Geoffroy de Saulieu | Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD - France) (original) (raw)

Papers by Geoffroy de Saulieu

Research paper thumbnail of Archaeological Evidence for Population Rise and Collapse between ~2500 and ~500 cal. yr BP in Western Central Africa

Afrique : Archéologie & Arts, 2021

Palaeocological studies show that major vegetation and environmental changes occurred in Central ... more Palaeocological studies show that major vegetation and environmental changes occurred in Central Africa from the mid-Holocene (e.g. Maley & Brenac 1998). Several suggest a human origin and assume that large population migration, technical innovations (e.g. iron-smelting technology) and/or change in agricultural practice, leading to deforestation and land clearance, are the drivers of these changes. However, at this stage, the lack of demographic reconstruction does not fully support these hypotheses. Here, a georeferenced archaeological database is used to infer population dynamics and the evolution of cultural practices in Western Central Africa over the last 5000 years. This database includes 1139 14C calibrated dates from 425 sites throughout southern Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and the western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, dating back a maximum of 5000 cal. yr BP. Data modelling indicate possible population growth from 2500 to 1500 cal. yr BP, coinciding with the occurrence at
a regional scale of specific techniques and practices.
The concomitant increase of refuse pits, palm oil Elaeis guineesis and iron metallurgy (plus rare remains of millet Pennisetum glaucum) took place during the second half of the Neolithic, beginning around 2800 cal. yr BP. In the coastal regions, the population growth concerns the Neolithic and the Early Iron Age (2500–2000 cal. yr BP and 2000– 1500 cal. yr BP), while in the Hinterland population growth seems slightly later (2400 and 1300 cal. yr BP). It is not possible to identify a common diffusion phenomenon from a single homeland. Rather, technical innovations and new practices appear to have spread through a wide network of cultural interactions, which fostered the formation of Western Central African societies during the third millennium.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Establishment and functioning of the savanna marshes of the Lopé National Park in Gabon since the termination of the African humid period and the arrival of humans 2500 years ago

The Holocene, 2021

Holocene paleoecological studies in tropical Africa are rare because most lakes either dried out ... more Holocene paleoecological studies in tropical Africa are rare because most lakes either dried out at the termination of the African Humid Period or have since filled up. However, tropical sedge marshes can be an alternative to perform long-term ecological studies. The Lopé National Park (LNP) in Gabon is a mosaic of forest and savanna enclosed in the equatorial forest, where open areas facilitated the development of peat marshes accumulating several-meter-thick sediment. In order to reconstruct the historical dynamic in these marshes through a local and regional point of view, we compared
sedimentological, continuous X-ray fluorescence, and stable isotopic analyses on sediment cores from six herbaceous marshes in the LNP. A reliable chronological frame was based on 50 14C dates, over the last 2500 years in most sites, and reaching 9000 years in one marsh. We show that the origin of these marshes is a major hydrological change, 3450 and 2300 years ago, that affected the entire region, almost concomitantly with the diffusion of Iron Age population. The sedimentation within marshes is homogenous with low intra-site variability. In contrast, high inter-sites variability evidences that the functioning of the marsh itself exerts a much more significant influence than in lakes. However, a regional event is recorded between 1400 and 800 years ago, concurrently with an archeological trace hiatus throughout the forest hinterland of West Central Africa.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Entre châtaigner et palmier chonta. Hommage à Juan Bottasso (1936-2019)

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of L’émergence de l’agriculture : révolution ou grande transition de l’Anthropocène ?

Les nouvelles de l'archéologie, 2020

The introduction of agriculture in Europe, often referred to as the “Neolithic Revolution”, sugge... more The introduction of agriculture in Europe, often referred to as the “Neolithic Revolution”, suggests a phenomenon in the manner of a “Great Transition” as we experience it today: a complex, profound and rapid change in societies and their environment. However, the scenario of the Neolithization of Europe, which is often simplified, is far from being generalizable to other regions of the world, particularly the intertropical regions. If we take into account the particularities of the very ancient emergence of horticulture in these regions, neolithization seems to correspond to a very gradual evolution, operating by thresholds, rather than a sudden change. Finally, studying the birth of agriculture in the intertropical regions leads us to question the relevance of its designation as a “revolution”, implying rapid and absolute change, in favor of the idea of a gradual “Transition”, leading us also to question the nature of the changes we are currently experiencing and their qualification.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Archéologie et grande transition

Les nouvelles de l'archéologie, 2020

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of El Pastaza y el Upano, dos ríos tropicales que conectan los Andes a la Amazonía

Revista del Museo de La Plata, 2019

The Pastaza and the Upano, two tropical rivers that connect the Andes to the Amazon. The Amazon, ... more The Pastaza and the Upano, two tropical rivers that connect the Andes to the Amazon. The
Amazon, called Marañón upstream, is born in the Andes and feeds on the waters of the springs of the mountain
range and the sediments plucked from the slopes of the mountain. The valleys of Pastaza and Upano are
headwaters of rivers feeding the Marañón. They are distant of only 70 km and both drain waters coming down
from the Ecuadorian Andes that are not navigable. In spite of these similarities, the social developments between
the two valleys show different and common points that deny geographical determinisms. At the same time they
reveal the importance of regional trends of evolution in the destiny of the societies that inhabited them. Beyond
the remarkable geophysical differences, the two river valleys had different but comparable pre-Columbian
developments. In fact, the earliest periods were clearly related to the Amazonian and Andean worlds at the same
time (including the Pacific Coast), whereas the most recent periods before the arrival of Europeans mark the
formation of an Amazonian cultural universe separated from the Andean world.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Forêts

