Céline Thiébaut | Université Toulouse II Jean Jaurès (original) (raw)

Books by Céline Thiébaut

Papers by Céline Thiébaut

Dans plusieurs séries du Paléolithique moyen d'Europe occidentale, des nucléus et des bifaces pré... more Dans plusieurs séries du Paléolithique moyen d'Europe occidentale, des nucléus et des bifaces présentent des plages de percussions qui ne sont pas liées à leur fonctionnement classique. Nous avons utilisé des nucléus et des bifaces expérimentaux comme outils de percussion sur différents matériaux. Les stigmates obtenus lors de la percussion sur des matières minérales présentent de fortes analogies avec ceux observés sur les pièces archéologiques. L'utilisation de celles-ci comme percuteurs ou comme retouchoirs est difficile à démontrer formellement mais cette hypothèse est la plus vraisemblable. Les caractéristiques des traces observées sont par ailleurs similaires à celles observées sur des percuteurs plus classiques. Le recyclage comme percuteurs de bifaces et de nucléus, suivi parfois de leur réutilisation selon leur vocation initiale, même si elle est observée de manière anecdotique au sein de séries du Paléolithique moyen, semble être une caractéristique récurrente indépendante des contraintes environnementales ou du contexte économique ou technique. Ce comportement semble donc relever de choix culturels revêtant un caractère assez universel.

Over the past ten years, descriptions of the Discoid debitage concept have become increasingly pr... more Over the past ten years, descriptions of the Discoid debitage concept have become increasingly precise, resulting in the distinction of at least two methods. In addition, increasingly systematic petroarchaeological studies since the latter half of the 1980's have contributed to our knowledge of the mobility patterns of human groups.

Les modalités d’acquisition et d’exploitation du bois végétal mises en oeuvre au Paléolithique m... more Les modalités d’acquisition et d’exploitation du bois végétal mises en oeuvre au
Paléolithique moyen sont mal connues du fait, en partie, de la mauvaise conservation
des matières organiques. Nous proposons une synthèse de nouvelles données obtenues
à la suite de l’étude tracéologique d’une quinzaine de séries, en silex et en quartzite,
d’Europe occidentale. Elles révèlent notamment un faible taux d’outils utilisés pour le
travail du bois. Nos résultats sont discutés et comparés aux autres études tracéologiques,
plus anciennes ou contemporaines, menées sur la même période.
Mots clés : tracéologie lithique, expérimentation, travail du bois, Paléolithique moyen.

Abstract
Patterns of wood procurement and use are poorly known for the Middle Paleolithic
period partly because organic remains are rarely preserved. We propose a synthesis of
new data obtained from a use -wear study of nearly fifteen collections of flint and quartzite
artifacts from several sites in Western Europe. We show that a low rate of tools and
flakes could have been used for woodworking. Our results are discussed and compared
with those of former and recent usewear analyses from the same time period.
Keywords : lithic use-wear analysis, experiments, woodworking, Middle Palaeolithic.

Retouchers are fragments of bone used during the Paleolithic to strike stone flakes in order to t... more Retouchers are fragments of bone used during the Paleolithic to strike stone flakes in order to transform them into retouched tools. Our experiments show that the mark produced on retouchers differs depending on whether they were used to strike flint or quartzite. Our results suggest that numerous pits, most often with an ovoid form, characterize the retouching of quartzite flakes. Most of the scores produced with this material have a sinuous morphology with rough interior faces. The areas with superposed traces have a pitted appearance. On the other hand, the retouching of flint flakes, produces pits that are most often triangular in form. Most of the scores have a rectilinear morphology with smooth interior faces and their superposition results in the formation of hatch marks. There is also a relationship between the characteristics of the mark and the relative state of freshness of the retouchers. The validity of the criteria identified was confirmed by a blind test. These diagnostic criteria were applied to archaeological retouchers from the Mousterian site of Noisetier Cave. The results obtained improve our knowledge of the technical behaviors of Neanderthals and allow us to address questions concerning their techno-economic implications.

The Mousterian of the North side of the Pyrenees has been the subject of several synthesis includ... more The Mousterian of the North side of the Pyrenees has been the subject of several synthesis including relatively recent ones dealing with all the aspects of the Neanderthal groups subsistence. The Tarragona Capellades workshop provided an interesting opportunity for developing a new synthetic balance regarding the final (MIS 3) Mousterian of the Pyrenees, with an emphasis on data regarding lithic industries and resulting from the recent research on the North side with a few incursions on the South side. Some comparisons are taking shape, opening new research trails which still largely remain to explore, but which reveal the Pyrenees as a much less impermeable natural boundary than might be thought a priori. In the region, a technical diversity is perceptible. It is characterized by the use of very varied raw materials, the display of different flaking methods and the production of tools with diversified technical and morpho-functional characteristics. Despite this important diversity, several series share some characteristics that allow sketching a “technical geography” whose interpretation remains to be discussed case by case. Some areas thus defined coincide with entities traditionally interpreted as cultural, as in the case of the Vasconian.

