L'art mobilier de la grotte de Gargas a joué un rôle important dans les problématiques d'attribut... more L'art mobilier de la grotte de Gargas a joué un rôle important dans les problématiques d'attribution chrono-stylistique de l'art pariétal, au début du XX e siècle. En effet, lors de leurs fouilles en 1911 et 1913, É. Cartailhac et H. Breuil ont découvert plusieurs galets et plaquettes gravés en contexte stratigraphique gravettien, dont les représentations établissaient des correspondances stylistiques et techniques avec celles figurées sur les parois de la Galerie inférieure. Jusqu'à ce jour, seulement quatre plaquettes avaient été publiées par L. Jammes et H. Breuil. Nous présentons quatre autres pièces inédites, appartenant à l'ancienne collection Cartailhac-Breuil et conservées à l'Institut de Paléontologie Humaine de Paris (IPH), ainsi que deux nouvelles plaquettes découvertes lors de nos recherches à Gargas de 2004 à 2013. Ces dernières permettent de mieux contextualiser cet art mobilier du point de vue topographique et chronologique.
Abstract: Gravettian art on lithic supports in Gargas Cave (Hautes-Pyrénées, France). The Gargas portable art played an important role in the chrono-stylistic attribution of parietal art in the early 20 th century. During their excavations in 1911 and 1913, É. Cartailhac and H. Breuil discovered several engraved pebbles and slabs in a Gravettian context. The representations on these objects showed stylistic and technical affinities with those depicted on the walls of the Lower Gallery. Until now, only four slabs had been published by L. Jammes and H. Breuil. We present four other pieces, formerly unpublished, from the Cartailhac-Breuil collection conserved at the Institut de Paléontologie Humaine in Paris (IPH), as well as two new slabs discovered during our excavations at Gargas from 2004 to 2013. The latter enable a clearer contextualization of this portable art from a topographical and chronological perspective.
Since 2004, new research has been conducted at Gargas, a decorated cave site located in the cente... more Since 2004, new research has been conducted at Gargas, a decorated cave site located in the center of the Pyrenees mountain chain. Based on combined studies of the raw materials used to manufacture lithic and bone tools and personal ornaments, along with a zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains, we have obtained a more thorough understanding of the resources used by the Gravettian groups that occupied the cave from 28,000 to 25,000 BP. This economic strategy was practiced in a foothill environment between the mid-mountain zones and large alluvial plains of the Garonne and Neste rivers, in order to procure both animal (hunted fauna, collection of shed cervid antler) and lithic (alluvial quartzites, Flysch and Petites Pyrénées flints) resources In this particular context, we will address the flint procurement strategies employed by the Gravettians, given the absence of this raw material within a range of 25-45 km around the cave. While this economic model existed mainly in this foothill environment, we nonetheless observe an extension of the Gravettian economic and social spheres into the Atlantic and Perigord regions, represented by the materials used for personal ornaments (perforated shells) and some allochthonous flints.
E. Cartailhac et H. Breuil ont réalisé des fouilles dans la grotte de Gargas (Aventignan, Hautes-... more E. Cartailhac et H. Breuil ont réalisé des fouilles dans la grotte de Gargas (Aventignan, Hautes-Pyrénées) en 1911 et 1913. La découverte d'art mobilier sur support lithique dans un niveau gravettien, notamment un galet gravé de figures animalières (bison et félin), a constitué un jalon significatif dans les problématiques de datation de l'art pariétal. Dans le cas de l'art de Gargas (les mains peintes sont révélées en 1906 et les gravures en 1907 et 1910), il était dorénavant possible d'établir une correspondance stylistique et technique entre des exemples mobiliers datables par leur niveau stratigraphique et les représentations figurées sur les parois de la Galerie inférieure, ces dernières étant ainsi attribuées au Gravettien (« Aurignacien supérieur » de l'époque). Dans le cadre d'un projet de recherches mené à Gargas, depuis 2004, qui comprend la révision de l'ancienne collection Cartailhac-Breuil (Institut de Paléontologie Humaine), nous avons pu découvrir plusieurs pièces inédites d'art mobilier sur galet. Nous présentons ici une plaquette sur laquelle figure l'esquisse gravée d'une tête de cheval. Après un rappel sur les anciennes découvertes d'art mobilier de Gargas, la nouvelle représentation sur plaquette est analysée et remise en perspective avec les autres figurations de chevaux gravées sur les parois du Sanctuaire des gravures. Abstract: Gravettian portable art of the Gargas Cave : unpublished engraved plaquette of the Cartailhac-Breuil collection (IPH). E. Cartailhac and H. Breuil excavated at the Gargas Cave (Aventignan, Hautes-Pyrénées) in 1911 and 1913. Within the Gravettian level, they discovered some mobiliary art objects, in particular an engraved pebble with a bison and a feline. This was a significant step in order to solve the question about the cultural attribution of the Gargas rock art (the painted hands revealed in 1906 and the engravings in 1907 and 1910). It was then possible to establish a stylistic and technical link between the engraved pebbles and the drawings on the cave walls of the lower gallery. Therefore, these drawings were also attributed to the Gravettian (" Upper Aurignacian " at this time). Since 2004, the new research program concerning the Gargas Cave has included the re-examination of the Cartailhac-Breuil collection, which is kept at the Institute of Human Palaeontology (Paris). That allowed us to discover several unpublished mobiliary art pieces made on pebble. We present here a small plate on which there is the engraved draft of a horse head. After a recall of the former discoveries of portable art from Gargas, this new representation is analysed and compared with the other horse drawings engraved on the walls of the engravings Sanctuary.