Les Nouvelles de l'archéologie

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Comparaison structurale et spatiale de deux compositions rupestres alpines

Préhistoire de l'Europe. Des Origines à l'Âge du Bronze, 2003

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of  Un fil d’Ariane dans les tourbillons, méandres et labyrinthes de la haute Amazonie précolombienne

"Au Seuil de la forêt. Hommage à Philippe Descola, l’anthropologue de la nature", sous la direction de Geremia COMETTI, Pierre LE ROUX, Tiziana MANICONE, Nastassja MARTIN, Ed. Tautem, 2019

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Un intendant en quête de curiosités : les collections Natchez de Louisiane du cabinet Raudot

La Nouvelle-Orléans, 1718-2018 : regards sur trois siècles d'histoire partagée, Paris : Maisonneuve et Larose, Hémisphères, , 2019, p. 161-174. ISBN 978-2-377-01042-4 Entretiens d'Outre-Mer : Colloque International, 2019

Lorsqu'on évoque Antoine-Denis Raudot (1679-1737), c'est généralement pour mettre en évidence sa ... more Lorsqu'on évoque Antoine-Denis Raudot (1679-1737), c'est généralement pour mettre en évidence sa brillante carrière dans l'administration coloniale. Mais celui qui fut commissaire et inspecteur général de la Marine, conseiller de la cour sur les affaires coloniales ou encore intendant de la Nouvelle-France de 1705 à 1710, était aussi un collectionneur opiniâtre, accumulant au sein de son cabinet des curiosités humaines et naturelles d'Amérique, d'Asie ou du Moyen-Orient. Sans doute n'aurait-il pu imaginer que ce goût de l'exotique le mettrait quelque deux cent quatre-vingts ans plus tard au coeur d'une étonnante histoire. Cette communication relate les méandres de l'enquête menée par ses trois auteurs pour découvrir comment une pipe à fourneau en pierre prise aux Natchez au coeur du xviiie siècle est entrée dans les collections du musée de l'Homme en 1950 pour être aujourd'hui conservée au musée du quai Branly. Autour de cet objet rituel, se croiseront ainsi, des prêtres amérindiens, un garde-magasin pilleur, un intendant collectionneur, un mystérieux inconnu, un dessinateur érudit ou encore un marchand d'art avisé.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Saulieu 2019, Art et religion de Lascaux à Göbekli Tepe, Rencontres au musée de l'archéologie nationale à propos de La splendeur escamotée de frère Cheval ou le secret des grottes ornées de Jean Rouaud

Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2019

Grasset, 2018, 288 p., [compte rendu de lecture]. Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2019, 155, p. 5... more Grasset, 2018, 288 p., [compte rendu de lecture]. Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2019, 155, p. 51-54.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Vers une écologie historique en Afrique centrale

Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Ecologie Historique

Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2018

Ce dossier sur l'écologie historique arrive au moment où la transition écologique se pose dans un... more Ce dossier sur l'écologie historique arrive au moment où la transition écologique se pose dans un véritable contexte d’urgence environnementale.
Que ce soit en Europe ou dans la région intertropicale, l’étude des sociétés forestières passées a pris une ampleur sans précédent depuis quelques années.
Mais, à la différence des approches archéologiques classiques, l’écologie historique ne se fait plus au travers du seul prisme de l’analyse des vestiges matériels humains, mais prend en compte le paysage, héritage présent construit dans la longue durée.
Les hommes interagissent avec la forêt, en utilisent les produits et mettent en œuvre des formes de gestion des espèces utiles. Ces pratiques ont en retour un impact sur la composition spécifique des forêts dont elles modifient la biodiversité.
La perspective diachronique de l’écologie historique permet alors d’étudier comment évoluent à moyen et long terme les socio-écosystèmes forestiers qui résultent des interactions entre des groupes humains et des milieux écologiques spécifiques.
Des études de cas sont présentées ici en un tour d’horizon planétaire, en Europe et sur la ceinture tropicale, de l’écologie historique.

Sommaire

Stéphen Rostain, Geoffroy de Saulieu & Matthieu Salpeteur, « INTRO : Forêts » ;

William Balée, « Brief Review of Historical Ecology » ;

Jean-François Molino & Guillaume Odonne, « Écologie historique amazonienne, une interdisciplinarité nécessaire. Quand l'archéologue est perdu dans les bois... » ;

Stéphen Rostain, « À propos d'écologie historique en Amazonie » ;

Geoffroy de Saulieu, David Sebag & Richard Oslisly, « Vers une écologie historique de la forêt d’Afrique centrale » ;

Gérard Chouin, « Anthropisation des espaces boisés et reforestation des espaces anthropiques en Afrique » ;

Matthieu Salpeteur, « Penser l’histoire des paysages avec les sanctuaires boisés. L’exemple de la région des Grassfields (Cameroun) » ;

Dominique Guillaud & Ariadna Libertad, « Les sens de la forêt. Usages et évolutions de la forêt humide et de la mangrove de Siberut et Nias, Sumatra, Indonésie » ;

Guillaume Decocq, « Décrypter la mémoire forestière au prisme de l’écologie historique : passé, présent et avenir » ;

Alexa Dufraisse & Sylvie Coubray, « De l’arbre à la forêt domestiquée : apport de l’anthraco-typologie » ;

Sylvain Burri et al., « Des ressources naturelles à la santé : approche interdisciplinaire de la production des goudrons de conifères et de leur usage médicinal en Méditerranée sur la longue durée ».