Diversity of techniques used for the making of Mousterian notches and denticulates at Mauran (Hau... more Diversity of techniques used for the making of Mousterian notches and denticulates at Mauran (Haute-Garonne, France)

The archaeological evidence from Mauran Middle Paleolithic open-air site is the result of several consecutive seasonal occupations mainly related with Bison hunting. The lithic industry, characterized by the use of a large number of different raw materials, was related to the Denticulate Mousterian facies. The study of notches and denticulates reveals that the retouched edges and the notches negatives vary morphologically up to a point. Therefore, all the cutting edges do not have the same morphological characteristics and do not show the same functional potential. Those special features should be related with the different techniques used for their making. The aim of this work is to determine, using a technological and experimental approach, which techniques led to the very special scar negatives shown by the Mauran archaeological notches and denticulates.

Des bifaces et des nucléus utilisés comme percuteurs Émilie Claud Inrap, Umr 5199 « De la Préhist... more Des bifaces et des nucléus utilisés comme percuteurs Émilie Claud Inrap, Umr 5199 « De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : culture, environnement et anthropologie » Vincent Mourre Inrap, Umr 5608 « Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les cultures, les espaces et les sociétés » Céline Thiébaut CNRS, Umr 5199 « De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : culture, environnement et anthropologie » Michel Brenet Inrap, Umr 5199 « De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : culture, environnement et anthropologie » DOSSIER 7 ARCHÉOPAGES 29 AVRIL 2010 Un comportement dit « du moindre eff ort » Nous avons vu que, bien que répétitif car 3 6. Niveaux VIIa, VIIb et X (Brenet et al., 2008a). 7. Niveau Egpf (ensemble gris pâle à foyers). 8. Environ 470 000 ans avant le présent. 9. Environ 40 000 ans avant le présent.

In several Middle Paleolithic assemblages in Western Europe, cores and bifaces with percussion zo... more In several Middle Paleolithic assemblages in Western Europe, cores and bifaces with percussion zones that are not related to their usual mode of functioning have been observed. We used experimental cores and bifaces as percussion tools on different materials. The stigmata produced during percussion on stone materials closely resemble those observed on archaeological objects. Though the use of these pieces as hammerstones or retouchers is difficult to firmly demonstrate, this is the most probable hypothesis. The characteristics of the traces observed are similar to those observed on classic hammerstones. While the recycling of bifaces and cores into hammerstones, sometimes followed by their reuse, depending on their original function, is infrequently observed in Middle Paleolithic assemblages, it appears to be a recurrent characteristic that is independent of environmental constraints or economic or technical contexts. This practice thus seems to be associated with cultural choices, perhaps of a universal nature.

Although F. Bordes typologically defi ned the Denticulate Mousterian in the 1950s, its techno-eco... more Although F. Bordes typologically defi ned the Denticulate Mousterian in the 1950s, its techno-economic characteristics remained little described until now. Recently its existence was even questioned by various authors. According to them, Denticulate Mousterian would mainly consist of crushed or trampled series including many notched pseudo-tools. Two questions thus arise: are there series with retouched tools dominated by intentionally notched tools? If so, do these series constitute a homogeneous set from a technical and economic point of view?
If we favour a revision for the attribution of some industries, it is undeniable for us that many series comprise among their tools a prevalence of notched pieces intentionally crafted by the prehistoric human groups. Indeed, the study of experimental pieces submitted to large bovid trampling and of geofacts affected by streaming enabled us to highlight distinctive features between pseudo-tools and notched pieces. The taphonomic and techno-economic study of various archaeological series allotted to the Denticulate Mousterian as well as the consideration of the bibliographical data related to all of the series regarded as pertaining to Denticulate Mousterian shows the existence of constant features but also of typological variations, not to say of technical and economic differences.
Is it possible thus to still regard the Denticulate Mousterian as one of the Mousterian facies?

La taphonomie prend racine dans le champ de la paléontologie (efremov 1940). érigée pour répondre... more La taphonomie prend racine dans le champ de la paléontologie (efremov 1940). érigée pour répondre à des problématiques naturalistes, elle s'est donc portée, en premier lieu, sur les événements marquant les vestiges fauniques.

archaeology is based on the study of remains left by past societies in order to understand their ... more archaeology is based on the study of remains left by past societies in order to understand their structure and organization. Several analytical steps must be followed in this process. The first, which is fundamental, consists of identifying and characterizing the remains in order to contribute responses to three major questions: how, why and by whom were these remains created and organized in the manner in which we discover them.

