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International audience; In southern Africa, key technologies and symbolic behaviors develop as early as the later Middle Stone Age in MIS5. These innovations arise independently in various places, contexts and forms, until their full expression during the Still Bay and the Howiesons Poort. The Middle Stone Age sequence from Diepkloof Rock Shelter, on the West Coast of the region, preserves archaeological proxies that help unravelling the cultural processes at work. This unit yields one of the oldest abstract engraving so far discovered in Africa, in the form of a rhomboid marking on the cortical surface of an ungulate long bone shaft. The comprehensive analysis of the lithic artefacts and ochre pieces found in association with the engraved bone documents the transport of rocks over long distance (>20km), the heat treatment of silcrete, the coexistence of seven lithic reduction strategies (including the production of bladelets and the manufacture of unifacial and bifacial points), the use of adhesives and the processing of ochre. At Diepkloof, the appearance of engraving practices take place in a context that demonstrates a shift in rock procurement and a diversification in lithic reduction strategies, suggesting that these behavioral practices acted as a cultural answer to cope with new environmental and/or socioeconomic circumstances. We argue that the innovations later found during the Still Bay and the Howiesons Poort were already in the making during the MIS5 pre-Still Bay, though not all the benefits were yet taken advantage of by the populations.

Session 2 : Palethnologie du Paléolithique supérieur ancien : où en sommes-nous?; International audience; Among the numerous Aurignacian open-air sites in southern France, “Régismont-le-Haut” (Poilhes, Hérault) is a rare example of a residential camp in which the explicit structure of a living space has been preserved. The camp covers a large and little disturbed area, at least within the two perpendicular paleochan- nels, which subdivide the site into two main areas.During the different excavation stages carried out at the site numerous hearth structures were discovered (n = 30), around which were distributed archaeological materials of varying densities, which indicated activity areas with a complementary function. Analysis of the nature and density of archaeological remains and also the proper characteristics of the so-called fireplaces and their association with discrete organised spaces (for some of which the existence of protective structures can be presumed) has identified two main loci, each located in a paleo- channel: the first contained several large polyvalent features and is interpreted as being a “domestic space”, while the second contained only specialised features (one of these most likely being a primary butchery area) and was interpreted as being a “working area”. All the archaeological materials were recovered within a single topographic surface. Moreover, connections between areas, established through the refitting of lithic pieces as well as the coherent nature and organisation of the different features within and between the two loci, provided strong support for a single occupation event, which was most likely a large seasonal residential campsite.Although the site can be clearly attributed to the Aurignacian sensu lato, its relative position within the Aurig- nacian chronological sequence is more difficult to establish. Given the absence of bone industry pieces (organic materials being poorly preserved at the site) and the fact that the personal ornaments recovered were exclusively made from shells (a ubiquitous feature within the Aurignacian), only the lithic industry can help us to place the site chronologically. Yet the nature of the lithic industry does not provide any clear clues allowing us to definitively place “Régismont-le-Haut” within the previously defined phases. The Late Aurignacian provides perhaps the best point of comparison, but it is difficult to ascertain this because an association with a particular Early Aurignacian facies, hardly known in the Mediterranean area, is also possible. Radiocarbon dates do not help to clarify the situation given the poor conservation of carbon in most of the samples treated. In addition, although a series of dates places the site between 31500 and 33500 cal BP, which corresponds to a Late Aurig- nacien stage, a recent set of dates suggest a time span between 35500 and 38000 cal BP. The gap between the two sets of dates is too large to be compatible with the geological data, making the hypothesis of several phases of occupation difficult to support. Moreover, the dated fireplaces belong to the same paleotopographic surface and both must have been rapidly covered by sediments so as to ensure their preservation; they could be sepa- rated by a few years, but not by hundreds or thousands of years. It is more likely that the gap between the two sets of dates is the result of taphonomic biases having influenced the carbon analysed. Regardless, the precise chronological placement of “Régismont-le-Haut” remains an unsolved problem.The chronological imprecision relating to the position of “Régismont-le-Haut” within the Aurignacian sequence does not, however, prevent us from exploring its importance with regard to Aurignacian human geography. Our first line of evidence to assist in this matter is raw-material provenances. The most informative material in this respect is lithic raw materials; while shell beads indicate that the Mediterranean coast was not unknown to the Aurignacians of “Régismont-le-Haut”. This area falls within the regional scope even if the coast was located farther away from the site at the time of occupation than is the case today. Although lithic raw materials were largely exploited