Books by Jean-François Pasty
Presses universitaires Blaise Pascal, 2020
Papers (Prehistory) by Jean-François Pasty
Archéologia, n°568, p. 4, 2018
C'est sur le territoire de la commune de Montluçon, dans le département de
l'Allier, qu'a été fou... more C'est sur le territoire de la commune de Montluçon, dans le département de
l'Allier, qu'a été fouillé l'un des sites paléolithiques les mieux préservés du
centre de la France. À la suite de ces recherches, la ville de Montluçon nous
plonge, en partenariat avec l'Inrap et la Drac d'Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, au
cœur d'un campement magdalénien exceptionnel.
Ardèche Archéologie, 2009
Siège : Babzman, résidence Chabani, Bt. F5E, Val d'Hydra, 16 028 Alger Téléphone : 213 (0)7 70 35... more Siège : Babzman, résidence Chabani, Bt. F5E, Val d'Hydra, 16 028 Alger Téléphone : 213 (0)7 70 35 15 97 ou 213 (0)7 70 17 75 80 Adresse
Une occupation mésolithique a été étudiée à l'occasion de la fouille archéologique préventive con... more Une occupation mésolithique a été étudiée à l'occasion de la fouille archéologique préventive conduite entre novembre 2009 et janvier 2010 sur le tracé de la future autoroute A432, au lieu-dit « Sous le Port » (commune de Tramoyes, Ain), à une dizaine de kilomètres au nord-est de Lyon (fig. 1). L'emprise fouillée, d'une superficie de 8 580 m 2 , a permis d'étudier l'occupation humaine en bordure d'un marais au niveau d'eau fluctuant, du Mésolithique jusqu'à la période gallo-romaine dans son cadre chronostratigraphique. Résumé Le site est localisé sur la bordure de l'ancien lac des Echets, dans un contexte sableux d'origine alluviale, mis en place durant le Tardiglaciaire supérieur d'après les dates OSL. La faible surface fouillée ne permet pas d'appréhender l'organisation spatiale des vestiges matérialisés par un épandage de galets et de silex taillés. L'essentiel de l'occupation est attribué à un Mésolithique ancien de type Beuronien associant quelques éléments appartenant au Sauveterrien ancien. Les datations 14 C situent cette occupation au milieu du Préboréal. Les caractéristiques technotypologiques de l'industrie lithique montrent que le débitage est orienté vers la production de lamelles aux dépens de nucléus unipolaires. Les armatures sont dominées par les pointes à troncature oblique et base naturelle, suivies par les segments et un triangle isocèle. Deux segments pygmées à corde bordée renvoient au Sauveterrien. Les outils domestiques sont représentés par les burins, les encoches et les troncatures. Abstract The site is situated on the banks of the former lake of Les Echets, in a sandy context of alluvial origin which, according to OSL dating, became established during the Late Ice Age. The limited area excavated does not permit study of the distribution of the archaeological remains, manifested by an expanse of pebbles and knapped flints. The main part of the site is attributed to the Early Mesolithic " Beuronien " group associated with some early Sauveterrien elements. C14 dating places the occupation in the middle of the Preboreal. The techno-typological characteristics of the lithic industry show that the knapping concentrated on the production of bladelets at the expense of unipolar cores. Projectile points are dominated by points with oblique truncation, followed by segments and an isosceles triangle. Two small segments belong to the Sauveterrien. The domestic tools are represented by burins, notches and truncated artefacts. Zusammenfassung Der Fundplatz wurde am heute trockengelegten Lac des Echets lokalisiert, in einem sandigen Kontext alluvialen Ursprungs, der sich den OSL-Datierungen zufolge im jüngeren Spätglazial abgelagert hatte. Die ergrabene Fläche ist zu klein, um die räumliche Organisation der durch verstreute Geröll-und Feuersteingeräte materialisierten Spuren zu erfassen. Der größte Teil der Funde wird dem Frühmesolithikum des Typs Beuronien zugeordnet, zu dem einige Elemente des älteren Sauveterrien kommen. Die 14 C-Datierungen ordnen diese Belegungsphasen in das mittlere Präboreal ein. Die technotypologischen Merkmale der Steinartefakte zeigen, dass beim Abbau vorwiegend Lamellen produziert werden, daneben auch unipolare Kerne. Bei den Mikrolithen herrschen schräg retuschierte Spitzen ohne Basisretusche vor, gefolgt von Segmenten und einem gleichschenkligen Dreieck. Zwei kleine Segmente mit retuschierter Schneide weisen ins Sauveterrien. Die Steinwerkzeuge sind durch Stichel, Kerben und Endretuschen vertreten .
Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, Dec 2015
NEW FINDS FROM MIDDLE AND UPPER PALAEOLITHIC WITHIN SAONE LOWER VALLEY
Several building projects... more NEW FINDS FROM MIDDLE AND UPPER PALAEOLITHIC WITHIN SAONE LOWER VALLEY
Several building projects are being conducted on vast lands within the Saone lower valley, between Macon and Lyon. The archaeological survey that is in progress already revealed these last years some anthropogenic markers from Palaeolithic era that remained unpublished. These finds, when some sites are still being studied or explored, provide an opportunity to settle a first spatial balance sheet for this micro-region, and to feed the flintstones corpus of the Saône valley, with the materials of three sites placed in Quincieux, Pommiers and Belleville.
Internéo 9, Actes de la journée d'informations du 17 novembre 2012, éd. Société préhistorique française, p. 101-110, Nov 2012
L'Association pour les études interrégionales sur le Néolithique (InterNéo), association régie pa... more L'Association pour les études interrégionales sur le Néolithique (InterNéo), association régie par la loi du 1er juillet 1901, a été créée le 15 décembre 1990, et déclarée à la sous-préfecture de Saint-Germain-en-Laye le 07/03/91(publication au JO du 3/04/91).
Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, 2013
A geographic information system (GIS) in archaeology can be developed for the registration and th... more A geographic information system (GIS) in archaeology can be developed for the registration and the organization
of excavations, to create a spatial database and to edit documents intended for publication. GIS is becoming a necessary tool as part of archaeological scientific reflection. This paper describes the methods and first results obtained during the implementation of a GIS on a site in the Vaise plain in Lyon (France). The approach lies in the continuity of the methodological principles described at the beginning of the second half of the twentieth century, notably by Laplace and Jauretche Méroc in 1954. The excavations took place in the Rhone département, 35 rue Auguste Isaac (Lyon, 9th arrondissement). The remains were discovered during a rescue excavation in 2010 by Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (INRAP) on the Vaise plain, on the right bank of the Saone and the alluvial deposits of Rochecardon, a tributary of the Saône. The site (1,900 m²) is characterized by a succession of occupations from the late Palaeolithic (Azilian) to the Middle Ages. The Epipalaeolithic remains presented a major scientific challenge: it is the oldest human settlement identified in Lyon. The vestiges are part of a sandy sedimentary sequence unfavourable for identifying and interpreting remains. Because of the unexpected nature of the discovery and the taphonomic context
three ’excavation areas’ were defined with the service régional de l’Archéologie (direction régionale des Affaires culturelles de Rhône-Alpes). The Rue Isaac Azilian is a major discovery in the regional context, poorly documented for that period. In this context, the study of this well-preserved settlement, organized with an abundant lithic industry (about 16,000 elements for flint alone), provides an opportunity to understand the complexity of human behaviour related to procurement and the exploitation of lithic raw materials, as well as the spatial organization of an open-air site. From the very discovery of the Epipalaeolithic remains, the archaeological methods and study were structured to establish a dedicated GIS to optimize the treatment of data by providing a standardized structure and to integrate the GIS as an essential support for archaeological analysis. This approach provided an objective full view. The archaeological