The aim of this article is to present a very general view of siliceous raw material sources in th... more The aim of this article is to present a very general view of siliceous raw material sources in the central Pyrenees, with support from recent bibliographic references. To illustrate the use of these materials in the Upper Paleolithic, we chose the example of the Gravettian occupation of Gargas Cave (Hautes-Pyrénées, France). Finally, we describe a few economic characteristics of the Pyrenean region, which are distinct from the Perigordian context in several ways.
Bulletin Société Histoire naturelle de Toulouse 01/2012; 148(2012):83-92. , 2012
The Gargas Cave is a key site for the Gravettian in Europe because of its exceptional rock art an... more The Gargas Cave is a key site for the Gravettian in Europe because of its exceptional rock art and its rich archaeological filling. This site was excavated between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. A new research program started in 2004, the main aim of which is to establish a precise chronological and cultural frame for the Gravettian levels of the cave. New excavations were made
from 2004 to 2012. They allow discovering a tooth of a Eurasian lynx that was pierced. This paper deals with the taxonomical identification and the technical description of this tooth, which is also studied within the context of the production of body ornaments from Gargas cave. A skull of Eurasian lynx from the Pyrenees, which is a part of the collections of the Museum of Natural History of Toulouse, was used as specimen in
order to determine specifically this ornament, which is, for the moment, the unique remain of lynx recognized for this site. The documentation about discoveries of Lynx lynx remains within the Pyrenean region is also mentioned.
The Gargas Cave is a key site for the Gravettian in Europe because of its exceptional rock art an... more The Gargas Cave is a key site for the Gravettian in Europe because of its exceptional rock art and its rich archaeological filling. This site was excavated between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. A new research program started in 2004, the main aim of which is to establish a precise chronological and cultural frame for the Gravettian levels of the cave. New excavations were made from 2004 to 2012. They allow discovering a tooth of a Eurasian lynx that was pierced. This paper deals with the taxonomical identification and the technical description of this tooth, which is also studied within the context of the production of body ornaments from Gargas cave. A skull of Eurasian lynx from the Pyrenees, which is a part of the collections of the Museum of Natural History of Toulouse, was used as specimen in order to determine specifically this ornament, which is, for the moment, the unique remain of lynx recognized for this site. The documentati...
In proceeding of: Pensando el Gravetiense : nuevos datos para la región cantábrica en su contexto peninsular y pirenaico, At Altamira 2011 , 2013
Nous présentons ici une synthèse générale du Gravettien du versant nord des Pyrénées, sur la base... more Nous présentons ici une synthèse générale du Gravettien du versant nord des Pyrénées, sur la base des industries lithiques et des résultats des dates 14C obtenus dans les sites des Pyrénées centrales (Gargas, Enlène, Tarté, Tuto de Camalhot). Le corpus de l’outillage lithique provenant des gisements de référence fouillés avant les années 1950 (Isturitz, Gargas, Tuto de Camalhot) faisait apparaître l’association de burins de Noailles et de pointes de la Gravette et des Vachons, ce qui pouvait théoriquement correspondre à la phase moyenne du Gravettien, telle qu’elle est connue sur les sites classiques de la Dordogne. Cependant, les données récentes indiquent une forte stabilité dans le registre des assemblages lithiques. La présence permanente des burins de Noailles ainsi que le microlithisme de certaines composantes typiques de l’outillage (burins et armatures à dos) sont les principales caractéristiques de cette industrie. Cette stabilité techno-typologique s’inscrit sur une longue durée chronologique, entre 28.000 et 24.000 BP. Les dates autour de 28.000 BP indiqueraient l‘apparition
précoce du faciès à Noailles dans les Pyrénées, par rapport à d’autres régions comme
l’Aquitaine.
