Pauline Debels | Université Paul Valéry - Montpellier (original) (raw)
Papers by Pauline Debels
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020
The purpose of this article is to investigate the storing behaviours in the South of France in th... more The purpose of this article is to investigate the storing behaviours in the South of France in the late Neolithic period, in plateaus and lowland structures. Plateaus are limestone formations that present multiple natural cavities for the Neolithic people to use, but in return, have no surface water to offer. The subterranean nature of water has profoundly shaped the storing behaviours in the plateaus as it is mostly turned towards water collection and storage. In the lowland area however, substructures were dug directly in the soil and ceramics were used aswell as possible organic containers. This paper aims to address the similarities and differences between the usage of caves and cellars. The application of a use-wear analysis on ceramic vessels brings new insights on past food practices.
Journée doctorale (ED 112) Université de Paris 1, 2016, 2018
Étudier la fonction des céramiques, pour les 3e et 4e millénaires avant notre ère, peut être cons... more Étudier la fonction des céramiques, pour les 3e et 4e millénaires avant notre ère, peut être considéré comme un exercice approximatif. En effet, il faut étudier des éléments immatériels : des contenus aujourd'hui disparus, mais aussi de pratiques sociales dont il ne subsiste que peu de traces. Cependant, la tracéologie, appliquée à la faune ou au lithique a démontré que nous sommes en capacité d’interpréter les traces liées aux activités quotidiennes. En appliquant cette discipline à la céramique il devient possible d’étudier les pratiques alimentaires à travers un nouveau prisme.
Les études morphologiques et technologiques permettent d’appréhender les fonctions de la céramique, suivant le principe de la notion de "template" de Schiffer et Skibo (explicitée ci-dessous). Une étude comparée des capacités volumétriques des assemblages se révèle utile pour reconnaître les activités principales d’un site. En effet, cela permet d’appréhender la nature de l’utilisation d’un site et la dynamique de son occupation (saisonnier, annuel, etc.). Enfin, c’est l’étude des usures qui permet de confirmer l’utilisation effective des céramiques. L’ensemble permet sur une plus large échelle d’aborder les pratiques sociales qui participent à définir et circonscrire une culture.
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Functional studies of 3rd and 4th millennium BP potteries seem to be at first, rather unreliable. Indeed, one must ponder over immaterial elements, such as disappeared contents and social practices that leave little but no traces. Nevertheless, use-wear studies applied to other materials have proven that we are able to interpret traces made by daily activities. By using this discipline on ceramics, it becomes possible to study food practices from a new point of view.
Morphological and technological studies allow a better understanding of pottery function, by following Schiffer and Skibo’s notion of “template” (as explained in this paper). A comparative study of volume capacity of a corpus is useful in order to characterize the main activities of a settlement. It can bring insights on the site’s function and the dynamic of its occupation (seasonal, annual, etc.). Finally, it is the study of use-wear that will lead to the confirmation of the actual use of potteries. All these methods of analysis participate in the reflexion regarding social and food practices as well as the definition and circumscription of a culture.
Conference Presentations by Pauline Debels
Archaeologists have ever more tools at their disposal to study clay materials (vessels and otherw... more Archaeologists have ever more tools at their disposal to study clay materials (vessels and otherwise) and past societies. For ceramics in particular, interest in chaînes opératoires has recently surged, and concepts such as uselife, craft, and entanglement provide new analytical angles onto past societies. In parallel, the third science revolution in archaeology has given new impetus to studies of mobility, kinship, social transformations, and longterm cultural dynamics.
With the wealth of new analytical tools and concepts comes the need for fundamental reflections on the methods, data, and concepts which aid us in reconstructing past societies through the lens of ceramics. Disciplines such as anthropology, history, and philosophy are key conversation partners when interpreting archaeological ceramics,
and understanding the fragilities of our interpretations. Reinforcing the dialogue with these disciplines is vital, especially as the archaeological toolbox continues to expand.