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Diaz N., Dietrich F., Sebag D., et al. 2018, « Pedo-sedimentary constituents as paleoenvironmental proxies in the Sudano-Sahelian belt during the Late Quaternary (southwestern Chad Basin) »

Climate and environmental changes since the Last Glacial Maximum in the tropical zone of West Afr... more Climate and environmental changes since the Last Glacial Maximum in the tropical zone of West Africa are usually inferred from marine and continental records. In this study, the potential of carbonate pedo- sedimentary geosystems, i.e. Vertisol relics, to record paleoenvironmental changes in the southwestern part of Chad Basin are investigated. A multi-dating approach was applied on different pedogenic organo- mineral constituents. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was performed on the soil K-rich feldspars and was combined with radiocarbon dating on both the inorganic (14Cinorg) and organic carbon (14Corg) soil fractions. Three main pedo-sedimentary processes were assessed over the last 20 ka BP: 1) the soil parent material deposition, from 18 ka to 12 ka BP (OSL), 2) the soil organic matter integration, from 11 cal ka to 8 cal ka BP (14Corg), and 3) the pedogenic carbonate nodule precipitation, from 7 cal ka to 5 cal ka BP (14Cinorg). These processes correlate well with the Chad Basin stratigraphy and West African records and are shown to be related to significant changes in the soil water balance responding to the evolution of continental hydrology during the Late Quaternary. The last phase affecting the Vertisol relics is the increase of erosion, which is hypothesized to be due to a decrease of the vegetation cover triggered by (i) the onset of drier conditions, possibly strengthened by (ii) anthropogenic pressure. Archaeological data from Far North Cameroon and northern Nigeria, as well as sedimentation times in Lake Tilla (northeastern Nigeria), were used to test these relationships. The increase of erosion is suggested to possibly occur between c. 3 cal ka and 1 cal ka BP. Finally, satellite images revealed similar geosystems all along the Sudano-Sahelian belt, and initial 14Cinorg ages of the samples collected in four sites gave similar ages to those reported in this study. Consequently, the carbonate pedo-sedimentary geosystems are valuable continental paleoenvironmental archives and soil water balance proxies of the semiarid tropics of West Africa.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Garcin Y., Deschamps P., Ménot G., et al., 2018, "Reply to Clist et al.: Human activity is the most probable trigger of the late Holocene rainforest crisis in Western Central Africa"

PNAS, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Saulieu G. de, Nlend P., Oslisly R., Ngouoh F., 2018, "De l'horticulture à l'organisation lignagère en Afrique centrale atlantique"

Cahiers d'Anthropologie sociale - l'Herne, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Garcin Y., Deschamps P., Ménot G., et al., 2018, "Early anthropogenic impact on Western Central African rainforests 2,600 y ago"

PNAS, 2018

A potential human footprint on Western Central African rainforests before the Common Era has beco... more A potential human footprint on Western Central African rainforests before the Common Era has become the focus of an ongoing controversy. Between 3,000 y ago and 2,000 y ago, regional pollen sequences indicate a replacement of mature rainforests by a forest–savannah mosaic including pioneer trees. Although some studies suggested an anthropogenic influence on this forest fragmentation, current interpretations based on pollen data attribute the ‘‘rainforest crisis’’ to climate change toward a drier, more seasonal climate. A rigorous test of this hypothesis, however, requires climate proxies independent of vegetation changes. Here we resolve this controversy through a continuous 10,500-y record of both vegetation and hydrological changes from Lake Barombi in Southwest Cameroon based on changes in carbon and hydrogen isotope compositions of plant waxes. δ13C-inferred vegetation changes confirm a prominent and abrupt appearance of C4 plants in the Lake Barombi catchment, at 2,600 calendar years before AD 1950 (cal y BP), followed by an equally sudden return to rainforest vegetation at 2,020 cal y BP. δD values from the same plant wax compounds, however, show no simultaneous hydrological change. Based on the combination of these data with a comprehensive regional archaeological database we provide evidence that humans triggered the rainforest fragmentation 2,600 y ago. Our findings suggest that technological developments, including agricultural practices and iron metallurgy, possibly related to the large-scale Bantu expansion, significantly impacted the ecosystems before the Common Era.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Roux V., Bril B., Cauliez J., Goujon A.-L., Lara C., Manen C., Saulieu G. de, Zangato E., 2017, "Persisting technological boundaries: Social interactions, cognitive correlations and polarization"

Roux V., Bril B., Cauliez J., Goujon A.-L., Lara C., Manen C., Saulieu G. de, Zangato E., 2017, "Persisting technological boundaries: Social interactions, cognitive correlations and polarization"