L'art mobilier de la grotte de Gargas a joué un rôle important dans les problématiques d'attribut... more L'art mobilier de la grotte de Gargas a joué un rôle important dans les problématiques d'attribution chrono-stylistique de l'art pariétal, au début du XX e siècle. En effet, lors de leurs fouilles en 1911 et 1913, É. Cartailhac et H. Breuil ont découvert plusieurs galets et plaquettes gravés en contexte stratigraphique gravettien, dont les représentations établissaient des correspondances stylistiques et techniques avec celles figurées sur les parois de la Galerie inférieure. Jusqu'à ce jour, seulement quatre plaquettes avaient été publiées par L. Jammes et H. Breuil. Nous présentons quatre autres pièces inédites, appartenant à l'ancienne collection Cartailhac-Breuil et conservées à l'Institut de Paléontologie Humaine de Paris (IPH), ainsi que deux nouvelles plaquettes découvertes lors de nos recherches à Gargas de 2004 à 2013. Ces dernières permettent de mieux contextualiser cet art mobilier du point de vue topographique et chronologique.
Abstract: Gravettian art on lithic supports in Gargas Cave (Hautes-Pyrénées, France). The Gargas portable art played an important role in the chrono-stylistic attribution of parietal art in the early 20 th century. During their excavations in 1911 and 1913, É. Cartailhac and H. Breuil discovered several engraved pebbles and slabs in a Gravettian context. The representations on these objects showed stylistic and technical affinities with those depicted on the walls of the Lower Gallery. Until now, only four slabs had been published by L. Jammes and H. Breuil. We present four other pieces, formerly unpublished, from the Cartailhac-Breuil collection conserved at the Institut de Paléontologie Humaine in Paris (IPH), as well as two new slabs discovered during our excavations at Gargas from 2004 to 2013. The latter enable a clearer contextualization of this portable art from a topographical and chronological perspective.
Since 2004, new research has been conducted at Gargas, a decorated cave site located in the cente... more Since 2004, new research has been conducted at Gargas, a decorated cave site located in the center of the Pyrenees mountain chain. Based on combined studies of the raw materials used to manufacture lithic and bone tools and personal ornaments, along with a zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains, we have obtained a more thorough understanding of the resources used by the Gravettian groups that occupied the cave from 28,000 to 25,000 BP. This economic strategy was practiced in a foothill environment between the mid-mountain zones and large alluvial plains of the Garonne and Neste rivers, in order to procure both animal (hunted fauna, collection of shed cervid antler) and lithic (alluvial quartzites, Flysch and Petites Pyrénées flints) resources In this particular context, we will address the flint procurement strategies employed by the Gravettians, given the absence of this raw material within a range of 25-45 km around the cave. While this economic model existed mainly in this foothill environment, we nonetheless observe an extension of the Gravettian economic and social spheres into the Atlantic and Perigord regions, represented by the materials used for personal ornaments (perforated shells) and some allochthonous flints.
E. Cartailhac et H. Breuil ont réalisé des fouilles dans la grotte de Gargas (Aventignan, Hautes-... more E. Cartailhac et H. Breuil ont réalisé des fouilles dans la grotte de Gargas (Aventignan, Hautes-Pyrénées) en 1911 et 1913. La découverte d'art mobilier sur support lithique dans un niveau gravettien, notamment un galet gravé de figures animalières (bison et félin), a constitué un jalon significatif dans les problématiques de datation de l'art pariétal. Dans le cas de l'art de Gargas (les mains peintes sont révélées en 1906 et les gravures en 1907 et 1910), il était dorénavant possible d'établir une correspondance stylistique et technique entre des exemples mobiliers datables par leur niveau stratigraphique et les représentations figurées sur les parois de la Galerie inférieure, ces dernières étant ainsi attribuées au Gravettien (« Aurignacien supérieur » de l'époque). Dans le cadre d'un projet de recherches mené à Gargas, depuis 2004, qui comprend la révision de l'ancienne collection Cartailhac-Breuil (Institut de Paléontologie Humaine), nous avons pu découvrir plusieurs pièces inédites d'art mobilier sur galet. Nous présentons ici une plaquette sur laquelle figure l'esquisse gravée d'une tête de cheval. Après un rappel sur les anciennes découvertes d'art mobilier de Gargas, la nouvelle représentation sur plaquette est analysée et remise en perspective avec les autres figurations de chevaux gravées sur les parois du Sanctuaire des gravures. Abstract: Gravettian portable art of the Gargas Cave : unpublished engraved plaquette of the Cartailhac-Breuil collection (IPH). E. Cartailhac and H. Breuil excavated at the Gargas Cave (Aventignan, Hautes-Pyrénées) in 1911 and 1913. Within the Gravettian level, they discovered some mobiliary art objects, in particular an engraved pebble with a bison and a feline. This was a significant step in order to solve the question about the cultural attribution of the Gargas rock art (the painted hands revealed in 1906 and the engravings in 1907 and 1910). It was then possible to establish a stylistic and technical link between the engraved pebbles and the drawings on the cave walls of the lower gallery. Therefore, these drawings were also attributed to the Gravettian (" Upper Aurignacian " at this time). Since 2004, the new research program concerning the Gargas Cave has included the re-examination of the Cartailhac-Breuil collection, which is kept at the Institute of Human Palaeontology (Paris). That allowed us to discover several unpublished mobiliary art pieces made on pebble. We present here a small plate on which there is the engraved draft of a horse head. After a recall of the former discoveries of portable art from Gargas, this new representation is analysed and compared with the other horse drawings engraved on the walls of the engravings Sanctuary.