In this session, we want to reflect on the methodologies, questions, and research themes in contemporary ceramic analysis. How can ceramics contribute to questions about social transformations, mobility, entanglement, cultural dynamics, and identity? We invite archaeologists, ethno-archaeologists, anthropologists, and other scholars who work with clay materials from all regions and periods to partake in a multidisciplinary dialogue on social transformations and cultural dynamics through the lens of clay materials. We wish to address such questions as:
- How do manufacturing traditions and consumption habits reflect the sociality, mobility, and identity of human groups?
- How can studies of crafting practices and creativity in ceramics contribute to burgeoning fields such as cognitive sciences and the history of knowledge?
- What are future directions for the analysis of clay materials on a practical and theoretical level, especially in the age of polymers and metal?
Ecole thématique : Archeomets, Org.: CNRS, UMR 7055, 7209, 7041 et 8215. 18th - 22nd of Novembre.
Journée d'étude « Des altérations à l’utilisation des céramiques », Nanterre 6th of November. Org... more Journée d'étude « Des altérations à l’utilisation des céramiques », Nanterre 6th of November. Org.: Debels Pauline and Rueff Bastien.
Org.: The State Hermitage Museum, Traditions and innovations in the study of earliest pottery, Sa... more Org.: The State Hermitage Museum, Traditions and innovations in the study of earliest pottery, Saint-Pertersburg, 24-27 May.
2e journée d'étude « L’approche fonctionnelle des céramiques archéologiques ». Org.: groupe CeRA,... more 2e journée d'étude « L’approche fonctionnelle des céramiques archéologiques ». Org.: groupe CeRA, Brussel, 15th of March.
Workshop « Functional analysis, archaeological objects and new technologies ». Org.: Francesco Mi... more Workshop « Functional analysis, archaeological objects and new technologies ». Org.: Francesco Michele Rega, Naples, 24th of June
«Towards an archaeology of fermented products: building a multidisciplinary approach», Org.: Léa ... more «Towards an archaeology of fermented products: building a multidisciplinary approach», Org.: Léa DRIEU, Pauline DEBELS, European Association of Arachaeologists, Budapest, 26-30 August.
Org.: BUXEDA I GARRIGOS Jaume, MADRID I FERNANDEZ Marisol. European Meeting on Ancient Ceramics, ... more Org.: BUXEDA I GARRIGOS Jaume, MADRID I FERNANDEZ Marisol. European Meeting on Ancient Ceramics, Barcelona, 16-18 september.
Fonction des sites, fonction des céramiques. Etude tracéologique des céramiques et pratiques alim... more Fonction des sites, fonction des céramiques. Etude tracéologique des céramiques et pratiques alimentaires des sites de grottes, plateaux et plaines du Sud de la France au Néolithique final (3600-2300 cal BC)
Function of sites, function of potteries. Use-wear study of potteries and food practices from cave, lowland and plateau sites in the South of France during the Late Neolithic (3600-2300 cal BC).
Site Saint-Charles, salle Kouros (RDC, par le jardin d'hiver)
Journée d'étude sur les traces d'utilisation dans les céramiques. 6 novembre 2018 amphi Max Weber... more Journée d'étude sur les traces d'utilisation dans les céramiques. 6 novembre 2018 amphi Max Weber, Nanterre.
In a time period where written sources are absent, functional studies unveil important social inf... more In a time period where written sources are absent, functional studies unveil important social information. However, functional studies remain scarce, contrariwise to typological and technological studies of potteries. This analysis aims to understand daily life activities through consumption practices, namely cooking, storing and drinking by studying the use-wear of potteries. Extensive experimental studies have been conducted in order to create a referential of traces. Some contents such as salt, fermented goods, acidic liquids, burnt food etc., put ceramics under such stress that they leave important marks in the pottery walls. Each trace bares a distinctive signature that is used for identification. Organic chemistry and pre-existing ethnological data have also been used to enrich and test the referential of traces. These experimental results have been compared to over a thousand pots from the late Neolithic of the south of France (3500-2300 B.C.). Recurring use-wear show a distinctive link between form and function. Some innovative results, regarding drinking practices, show that small polished cups appear to have been used in numerous occurrences to consume acidic and fermented liquids. Functional analysis can also be used to better understand the function of sites. For example, it appears that some sites had the sole function of collecting, drying and storing massive quantities of seasonal goods (such as berries in Clos d'Aubarne, Gard and berries and acorn in Boussargues, Hérault). These results allow us to better understand food habits and daily life activities in time periods that lack written or iconographical sources.
