Lorsque le galet gravé paraît... Les témoins symboliques à Étiolles (Essonne)

Abstract

The list of the symbolic artefacts found at the Magdalenian site of Étiolles is limited but far from uninteresting. The most important piece is a stone engraved on both its sides, exceptional for the Magdalenian erea in the centre of the Paris Basin. More classic objects also appear, such as some shell ornaments and some more ambiguous objects assimilated with figure-stones, which are diversely interpreted by the members of the archaeological team. This kind of artefact, though limited in number, gives evidence that the Magdalenians of Étiolles belong to an important tradition, largely diffused in Europe, and that the Paris Basin was not an isolated area.