Les nodules sphériques de basalte de l’unité archéologique US2 du site de « Bois-de-Riquet », France : origine et caractérisation d’une sélection

Abstract

Sometimes represented in high percentages, manuports constitute an important component of the tools in Lower Pleistocene sites. As such, they greatly participate in the established models for the understanding of Plio-Pleistocene hominin behaviour and territorial organization in Africa and Europe. However, their role among this component remains hypothetical. The lithic assemblage of US2 at the Bois-de-Riquet site has yielded 100 nodules. Their abnormal presence in the context of the cavity questions the anthropic nature of their introduction and therefore of their possible use. The BDR industry is therefore participating in the open debate on the function of manuports. The main objective here is to demonstrate that these objects, although originating from local formation, are neither produced in the cavity, nor introduced naturally, but that they have been the object of an anthropic contribution among the lithic assemblage within the bone remains and probably related to them. The anthropic introduction of natural nodules from several local sources will be demonstrated here. For this, sampling was carried out in all local volcanic contexts where nodules are naturally present in a primary or secondary position. Each of these samples has been compared to the archaeological artefacts from US2. A local historical anthropic context, where these nodules were used for building a roman road, completes this comparison to serve as an anthropic reference. The results demonstrate the anthropic introduction of basalt balls into the US2 of Bois-de-Riquet site and also make possible the identification of raw material sources in which US2 lithic assemblage was selected.