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2017

In this paper, we address the question of the conditions for persistence of technological boundar... more In this paper, we address the question of the conditions for persistence of technological boundaries. We use field studies to test the predictions generated by a theoretical model in analytical sociology and examine the micro- processes at stake in the non-diffusion of techniques: to which extent techniques contributes to a sharp dis- agreement between groups and promote polarization? The ultimate goal is to provide archaeologists with an empirically tested model to explain spatial distribution of technological clusters and maintenance of technolo- gical boundaries. Field studies examine ethnographic situations in four countries where social groups using different ceramic techniques for making utilitarian vessels live in close geographical proximity. Two situations enable us to examine the conditions under which technological boundaries persist, while two others enable us to analyze, through a boundary-making perspective, how differences in craft techniques contribute to polarization. Our data suggest that in a context where different techniques are used for different types of object there is a cognitive bias which fosters technological polarization. This cognitive bias develops in the course of interactions between actors living in close geographical proximity. Polarization increases when technological standards are used by different social groups, thereby favoring negative influence and persistent technological boundaries.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Saulieu G. de, Oslisly R., Nlend P., Ngouoh F., 2017, "Deux mille cinq cents ans de traditions céramiques à Dibamba Yassa (Cameroun)"

Afrique : Archéologie & Art, 2017

The archaeological rescue of Dibamba Yassa at the entrance to the city of Douala (Cameroon), by a... more The archaeological rescue of Dibamba Yassa at the entrance to the city of Douala (Cameroon), by a Franco-Cameroonian team led by the IRD, uncovered more than 20,000 sherds of pottery allowing the definition of five successive ceramic traditions over 2,500 years, in a region still little known to archaeologists. The chrono-stylistic framework that these results allow us to reconstruct opens up new possibilities for reflection on the history of cultural interactions in Central Africa since the beginning of the Early Iron Age. Finally, the spatial distribution of archaeological structures suggests the possible appearance of street villages at the beginning of the chronological sequence.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Lécrivain V., Saulieu G. de, 2016, "Alain Testart (1945-2013). De l'ethnographie à la préhistoire, ou l'édification d'une sociologie générale"

Les Nouvelles de l'archéologie, n°146, p.63

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Archaeological Evidence for Population Rise and Collapse between ~2500 and ~500 cal. yr BP in Western Central Africa

Afrique : Archéologie & Arts, 2021

Palaeocological studies show that major vegetation and environmental changes occurred in Central ... more Palaeocological studies show that major vegetation and environmental changes occurred in Central Africa from the mid-Holocene (e.g. Maley & Brenac 1998). Several suggest a human origin and assume that large population migration, technical innovations (e.g. iron-smelting technology) and/or change in agricultural practice, leading to deforestation and land clearance, are the drivers of these changes. However, at this stage, the lack of demographic reconstruction does not fully support these hypotheses. Here, a georeferenced archaeological database is used to infer population dynamics and the evolution of cultural practices in Western Central Africa over the last 5000 years. This database includes 1139 14C calibrated dates from 425 sites throughout southern Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and the western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, dating back a maximum of 5000 cal. yr BP. Data modelling indicate possible population growth from 2500 to 1500 cal. yr BP, coinciding with the occurrence at
a regional scale of specific techniques and practices.
The concomitant increase of refuse pits, palm oil Elaeis guineesis and iron metallurgy (plus rare remains of millet Pennisetum glaucum) took place during the second half of the Neolithic, beginning around 2800 cal. yr BP. In the coastal regions, the population growth concerns the Neolithic and the Early Iron Age (2500–2000 cal. yr BP and 2000– 1500 cal. yr BP), while in the Hinterland population growth seems slightly later (2400 and 1300 cal. yr BP). It is not possible to identify a common diffusion phenomenon from a single homeland. Rather, technical innovations and new practices appear to have spread through a wide network of cultural interactions, which fostered the formation of Western Central African societies during the third millennium.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Establishment and functioning of the savanna marshes of the Lopé National Park in Gabon since the termination of the African humid period and the arrival of humans 2500 years ago

The Holocene, 2021

Holocene paleoecological studies in tropical Africa are rare because most lakes either dried out ... more Holocene paleoecological studies in tropical Africa are rare because most lakes either dried out at the termination of the African Humid Period or have since filled up. However, tropical sedge marshes can be an alternative to perform long-term ecological studies. The Lopé National Park (LNP) in Gabon is a mosaic of forest and savanna enclosed in the equatorial forest, where open areas facilitated the development of peat marshes accumulating several-meter-thick sediment. In order to reconstruct the historical dynamic in these marshes through a local and regional point of view, we compared
sedimentological, continuous X-ray fluorescence, and stable isotopic analyses on sediment cores from six herbaceous marshes in the LNP. A reliable chronological frame was based on 50 14C dates, over the last 2500 years in most sites, and reaching 9000 years in one marsh. We show that the origin of these marshes is a major hydrological change, 3450 and 2300 years ago, that affected the entire region, almost concomitantly with the diffusion of Iron Age population. The sedimentation within marshes is homogenous with low intra-site variability. In contrast, high inter-sites variability evidences that the functioning of the marsh itself exerts a much more significant influence than in lakes. However, a regional event is recorded between 1400 and 800 years ago, concurrently with an archeological trace hiatus throughout the forest hinterland of West Central Africa.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Entre châtaigner et palmier chonta. Hommage à Juan Bottasso (1936-2019)

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of L’émergence de l’agriculture : révolution ou grande transition de l’Anthropocène ?