The aim of this article is to present a very general view of siliceous raw material sources in th... more The aim of this article is to present a very general view of siliceous raw material sources in the central Pyrenees, with support from recent bibliographic references. To illustrate the use of these materials in the Upper Paleolithic, we chose the example of the Gravettian occupation of Gargas Cave (Hautes-Pyrénées, France). Finally, we describe a few economic characteristics of the Pyrenean region, which are distinct from the Perigordian context in several ways.
Bulletin Société Histoire naturelle de Toulouse 01/2012; 148(2012):83-92. , 2012
The Gargas Cave is a key site for the Gravettian in Europe because of its exceptional rock art an... more The Gargas Cave is a key site for the Gravettian in Europe because of its exceptional rock art and its rich archaeological filling. This site was excavated between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. A new research program started in 2004, the main aim of which is to establish a precise chronological and cultural frame for the Gravettian levels of the cave. New excavations were made
from 2004 to 2012. They allow discovering a tooth of a Eurasian lynx that was pierced. This paper deals with the taxonomical identification and the technical description of this tooth, which is also studied within the context of the production of body ornaments from Gargas cave. A skull of Eurasian lynx from the Pyrenees, which is a part of the collections of the Museum of Natural History of Toulouse, was used as specimen in
order to determine specifically this ornament, which is, for the moment, the unique remain of lynx recognized for this site. The documentation about discoveries of Lynx lynx remains within the Pyrenean region is also mentioned.
The Gargas Cave is a key site for the Gravettian in Europe because of its exceptional rock art an... more The Gargas Cave is a key site for the Gravettian in Europe because of its exceptional rock art and its rich archaeological filling. This site was excavated between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. A new research program started in 2004, the main aim of which is to establish a precise chronological and cultural frame for the Gravettian levels of the cave. New excavations were made from 2004 to 2012. They allow discovering a tooth of a Eurasian lynx that was pierced. This paper deals with the taxonomical identification and the technical description of this tooth, which is also studied within the context of the production of body ornaments from Gargas cave. A skull of Eurasian lynx from the Pyrenees, which is a part of the collections of the Museum of Natural History of Toulouse, was used as specimen in order to determine specifically this ornament, which is, for the moment, the unique remain of lynx recognized for this site. The documentati...
In proceeding of: Pensando el Gravetiense : nuevos datos para la región cantábrica en su contexto peninsular y pirenaico, At Altamira 2011 , 2013
Nous présentons ici une synthèse générale du Gravettien du versant nord des Pyrénées, sur la base... more Nous présentons ici une synthèse générale du Gravettien du versant nord des Pyrénées, sur la base des industries lithiques et des résultats des dates 14C obtenus dans les sites des Pyrénées centrales (Gargas, Enlène, Tarté, Tuto de Camalhot). Le corpus de l’outillage lithique provenant des gisements de référence fouillés avant les années 1950 (Isturitz, Gargas, Tuto de Camalhot) faisait apparaître l’association de burins de Noailles et de pointes de la Gravette et des Vachons, ce qui pouvait théoriquement correspondre à la phase moyenne du Gravettien, telle qu’elle est connue sur les sites classiques de la Dordogne. Cependant, les données récentes indiquent une forte stabilité dans le registre des assemblages lithiques. La présence permanente des burins de Noailles ainsi que le microlithisme de certaines composantes typiques de l’outillage (burins et armatures à dos) sont les principales caractéristiques de cette industrie. Cette stabilité techno-typologique s’inscrit sur une longue durée chronologique, entre 28.000 et 24.000 BP. Les dates autour de 28.000 BP indiqueraient l‘apparition
précoce du faciès à Noailles dans les Pyrénées, par rapport à d’autres régions comme
l’Aquitaine.