methods aimed at restoring the archaeological role in the natural stratigraphy and understanding the spatial organization of ancient prehistoric occupations. Each search area was given a metric grid. The manual excavation was conducted by sections measuring a quarter of a square metre and technical blocks (’passe technique’, or the manual stripping of 5 cm). A technical block is a localized independent volume that contains archaeological information (flint, bone remains, ...) whose spatial distribution (vertical or horizontal) can reproduce the stratigraphy and archaeological occupation. The corners of each quarter square metre were systematically georeferenced. The name of each technical block is the spatial index reference in the GIS for each volume created and takes the following form: “technical block number+quarter square metre” or P_Quart_M2 (e.g. 1 AA1d: first technical block from the quarter square metre AA1d). It contains the geographical position (X, Y, Z) of the centroid of the volume excavated and is represented as a polygon feature (polygon). Each quarter square metre was digitally photographed. These digital images of Azilian structures and layers were assembled to create georeferenced images using the corners of each topographically recorded quarter square metre. The quartzite pebbles and local anatexite plaque were digitized in ArcGIS, version 10 software tool incorporating
Bezier curves. This step allowed georeferencing for each component linked to the Azilian occupation and the assignment of an identifier in the database. During the excavations, flint tools or other petrographic components were recorded in three dimensions (PI: ’pièces isolées’, isolated artefacts) and sequentially numbered. All sediments (56 t) were sieved. After sorting by types, the inventories of artefacts by spreadsheets were linked, using the spatial index reference of each technical block. The same was done for the three-dimensionally listed items. Data were collected with ArcGIS © software. Prior to the study, all the archaeological data were formatted in compatible spreadsheets for ArcGis software. The different databases, joined using the spatial index reference, were completed during specialized studies. During the post excavation study, these ’spatial datasets’ are structured and integrated with the GIS. This patterning phase, the standardization and prioritization of archaeological data, is a fundamental prerequisite for the GIS process. The robustness of the treatment and spatial analysis is dependent on the organization and quality of the database. Structuring
it in the research context has led to different spatial and statistical analyses being carried out. Horizontal projections
(profiles) were made by combining the ’PI’ and ’petrographic elements’ spreadsheets to restore the stratigraphic context and locate potential archaeological horizons ’in situ’. Axes projections reflect the general topographic relief — a TIN (Triangular Irregular Network) was created during the excavation. Different GIS projects (attribute query and automatic creation of polylines in particular) have allowed automatic mapping of connections between fragments. Maps (density maps, distribution maps for the presence / absence of certain tool types, percentage distributions of plant macrofossils and bone remains) are a methodological specificity inherent in the practice of archaeology. GIS is the only alternative in the context of reflection based on numerous archaeological spatial databases. Customary archaeological practices are updated by the emergence of new methods, new approaches and a potential field of analysis; the implementation
and control are relatively simple but clearly dependent on the robustness of the database. In the Rue Isaac case, the GIS tool transcribed the usual procedure in prehistory. While the method established for data acquisition is not new, it appears as a ’GIS’ translation of the analysis process for archaeological remains.
L’anthropologie, 2008
Une opération d’archéologie préventive réalisée au lieu-dit Champ-Chalatras a permis de mettre au... more Une opération d’archéologie préventive réalisée au lieu-dit Champ-Chalatras a permis de mettre au jour les témoins d’une occupation du Néolithique moyen II. Ils sont présents dans deux
zones qui ont livré une quinzaine de structures (en creux pour la plupart), associées à des niveaux de sols. L’étude de la céramique a porté sur un corpus largement marqué par les influences méridionales et orientales et permet d’attribuer le cortège des récipients de Champ-Chalatras à une phase élaborée du Néolithique moyen. Les données fournies par l’étude archéozoologique, à partir des vestiges recueillis
dans plusieurs structures, montrent que l’essentiel de l’alimentation carnée est d’origine domestique.
La part de la faune sauvage est marginale et semble venir en complément de la première. La présence de céréales et de matériel de mouture associés à une faune domestique diversifiée apporte des éléments nouveaux concernant le mode d’occupation des bords de l’Allier durant le Néolithique moyen.