Les nouvelles de l'archéologie, 2020

The introduction of agriculture in Europe, often referred to as the “Neolithic Revolution”, sugge... more The introduction of agriculture in Europe, often referred to as the “Neolithic Revolution”, suggests a phenomenon in the manner of a “Great Transition” as we experience it today: a complex, profound and rapid change in societies and their environment. However, the scenario of the Neolithization of Europe, which is often simplified, is far from being generalizable to other regions of the world, particularly the intertropical regions. If we take into account the particularities of the very ancient emergence of horticulture in these regions, neolithization seems to correspond to a very gradual evolution, operating by thresholds, rather than a sudden change. Finally, studying the birth of agriculture in the intertropical regions leads us to question the relevance of its designation as a “revolution”, implying rapid and absolute change, in favor of the idea of a gradual “Transition”, leading us also to question the nature of the changes we are currently experiencing and their qualification.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Archéologie et grande transition

Les nouvelles de l'archéologie, 2020

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of El Pastaza y el Upano, dos ríos tropicales que conectan los Andes a la Amazonía

Revista del Museo de La Plata, 2019

The Pastaza and the Upano, two tropical rivers that connect the Andes to the Amazon. The Amazon, ... more The Pastaza and the Upano, two tropical rivers that connect the Andes to the Amazon. The
Amazon, called Marañón upstream, is born in the Andes and feeds on the waters of the springs of the mountain
range and the sediments plucked from the slopes of the mountain. The valleys of Pastaza and Upano are
headwaters of rivers feeding the Marañón. They are distant of only 70 km and both drain waters coming down
from the Ecuadorian Andes that are not navigable. In spite of these similarities, the social developments between
the two valleys show different and common points that deny geographical determinisms. At the same time they
reveal the importance of regional trends of evolution in the destiny of the societies that inhabited them. Beyond
the remarkable geophysical differences, the two river valleys had different but comparable pre-Columbian
developments. In fact, the earliest periods were clearly related to the Amazonian and Andean worlds at the same
time (including the Pacific Coast), whereas the most recent periods before the arrival of Europeans mark the
formation of an Amazonian cultural universe separated from the Andean world.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Forêts

Les Nouvelles de l'archéologie

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Comparaison structurale et spatiale de deux compositions rupestres alpines

Préhistoire de l'Europe. Des Origines à l'Âge du Bronze, 2003

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of  Un fil d’Ariane dans les tourbillons, méandres et labyrinthes de la haute Amazonie précolombienne

"Au Seuil de la forêt. Hommage à Philippe Descola, l’anthropologue de la nature", sous la direction de Geremia COMETTI, Pierre LE ROUX, Tiziana MANICONE, Nastassja MARTIN, Ed. Tautem, 2019

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Un intendant en quête de curiosités : les collections Natchez de Louisiane du cabinet Raudot

La Nouvelle-Orléans, 1718-2018 : regards sur trois siècles d'histoire partagée, Paris : Maisonneuve et Larose, Hémisphères, , 2019, p. 161-174. ISBN 978-2-377-01042-4 Entretiens d'Outre-Mer : Colloque International, 2019

Lorsqu'on évoque Antoine-Denis Raudot (1679-1737), c'est généralement pour mettre en évidence sa ... more Lorsqu'on évoque Antoine-Denis Raudot (1679-1737), c'est généralement pour mettre en évidence sa brillante carrière dans l'administration coloniale. Mais celui qui fut commissaire et inspecteur général de la Marine, conseiller de la cour sur les affaires coloniales ou encore intendant de la Nouvelle-France de 1705 à 1710, était aussi un collectionneur opiniâtre, accumulant au sein de son cabinet des curiosités humaines et naturelles d'Amérique, d'Asie ou du Moyen-Orient. Sans doute n'aurait-il pu imaginer que ce goût de l'exotique le mettrait quelque deux cent quatre-vingts ans plus tard au coeur d'une étonnante histoire. Cette communication relate les méandres de l'enquête menée par ses trois auteurs pour découvrir comment une pipe à fourneau en pierre prise aux Natchez au coeur du xviiie siècle est entrée dans les collections du musée de l'Homme en 1950 pour être aujourd'hui conservée au musée du quai Branly. Autour de cet objet rituel, se croiseront ainsi, des prêtres amérindiens, un garde-magasin pilleur, un intendant collectionneur, un mystérieux inconnu, un dessinateur érudit ou encore un marchand d'art avisé.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Saulieu 2019, Art et religion de Lascaux à Göbekli Tepe, Rencontres au musée de l'archéologie nationale à propos de La splendeur escamotée de frère Cheval ou le secret des grottes ornées de Jean Rouaud

Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2019

Grasset, 2018, 288 p., [compte rendu de lecture]. Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2019, 155, p. 5... more Grasset, 2018, 288 p., [compte rendu de lecture]. Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2019, 155, p. 51-54.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Vers une écologie historique en Afrique centrale

Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Ecologie Historique

Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2018

Ce dossier sur l'écologie historique arrive au moment où la transition écologique se pose dans un... more Ce dossier sur l'écologie historique arrive au moment où la transition écologique se pose dans un véritable contexte d’urgence environnementale.
Que ce soit en Europe ou dans la région intertropicale, l’étude des sociétés forestières passées a pris une ampleur sans précédent depuis quelques années.
Mais, à la différence des approches archéologiques classiques, l’écologie historique ne se fait plus au travers du seul prisme de l’analyse des vestiges matériels humains, mais prend en compte le paysage, héritage présent construit dans la longue durée.
Les hommes interagissent avec la forêt, en utilisent les produits et mettent en œuvre des formes de gestion des espèces utiles. Ces pratiques ont en retour un impact sur la composition spécifique des forêts dont elles modifient la biodiversité.
La perspective diachronique de l’écologie historique permet alors d’étudier comment évoluent à moyen et long terme les socio-écosystèmes forestiers qui résultent des interactions entre des groupes humains et des milieux écologiques spécifiques.
Des études de cas sont présentées ici en un tour d’horizon planétaire, en Europe et sur la ceinture tropicale, de l’écologie historique.