A diversity of methods allows us to understand how a pot was used. It is the combination of metho... more A diversity of methods allows us to understand how a pot was used. It is the combination of methods that better allow us to understand pottery function. However, experiments on the use of pots remain practically non-existent. The purpose of these experiments is to constitute a referential that can be compared to archaeological artefacts. In order to create a reliable referential, it is highly important to understand and reproduce the archaeological " chaîne opératoire " and to use the same raw materials. This experiment reflects the final Neolithic processes of the south of France by using calcite, local clay, mould and coil techniques and suitable surface treatments. The purpose of this communication is to share and discuss the referential that was created from an important and innovative experimental protocol. A total of 28 pots were fashioned in the form of a basic globular pot, they were divided in four categories of surface treatments (hand smoothing, tool smoothing, polishing on the inside and polishing on the outside), in order to observe the difference in reaction between these four technological choices. The 28 pots were then used to cook or store 7 different foods selected from carpological and archaeozoological data. Mutton meat and bone, arbutus, cereal, hard water and unpasteurized whole milk were heated for several hours in 22 different pots. Salt and fermented cheese were stored in 6 different pots, for 6 months in the first case, and 5 days in the second. After use, the pots were carefully documented. They were, then earthed in adequate soil for 6 months in order to preliminary grasp taphonomical processes. Each pot have delivered clear diagnostic use-wear depending on the food that was experimented, and the different surface treatments offered different levels of observation. These experiments have been compared to over a thousand Neolithic pots and already led to important identification within archaeological data.
Session #501 Storage structures and storage goods from the Neolithic to the Iron Age : archaeological, archaeobotanical and ethnographic perspectives
The aim is to better understand subsistence economy between 3600 and 2300 BP, in the lowland and ... more The aim is to better understand subsistence economy between 3600 and 2300 BP, in the lowland and karstic plateaus of the south of France. During this period, the Neolithics established new settlements in the karstic plateaus, where water can only be found in underground networks. To sustain their settlement, they had to design high capacity potteries and place them inside caves to collect percolation water even in dire seasons. However, recent works show that nearby settlements might have conveniently used those cavities in order to store their long-term food and fermented beverages stock as well. Two types of settlements can be found in the plateaus: ordinary households and groups of houses whose sole function seem to have been the transformation of alimentary goods for storing purposes. Hypothetically, users of the latter may have come from the lowlands where different vegetal food is available in autumn and winter. No natural cavities can be found in the alluvial and littoral lowlands, as a result, the Neolithics have resolved to build underground cellars and pits that contain one or more high capacity pots. There is yet need to define if those goods were specific to the area or brought from the collection sites in the plateaus. These preliminary results were achieved by using an innovative method of observation of macro-traces. The use-wear study of the potteries has already allowed the identification of some contents by using a referential of experimental traces and by using organic chemistry. The main focus of this communication is to understand transformation processes using potteries that lead to storage in large ceramic containers inside caves or man-made structures. Use wear study can help answer questions such as who collected food, for whom? What are the techniques used to conserve perishables during the Neolithic? What did the Neolithics eat during winter time?