Mémoires de la Soc. des sc. nat., arch. et hist. de la Creuse, t. 59, p. 315-318., 2014
RAC, tome 52, p. 49-98., 2013
BSPF, tome 110, n°2, p. 213-231, 2013
Le site des Tailles du Clou se trouve dans le Nord-Est du département de la Creuse, près du villa... more Le site des Tailles du Clou se trouve dans le Nord-Est du département de la Creuse, près du village de Clugnat. Les vestiges se rencontrent sur environ 1 ha au sommet d'un plateau qui domine la vallée de la Petite Creuse. Les prospections réalisées sur le site depuis sa découverte en 2003 ont permis de recueillir une série lithique riche de plus de 15 000 pièces. Cet ensemble n'est malheureusement pas homogène et est le résultat d'une succession d'occupations depuis le Paléolithique moyen jusqu'au Néolithique final. Le manque d'homogénéité de la série nous a amené à dégager les différentes composantes à partir des critères technotypologiques. Les tris en fonction des états de surface ou des types de matières premières se sont avérés inopérants dans le cas présent. L'identification de la composante gravettienne au sein de la masse de vestiges récoltés s'appuie sur la présence d'éléments typologiques diagnostiques (pointes de la Gravette et microgravettes) et sur celle de modes de production laminaires et lamellaires. Tout élément pouvant appartenir à un autre faciès chrono-culturel n'a pas été pris en compte. Ce classement écarte ainsi la quasi-totalité des outils domestiques et une partie des lamelles à dos, trop ubiquiste. Un ensemble de 231 pièces sont rattachées à l'occupation gravettienne. Les différents éléments attribués à cette occupation font état d'une certaine homogénéité d'ensemble. Compte tenu du contexte, il faut cependant considérer que plusieurs phases d'occupation peuvent être présentes. La répartition du matériel par matière première montre un approvisionnement en direction du nord avec une prédominance du silex tertiaire de la région de Vicq-Exemplet (39 %) devant celui du Turonien supérieur du Grand-Pressigny (30,3 %) et du Turonien inférieur du Berry (29,9 %). Les modalités d'approvisionnement en matières premières, exclusivement orientées vers les formations siliceuses du Bassin parisien, tendent à rapprocher le site des Tailles des occupations de cette région. Le débitage laminaire des Tailles est relativement ubiquiste à l'échelle du Gravettien. Il est illustré par des nucléus à table cintrée où la bipolarité est dominante, ainsi que l'usage de la pierre tendre.
Paléo n°23, p. 189-222., 2012
Ce travail présente les résultats de l'opération de terrain réalisée en 2004 sur une partie de l'... more Ce travail présente les résultats de l'opération de terrain réalisée en 2004 sur une partie de l'abri-sous-roche de la Tour Fondue à Chauriat. Les objectifs de cette intervention ponctuelle (ravivage de coupe) étaient de préciser la position chronologique et stratigraphique des occupations humaines, de les caractériser sur un plan culturel et d'établir le cadre paléoenvironnemental dans lequel elles se sont développées. Les dépôts sédimentaires qui se développent sur plus de 3,20 m ont livré une grande quantité de micromammifères associés à de la macrofaune. Le cadre bioclimatique et paléoenvironnemental obtenu grâce à leur étude se divise en 5 phases, couvrant la fin du stade isotopique 5 jusqu'à la limite entre les stades isotopiques 3 et 2. Les occupations humaines du Paléolithique moyen constituant l'ensemble inférieur se mettent en place au cours d'un épisode tempéré à tendance froide du stade isotopique 5 (phase « Chauriat 1 ») et perdurent jusqu'à la phase « Chauriat 4 », située à la fin du stade isotopique 3. Du point de vue des industries lithiques, les hommes du Paléolithique moyen utilisent des silex tertiaires situés à proximité de l'abri sans tenir compte de leur qualité. Ces matériaux sont destinés à produire des éclats selon des modes de production Levallois et discoïde. L'ensemble supérieur regroupe les vestiges d'une occupation châtelperronienne et paléolithique supérieur indéterminée. Le Châtelperronien se développe dans un climat corrélé à un interstade marquant la limite entre les stades 3 et 2 (phase « Chauriat 5 »). Les Châtelperroniens marquent leurs différences par rapport à leurs prédécesseurs en privilégiant des matériaux de meilleure qualité, situés à une vingtaine de kilomètres autour du site. Les industries de cet ensemble supérieur sont orientées vers la production de supports laminaires rectilignes et courts, détachés à la pierre tendre dans le cas du Châtelperronien, longs et courbes, débités au percuteur tendre organique pour les derniers occupants de l'abri.