New archaeological research has been carried out in the lower gallery of Gargas cave (Hautes-Pyré... more New archaeological research has been carried out in the lower gallery of Gargas cave (Hautes-Pyrénées) since 2004. The main results concern the Gravettian occupations of this gallery and update data from former excavations directed by Cartailhac and Breuil (1911-1913), in particular, data relating to the functional, spatial and chronological characteristics of site use by the authors of the rock art. During the 2011 excavations, a young child’s mandible was discovered in the upper part of the Gravettian level of Room I, where two thirds of the painted hands are located. The aim of this paper is to present this discovery with a preliminary description of the mandible and its stratigraphic location. The interest of these human remains is evaluated in regard to the context of recent discoveries in Cussac and Vilhonneur and updated data for southwestern Europe. The possible existence of a funerary context in Gargas cave could advance further studies and interpretations for this key Euro...
Découverts au cours de la campagne de fouilles 2010, deux nouveaux éléments de parure sur matière... more Découverts au cours de la campagne de fouilles 2010, deux nouveaux éléments de parure sur matière osseuse sont venus élargir le corpus des ornements personnels aurignaciens des collections de Gargas. Il s’agit d’une perle finie et d’une ébauche, en bois de cervidé et en ivoire, d’un type inédit jusqu’à présent dans le site et dans le contexte régional. Sont abordées ici l’étude typo-technologique détaillée, la reconstitution du schéma technique de fabrication et l’analyse comparative de la documentation disponible. Descubiertos durante la campaña de excavaciones de 2010, dos nuevos elementos de adorno-colgantes en materias óseas se han integrado al corpus de las colecciones auriñacienses de Gargas. Se trata de una perla finalizada y de un soporte en curso de fabricación, en asta de cérvido y en marfil, de un tipo hasta ahora inédito en el yacimiento y en el contexto regional. Se abordan aquí el estudio tipo-tecnológico detallado, la reconstrucción del esquema técnico de fabricación ...
In proceeding of: F. Javier Fortea Pérez, Universitatis Ovetensis Magister. Estudios en homenaje , 2013
Découverts au cours de la campagne de fouilles 2010, deux nouveaux éléments de parure sur matière... more Découverts au cours de la campagne de fouilles 2010, deux nouveaux éléments de parure sur matière osseuse sont venus élargir le corpus des ornements personnels aurignaciens des collections de Gargas. Il s’agit d’une perle finie et d’une ébauche, en bois de cervidé et en ivoire, d’un type inédit jusqu’à présent dans le site et dans le contexte régional. Sont abordées ici l’étude typo-technologique détaillée, la reconstitution du schéma technique de fabrication et l’analyse comparative de la documentation disponible.
Descubiertos durante la campaña de excavaciones de 2010, dos nuevos elementos de adorno-colgantes en materias óseas se han integrado al corpus de las colecciones auriñacienses de Gargas. Se trata de una perla finalizada y de un soporte en curso de fabricación, en asta de cérvido y en marfil, de un tipo hasta ahora inédito en el yacimiento y en el contexto regional. Se abordan aquí el estudio tipo-tecnológico detallado, la reconstrucción del esquema técnico de fabricación y el análisis comparativo de la documentación disponible.
This study refers the western part of the “Gers department” which covers the Adour valley, its tr... more This study refers the western part of the “Gers department” which covers the Adour valley, its tributaries (Izaute, Midour and Douze) and the Gélise valley. A geological study was carried out from 2010 to 2012. It allowed us to collect 290 alluvial siliceous pebbles from the Plio-Pleistocene sediments. At the same time, 132 flint artefacts from prehistoric sources in the Gers (Upper Palaeolithic) were collected. Petrographic, sedimentological and palaeontological studies were carried out. They allowed us to distinguish 19 lithological types: - 1 related to the Cenozoic formation; - 2 associated with Flysch deposits from the Pyrenean orogenic belt; - 10 attributed to the Senonian age (from the Coniacian to the Campanian); - 6 imputed to the Upper Maastrichtian with Lepidorbitoides. Then these types were brought together into six groups that show their stratigraphic positions and their palaeogeographic environments at different time periods. - 0.2 % of the alluvial pebbles were relate...