Travaux de Master by Pauline Debels
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020
The purpose of this article is to investigate the storing behaviours in the South of France in th... more The purpose of this article is to investigate the storing behaviours in the South of France in the late Neolithic period, in plateaus and lowland structures. Plateaus are limestone formations that present multiple natural cavities for the Neolithic people to use, but in return, have no surface water to offer. The subterranean nature of water has profoundly shaped the storing behaviours in the plateaus as it is mostly turned towards water collection and storage. In the lowland area however, substructures were dug directly in the soil and ceramics were used aswell as possible organic containers. This paper aims to address the similarities and differences between the usage of caves and cellars. The application of a use-wear analysis on ceramic vessels brings new insights on past food practices.
Journée doctorale (ED 112) Université de Paris 1, 2016, 2018
Étudier la fonction des céramiques, pour les 3e et 4e millénaires avant notre ère, peut être cons... more Étudier la fonction des céramiques, pour les 3e et 4e millénaires avant notre ère, peut être considéré comme un exercice approximatif. En effet, il faut étudier des éléments immatériels : des contenus aujourd'hui disparus, mais aussi de pratiques sociales dont il ne subsiste que peu de traces. Cependant, la tracéologie, appliquée à la faune ou au lithique a démontré que nous sommes en capacité d’interpréter les traces liées aux activités quotidiennes. En appliquant cette discipline à la céramique il devient possible d’étudier les pratiques alimentaires à travers un nouveau prisme.
Les études morphologiques et technologiques permettent d’appréhender les fonctions de la céramique, suivant le principe de la notion de "template" de Schiffer et Skibo (explicitée ci-dessous). Une étude comparée des capacités volumétriques des assemblages se révèle utile pour reconnaître les activités principales d’un site. En effet, cela permet d’appréhender la nature de l’utilisation d’un site et la dynamique de son occupation (saisonnier, annuel, etc.). Enfin, c’est l’étude des usures qui permet de confirmer l’utilisation effective des céramiques. L’ensemble permet sur une plus large échelle d’aborder les pratiques sociales qui participent à définir et circonscrire une culture.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Functional studies of 3rd and 4th millennium BP potteries seem to be at first, rather unreliable. Indeed, one must ponder over immaterial elements, such as disappeared contents and social practices that leave little but no traces. Nevertheless, use-wear studies applied to other materials have proven that we are able to interpret traces made by daily activities. By using this discipline on ceramics, it becomes possible to study food practices from a new point of view.
Morphological and technological studies allow a better understanding of pottery function, by following Schiffer and Skibo’s notion of “template” (as explained in this paper). A comparative study of volume capacity of a corpus is useful in order to characterize the main activities of a settlement. It can bring insights on the site’s function and the dynamic of its occupation (seasonal, annual, etc.). Finally, it is the study of use-wear that will lead to the confirmation of the actual use of potteries. All these methods of analysis participate in the reflexion regarding social and food practices as well as the definition and circumscription of a culture.
Archaeologists have ever more tools at their disposal to study clay materials (vessels and otherw... more Archaeologists have ever more tools at their disposal to study clay materials (vessels and otherwise) and past societies. For ceramics in particular, interest in chaînes opératoires has recently surged, and concepts such as uselife, craft, and entanglement provide new analytical angles onto past societies. In parallel, the third science revolution in archaeology has given new impetus to studies of mobility, kinship, social transformations, and longterm cultural dynamics.
With the wealth of new analytical tools and concepts comes the need for fundamental reflections on the methods, data, and concepts which aid us in reconstructing past societies through the lens of ceramics. Disciplines such as anthropology, history, and philosophy are key conversation partners when interpreting archaeological ceramics,
and understanding the fragilities of our interpretations. Reinforcing the dialogue with these disciplines is vital, especially as the archaeological toolbox continues to expand.
In this session, we want to reflect on the methodologies, questions, and research themes in contemporary ceramic analysis. How can ceramics contribute to questions about social transformations, mobility, entanglement, cultural dynamics, and identity? We invite archaeologists, ethno-archaeologists, anthropologists, and other scholars who work with clay materials from all regions and periods to partake in a multidisciplinary dialogue on social transformations and cultural dynamics through the lens of clay materials. We wish to address such questions as:
- How do manufacturing traditions and consumption habits reflect the sociality, mobility, and identity of human groups?