MSSNAC, tome 58, p. 5-42., 2012
BSPF, tome 108, n°1, p. 53-72., 2011
Ce travail présente les résultats de la fouille d'un site azilien de plein air en Limagne d'Auver... more Ce travail présente les résultats de la fouille d'un site azilien de plein air en Limagne d'Auvergne. Le site correspond à une accumulation de vestiges lithiques autour d'une structure de combustion démantelée constituée de galets. Les matières premières utilisées sont majoritairement locales (silex oligocènes) et exploitées selon des schémas laminaires uni-et bipolaires destinés à produire des lames rectilignes dont une part importante a été exportée. Les outils sont peu nombreux et se rapportent aux activités cynégétiques. Le site des Varennes peut être considéré comme une occupation de courte durée par des chasseurs, dans laquelle les principales activités étaient consacrées à la production de supports pour une utilisation différée ainsi qu'à l'aménagement et à l'entretien des armes de chasse.
Spécial table ronde (2e partie) : Le Gravettien : entités régionales d’une paléoculture européenne, Les Eyzies, juillet 2004, Paléo n°20, p. 73-98, 2008
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Books by Jean-François Pasty
Papers (Prehistory) by Jean-François Pasty
l'Allier, qu'a été fouillé l'un des sites paléolithiques les mieux préservés du
centre de la France. À la suite de ces recherches, la ville de Montluçon nous
plonge, en partenariat avec l'Inrap et la Drac d'Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, au
cœur d'un campement magdalénien exceptionnel.
Several building projects are being conducted on vast lands within the Saone lower valley, between Macon and Lyon. The archaeological survey that is in progress already revealed these last years some anthropogenic markers from Palaeolithic era that remained unpublished. These finds, when some sites are still being studied or explored, provide an opportunity to settle a first spatial balance sheet for this micro-region, and to feed the flintstones corpus of the Saône valley, with the materials of three sites placed in Quincieux, Pommiers and Belleville.
of excavations, to create a spatial database and to edit documents intended for publication. GIS is becoming a necessary tool as part of archaeological scientific reflection. This paper describes the methods and first results obtained during the implementation of a GIS on a site in the Vaise plain in Lyon (France). The approach lies in the continuity of the methodological principles described at the beginning of the second half of the twentieth century, notably by Laplace and Jauretche Méroc in 1954. The excavations took place in the Rhone département, 35 rue Auguste Isaac (Lyon, 9th arrondissement). The remains were discovered during a rescue excavation in 2010 by Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (INRAP) on the Vaise plain, on the right bank of the Saone and the alluvial deposits of Rochecardon, a tributary of the Saône. The site (1,900 m²) is characterized by a succession of occupations from the late Palaeolithic (Azilian) to the Middle Ages. The Epipalaeolithic remains presented a major scientific challenge: it is the oldest human settlement identified in Lyon. The vestiges are part of a sandy sedimentary sequence unfavourable for identifying and interpreting remains. Because of the unexpected nature of the discovery and the taphonomic context
three ’excavation areas’ were defined with the service régional de l’Archéologie (direction régionale des Affaires culturelles de Rhône-Alpes). The Rue Isaac Azilian is a major discovery in the regional context, poorly documented for that period. In this context, the study of this well-preserved settlement, organized with an abundant lithic industry (about 16,000 elements for flint alone), provides an opportunity to understand the complexity of human behaviour related to procurement and the exploitation of lithic raw materials, as well as the spatial organization of an open-air site. From the very discovery of the Epipalaeolithic remains, the archaeological methods and study were structured to establish a dedicated GIS to optimize the treatment of data by providing a standardized structure and to integrate the GIS as an essential support for archaeological analysis. This approach provided an objective full view. The archaeological