This study refers the western part of the « Gers département » in which occurs the Adour valley a... more This study refers the western part of the « Gers département » in which occurs the Adour valley and its tributaries (Izaute, Midour and Douze) and the Gelise valley. A geological study was carried out from 2010 to 2012.. It allowed us to collect 290 alluvial siliceous pebbles from the Plio-Pleistocene sediments. At the same time 132 flint artefacts of prehistoric sources (Upper Paleolithic) were collected. Petrographic, sedimentological and paleontological studies were carried out. They allow us to distinguish 19 lithological types : - 1 related to the Cenozoic formation ; - 2 associated with Flysch deposits from the the Pyrenean orogenic belt ; - 10 attributed to Senonian age ; - 6 imputed to Maastrichtian with Lepidorbitoides. After that these types were brought together into six sections which show their stratigraphic positions and their paleogeographical environments. - 0,2 % of the alluvial pebbles were related to the Pyrenean Flysch ; - 45 % were of Uppermost Maastrichtian age (Lepidorbitoides ) ; - 54 % were of Senonian age (Coniacian to Middle Maastrichtian). On the other hand, the artefacts collected show a very similar proportions of siliceous pebbles (49 % of Maastrichtian with Lepidorbitoides).The result of this study is that, up to now, the western part of the Lannemezan Plateau includes alluvial areas of Plio-Pleistocene age, containing a large amount of flint pebbles of Upper Cretaceous age. Gathering of this siliceous raw material by palaeolithic communities is obvious.It is also patent that to find out a new lithic raw material located in the southern Aquitaine will be to be retained into account, while former interpretations have to be amended.
In proceeding of: Pensando el Gravetiense : nuevos datos para la región cantábrica en su contexto peninsular y pirenaico, At Altamira 2011 , 2013
Les niveaux gravettiens de la grotte de Gargas (Aventignan, Hautes-Pyrénées, France) ont livré de... more Les niveaux gravettiens de la grotte de Gargas (Aventignan, Hautes-Pyrénées, France) ont livré de nombreux restes fauniques qui constituent le point de départ d’une réflexion sur les comportements de subsistance des occupants de la grotte. A partir d’une synthèse des premiers résultats des analyses archéozoologiques, et en particulier taphonomiques, nous discuterons ici des apports de la faune quant à la détermination des saisons d’occupation de la grotte, aux activités pratiquées à Gargas, et aux différents statuts des espèces côtoyées par les Gravettiens (espèces consommées, espèces utilisées à des fins non
alimentaires, espèces représentées). Nous proposerons également une comparaison entre les différents locus de fouilles (anciennes et nouvelles) afin de mieux appréhender la question des rapports entre le site d’habitat et le dispositif pariétal. En d’autres termes, nous analyserons ici la contribution de l’étude des restes fauniques gravettiens, en tant que composante significative du contexte archéologique, à une meilleure compréhension des activités d’ordre symbolique.
Cette grotte ornee unique et celebre par ses centaines de mains peintes au pochoir a ete decouver... more Cette grotte ornee unique et celebre par ses centaines de mains peintes au pochoir a ete decouverte il y a cent ans. Aujourd'hui, de nouvelles recherches mettent en avant le large repertoire de ses peintures et leur datation tres ancienne.
... Key words: Gravettian Pyrenees Lithic industry Bone industry Shell ornaments Techni... more ... Key words: Gravettian Pyrenees Lithic industry Bone industry Shell ornaments Technical traditions ... et tout aussi indispensable à intégrer, celui défini par le réseau des ... les représentations humaines les plus reconnues du dispositif pariétal gravettien: les empreintes de ...
Résumé/Abstract L'industrie lithique solutréenne d'Isturitz fait ici l'objet d... more Résumé/Abstract L'industrie lithique solutréenne d'Isturitz fait ici l'objet d'une nouvelle étude, en privilégiant les données typo-technologiques et l'origine des matières premières. La présence de pièces bifaciales à base concave permet d'insérer une partie de cette ...
EnglishThe Gargas cave has been the subject of a research programme since 2004. This article focu... more EnglishThe Gargas cave has been the subject of a research programme since 2004. This article focuses on the chronological and anthropobiological framework of the human remains found in the Gravettian habitat levels of the Lower Gallery. These remains are: - a well-preserved fragment of a child mandible (GPA-11-Wb-646) found in the GPA sector, in Room I, close to the Great Wall of Hands. The coronoid process is missing, the lateral face of the condylar process is eroded, the gonial angle is broken, and the superficial external cortical bone of the lower margin of the symphyeal region is desquamated on ca. 20 mm. The age-at-death is estimated between 1 and 3 years, based on the degree of mineralization and eruption of the teeth. The mandible was found in the upper third of a Gravettian level. Its archaeological context consisted mainly of an accumulation of faunal remains (centimetric to decimetric fragments and small burnt elements, some of them with anthropogenic traces), and some e...