- How can studies of crafting practices and creativity in ceramics contribute to burgeoning fields such as cognitive sciences and the history of knowledge?
- What are future directions for the analysis of clay materials on a practical and theoretical level, especially in the age of polymers and metal?
Ecole thématique : Archeomets, Org.: CNRS, UMR 7055, 7209, 7041 et 8215. 18th - 22nd of Novembre.
Journée d'étude « Des altérations à l’utilisation des céramiques », Nanterre 6th of November. Org... more Journée d'étude « Des altérations à l’utilisation des céramiques », Nanterre 6th of November. Org.: Debels Pauline and Rueff Bastien.
Org.: The State Hermitage Museum, Traditions and innovations in the study of earliest pottery, Sa... more Org.: The State Hermitage Museum, Traditions and innovations in the study of earliest pottery, Saint-Pertersburg, 24-27 May.
2e journée d'étude « L’approche fonctionnelle des céramiques archéologiques ». Org.: groupe CeRA,... more 2e journée d'étude « L’approche fonctionnelle des céramiques archéologiques ». Org.: groupe CeRA, Brussel, 15th of March.
Workshop « Functional analysis, archaeological objects and new technologies ». Org.: Francesco Mi... more Workshop « Functional analysis, archaeological objects and new technologies ». Org.: Francesco Michele Rega, Naples, 24th of June
«Towards an archaeology of fermented products: building a multidisciplinary approach», Org.: Léa ... more «Towards an archaeology of fermented products: building a multidisciplinary approach», Org.: Léa DRIEU, Pauline DEBELS, European Association of Arachaeologists, Budapest, 26-30 August.
Org.: BUXEDA I GARRIGOS Jaume, MADRID I FERNANDEZ Marisol. European Meeting on Ancient Ceramics, ... more Org.: BUXEDA I GARRIGOS Jaume, MADRID I FERNANDEZ Marisol. European Meeting on Ancient Ceramics, Barcelona, 16-18 september.
Fonction des sites, fonction des céramiques. Etude tracéologique des céramiques et pratiques alim... more Fonction des sites, fonction des céramiques. Etude tracéologique des céramiques et pratiques alimentaires des sites de grottes, plateaux et plaines du Sud de la France au Néolithique final (3600-2300 cal BC)
Function of sites, function of potteries. Use-wear study of potteries and food practices from cave, lowland and plateau sites in the South of France during the Late Neolithic (3600-2300 cal BC).
Site Saint-Charles, salle Kouros (RDC, par le jardin d'hiver)
Journée d'étude sur les traces d'utilisation dans les céramiques. 6 novembre 2018 amphi Max Weber... more Journée d'étude sur les traces d'utilisation dans les céramiques. 6 novembre 2018 amphi Max Weber, Nanterre.
In a time period where written sources are absent, functional studies unveil important social inf... more In a time period where written sources are absent, functional studies unveil important social information. However, functional studies remain scarce, contrariwise to typological and technological studies of potteries. This analysis aims to understand daily life activities through consumption practices, namely cooking, storing and drinking by studying the use-wear of potteries. Extensive experimental studies have been conducted in order to create a referential of traces. Some contents such as salt, fermented goods, acidic liquids, burnt food etc., put ceramics under such stress that they leave important marks in the pottery walls. Each trace bares a distinctive signature that is used for identification. Organic chemistry and pre-existing ethnological data have also been used to enrich and test the referential of traces. These experimental results have been compared to over a thousand pots from the late Neolithic of the south of France (3500-2300 B.C.). Recurring use-wear show a distinctive link between form and function. Some innovative results, regarding drinking practices, show that small polished cups appear to have been used in numerous occurrences to consume acidic and fermented liquids. Functional analysis can also be used to better understand the function of sites. For example, it appears that some sites had the sole function of collecting, drying and storing massive quantities of seasonal goods (such as berries in Clos d'Aubarne, Gard and berries and acorn in Boussargues, Hérault). These results allow us to better understand food habits and daily life activities in time periods that lack written or iconographical sources.
