans le cadre des vallées béarnaises et, plus largement, au niveau des Pyrénées nord-occidentales. Quatre niveaux mésolithiques permettent d’aborder certains aspects de la mobilité de petits groupes avec des campements peu développés ce qui offre de nouvelles données pour l’analyse des modes d’occupation et des stratégies de mobilité des dernières sociétés de chasseurs-cueilleurs des Pyrénées françaises et de leurs marges. Pour le Néolithique final ce sont également quatre ou cinq phases d’occupations qui illustrent également des campements de courtes durées. Le mobilier céramique, rapproché de ce que l’on connaît actuellement dans les Pyrénées nord-occidentales permet de souligner des influences avec le Véraza tel qu’il existe dans la région toulousaine.

A few years after the discovery of hand stencils at Gargas, É. Cartailhac and H. Breuil carried out two excavation sessions (1911 and 1913) in Hall I of the Lower Gallery. Their objective was to obtain archaeological elements that would enable them to date the parietal art in the cave. Nearly a century later, a new interdisciplinary research project has been undertaken with a global approach to the Paleolithic human occupations. One of the main topics addressed is the relationship between the...

Following the discovery of Cussac Cave (Le Buisson-de-Cadouin, Dordogne) in 2000 and its expertise by a first group of researchers (N. Aujoulat and collaborators), the services of the Ministry of Culture adopted a rigorous heritage policy to protect the cave, ensure its security and to acquire the property on which it is located in order to create an archaeological reserve that would be the property of the State. Environmental studies of the entire massif (climatic, hydrogeological, microbiol...

Objectives In decorated caves, the aim of taphonomic studies is to understand the evolution of the wall surfaces. It is thus possible to reconstruct the initial state of a wall before the realization of art works and understanding the processes that occurred after the presence of humans: what processes modified the drawings after their realization? Can we identify the parts of the cave where artistic representations have disappeared? What is the difference between the initial corpus and that ...

Grâce à la « révolution numérique », les chercheurs ont désormais accès à de nouveaux outils d’exploration qui ont considérablement renouvelé les pratiques scientifiques traditionnelles. L’archéologie a pleinement intégré cette ère du virtuel. Ce recueil explore les applications des techniques de l’imagerie numérique, comme la photogrammétrie, le scanner laser, la microtomodentométrie, la modélisation tridimensionnelle et les systèmes d’information 3D, ou la réalité virtuelle et augmentée. L’introduction de l’imagerie numérique a également changé la diffusion des connaissances archéologiques et fait évoluer la muséographie. Les travaux présentés concernent des vestiges ostéoarchéologiques humains et animaux, des sites paléolithiques et des grottes ornées, ainsi que des sites proche-orientaux mis en danger par les conflits actuels. Le Congrès national des sociétés historiques et scientifiques rassemble chaque année universitaires, membres de sociétés savantes et jeunes chercheurs. Ce recueil est issu de travaux présentés lors du 144e Congrès sur le thème « Le réel et le virtuel ».

Les données générées par les différentes disciplines à l’œuvre dans l’étude et la conservation des milieux ornés sont difficilement exploitables dans leur globalité de par leur hétérogénéité, mais aussi de par les difficultés d’appréhension de leur organisation spatiale. Nous avons développé un logiciel permettant de placer des points sur des maillages issus de numérisation 3D et de les consulter avec des outils de filtres et de recherches. Ils contiennent toutes les données des chercheurs relatives à des observations ou des analyses. La spatialisation des données permet une nouvelle approche dans leur analyse. En effet, de façon analogue aux systèmes d’information géographique (SIG) classiques, les positions 3D des enregistrements peuvent révéler des alignements, des regroupements, ou encore des manques selon des critères de filtrage et d’affichage des données. The study of decorated caves is now conducted at a multi-field and multi-scale level. The evolution of cave walls, from their decoration to their degradation, enters the field of cave wall taphonomy. The analysis data collected by the experts are heterogeneous and distributed over different media (walls, floors, environment...). The 3D representation of a cave is particularly well adapted to gather all these very diverse data, in order to be able to interrogate them in laboratory. From this observation, and thanks to two research programs (ArTaPOC and PHYT), a tool has been developed to define the localisation of the samples (georeferencing), the annotations and the measurements of all types of sensors in a database. The idea is to reposition them on a 3D model such as the one used as an example, from a laboratory-cave in Leye (Marquay, Dordogne, France). The simultaneous visualization of several data fields allows to highlight alignments, groupings or gaps with respect to the selected data. The study of the site is facilitated, and new hypotheses can emerge on the evolution of wall surfaces in this case.

Une fois rappelés les résultats étonnants accordant aux constructions de la grotte de Bruniquel (Tarn-et-Garonne) un âge Paléolithique moyen ancien, donc néandertalien (MIS 6), nous résumons d’un point de vue patrimonial, archéologique ou méthodologique nos interventions pluri- ou interdisciplinaires sur ce site désormais classé au titre des monuments historiques. La contrainte d’accès au site, les paramètres taphonomiques et l’originalité du matériau de construction sollicité (la calcite) ajoutent à la complexité méthodologique de l’opération d’étude qui est toujours en cours. Once we have recalled the surprising results obtained from the constructions of the Bruniquel cave, an Early Middle Palaeolithic (EMP) age, therefore of Neanderthal origin (MIS 6), we summarise from a heritage, archaeological and methodological point of view our multi-disciplinary or interdisciplinary interventions on this specific site, now protected as a historic monument. The constrained access to the site, the taphonomical parameters and the originality of the building material used (calcite) all complicate the methodological advances of the archaeological research that is still in progress.

Étroite cavité inondée par les crues du Lot, la grotte de Pergouset, archétype du « sanctuaire secret », est ornée de 153 gravures magdaléniennes. Dix années de fouilles et d’études pluridisciplinaires ont permis d’analyser les traces d’occupation conservées dans les limons et d’étudier les motifs pariétaux qui comptent, outre des représentations animales naturalistes, une douzaine de « monstres » et des figurations humaines, posant la question d’une mythologie des origines du monde. The cave of Pergouset, a narrow cavity inundated by the floods of the River Lot, is an archetypal "secret sanctuary", decorated with 153 magdalenian engravings. Ten years of excavation and multidisciplinary studies have made it possible to analyse the traces of occupation left in the cave’s fill, and to investigate the parietal motifs which, in addition to naturalistic animal depictions, include a dozen "monsters" and some human figures, which pose the question of a mythology concerning the origins of the world.

Carte intégrée des sols, Carte 4 Integrated map of the floors, Map 4 Emplacement de la Carte 4 au sein de la grotte Location of Map 4 in the cave Importance des objets d’étude en Carte 4 Relative proportions of observed objects on Map 4 Désignations et angles de prise de vue Designations and camera angles Coupe transversale AA’ Cross section AA’ Ce secteur correspond à la transition entre l’ancienne zone du porche qui était soumise aux influences extérieures (cf. supra, Carte 1 ; Carte 2...