methods aimed at restoring the archaeological role in the natural stratigraphy and understanding the spatial organization of ancient prehistoric occupations. Each search area was given a metric grid. The manual excavation was conducted by sections measuring a quarter of a square metre and technical blocks (’passe technique’, or the manual stripping of 5 cm). A technical block is a localized independent volume that contains archaeological information (flint, bone remains, ...) whose spatial distribution (vertical or horizontal) can reproduce the stratigraphy and archaeological occupation. The corners of each quarter square metre were systematically georeferenced. The name of each technical block is the spatial index reference in the GIS for each volume created and takes the following form: “technical block number+quarter square metre” or P_Quart_M2 (e.g. 1 AA1d: first technical block from the quarter square metre AA1d). It contains the geographical position (X, Y, Z) of the centroid of the volume excavated and is represented as a polygon feature (polygon). Each quarter square metre was digitally photographed. These digital images of Azilian structures and layers were assembled to create georeferenced images using the corners of each topographically recorded quarter square metre. The quartzite pebbles and local anatexite plaque were digitized in ArcGIS, version 10 software tool incorporating
Bezier curves. This step allowed georeferencing for each component linked to the Azilian occupation and the assignment of an identifier in the database. During the excavations, flint tools or other petrographic components were recorded in three dimensions (PI: ’pièces isolées’, isolated artefacts) and sequentially numbered. All sediments (56 t) were sieved. After sorting by types, the inventories of artefacts by spreadsheets were linked, using the spatial index reference of each technical block. The same was done for the three-dimensionally listed items. Data were collected with ArcGIS © software. Prior to the study, all the archaeological data were formatted in compatible spreadsheets for ArcGis software. The different databases, joined using the spatial index reference, were completed during specialized studies. During the post excavation study, these ’spatial datasets’ are structured and integrated with the GIS. This patterning phase, the standardization and prioritization of archaeological data, is a fundamental prerequisite for the GIS process. The robustness of the treatment and spatial analysis is dependent on the organization and quality of the database. Structuring
it in the research context has led to different spatial and statistical analyses being carried out. Horizontal projections
(profiles) were made by combining the ’PI’ and ’petrographic elements’ spreadsheets to restore the stratigraphic context and locate potential archaeological horizons ’in situ’. Axes projections reflect the general topographic relief — a TIN (Triangular Irregular Network) was created during the excavation. Different GIS projects (attribute query and automatic creation of polylines in particular) have allowed automatic mapping of connections between fragments. Maps (density maps, distribution maps for the presence / absence of certain tool types, percentage distributions of plant macrofossils and bone remains) are a methodological specificity inherent in the practice of archaeology. GIS is the only alternative in the context of reflection based on numerous archaeological spatial databases. Customary archaeological practices are updated by the emergence of new methods, new approaches and a potential field of analysis; the implementation
and control are relatively simple but clearly dependent on the robustness of the database. In the Rue Isaac case, the GIS tool transcribed the usual procedure in prehistory. While the method established for data acquisition is not new, it appears as a ’GIS’ translation of the analysis process for archaeological remains.
zones qui ont livré une quinzaine de structures (en creux pour la plupart), associées à des niveaux de sols. L’étude de la céramique a porté sur un corpus largement marqué par les influences méridionales et orientales et permet d’attribuer le cortège des récipients de Champ-Chalatras à une phase élaborée du Néolithique moyen. Les données fournies par l’étude archéozoologique, à partir des vestiges recueillis
dans plusieurs structures, montrent que l’essentiel de l’alimentation carnée est d’origine domestique.