on a regional scale, notably tertiary flints, extra-regional materials were exploited at distances of about 150 km as regards eastern sources, such as the Costières du Gard flints, and even farther away as regards the small assemblage of pieces stemming from the Northern Aquitaine basin (between 300 and 500 km when following the main valley corridors). How is it possible to explain the association of materials that were abandoned next to the same fireplace but stemmed from diametrically opposed regions? Several hypotheses can be proposed: - These objects were possibly obtained by exchange. This would mean that the group which stayed at “Régis- mont-le-Haut” and whose precise home territory remains unknown (groups from the Aquitanian region or from the Rhone valley meeting each other? Or groups in the Languedoc region exchanging with their neighbours?) used a toolkit that was, in part, obtained from other groups.- Or perhaps these objects result from direct acquisition, and if this is the case, reflect both very large scale group mobility and very long life cycles for the objects themselves, which accompanied individuals from the Northern Aquitania to the Rhone basin before coming to Languedoc.A third hypothesis can be advanced, which summarises the two previous ones: “Régismont-le-Haut” may have been a meeting point of several social groups, each having visited the Aquitanian basin and the Rhone basin respectively prior to their arrival at the site. In this case both the circulation and the exchange of objects, within and between different social units, would have taken place at the camp established at “Régismont-le-Haut”. However, the question remains: why in that place? The meeting of several social groups at “Régismont-le-Haut” could have been motivated by a successful encounter, by one group or another, during a hunting trip, providing one or several bison carcasses to treat and to consume; a hypothesis that is supported by the presence of bison remains at the site, most notably a nearly complete skull. The large quantity of meat and of potential raw materials (hide, bone) may have provided the impetus to establish a camp for a distinct period of time next to the kill site, and not far away from possibly rich hunting territories. This may support the idea of the presence of a rather large number of people, so the site could be interpreted as being a meeting place organised on the occasion of the capture of one or several animals, mobilising many members from a larger Aurignacian commu- nity from either side of the Atlantico-Mediterranean frontier while at the same time highlighting its permeability. Whether or not this scenario approximates reality, the data collected at “Régismont-le-Haut” are a remarkable illustration of the general impression provided by a majority of Aurignacian sites: vast territories in which emerged, through the fluidity of long-distance contacts, entrenched socially organised networks. In addition, it was possible to identify at “Régismont-le-Haut” the way in which the social organisation is mirrored by the spatial organisation of the camp occupation. “Régismont-le-Haut” appears to be a major open-air site for understanding the domestic organisation of an Aurignacian occupation, and moreover, based on the sheer size, it constitutes presently, and on the scale of the Early Upper Palaeolithic in general, at least in Western Europe, a remarkable example of a large residential camp site.; Parmi les nombreuses stations de plein air aurignaciennes du Sud de la France, celle de «Régismont- le-Haut» (Poilhes, Hérault) est l’un des rares exemples de campement résidentiel ayant conservé des traces explicites d’aménagement de l’espace habité. Cette installation consiste en une vaste surface d’occupation très peu perturbée, tout du moins au sein de deux paléochenaux perpendiculaires dont la géométrie découpe l’espace du site en deux principales aires. Au cours des différents épisodes de fouilles exécutés sur ce site, de nombreuses structures de combustion ont notamment été mises au jour (n = 30), autant de foyers autour desquels le maté- riel archéologique se rassemble en un semis plus ou moins diffus, décrivant des pôles d’activités fonctionnel- lement complémentaires. En vertu de la densité comme de la nature des vestiges recueillis, de la nature des foyers eux-mêmes ainsi que de leur association à des structures témoignant de plusieurs formes d’aménagement de l’espace (dont certaines supposent l’existence de structures de protection), deux principaux locus ont été identifiés, respectivement distribués dans chacun des paléochenaux : le premier d’entre eux contient plusieurs vastes structures polyvalentes que nous interprétons comme relevant d’un « locus domestique » ; le second livre en revanche uniquement des structures à caractère spécialisé (dont une vraisemblable aire de boucherie primaire), ayant servi à la reconnaissance de ce que nous considérons comme un «locus atelier». L’ensemble de ces traces appartient à une seule et unique surface topographique. En outre, des liaisons réalisées à l’aide de remontages lithiques ainsi que la cohérence qui se dégage de la disposition des différentes structures comme des différentes aires à l’intérieur de chacun des deux locus, plaident en faveur d’un unique épisode d’occupa- tion, sous la forme d’un vaste campement résidentiel saisonnier. «Régismont-le-Haut» apparait donc comme l’une des plus vastes implantations de plein air que nous connaissons pour l’Aurignacien; ce qui était d’ores et déjà l’un des sites les plus propices afin d’apprécier l’organisation domestique d’une occupation de plein air de cette période, est en effet devenu un exemple tout à fait remarquable d’un campement résidentiel de grande dimension pour le Paléolithique supérieur ancien en général, tout du moins en Europe occidentale.