Sommaire

Stéphen Rostain, Geoffroy de Saulieu & Matthieu Salpeteur, « INTRO : Forêts » ;

William Balée, « Brief Review of Historical Ecology » ;

Jean-François Molino & Guillaume Odonne, « Écologie historique amazonienne, une interdisciplinarité nécessaire. Quand l'archéologue est perdu dans les bois... » ;

Stéphen Rostain, « À propos d'écologie historique en Amazonie » ;

Geoffroy de Saulieu, David Sebag & Richard Oslisly, « Vers une écologie historique de la forêt d’Afrique centrale » ;

Gérard Chouin, « Anthropisation des espaces boisés et reforestation des espaces anthropiques en Afrique » ;

Matthieu Salpeteur, « Penser l’histoire des paysages avec les sanctuaires boisés. L’exemple de la région des Grassfields (Cameroun) » ;

Dominique Guillaud & Ariadna Libertad, « Les sens de la forêt. Usages et évolutions de la forêt humide et de la mangrove de Siberut et Nias, Sumatra, Indonésie » ;

Guillaume Decocq, « Décrypter la mémoire forestière au prisme de l’écologie historique : passé, présent et avenir » ;

Alexa Dufraisse & Sylvie Coubray, « De l’arbre à la forêt domestiquée : apport de l’anthraco-typologie » ;

Sylvain Burri et al., « Des ressources naturelles à la santé : approche interdisciplinaire de la production des goudrons de conifères et de leur usage médicinal en Méditerranée sur la longue durée ».

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Diaz N., Dietrich F., Sebag D., et al. 2018, « Pedo-sedimentary constituents as paleoenvironmental proxies in the Sudano-Sahelian belt during the Late Quaternary (southwestern Chad Basin) »

Climate and environmental changes since the Last Glacial Maximum in the tropical zone of West Afr... more Climate and environmental changes since the Last Glacial Maximum in the tropical zone of West Africa are usually inferred from marine and continental records. In this study, the potential of carbonate pedo- sedimentary geosystems, i.e. Vertisol relics, to record paleoenvironmental changes in the southwestern part of Chad Basin are investigated. A multi-dating approach was applied on different pedogenic organo- mineral constituents. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was performed on the soil K-rich feldspars and was combined with radiocarbon dating on both the inorganic (14Cinorg) and organic carbon (14Corg) soil fractions. Three main pedo-sedimentary processes were assessed over the last 20 ka BP: 1) the soil parent material deposition, from 18 ka to 12 ka BP (OSL), 2) the soil organic matter integration, from 11 cal ka to 8 cal ka BP (14Corg), and 3) the pedogenic carbonate nodule precipitation, from 7 cal ka to 5 cal ka BP (14Cinorg). These processes correlate well with the Chad Basin stratigraphy and West African records and are shown to be related to significant changes in the soil water balance responding to the evolution of continental hydrology during the Late Quaternary. The last phase affecting the Vertisol relics is the increase of erosion, which is hypothesized to be due to a decrease of the vegetation cover triggered by (i) the onset of drier conditions, possibly strengthened by (ii) anthropogenic pressure. Archaeological data from Far North Cameroon and northern Nigeria, as well as sedimentation times in Lake Tilla (northeastern Nigeria), were used to test these relationships. The increase of erosion is suggested to possibly occur between c. 3 cal ka and 1 cal ka BP. Finally, satellite images revealed similar geosystems all along the Sudano-Sahelian belt, and initial 14Cinorg ages of the samples collected in four sites gave similar ages to those reported in this study. Consequently, the carbonate pedo-sedimentary geosystems are valuable continental paleoenvironmental archives and soil water balance proxies of the semiarid tropics of West Africa.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Garcin Y., Deschamps P., Ménot G., et al., 2018, "Reply to Clist et al.: Human activity is the most probable trigger of the late Holocene rainforest crisis in Western Central Africa"

PNAS, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Saulieu G. de, Nlend P., Oslisly R., Ngouoh F., 2018, "De l'horticulture à l'organisation lignagère en Afrique centrale atlantique"

Cahiers d'Anthropologie sociale - l'Herne, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Garcin Y., Deschamps P., Ménot G., et al., 2018, "Early anthropogenic impact on Western Central African rainforests 2,600 y ago"

PNAS, 2018

A potential human footprint on Western Central African rainforests before the Common Era has beco... more A potential human footprint on Western Central African rainforests before the Common Era has become the focus of an ongoing controversy. Between 3,000 y ago and 2,000 y ago, regional pollen sequences indicate a replacement of mature rainforests by a forest–savannah mosaic including pioneer trees. Although some studies suggested an anthropogenic influence on this forest fragmentation, current interpretations based on pollen data attribute the ‘‘rainforest crisis’’ to climate change toward a drier, more seasonal climate. A rigorous test of this hypothesis, however, requires climate proxies independent of vegetation changes. Here we resolve this controversy through a continuous 10,500-y record of both vegetation and hydrological changes from Lake Barombi in Southwest Cameroon based on changes in carbon and hydrogen isotope compositions of plant waxes. δ13C-inferred vegetation changes confirm a prominent and abrupt appearance of C4 plants in the Lake Barombi catchment, at 2,600 calendar years before AD 1950 (cal y BP), followed by an equally sudden return to rainforest vegetation at 2,020 cal y BP. δD values from the same plant wax compounds, however, show no simultaneous hydrological change. Based on the combination of these data with a comprehensive regional archaeological database we provide evidence that humans triggered the rainforest fragmentation 2,600 y ago. Our findings suggest that technological developments, including agricultural practices and iron metallurgy, possibly related to the large-scale Bantu expansion, significantly impacted the ecosystems before the Common Era.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Roux V., Bril B., Cauliez J., Goujon A.-L., Lara C., Manen C., Saulieu G. de, Zangato E., 2017, "Persisting technological boundaries: Social interactions, cognitive correlations and polarization"

