Une série lithique à composante Laminaire dans le Paléolithique moyen du Sud-Ouest de la France : le site de Cantalouette 4 (Creysse, Dordogne, France)

Abstract

Cantalouette 4 (Creysse, Dordogne, France) is situated within a karstic environment (in particular, a sink-hole) on the Pécharmant plateau along the right bank of the Dordogne River. Numerous Pleistocene occupations were excavated in 2004 by INRAP (Blaser et al., 2006) as part of a preventive archaeological project in preparation for the construction of a road bypass around Bergerac (Bourguignon et al., 2004). The occupation of Cantalouette 4 contained three stratified Middle Palaeolithic layers inside the sink-hole, covering an area of 1 032 m2. This paper will discuss the most recent of these layers which contains a “ volumetric” blade industry. Though this type of industry is well known in the north of France (Révillion & Tuffreau, 1994), it has only been found sporadically (one core or a few blades at a time) in this region. For example, some items were found in layers 6 and 7 at Pech de l’Azé I (Bordes, 1961 ; Soressi, 2002), layer R at Combe Grenal (Bordes, 1961 ; Faivre, 2008), La Mouline (Folgado, 2004), and Abri du Musée (Bourguignon, 1994). Stratigraphic and radiometric (thermoluminescence) dating suggests a Weichselian age, between 90 and 60 000 BP, similar to northern France where the industry disappeared during OIS 4, around 60 000. The “ chaîne opératoire” of this laminar industry matches the one found in the north. The core is prepared in such a way as to permit the recurring removal of blades (with an anto-lateral crest) with a bipolar exploitation in order to maintain adequate core morphology (transversal and longitudinal convexities – “ cintrage” and “ carénage”) and relatively parallel ridges. The striking platform is prepared and maintained by core tablets and specific removals using direct percussion with a soft hammer. The morphology of the blades is, in consequence, rather massive (relatively thick and large) with sub-parallel edges. Like the blade assemblages from northern France, these blades are lightly retouched or used with their original edges. This assemblage at Cantalouette 4 also demonstrates an association between the blade core reduction and other systems such as Levallois and bifacial reduction. In particular, the Levallois industry is associated with the blade production at one spatial cluster (“ amas de débitage”) and the connection has also been demonstrated by the refitting of lithics from the two production systems. The last type of reduction is not well represented here and is generally very rare in Western Europe (it is characteristic of Middle Eastern transitional industries). The presence of bifaces (with a plano-convex or bi-convex section) attributes this assemblage to the Mousterian of Acheulean Tradition within the regional context. The “ chaîne opératoire” is presented here together with its economic characteristics, such as the mode of introduction/ exportation and the attribution of the blanks and tools to different types of production (Levallois, laminar, or bifacial). The economic characteristics show a complex system of territorial exploitation, divided into a “ restricted territory” (< 15 km) and a “ large territory” (> 15 km), with various artefacts and production systems displaying their own patterns of dispersion. Finally, we will discuss the under-representation of these blade industries in the South-West, a region otherwise rich in Palaeolithic finds, and how it might be explained by chronology, taphonomy, or economic factors. A renewed study of old collections might be in order : we present some recurring technological characteristics that could be identified.