E. Cartailhac and H. Breuil excavated at the Gargas Cave (Aventignan, Hautes-Pyrenees) in 1911 an... more E. Cartailhac and H. Breuil excavated at the Gargas Cave (Aventignan, Hautes-Pyrenees) in 1911 and 1913. Within the Gravettian level, they discovered some mobiliary art objects, in particular an engraved pebble with a bison and a feline. This was a significant step in order to solve the question about the cultural attribution of the Gargas rock art (the painted hands revealed in 1906 and the engravings in 1907 and 1910). It was then possible to establish a stylistic and technical link between the engraved pebbles and the drawings on the cave walls of the lower gallery. Therefore, these drawings were also attributed to the Gravettian (“Upper Aurignacian” at this time). Since 2004, the new research program concerning the Gargas Cave has included the re-examination of the Cartailhac - Breuil collection, which is kept at the Institute of Human Palaeontology (Paris). That allowed us to discover several unpublished mobiliary art pieces made on pebble. We present here a small plate on whic...
L'objectif de ce travail a ete la revision de la documentation concernant les industries lith... more L'objectif de ce travail a ete la revision de la documentation concernant les industries lithiques du Gravettien et du Solutreen dans les Pyrenees selon une approche typo-technologique. L'etude des matieres premieres a permis d'etablir que les strategies d'approvisionnement des gravettiens et des solutreens pyreneens etaient tres proches et que leur territoire de subsistance etait compris entre la Mediterranee et l'Atlantique, avec la Dordogne comme limite septentrionale. Les resultats obtenus sur le versant nord des Pyrenees ont ete mis en perspective avec ceux de la Corniche cantabrique, la vallee de l'Ebre, la Catalogne, et le Sud-Est de la France. Des syntheses sont proposees pour chaque region, avec une presentation exhaustive des resultats des dates 14C. Si les industries lithiques du Gravettien pyreneen presentent une grande uniformite de part et d'autre de l'axe Pyrenees-Cantabres, il en est tout autre au Solutreen ; on percoit a cette dernier...
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Abstract: Gravettian art on lithic supports in Gargas Cave (Hautes-Pyrénées, France). The Gargas portable art played an important role in the chrono-stylistic attribution of parietal art in the early 20 th century. During their excavations in 1911 and 1913, É. Cartailhac and H. Breuil discovered several engraved pebbles and slabs in a Gravettian context. The representations on these objects showed stylistic and technical affinities with those depicted on the walls of the Lower Gallery. Until now, only four slabs had been published by L. Jammes and H. Breuil. We present four other pieces, formerly unpublished, from the Cartailhac-Breuil collection conserved at the Institut de Paléontologie Humaine in Paris (IPH), as well as two new slabs discovered during our excavations at Gargas from 2004 to 2013. The latter enable a clearer contextualization of this portable art from a topographical and chronological perspective.
Based on combined studies of the raw materials used to manufacture lithic and bone tools and personal ornaments, along with a zooarchaeological
analysis of the faunal remains, we have obtained a more thorough understanding of the resources used by the Gravettian groups that
occupied the cave from 28,000 to 25,000 BP. This economic strategy was practiced in a foothill environment between the mid-mountain zones
and large alluvial plains of the Garonne and Neste rivers, in order to procure both animal (hunted fauna, collection of shed cervid antler) and
lithic (alluvial quartzites, Flysch and Petites Pyrénées flints) resources
In this particular context, we will address the flint procurement strategies employed by the Gravettians, given the absence of this raw material
within a range of 25-45 km around the cave.
While this economic model existed mainly in this foothill environment, we nonetheless observe an extension of the Gravettian economic and
social spheres into the Atlantic and Perigord regions, represented by the materials used for personal ornaments (perforated shells) and some
allochthonous flints.
from 2004 to 2012. They allow discovering a tooth of a Eurasian lynx that was pierced. This paper deals with the taxonomical identification and the technical description of this tooth, which is also studied within the context of the production of body ornaments from Gargas cave. A skull of Eurasian lynx from the Pyrenees, which is a part of the collections of the Museum of Natural History of Toulouse, was used as specimen in
order to determine specifically this ornament, which is, for the moment, the unique remain of lynx recognized for this site. The documentation about discoveries of Lynx lynx remains within the Pyrenean region is also mentioned.
précoce du faciès à Noailles dans les Pyrénées, par rapport à d’autres régions comme
l’Aquitaine.