The question implicitly raised by the title of this publication, that of knowing whether it is po... more The question implicitly raised by the title of this publication, that of knowing whether it is possible to conduct an integrated study of the taphonomic phenomena that affect all categories of archaeological remains, in turn raises others. For example, that of the degree of homogeneity of the modifications produced by the same phenomenon and same agent on different materials whose initial state can vary depending on the object type (unworked, transformed or used), or on the other hand, the possible complementarity of taphonomic readings in function of different categories of remains.

Nouvelles de l' …, Jan 1, 2009

Hommes » regroupe une quinzaine de chercheurs d'horizons variés (cnrS, université, ministère de l... more Hommes » regroupe une quinzaine de chercheurs d'horizons variés (cnrS, université, ministère de la Culture, inraP, secteur privé) aux spécialités diverses (technologie lithique, archéozoologie, tracéologie) et rattachés à différents laboratoires.

The western European Late Middle Palaeolithic is marked by a mosaic of lithic industries that oft... more The western European Late Middle Palaeolithic is marked by a mosaic of lithic industries that often have very different technical characteristics. The lithic industry pertaining to the latest levels of Mousterian occupation on the site of Saint-Césaire falls within this context. In order to better understand the factors that are at the origin of such lithic diversity, it is necessary to characterize the technical and economic aspects of Neanderthal behaviour for each stratigraphic level studied. The latest Mousterian levels at Saint-Césaire, dated to around 40900 BP (OIS 3), are predominantly characterized by a local raw material complemented by small quantities of imported raw materials. These levels are also characterized by a Discoid form of knapping that enabled the production of relatively thin blanks with a peripheral cutting edge and thicker flakes with a projecting back sensu lato. Lithic production on the site is not oriented towards the secondary transformation of blanks. Nonetheless, there are a large number of retouched pieces dominated by a diversity of denticulates. One of the interesting aspects of this particular assemblage is the evidence we have for the use of different hard hammer percussion techniques for both knapping and retouching. The combination of zooarchaeological, socio-economic and technological data permits us to place Saint Césaire within its larger territorial context and in the category of a dwelling site. While the levels studied lie immediately below the Châtelperronian period of occupation and could possibly have shed light on technical relationships between the Mousterian and Châtelperronian periods, our analysis of the Mousterian industry has shown no relationship to subsequent technological developments in the Late Palaeolithic period.

The site of Chez-Pinaud (Jonzac, Charente-Maritime) was identified in the 1990s and subsequently ... more The site of Chez-Pinaud (Jonzac, Charente-Maritime) was identified in the 1990s and subsequently excavated as part of a multi-disciplinary project led by J. Airvaux. This work resulted in a monograph (Airvaux dir., 2004). Given the importance of the archaeological sequence at Jonzac, which is one of the rare sites with a stratigraphy covering the late Middle Paleolithic and early Upper Paleolithic, a team from the University of Bordeaux 1-PACEA and the Max Planck Institute (Leipzig) started a new program of excavation in 2004. In addition to the standard types of analysis, we have applied several approaches that at Jonzac either had not yet been applied or were still incomplete. These include geoarchaeological analyses, analysis of site formation processes, radiometric dating, isotope analysis, taphonomic studies of the faunal assemblage, raw material studies, and usewear analysis. We present here a general overview of this exceptional sequence from the Last Glacial, likely between 50 and 30ka, covering at least some of OIS 3 and 2 for the portions of the site thus far excavated. The first results of the excavations from 2004 to 2007 are summarized here by broad research theme including a history of the site, geology, radiometric dates, microfauna, paleontology, taphonomy, zooarcheology, paleoanthropology, isotopic analysis, and the lithic industries (Quina Mousterian, Denticulate Mousterian, Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition and Aurignacian). This presentation is in advance of a more ambitious, interdisciplinary program of study to address questions such as site use and to place the sequence in the broader regional context, issues which are just touched upon here.

Nouvelles de l' …, Jan 1, 2009

Characterized by marked climatic contrasts and important differences in altitude, the mountain en... more Characterized by marked climatic contrasts and important differences in altitude, the mountain environment is generally regarded as constraining for Paleolithic hunter-gatherers groups. The Mousterian site of Grotte du Noisetier is exceptional within the framework of the Pyrenees by its altitude and its settlement in the middle of the chain. It offers the opportunity to wonder about the reasons having led the Neanderthal groups to attend this a priori difficult context. The traditional interpretation of the site as a hunting-camp related to the exploitation of mountain ungulates is questioned. The taphonomic study particularly shows that the Izard remains were mainly accumulated by bearded vulture and that the most frequently hunted species by the human groups is the Red Deer, which is not dependent of the mountain environment at all. The Neanderthal presence cannot be explained either by the exploitation of specific mineral resources. In the current state of research, only hypothesis can be proposed to explain the Mousterian occupation of Grotte du Noisetier: it could be in particular a temporary residence site or a stopping place during displacements towards the southern side of the Pyrenees.