Roux V., Bril B., Cauliez J., Goujon A.-L., Lara C., Manen C., Saulieu G. de, Zangato E., 2017, "Persisting technological boundaries: Social interactions, cognitive correlations and polarization"

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2017

In this paper, we address the question of the conditions for persistence of technological boundar... more In this paper, we address the question of the conditions for persistence of technological boundaries. We use field studies to test the predictions generated by a theoretical model in analytical sociology and examine the micro- processes at stake in the non-diffusion of techniques: to which extent techniques contributes to a sharp dis- agreement between groups and promote polarization? The ultimate goal is to provide archaeologists with an empirically tested model to explain spatial distribution of technological clusters and maintenance of technolo- gical boundaries. Field studies examine ethnographic situations in four countries where social groups using different ceramic techniques for making utilitarian vessels live in close geographical proximity. Two situations enable us to examine the conditions under which technological boundaries persist, while two others enable us to analyze, through a boundary-making perspective, how differences in craft techniques contribute to polarization. Our data suggest that in a context where different techniques are used for different types of object there is a cognitive bias which fosters technological polarization. This cognitive bias develops in the course of interactions between actors living in close geographical proximity. Polarization increases when technological standards are used by different social groups, thereby favoring negative influence and persistent technological boundaries.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Saulieu G. de, Oslisly R., Nlend P., Ngouoh F., 2017, "Deux mille cinq cents ans de traditions céramiques à Dibamba Yassa (Cameroun)"

Afrique : Archéologie & Art, 2017

The archaeological rescue of Dibamba Yassa at the entrance to the city of Douala (Cameroon), by a... more The archaeological rescue of Dibamba Yassa at the entrance to the city of Douala (Cameroon), by a Franco-Cameroonian team led by the IRD, uncovered more than 20,000 sherds of pottery allowing the definition of five successive ceramic traditions over 2,500 years, in a region still little known to archaeologists. The chrono-stylistic framework that these results allow us to reconstruct opens up new possibilities for reflection on the history of cultural interactions in Central Africa since the beginning of the Early Iron Age. Finally, the spatial distribution of archaeological structures suggests the possible appearance of street villages at the beginning of the chronological sequence.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Lécrivain V., Saulieu G. de, 2016, "Alain Testart (1945-2013). De l'ethnographie à la préhistoire, ou l'édification d'une sociologie générale"

Les Nouvelles de l'archéologie, n°146, p.63

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Saulieu G. de, Elouga M., Sonké B. (éds), 2016, Pour une écologie historique en Afrique Centrale

Dans les années 1980, des anthropologues et des géographes d’Amazonie ont critiqué les vues simpl... more Dans les années 1980, des anthropologues et des géographes d’Amazonie ont critiqué les vues simplistes que la science posait sur l’histoire des grands massifs forestiers des régions intertropicales. Très vite, ils furent rejoints par des écologues, des botanistes et des archéologues. Ils ont démontré qu’une partie de la forêt amazonienne, auparavant considérée comme totalement sauvage, portait la marque de modifications anthropiques anciennes. L’écologie historique était née.

En revanche, l’Afrique Centrale est restée à l’écart de ce changement de perspective. Cette démarche n’a été que timidement menée dans cette région, qui abrite pourtant le deuxième massif forestier du globe. Serait-ce en raison d’archaïques cloisonnements disciplinaires toujours tenaces ? L’archéologie et l’anthropologie apparaissent en tout cas aujourd’hui comme les moteurs de l’interdisciplinarité et de l’écologie historique.
Cet ouvrage collectif est plus particulièrement destiné aux étudiants et aux jeunes chercheurs d’Afrique Centrale. Il n’est pas un « livre de plus », mais le point de départ de nouvelles dynamiques scientifiques et de fructueuses collaborations. L’Afrique Centrale a tellement de choses à nous apprendre…

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Mengue M.-Th., Saulieu G. de, Vidal L. (éds), 2015. La nouveauté du patrimoine. Actes de la Journée Scientifique « Patrimoine et Développement » UCAC-IRD, novembre 2014.

Contributeurs : Dominique Guillaud, Muriel Samé-Ekobo, Pascal Nlend, Claude Abé, Romain Calaque. ... more Contributeurs : Dominique Guillaud, Muriel Samé-Ekobo, Pascal Nlend, Claude Abé, Romain Calaque.