The first researches undertaken in Mandrin cave disclosed an important Middle Palaeolithic stratigraphy (six levels) in a fine sand sequence with pebbles and blocks. The study of the lithic artefacts and associated fauna in the upper section, complemented by the study of artefacts found by sondage in the lower levels, allows a preliminary evaluation of the palaeolithic occupants' strategies in acquiring game and raw materials. They lived in open country with a rather cold climate, like the end of the second Wtirm period, and seem to be connected with the Mousterian groups on the right bank of the middle valley of the Rhône., Résumé Les premières fouilles réalisées à la grotte Mandrin (Malataverne, Drôme) ont révélé une importante stratigraphie du Paléolithique moyen (6 niveaux) dans un remplissage de sables fins à cailloutis et blocs. L'étude du matériel lithique et des associations fauniques de l'ensemble supérieur, complétée par celle du matériel recueilli en sondage dans les niveaux inférieurs permet de façon préliminaire d'apprécier les comportements de ces paléolithiques dans leurs stratégies d'acquisition de gibiers et de matières premières. Ils évoluaient dans un paysage ouvert de climat relativement froid, correspondant vraisemblablement à la fin du deuxième stade wiïrmien, et semblent se rattacher aux groupes mousté- riens de la rive droite de la moyenne vallée du Rhône., Jeannet Marcel, Giraud Yves, Brugal Jean-Philip. Un nouveau gisement moustérien en moyenne vallée du Rhône : la grotte Mandrin à Malataverne (Drôme). In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 95, n°1, 1998. pp. 7-16.

International audience; The Acheulian is one of the first defined prehistoric technocomplexes and is characterized by shaped bifacial stone tools. It probably originated in Africa, spreading to Europe and Asia perhaps as early as 1 million years (Myr) ago. The origin of the Acheulian is thought to have closely coincided with major changes in human brain evolution, allowing for further technological developments. Nonetheless, the emergence of the Acheulian remains unclear because well-dated sites older than 1.4Myr ago are scarce. Here we report on the lithic assemblage and geological context for the Kokiselei 4 archaeological site fromthe Nachukui formation(West Turkana,Kenya) that bears characteristic early Acheulian tools and pushes the first appearance datumfor this stone-age technology back to 1.76Myr ago. Moreover, co-occurrence of Oldowan and Acheulian artefacts at the Kokiselei site complex indicates that the two technologies are not mutually exclusive time-successive components of an evolving cultural lineage, and suggests that the Acheulian was either imported from another location yet to be identified or originated from Oldowan hominins at this vicinity. In either case, the Acheulian did not accompany the first human dispersal from Africa despite being available at the time. This may indicate that multiple groups of hominins distinguished by separate stone-tool-making behaviours and dispersal strategies coexisted in Africa at 1.76Myr ago.

The ecological structure of the carnivore community remained stable during the Late Pliocene – Early Pleistocene period and does not reveal the influence of climate change over the community structure. Important structural changes started during the transition between Early and Middle Pleistocene, marked by extinction of solitary hypercarnivores and increasing of collective hunters' importance with broad range of diet specialization and omnivorous species. There is no clear evidence for coevolution between herbivore and carnivore communities during the Plio-Pleistocene period. Ubiquitous carnivores and herbivores strongly attached to biomes had different eco-physiological strategies and evolutionary constraints that defined their independent evolution. Starting from the Middle Pleistocene, the community of carnivores was dominated by large social predators (Panthera leo, Crocuta crocuta, Canis lupus) that were perfectly adapted to open landscapes and large-sized herbivores. The dispersal of Homo in Eurasia coincided with the absence of omnivorous carnivores in the boreal fauna. The relatively low predator/prey ratio of Middle and Late Pleistocene European fauna and the social habits enabled Homo to join the group of collective predators.

International audience; At the northwest end of the Lake Turkana Basin (northern Kenya Rift), intensive fieldwork conducted on the Plio-Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine Nachukui Formation by the National Museums of Kenya and the West Turkana Archaeological Project (WTAP), led to the discovery of more than 50 archaeological sites aged between 2.4 and 0.7 Ma. Among them is the Lokalalei archaeological site complex, which includes the two oldest archaeological sites (2.34 Ma) found in the Kenyan segment of the East African Rift System. The environmental background of the two sites was described as a succession of ephemeral streams with floodplain palaeosols in which the archaeological sites are situated, bordering the western bank of a large axial meandering river flowing southward. The Lokalalei 1 (LA1) and Lokalalei 2C (LA2C) archaeological sites are of extreme importance in terms of knowledge of hominins' knapping activities. The stratigraphic position of the LA1 and LA2C sites as well as implications on the technical differences between the two sites have been successively discussed by (Roche et al., 1999), (Brown and Gathogo, 2002) and (Delagnes and Roche, 2005). In terms of stratigraphic position, Lokalalei 2C was estimated to be slightly higher in the section (i.e. younger) than Lokalalei 1. An alternative stratigraphic correlation was proposed by Brown and Gathogo (2002), who suggested that LA2C site should have been approximately 100,000 years younger than LA1. New considerations on the stratigraphy and environmental context of the Lokalalei sites have been developed following controversy on the stratigraphic position and time interval between the LA1 and LA2C sites. High-resolution lithostratigraphic work based on bed-to-bed field correlations, facies sedimentology and tephra geochemistry confirms that the LA2C site is slightly higher in the section than the LA1 site by about 11.20 m. This represents a time interval of not, vert, similar74,000 years based on an assumed sedimentation rate of 152 mm/ka. Sedimentary facies analysis indicates that the hominin occupation sites were situated in the vicinity of a lagoon/embayment environment close to the shoreline of an open lake. This lake was part of the broad lake development described across East Africa during the 2.7-2.4 Ma period. Palaeontological data associated with the sites suggest at the LA1 site a lake margin habitat, and at the LA2 sites an habitat with poor and sparse vegetation along channels of an alluvial fan system landward of the lake margin. They also confirm the aridity trend mentioned at the global scale for this period, which is demonstrated in the upper Lokalalei sediment sequence by progradation of an alluvial fan environment over the lake shoreline. Associated conglomeratic deposits could have been the source from which the knappers collected their raw materials. In addition, rapid variations from humid to arid episodes in a unique environment such as the East African Rift may have had a major influence in controlling hominin evolution.

A preliminary thought is made on peculiar sites yielding very few archaeological materials which are rarely studied in the fiels and not integrated in the analysis of foraging systems of prehistoric populations. Three different types of sites are recognized with a natural fauna associated to rare lithics artefacts : den of carnivores and natural traps in a wetland environment and a karstic pitfal. Some interpretative factors suggest a new kind of behaviour close to controlled scavenging, more or less active. The chronology of such behaviour with its evolutive implication is proposed in connexion with the three main classifications of the European Paleolithic., La présentation de quelques sites méridionaux possédant en commun une association entre un assemblage faunique d'origine non-anthropique et de rares vestiges lithiques amène à s'interroger sur leur signification. Trois catégories sont distinguées qui toutes semblent concourir à restituer un comportement de type charognage contrôlé et actif : les repaires de carnivores spéléens, les avens et les gisements de plein air. Une chronologie de ce comportement avec ces implications évolutives est mis en relation avec la division tripartite du paléolithique moyen., Brugal Jean-Philip, Jaubert Jacques. Les gisements paléontologiques pléistocènes à indices de fréquentation humaine : un nouveau type de comportement de prédation ?. In: Paléo, n°3,1991. pp. 15-41.

Resume Le remplissage lacustre du maar de Nogaret est date du Pliocene final par une faune de grands Mammiferes proche de celle du niveau repere de Saint-Vallier, âge etaye par les mesures K/Ar d'un dyke et de coulees voisines. Un affleurement, un sondage carotte et plusieurs excavations ont livre des empreintes foliaires et des grains de pollen. Les milieux vegetaux evoques sont ceux qui occupent aujourd'hui l'Anatolie septentrionale ou domine Carpinus orientalis. Ces sediments relevent d'une phase du Tiglien.

The Wadi Assaka drains a large watershed on the southwest border of Anti-Atlas and its Saharan edges in the Guelmim area. It crosses the last folded chains of the Anti- Atlas before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. In this part of its course, it aggraded a large system of alluvial terraces. The oldest of them are stepped terraces, the last ones are inset terraces. One of them is particularly interesting by its thickness, its various deposits as well as their content. The whole formation is now deeply cut, so the different sedimentary faciès can be observed and it is possible to reconstruct the palaeoenvironments, the ancient dynamics of the river and to connect the deposits with the regional and general climatic evolution. This stratigraphy has seemingly recorded rapid climatic events with a high resolution during the isotopic stages 5 to 2 It gives reference points about the way the African continent responded to global climatic changes between the Mediterranean and Saharan areas., L'oued Assaka draîne un important bassin versant sur la bordure sud de l'Anti-Atlas occidental et ses marges sahariennes dans la région de Guelmim. Il traverse les derniers chaînons anti-atlasiques plissés avant de déboucher dans l'océan Atlantique. Dans cette partie de son cours, il a édifié un système de terrasses alluviales étagées pour les plus anciennes et emboîtées pour les dernières. L'une d'entre elles est particulièrement remarquable à la fois par sa puissance, la variété de ses dépôts, ainsi que par leur contenu. Les divers faciès sédimentaires visibles grâce à une forte incision linéaire actuelle qui recoupe l'ensemble de la formation permettent de reconstituer les paléoenvironnements, la dynamique passée de l'oued et de proposer une interprétation des dépôts en relation avec l'évolution climatique régionale et globale. Cette séquence sédimentaire paraît avoir enregistré en haute résolution des événements climatiques rapides durant les stades isotopiques 5 à 2. Elle fournit des repères concernant la réponse du continent africain face aux changements climatiques globaux à la frontière des domaines méditerranéen et saharien., Wengler Luc, Weisrock André, Brochier-do not use Jacques-Élie, Brugal Jean Philippe, Fontugne Michel, Magnin Frédéric, Mathieu Julien, Mercier Norbert, Ouammou Abderrahman, Reyss Jean-Louis, Sénégas Franck, Valladas Hélène, Wahl Laurent. Enregistrement fluviatile et paléoenvironnements au Pléistocène supérieur sur la bordure méridionale atlantique de l'Anti-Atlas (Oued Assaka, S-O marocain). In: Quaternaire, vol. 13, n°3-4, 2002. Événements rapides, instabilités, changements culturels au Quaternaire. pp. 179-192.

A review of 21 large mammal associations of lower and middle Pleistocene from South of France allows to distinguish several periods with specific faunal turnover in relation with climatic variations. The comparison with others pleistocene sites from the South of Europe (Spain, Italy) points out the importance of geographic patterns in the climatic variability and in the distribution of large mammals communities (presence/absence, endemism,...) during the begining of the Quaternary., L'analyse de 21 associations de grands mammifères du Pleistocene inférieur et moyen du Sud de la France permet de dresser une succession de périodes plus ou moins marquées par des renouvellements fauniques et corrélées avec des variations climatiques. La comparaison avec les gisements du Sud de l'Europe (Espagne, Italie) met en évidence l'importance des facteurs géographiques conditionnant les fluctuations climatiques et la distribution des communautés animales (présence/absence, endémisme,...) du début du Quaternaire., Bonifay Marie- Françoise, Brugal Jean-Philip. Biogéographie et biostratigraphie des grandes faunes du Pléistocène inférieur et moyen en Europe du sud : apport des gisements français. In: Paléo, n°8,1996. pp. 19-29.

Isenya est le premier site acheuleen fouille sur les hauts plateaux du Kenya. Sa richesse en vestiges lithiques et fauniques en fait des maintenant un gisement important pour la connaissance des hominides du Pleistocene moyen. Isenya est inclus dans un contexte sedimentaire fluviatile, indiquant que les hommes prehistoriques se sont installes sur une barre sableuse, le long d'une riviere qui etait alors peut-etre perenne. La convergence des informations geologiques et archeologiques permet d'expliquer la mise en place des vestiges, la positionin situ de plusieurs niveaux d'occupation superposes, le faible degre de perturbation qu'ils ont subi, et l'origine essentiellement anthropique des associations os/pierres. L'industrie lithique est caracterisee par une grande abondance de bifaces et de hachereaux dont les proportions varient dans le temps. Une premiere analyse de l'ensemble apporte d'ores et deja des indications sur les comportements techniques: les chaines operatoires sont decryptees, depuis l'acquisition des materiaux jusqu'a l'obtention des outils. La faune associee a cet outillage est dominee par des animaux de savane ouverte (Alcelaphini etAntilopini). Son etude detaillee mettra en evidence les strategies d'acquisition du gibier et son mode de consommation. Attires, entre autres raisons, par la proximite de l'eau et des affleurements de phonolite, source principale de matiere premiere pour l'outillage, les hominides ont occupe cet enfroit de facon repetee dans un court laps de temps, selon une periodicite a rapprocher sans doute des comportements de subsistance.

Actes des XXXIe Rencontres internationales d'Archéologie et d'Histoire d'Antibes; International audience; The recent excavation of a Roman well in the site of Ambrussum (Hérault, France) provided a faunal assemblage dated of the 3rd century AD corresponding to the discharge of dog, oxen, and rabbit carcasses. This assemblage of dogs completes that recovered from Lattes in 1998, coming from two wells dated in the 1st and 2nd century AD. In parallel, an osteometrical database on pedigree modern dog skeletons is in progress. This database will offer a baseline for the comparison and characterization of the archaeological dog morphotypes. Preliminary works on the Lattes archaeological dogs had raised the question of the appearance of new morphotypes, up to there unknown in the protohistoric assemblages in Southern Gaul. The question of the diversification of dog typology in the Late Iron Age is also discussed.; La fouille récente d'un puits romain du IIIe siècle de notre ère sur le site d'Ambrussum (Hérault) a mis au jour un assemblage faunique correspondant pour l'essentiel à la décharge de cadavres animaux. Parmi ces carcasses, on a dénombré un ensemble de squelettes de chiens, de bœufs, et de lapins. L'assemblage de chiens vient en quelque sorte compléter ceux exhumés à Lattes en 1998 (deux puits des Ier et IIe siècle de notre ère). En parallèle, une base de données ostéométriques est en cours de réalisation à partir de squelettes actuels de chiens de races connues, afin d'offrir un référentiel destiné à la comparaison et à la caractérisation des morphotypes canins archéologiques. En effet, des travaux préliminaires fondés sur les assemblages des puits lattois avaient soulevé la question de l'apparition de morphotypes jusque-là inconnus des assemblages protohistoriques dans le sud de la Gaule. Se pose ainsi la question de la diversification des types de chiens entre le deuxième âge du Fer et la période romaine en Languedoc, ainsi que celle de l'influence de pratiques de contrôle des reproductions introduites par les romains, à une époque où ces animaux semblent bénéficier d'un statut nouveau au sein de la société.

International audience