La part de la faune sauvage est marginale et semble venir en complément de la première. La présence de céréales et de matériel de mouture associés à une faune domestique diversifiée apporte des éléments nouveaux concernant le mode d’occupation des bords de l’Allier durant le Néolithique moyen.
l'Allier, qu'a été fouillé l'un des sites paléolithiques les mieux préservés du
centre de la France. À la suite de ces recherches, la ville de Montluçon nous
plonge, en partenariat avec l'Inrap et la Drac d'Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, au
cœur d'un campement magdalénien exceptionnel.
Several building projects are being conducted on vast lands within the Saone lower valley, between Macon and Lyon. The archaeological survey that is in progress already revealed these last years some anthropogenic markers from Palaeolithic era that remained unpublished. These finds, when some sites are still being studied or explored, provide an opportunity to settle a first spatial balance sheet for this micro-region, and to feed the flintstones corpus of the Saône valley, with the materials of three sites placed in Quincieux, Pommiers and Belleville.
of excavations, to create a spatial database and to edit documents intended for publication. GIS is becoming a necessary tool as part of archaeological scientific reflection. This paper describes the methods and first results obtained during the implementation of a GIS on a site in the Vaise plain in Lyon (France). The approach lies in the continuity of the methodological principles described at the beginning of the second half of the twentieth century, notably by Laplace and Jauretche Méroc in 1954. The excavations took place in the Rhone département, 35 rue Auguste Isaac (Lyon, 9th arrondissement). The remains were discovered during a rescue excavation in 2010 by Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (INRAP) on the Vaise plain, on the right bank of the Saone and the alluvial deposits of Rochecardon, a tributary of the Saône. The site (1,900 m²) is characterized by a succession of occupations from the late Palaeolithic (Azilian) to the Middle Ages. The Epipalaeolithic remains presented a major scientific challenge: it is the oldest human settlement identified in Lyon. The vestiges are part of a sandy sedimentary sequence unfavourable for identifying and interpreting remains. Because of the unexpected nature of the discovery and the taphonomic context
three ’excavation areas’ were defined with the service régional de l’Archéologie (direction régionale des Affaires culturelles de Rhône-Alpes). The Rue Isaac Azilian is a major discovery in the regional context, poorly documented for that period. In this context, the study of this well-preserved settlement, organized with an abundant lithic industry (about 16,000 elements for flint alone), provides an opportunity to understand the complexity of human behaviour related to procurement and the exploitation of lithic raw materials, as well as the spatial organization of an open-air site. From the very discovery of the Epipalaeolithic remains, the archaeological methods and study were structured to establish a dedicated GIS to optimize the treatment of data by providing a standardized structure and to integrate the GIS as an essential support for archaeological analysis. This approach provided an objective full view. The archaeological
methods aimed at restoring the archaeological role in the natural stratigraphy and understanding the spatial organization of ancient prehistoric occupations. Each search area was given a metric grid. The manual excavation was conducted by sections measuring a quarter of a square metre and technical blocks (’passe technique’, or the manual stripping of 5 cm). A technical block is a localized independent volume that contains archaeological information (flint, bone remains, ...) whose spatial distribution (vertical or horizontal) can reproduce the stratigraphy and archaeological occupation. The corners of each quarter square metre were systematically georeferenced. The name of each technical block is the spatial index reference in the GIS for each volume created and takes the following form: “technical block number+quarter square metre” or P_Quart_M2 (e.g. 1 AA1d: first technical block from the quarter square metre AA1d). It contains the geographical position (X, Y, Z) of the centroid of the volume excavated and is represented as a polygon feature (polygon). Each quarter square metre was digitally photographed. These digital images of Azilian structures and layers were assembled to create georeferenced images using the corners of each topographically recorded quarter square metre. The quartzite pebbles and local anatexite plaque were digitized in ArcGIS, version 10 software tool incorporating