Abstract: Gravettian art on lithic supports in Gargas Cave (Hautes-Pyrénées, France). The Gargas portable art played an important role in the chrono-stylistic attribution of parietal art in the early 20 th century. During their excavations in 1911 and 1913, É. Cartailhac and H. Breuil discovered several engraved pebbles and slabs in a Gravettian context. The representations on these objects showed stylistic and technical affinities with those depicted on the walls of the Lower Gallery. Until now, only four slabs had been published by L. Jammes and H. Breuil. We present four other pieces, formerly unpublished, from the Cartailhac-Breuil collection conserved at the Institut de Paléontologie Humaine in Paris (IPH), as well as two new slabs discovered during our excavations at Gargas from 2004 to 2013. The latter enable a clearer contextualization of this portable art from a topographical and chronological perspective.
Based on combined studies of the raw materials used to manufacture lithic and bone tools and personal ornaments, along with a zooarchaeological
analysis of the faunal remains, we have obtained a more thorough understanding of the resources used by the Gravettian groups that
occupied the cave from 28,000 to 25,000 BP. This economic strategy was practiced in a foothill environment between the mid-mountain zones
and large alluvial plains of the Garonne and Neste rivers, in order to procure both animal (hunted fauna, collection of shed cervid antler) and
lithic (alluvial quartzites, Flysch and Petites Pyrénées flints) resources
In this particular context, we will address the flint procurement strategies employed by the Gravettians, given the absence of this raw material
within a range of 25-45 km around the cave.
While this economic model existed mainly in this foothill environment, we nonetheless observe an extension of the Gravettian economic and
social spheres into the Atlantic and Perigord regions, represented by the materials used for personal ornaments (perforated shells) and some
allochthonous flints.
from 2004 to 2012. They allow discovering a tooth of a Eurasian lynx that was pierced. This paper deals with the taxonomical identification and the technical description of this tooth, which is also studied within the context of the production of body ornaments from Gargas cave. A skull of Eurasian lynx from the Pyrenees, which is a part of the collections of the Museum of Natural History of Toulouse, was used as specimen in
order to determine specifically this ornament, which is, for the moment, the unique remain of lynx recognized for this site. The documentation about discoveries of Lynx lynx remains within the Pyrenean region is also mentioned.
précoce du faciès à Noailles dans les Pyrénées, par rapport à d’autres régions comme
l’Aquitaine.
Descubiertos durante la campaña de excavaciones de 2010, dos nuevos elementos de adorno-colgantes en materias óseas se han integrado al corpus de las colecciones auriñacienses de Gargas. Se trata de una perla finalizada y de un soporte en curso de fabricación, en asta de cérvido y en marfil, de un tipo hasta ahora inédito en el yacimiento y en el contexto regional. Se abordan aquí el estudio tipo-tecnológico detallado, la reconstrucción del esquema técnico de fabricación y el análisis comparativo de la documentación disponible.
- 1 related to the Cenozoic formation ;
- 2 associated with Flysch deposits from the the Pyrenean orogenic belt ;
- 10 attributed to Senonian age ;
- 6 imputed to Maastrichtian with Lepidorbitoides.
After that these types were brought together into six sections which show their stratigraphic positions and their paleogeographical environments.
- 0,2 % of the alluvial pebbles were related to the Pyrenean Flysch ;
- 45 % were of Uppermost Maastrichtian age (Lepidorbitoides ) ;
- 54 % were of Senonian age (Coniacian to Middle Maastrichtian).
On the other hand, the artefacts collected show a very similar proportions of siliceous pebbles (49 % of Maastrichtian with Lepidorbitoides).The result of this study is that, up to now, the western part of the Lannemezan Plateau includes alluvial areas of Plio-Pleistocene age, containing a large amount of flint pebbles of Upper Cretaceous age. Gathering of this siliceous raw material by palaeolithic communities is obvious.It is also patent that to find out a new lithic raw material located in the southern Aquitaine will be to be retained into account, while former interpretations have to be amended.
alimentaires, espèces représentées). Nous proposerons également une comparaison entre les différents locus de fouilles (anciennes et nouvelles) afin de mieux appréhender la question des rapports entre le site d’habitat et le dispositif pariétal. En d’autres termes, nous analyserons ici la contribution de l’étude des restes fauniques gravettiens, en tant que composante significative du contexte archéologique, à une meilleure compréhension des activités d’ordre symbolique.