A diversity of methods allows us to understand how a pot was used. It is the combination of metho... more A diversity of methods allows us to understand how a pot was used. It is the combination of methods that better allow us to understand pottery function. However, experiments on the use of pots remain practically non-existent. The purpose of these experiments is to constitute a referential that can be compared to archaeological artefacts. In order to create a reliable referential, it is highly important to understand and reproduce the archaeological " chaîne opératoire " and to use the same raw materials. This experiment reflects the final Neolithic processes of the south of France by using calcite, local clay, mould and coil techniques and suitable surface treatments. The purpose of this communication is to share and discuss the referential that was created from an important and innovative experimental protocol. A total of 28 pots were fashioned in the form of a basic globular pot, they were divided in four categories of surface treatments (hand smoothing, tool smoothing, polishing on the inside and polishing on the outside), in order to observe the difference in reaction between these four technological choices. The 28 pots were then used to cook or store 7 different foods selected from carpological and archaeozoological data. Mutton meat and bone, arbutus, cereal, hard water and unpasteurized whole milk were heated for several hours in 22 different pots. Salt and fermented cheese were stored in 6 different pots, for 6 months in the first case, and 5 days in the second. After use, the pots were carefully documented. They were, then earthed in adequate soil for 6 months in order to preliminary grasp taphonomical processes. Each pot have delivered clear diagnostic use-wear depending on the food that was experimented, and the different surface treatments offered different levels of observation. These experiments have been compared to over a thousand Neolithic pots and already led to important identification within archaeological data.
Session #501 Storage structures and storage goods from the Neolithic to the Iron Age : archaeological, archaeobotanical and ethnographic perspectives
The aim is to better understand subsistence economy between 3600 and 2300 BP, in the lowland and ... more The aim is to better understand subsistence economy between 3600 and 2300 BP, in the lowland and karstic plateaus of the south of France. During this period, the Neolithics established new settlements in the karstic plateaus, where water can only be found in underground networks. To sustain their settlement, they had to design high capacity potteries and place them inside caves to collect percolation water even in dire seasons. However, recent works show that nearby settlements might have conveniently used those cavities in order to store their long-term food and fermented beverages stock as well. Two types of settlements can be found in the plateaus: ordinary households and groups of houses whose sole function seem to have been the transformation of alimentary goods for storing purposes. Hypothetically, users of the latter may have come from the lowlands where different vegetal food is available in autumn and winter. No natural cavities can be found in the alluvial and littoral lowlands, as a result, the Neolithics have resolved to build underground cellars and pits that contain one or more high capacity pots. There is yet need to define if those goods were specific to the area or brought from the collection sites in the plateaus. These preliminary results were achieved by using an innovative method of observation of macro-traces. The use-wear study of the potteries has already allowed the identification of some contents by using a referential of experimental traces and by using organic chemistry. The main focus of this communication is to understand transformation processes using potteries that lead to storage in large ceramic containers inside caves or man-made structures. Use wear study can help answer questions such as who collected food, for whom? What are the techniques used to conserve perishables during the Neolithic? What did the Neolithics eat during winter time?
Ce dessin animé vous est proposé par l'équipe Past & Curious ! Un voyage archéologique en Gaule... more Ce dessin animé vous est proposé par l'équipe Past & Curious !
Un voyage archéologique en Gaule romaine à la découverte du plus ancien fromage normand !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90MG1ECdWhE
Scénario : Jérôme Spiesser
Jérôme Spiesser est docteur en archéologie de l'Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Il a soutenu sa thèse en 2018 sur la basse vallée de la Seine à l'époque gallo-romaine et il a dirigé la fouille de la villa du Grésil, en Seine-Maritime. Il est aujourd'hui archéologue à Lillebonne.
Production et réalisation : Past & Curious
Illustration : Astrid Amadieu https://www.astridamadieu.com/
Animation et montage : Maxime Garnaud