Bezier curves. This step allowed georeferencing for each component linked to the Azilian occupation and the assignment of an identifier in the database. During the excavations, flint tools or other petrographic components were recorded in three dimensions (PI: ’pièces isolées’, isolated artefacts) and sequentially numbered. All sediments (56 t) were sieved. After sorting by types, the inventories of artefacts by spreadsheets were linked, using the spatial index reference of each technical block. The same was done for the three-dimensionally listed items. Data were collected with ArcGIS © software. Prior to the study, all the archaeological data were formatted in compatible spreadsheets for ArcGis software. The different databases, joined using the spatial index reference, were completed during specialized studies. During the post excavation study, these ’spatial datasets’ are structured and integrated with the GIS. This patterning phase, the standardization and prioritization of archaeological data, is a fundamental prerequisite for the GIS process. The robustness of the treatment and spatial analysis is dependent on the organization and quality of the database. Structuring
it in the research context has led to different spatial and statistical analyses being carried out. Horizontal projections
(profiles) were made by combining the ’PI’ and ’petrographic elements’ spreadsheets to restore the stratigraphic context and locate potential archaeological horizons ’in situ’. Axes projections reflect the general topographic relief — a TIN (Triangular Irregular Network) was created during the excavation. Different GIS projects (attribute query and automatic creation of polylines in particular) have allowed automatic mapping of connections between fragments. Maps (density maps, distribution maps for the presence / absence of certain tool types, percentage distributions of plant macrofossils and bone remains) are a methodological specificity inherent in the practice of archaeology. GIS is the only alternative in the context of reflection based on numerous archaeological spatial databases. Customary archaeological practices are updated by the emergence of new methods, new approaches and a potential field of analysis; the implementation
and control are relatively simple but clearly dependent on the robustness of the database. In the Rue Isaac case, the GIS tool transcribed the usual procedure in prehistory. While the method established for data acquisition is not new, it appears as a ’GIS’ translation of the analysis process for archaeological remains.
zones qui ont livré une quinzaine de structures (en creux pour la plupart), associées à des niveaux de sols. L’étude de la céramique a porté sur un corpus largement marqué par les influences méridionales et orientales et permet d’attribuer le cortège des récipients de Champ-Chalatras à une phase élaborée du Néolithique moyen. Les données fournies par l’étude archéozoologique, à partir des vestiges recueillis
dans plusieurs structures, montrent que l’essentiel de l’alimentation carnée est d’origine domestique.
La part de la faune sauvage est marginale et semble venir en complément de la première. La présence de céréales et de matériel de mouture associés à une faune domestique diversifiée apporte des éléments nouveaux concernant le mode d’occupation des bords de l’Allier durant le Néolithique moyen.
The Corent building constitutes a rare discovery for the area, as the few Neolithic buildings found in Auvergne do not have this type of plan. It belongs to a very particular group of circular buildings well known in Northern France called the Auneau type, mainly found in the Paris Basin and its western margins. The building at Corent is the most southerly example known of this type. Auneau type circular buildings of are interpreted as dwellings, but their size and their monumentality could suggest other functions such as collective activities. In terms of floor space, Corent?€?s circular building is the second largest known. Moreover, it is not the only Neolithic feature found on the Plateau. In addition to erratic artefacts and some features, the several sections of a triple-palisade enclosure of non-jointed posts dating to the Middle Neolithic period have been uncovered during various campaigns since 1993. It seems likely that the building and the triple palisade are part of the same ensemble, as a similar organisation exists at Le Goulet in the Orne, where two large circular buildings were built inside a large fenced enclosure with many interruptions. Even though many Middle Neolithic sites have been found in Basse-Auvergne thanks to preventive archaeology, the large building and palisade at Corent are unusual. Corent constitutes an important site during the Bronze Age with its metal hoards and dense settlement and at the end of the Iron Age where political and religious activities took place. Its importance seems in part due to its topographic location and the proximity of fertile soils and trade routes and the plateau of Corent may have played a similar role in territorial organisation during the Middle Neolithic. These discoveries testify to its particular status during the Middle Neolithic in Basse-Auvergne.
Keywords: Auvergne, Corent, France, Middle Neolithic, hillfort, architecture, Auneau type circular building, hilltop, palisade.