Le patrimoine concerne aujourd’hui autant des zones naturelles protégées que des vestiges du passé, des manières de table, ou des traditions orales. C’est un phénomène qui a plusieurs facettes : processus de patrimonialisation d’un bien naturel ou culturel, qu’il soit matériel ou immatériel, muséologie, archéologie préventive, mise en valeur touristique, etc. Non seulement ce phénomène donne à voir et à penser des phénomènes sociaux particulièrement dynamiques dans les pays du sud - et en cela constitue une cible de choix pour la recherche fondamentale des sciences humaines et sociales - mais il rassemble aussi à lui seul une multitude de métiers impliqués dans le développement durable, autant que dans le management de projet. Il est aussi le révélateur de la gouvernance.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Manga allpa - Cerámica indígena de la amazonía ecuatoriana

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Rostain S., Saulieu G. de, 2013. ANTES. Arqueología de la Amazonía ecuatoriana.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Duche Hidalgo C., Saulieu G. de, 2009. PASTAZA PRECOLOMBINO Datos arqueológicos preliminares con el catálogo del Museo etno-arqueológico de Puyo y del Pastaza

Duche Hidalgo C., Saulieu G. de,, 2009

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Saulieu G. de, Rampon Zardo L., 2006. Colección arqueológica de Morona-Santiago del Museo Amazónico de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana: una introducción a la Amazonía ecuatoriana …

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Saulieu G. de, 2004. Art rupestre et statues-menhirs dans les Alpes: des pierres et des pouvoirs (3000-2000 av. J.-C.)

Saulieu, G. de, Jan 1, 2004

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Les Gravures rupestres protohistoriques de la région du mont Bego dans leur contexte symbolique

Le site rupestre de la région du mont Bego, attribué au Chalcolithique et à l'âge du Bronze ancie... more Le site rupestre de la région du mont Bego, attribué au Chalcolithique et à l'âge du Bronze ancien, est situé dans les Alpes méridionales à 60 km de la mer, entre 2000 et 2600 m. D'altitude. Plus de 30 000 gravures se répartissent sur plusieurs vallées. Les secteurs se caractérisent par la répartition spatiale des thèmes, des types de gravure et des associations. En résumé on peut distinguer les deux grands secteurs : celui des Merveilles et celui de Fontanalba. Le but de cette recherche est de proposer une relecture des caractéristiques du mont Bego dans le cadre des sites qui lui sont comparables par la chronologie et par leur relative proximité géographique. L'appartenance à un ensemble alpin centré sur la plaine du Pô apparaît une fois de plus comme une évidence, mais la comparaison avec des sites dont on a récemment précisé la chronologie, permet d'aller plus loin et de proposer une approche chronologique des différences entre les secteurs des Merveilles et de Fontanalba. Le secteur de Fontanalba apparaît comme le plus proche des représentations chalcolithiques sur dalle de la période IIIA du Valcamonica. Le secteur des Merveilles se révèle plus proche des la période qui succède à la période IIIA et qui daterait de l'âge du Bronze ancien. L'opposition entre secteurs de Fontanalba et des Merveilles rappelle ainsi l'existence de deux grandes périodes de gravures sur des supports naturels que l'on trouve au Valcamonica avant et après les compositions monumentales de la période IIIA. Le mont Bego se caractérise aussi par l'existence de quelques compositions de gravure. Des comparaisons avec d'autres compositions alpines sont possibles, mais restent limitées à la thématique solaire. Cette dernière est partout associée à la thématique des armes, notamment à deux armes homologues métalliques. Ces compositions montrent dans leur contexte des ressemblances avec d'autres compositions dans l'organisation des représentations : les éléments représentés changent alors que la disposition reste très proche. Cette constatation montre l'importance de la structure des compositions et permet une comparaison directe entre une composition du mont Bego, sur support naturel avec une composition sur un support à caractère mégalithique du Valcamonica. Le lien ainsi établi entre les deux types de supports pose un problème d'interprétations sur le rôle social des gravures sur dalle.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of L’Afrique ancienne de l’Acacus au Zimbabwe : 20 000 ans avant notre ère-XVIIe siècle, Belin (coll. Mondes Anciens)

Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2019

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Alain Testart, L'institution de l'esclavage. Une approche mondiale. Gallimard, Paris, 2018.

Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Recension de deux livres de Stéphen Rostain : "Amazonie. Un jardin sauvage ou une forêt domestiquée. Essai d'écologie historique, Paris, Actes Sud / Errance, 2016" et "Amazonie. Les 12 travaux des civilisations précolombiennes,Paris, Belin, 2017".

Les nouvelles de l'archéologie, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of David-Elbiali, M., 2000. La Suisse occidentale au IIe millénaire av. J.-C. Chronologie, culture, intégration européenne.

L'Anthropologie, vol. 106, n°1, 2002

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Testart, A., 2001. L’esclave, la dette et le pouvoir. Étude de sociologie comparative. Paris, Éditions Errance, 238 p., réf. bibl

Anthropologie, 2002

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Bernardini, E., 2001. Le incisioni rupestri della Valle delle Meraviglie. La storia — le interpretazioni — la visita. (Les gravures rupestres de la vallée des Merveilles. L’histoire — l’interprétation — la visite). Préface (français, italien) de Louis Olivier. Peveragno, Blu Edizioni, 175 p., ill...

Anthropologie, 2002

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Guilaine J. (sous la direction de) : Mégalithismes de l'Atlantique à l'Éthiopie

Anthropologie, 2000

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Soulier P. (sous la dir. de) : La France des dolmens et des sépultures collectives (4 500-2 000 avant J.-C.). Bilans documentaires régionaux

Anthropologie, 2000

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact