- Prehistoric Archaeology, Archaeology, Megalithic Monuments, Dress and Personal Adornment (Archaeology), Neolithic Archaeology, Megalithic Art, and 34 moreMegalithism, Ethnoarchaeology,megalihism and Cognitive archaeology, African Archaeology, Megaliths (Archaeology), Neolithic Europe, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Neolithic France, Material Culture Studies, Household Archaeology, Long barrows and chambered barrows, Neolithic & Chalcolithic enclosures, Megaliths, Stone Circles, Stonehenge, Prehistory, Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Bell Beakers, Europa, Préhistoire, Néolithique, Bronze ancien, Campaniforme, Europe, Ancient DNA of Human Populations, Mitochondrial DNA, Ancient Migrations, The Uses of Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeoastronomy, History of Archaeological Theory, Phenomenology, Belief Systems, and Heritage interpretationedit
Since 2005, the archaeological project engaged on the megalithic necropolis of Wanar, inscripted on the UNESCO World Heritage List, contributes to gather new pieces of informations. Headed by Luc Laporte (UMR 6566, CNRS, France) and... more
Since 2005, the archaeological project engaged on the megalithic necropolis of Wanar, inscripted on the UNESCO World Heritage List, contributes to gather new pieces of informations. Headed by Luc Laporte (UMR 6566, CNRS, France) and Hamady Bocoum (IFAN Director, Cultural Division Director, Senegal), this partnership between Senegal and France renew campaign after campaign our vision of this unique phenomenon that is senegambian megalithism. Our intention to creat a website dedicated to senegambian megalithism and specially to the Wanar Archaeological Project answer to various wishes. First of all, our aim is of course to put the light on major cultural remains still too unknown from scholars and west african population also. Furthermore, as difficult as can be the access to scientific publications and revues in many countries, this website hope to provide a documentary ressource that can be shared by researchers and students from Africa, Europe or wherever.
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The IVth meeting of an international workgroup will gather together, in Rennes, from 10 to 12 May 2012, several of the leading European specialists on the theme of megalithic monuments (about twenty speakers from some ten different... more
The IVth meeting of an international workgroup will gather together, in Rennes, from 10 to 12 May 2012, several of the leading European specialists on the theme of megalithic monuments (about twenty speakers from some ten different nationalities). Following the international colloquium at Bougon (Deux-Sèvres) which was held in 2002 (Joussaume, Laporte, Scarre, 2006), meetings of the European Megalithic Studies Group took place in Göteborg in Sweden ( 2004 ), in Seville in Spain ( 2008 ) and in Kiel in Germany ( 2010 ). This will be the first time for more than thirty years that the city of Rennes will welcome a high-level scientific meeting specifically dedicated to the study of megalithic monuments. It is organized within the framework of a program entitled " Megalithic monuments of the Atlantic zone and beyond " which is supported in particular by the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme de Bretagne. It will comprise two days of oral communications, open to the general public, in the Auditorium of the Museum of Brittany, in Rennes. They will be accompanied by the presentation of posters about current work on megalithic monuments in France, in Europe and in the World.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Architecture, Landscape Archaeology, Phenomenology, and 18 moreNeolithic Archaeology, Archaeoastronomy, Megalithic Monuments, Megaliths (Archaeology), Heritage interpretation, Belief Systems, Finalese, megaliths in Italy, Arte Rupestre, Megalithism, Megalithic Art, Finale Ligure, Dolmen a Monticello di Finale Ligure, Stonehenge, Megaliths, Stone Circles, The Uses of Archaeology и History of Archaeological Theory
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"The natural or unworked appearance of the very large stones used in the construction of megalithic monuments has led many people to regard them as “primitive”. In Western Europe, these are the oldest monumental prehistoric structures... more
"The natural or unworked appearance of the very large stones used in the construction of megalithic monuments has led many people to regard them as “primitive”. In Western Europe, these are the oldest monumental prehistoric structures built of stone. Even the most recent research still betrays some difficulty in abandoning such a perception of megalithic monuments. It is for that reason that, in Western France, insufficient attention has been given to the structural function of each element. A detailed study of the eastern extremity of Péré Tumulus C at Prissé-la-Charrière (France) reveals the presence of terraces, ramps, relieving arches, internal buttresses or external supports, even vertical bonding between walls which may themselves function as ribs or angles, for example. Such terms are more generally used for architecture built during the historic period but here find appropriate application to dry stone structures: ending with the funerary spaces where the supporting role of the orthostats can be often questioned. It is the entire building operation which reveals itself thus to our eyes. Several of the conceptual schemes that directed the architectural implementation of the project, associated with each engineer, may be encountered at different scales within the same structure. For the large elongated trapezoidal monuments of the Middle Neolithic in western France, we shall seek finally to demonstrate that the deployment of this body of technical knowledge was necessitated by the concern to obtain a building whose external forms were the product in fact of structural constraints more appropriate to timber architecture. It is as if such monuments reproduced in stone, but with different structural constraints, the memory of the houses of prestigious ancestors who were among the very first farmers of the region.
L’aspect naturel ou brut d’extraction des très grosses pierres employées pour la construction de monuments mégalithiques concoure à leur donner comme un aspect « primitif » aux yeux de nos contemporains. En Europe occidentale, il s’agit des plus anciennes architectures monumentales d’époque préhistoriques qui furent construites en pierre. Les avancées les plus récentes de la recherche ont encore un peu de mal à se départir d’une telle perception du mégalithisme. De ce fait, dans l’ouest de la France, peu d’attention a été portée à la fonction architectonique de chaque élément. Une étude détaillée de l’extrémité orientale du tumulus C de Péré à Prissé-la-Charrière (France) révèle la présence de terrasses, de rampes, d’arcs de décharge, de contreforts internes ou de cerclage, voire de chaînages verticaux entre des parois qui peuvent elles-mêmes avoir une fonction de raidisseur ou de harpage, par exemple. Autant de termes utilisés pour les architectures maçonnées des périodes historiques qui trouvent ici leur juste application pour des constructions en pierre sèches : jusqu’aux espaces funéraires où la fonction de support des orthostates peut souvent être remise en cause. C’est tout le chantier de construction qui se déroule alors sous nos yeux. Certains schémas conceptuels qui président à la mise en œuvre du projet architectural, propres à chaque ingénieur, se retrouvent parfois à différentes échelles au sein d’une même construction.
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L’aspect naturel ou brut d’extraction des très grosses pierres employées pour la construction de monuments mégalithiques concoure à leur donner comme un aspect « primitif » aux yeux de nos contemporains. En Europe occidentale, il s’agit des plus anciennes architectures monumentales d’époque préhistoriques qui furent construites en pierre. Les avancées les plus récentes de la recherche ont encore un peu de mal à se départir d’une telle perception du mégalithisme. De ce fait, dans l’ouest de la France, peu d’attention a été portée à la fonction architectonique de chaque élément. Une étude détaillée de l’extrémité orientale du tumulus C de Péré à Prissé-la-Charrière (France) révèle la présence de terrasses, de rampes, d’arcs de décharge, de contreforts internes ou de cerclage, voire de chaînages verticaux entre des parois qui peuvent elles-mêmes avoir une fonction de raidisseur ou de harpage, par exemple. Autant de termes utilisés pour les architectures maçonnées des périodes historiques qui trouvent ici leur juste application pour des constructions en pierre sèches : jusqu’aux espaces funéraires où la fonction de support des orthostates peut souvent être remise en cause. C’est tout le chantier de construction qui se déroule alors sous nos yeux. Certains schémas conceptuels qui président à la mise en œuvre du projet architectural, propres à chaque ingénieur, se retrouvent parfois à différentes échelles au sein d’une même construction.
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Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Architecture, Landscape Archaeology, Phenomenology, and 11 moreFunerary Archaeology, Archaeoastronomy, Megalithic Monuments, Megaliths (Archaeology), Heritage interpretation, Belief Systems, Megaliths, Dolmens, Mounds, The Uses of Archaeology и History of Archaeological Theory
Megalithic monuments are among the most striking remains of the Neolithic period of northern and western Europe and are scattered across landscapes from Pomerania to Portugal. Antiquarians and archaeologists early recognised the family... more
Megalithic monuments are among the most striking remains of the Neolithic period of northern and western Europe and are scattered across landscapes from Pomerania to Portugal. Antiquarians and archaeologists early recognised the family resemblance of the different groups of tombs, attributing them to maritime peoples moving along the western seaways. More recent research sees them rather as the product of established early farming communities in their individual regions. Yet the diversity of the tombs, their chronologies and their varied cultural contexts complicates any straightforward understanding of their origins and distribution. Megalithic Architectures provides new insight by focusing on the construction and design of European megalithic tombs – on the tomb as an architectural project. It shows how much is to be learned from detailed attention to the stages and the techniques through which tombs were built, modified and enlarged, and often intentionally dismantled or decommissioned. The large slabs that were employed, often unshaped, may suggest an opportunistic approach by the Neolithic builders, but this was clearly far from the case. Each building project was unique, and detailed study of individual sites exposes the way in which tombs were built as architectural, social and symbolic undertakings. Alongside the manner in which the materials were used, it reveals a store of knowledge that sometimes differed considerably from one structure to another, even between contemporary monuments within a single region. The volume brings together regional specialists from Scandinavia, Germany, Britain, France, Belgium and Iberia to offer a series of uniquely authoritative studies. Results of recent fieldwork are fully incorporated and much of the material is published here for the first time in English. It provides an invaluable overview of the current state of research on European megalithic tombs.
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Cet ouvrage collectif comporte les contributions de 45 auteurs qui tous ont participé à l’étude du peuplement préhistorique d’un petit territoire insulaire et littoral, sur les côtes du département de la Charente-Maritime. Il correspond... more
Cet ouvrage collectif comporte les contributions de 45 auteurs qui tous ont participé à l’étude du peuplement préhistorique d’un petit territoire insulaire et littoral, sur les côtes du département de la Charente-Maritime. Il correspond également à la monographie de l’habitat Peu-Richardien de la Prise de l’Atelier à La Tremblade, des habitats artenaciens de Ponthezières à St-Georges-d’Oléron et de La Perroche à St-Pierre-d’Oléron, ou de celui campaniforme de la plage de l’Écuissière à Dolus.
Saviez-vous qu’à la bonne saison, nos “ancêtres” néolithiques avaient sans doute la possibilité de manger du caviar à plus d’un repas ? Des esturgeons de plus de 200 kg fréquentaient alors une côte dont la morphologie était bien différente de celle que nous lui connaissons aujourd’hui.
Vers la fin du IVe et au cours du IIIe millénaire avant notre ère, se mettent en place de véritables centres spécialisés dans la fabrication d’objets de parure, probablement sous l’effet d’impulsions plus méridionales. D’autres aspects de la culture matérielle témoignent de liens établis le long de la façade atlantique, avec une Europe beaucoup plus septentrionale, ou la péninsule Ibérique.
Le plan de l’ouvrage découle de la cohérence d’une démarche où chaque contribution constitue parfois une véritable synthèse à part entière, au niveau régional ou national. L’ensemble est ensuite discuté à la lumière des acquis les plus récents de la recherche pour cette période en Europe occidentale.
Saviez-vous qu’à la bonne saison, nos “ancêtres” néolithiques avaient sans doute la possibilité de manger du caviar à plus d’un repas ? Des esturgeons de plus de 200 kg fréquentaient alors une côte dont la morphologie était bien différente de celle que nous lui connaissons aujourd’hui.
Vers la fin du IVe et au cours du IIIe millénaire avant notre ère, se mettent en place de véritables centres spécialisés dans la fabrication d’objets de parure, probablement sous l’effet d’impulsions plus méridionales. D’autres aspects de la culture matérielle témoignent de liens établis le long de la façade atlantique, avec une Europe beaucoup plus septentrionale, ou la péninsule Ibérique.
Le plan de l’ouvrage découle de la cohérence d’une démarche où chaque contribution constitue parfois une véritable synthèse à part entière, au niveau régional ou national. L’ensemble est ensuite discuté à la lumière des acquis les plus récents de la recherche pour cette période en Europe occidentale.
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Cet ouvrage bilingue (français et anglais) de 800 pages, réunis une cinquantaine de contributions sur le mégalithisme d’Europe occidental, classées par thème et par grandes régions géographiques. Il correspond aux actes du colloque... more
Cet ouvrage bilingue (français et anglais) de 800 pages, réunis une cinquantaine de contributions sur le mégalithisme d’Europe occidental, classées par thème et par grandes régions géographiques. Il correspond aux actes du colloque international qui s’est tenu au Musée de Bougon en 2002. Chaque chapitre commence par une synthèse des acquis de la recherche dans ce domaine au cours des vingt dernières années, effectuée par l’un des meilleurs spécialistes du moment. Pour chaque grande région concernée, suivent les communications traitant de sites ou de points particuliers. Cet ouvrage constitue une référence pour tous ceux qui s’intéressent aux dolmens et aux menhirs, et ne possède à ce jour aucun équivalent en Europe par la somme des études qui y sont réunies.
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" Ce livre donne leur unité aux mégalithismes des différentes régions de l'Ouest de la France, sans occulter les particularismes locaux. Ces monuments de pierre, oeuvre des premiers agriculteurs et éleveurs pendant plusieurs millénaires,... more
" Ce livre donne leur unité aux mégalithismes des différentes régions de l'Ouest de la France, sans occulter les particularismes locaux. Ces monuments de pierre, oeuvre des premiers agriculteurs et éleveurs pendant plusieurs millénaires, témoignent de la richesse et de la diversité architecturale du Néolithique, qui voit s'élever les tous premiers monuments d'Europe. Du Bassin Aquitain à la Vendée, la Bretagne ou la Normandie, sans oublier les plaines du Centre-Ouest, les auteurs inventorient les formes variées du mégalithisme, avec ses particularités régionales, et font aussi le point des connaissances sur leur cadre naturel et humain. Ils s'attachent enfin à la recherche du sens perdu de cet art et lui restitue ses dimensions sacrées ou funéraires, issues d'un même corps social et d'un même système de pensée et de vision du monde. "
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The studies compiled here all pertain to the Same area, located between the Charente river Valley and the Saintonge marshlands, a Perpetually shifting and inhospitable setting that constitutes a privileged field of study for grasping the... more
The studies compiled here all pertain to the Same area, located between the Charente river Valley and the Saintonge marshlands, a Perpetually shifting and inhospitable setting that constitutes a privileged field of study for grasping the numerous and complex interactions between the human populations and their natural environment. A seaside site and a plains site were excavated at the time of a motorway construction project (the A837 between Saintes and Rochefort), and the vestiges found illustrate the diversity of settlement and uses of these lands. In La Challonnière a saltworks (4th-3rd century BC) Was uncovered and its activities retraced in detail, as well as an early Middle Ages settlement and its ceramic artefacts typical of Saintonge workshops. In Mortantambe a small rural homestead (2nd-1st century BC) was examined along with the evidence of its economy(farming, hunting. fishing, metal working...), and structures and graves attesting occupation from the 8th to the 9th century. In parallel, the progression of the filling-in of the estuary was retraced by means of multidisciplinary analysis of deep sondages. These studies make a fundamental contribution to the history of the settlement and the countryside in the Rochefort hinterland.
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En este capítulo se estudia el ajuar funerario de los entierros humanos de Arroyo Seco 2, con especial referencia a las cuentas de collar de valva y a los pendientes de colmillos de cánidos. La muestra estudiada comprende 550 objetos de... more
En este capítulo se estudia el ajuar funerario de los entierros humanos de Arroyo Seco 2, con especial referencia a las cuentas de collar de valva y a los pendientes de colmillos de cánidos. La muestra estudiada comprende 550 objetos de adorno hallados en las inhumaciones del sitio. Si se excluye una decena de objetos aislados, la casi totalidad de los elementos de adorno se encontraban dispuestos sobre el cuerpo o proximidad del esqueleto de un individuo en particular. La distribución de los adornos en los entierros no es igual. Sólo 12 individuos sobre 44 presentaban tales adornos corporales y entre ellos el individuo AS9 poseía más de 380 objetos. Estas cifras, que corresponden al número de objetos observados, pueden probablemente estar subestimadas en
relación con los objetos que efectivamente fueron depositados en los entierros correspondientes. Esto sucede por dos razones principales: en primer lugar una parte de los adornos que fueron obtenidos en las primeras campañas de excavación (1977-1983) y que fueron brevemente citados en la primera publicación de estos trabajos no fueron encontrados; y en segundo lugar la excavación de algunos entierros extraídos en bloque que no fueron limpiados aún.
relación con los objetos que efectivamente fueron depositados en los entierros correspondientes. Esto sucede por dos razones principales: en primer lugar una parte de los adornos que fueron obtenidos en las primeras campañas de excavación (1977-1983) y que fueron brevemente citados en la primera publicación de estos trabajos no fueron encontrados; y en segundo lugar la excavación de algunos entierros extraídos en bloque que no fueron limpiados aún.
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Communications presented during a session dedicated to “African Megaliths: a very present past” during the SAfA meeting at Toulouse (june 2016), are here published as two thematic parts within the previous and present issues of the... more
Communications presented during a session dedicated to “African Megaliths: a very present past” during the SAfA meeting at Toulouse (june 2016), are here published as two thematic parts within the previous and present issues of the peer-reviewed journal “Afrique: Archéologie & Arts”. The first was about “Funerary platforms, sometimes bounded by standing stones, south of the Sahel strip”. This second parts relates to “Standing stones from Eastern Africa”.
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Communications presented during a session dedicated to “African Megaliths: a very present past” during the SAfA meeting at Toulouse (June 2016), will be here published in the form of two thematic inserts within the present and the next... more
Communications presented during a session dedicated to “African Megaliths: a very present past” during the SAfA meeting at Toulouse (June 2016), will be here published in the form of two thematic inserts within the present and the next issue of the journal Afrique : Archaeology & Arts. The first concerns funeral platforms, sometimes bounded by standing stones, South of the Sahelian strip.
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The history of each place is always unique, and this also applies to each monument. Even the title of this book fits in with a pattern of thought developed by R.Bradley(2010).This approach treats the way in which certain prehistoric... more
The history of each place is always unique, and this also applies to each monument. Even the title of this book fits in with a pattern of thought developed by R.Bradley(2010).This approach treats the way in which certain prehistoric monuments continue to focus our attention, and how new significances come to be attributed well after their initial construction. In some cases these monuments are the result of a considerable collective investment. They often represent places of memory, sometimes providing vectors of identity that continue up to the present day. A certain number of these monuments continually changed their function and configuration through the course of time. They were successively the setting of events that their builders could not have imagined. However, owing to the scale as well as the lasting nature of their achievements, the builders assigned additional unique features to these monuments that others later adapted or simply exploited. Many megalithic monuments of western Europe underwentsuch aprocess. Consequently, thisarticle alsocontainsthe seeds of a more general discussion about the definitions of megalithism (Laporte forthcoming). It is a question of time scales and rhythms, involving lived time just as well as measured time, seen at different geographical scales. This is because the biography of each monument cannot be explained as simply being the sum of events that are unique in each case and specific to each site.
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The natural or unworked appearance of the very large stones used in the construction of megalithic monuments has led many people to regard them as “primitive”. In Western Europe, these are the oldest monumental prehistoric structures... more
The natural or unworked appearance of the very large stones used in the construction of megalithic monuments has led many people to regard them as “primitive”. In Western Europe, these are the oldest monumental prehistoric structures built of stone. Even the most recent research still reflects some difficulty in abandoning such a perception of megalithic monuments. It is for that reason that, in western France, insufficient attention has been given to the function of each structural element. A detailed study of the eastern end of Péré Tumulus C at Prissé-la-Charrière (France) reveals the presence of terraces, ramps, relieving arches, internal buttresses, external supports, and even vertical bonding between walls, which may themselves function as ribs or angles. Such elements are more generally used in historical architecture, but here find appropriate application in dry stone structures. In this way, we are able to reconstruct the entire construction project. Regarding the large elongated trapezoidal monuments of the middle Neolithic in western France, we seek to examine the technical constraints to demonstrate that the development of the technical knowledge was driven by the concern to obtain a building whose external forms result from structural constraints more appropriate to timber architecture.
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Until recently, studies of settlement types were somewhat neglected in research on the Middle Neolithic on the French Atlantic coast, which instead focused on funerary monuments. The diversity of settlement types, as well as domestic... more
Until recently, studies of settlement types were somewhat neglected in research on the Middle Neolithic on the French Atlantic coast, which instead focused on funerary monuments. The diversity of settlement types, as well as domestic architecture types, are now revealed in the results obtained from an increasing number of rescue archaeological operations and several very innovative research excavations. These excavations have uncovered large enclosures, sometimes in association with circular buildings, in Normandy, Pays-dela-Loire and the Western Centre of France. They have also revealed large buildings with two naves built on load-bearing posts, or on the contrary, agglomerated plans of villages built in adobe in Brittany. They also unearthed craft workshops whose remains are often less prominent on the landscape, in the Pays-de-laLoire and Normandy. Channel digging along linear kilometers, terrace-like layouts on natural hillock flanks, associated with a substantial quantity of moved materials linked to the construction of numerous monuments, now leave an imprint on the landscape that clearly exceeds that of constructions linked to settlements. During the last quarter of the 5th millennium BC and first quarter of the following millennium, a few of the major orientations that would constitute the Neolithic for an additional millennium and a half were thus put into place.
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The southern tumulus of Barnenez, situated on the north coast of Finistère, is one of the most famous Breton megaliths. It was excavated during the 1950s by P.-R. Giot, and the results published in 1987. Since then, data concerning this... more
The southern tumulus of Barnenez, situated on the north coast of Finistère, is one of the most famous Breton megaliths. It was excavated during the 1950s by P.-R. Giot, and the results published in 1987. Since then, data concerning this well-preserved monument have not been updated with the new knowledge regarding megaliths gained over the last three decades. In 2010, an international research program began on this tumulus, integrating an ongoing PhD at Rennes 1 University. The first part of the study concerns the ornamentation inside the funerary areas, with the discovery of paintings and the redefining of the engravings. The second section is an architectural study through interpretation of the elevations thanks to the use of archaeological building methodology. Both revealed multiple phases inside the tumulus, unveiling a complex history. This article will focus on two structures of the tumulus which contain discreet evidence of that substantial history, before the monument attained its imposing final form, seventy metres long. The first structure is passage grave H. Two registers of ornamentation have been found, revealing two distinct and successive phases inside the chamber. In the passage, the architectural study showed some ruptures in the constructional mode, revealing extensions of the passage. Passage grave H seems to have had a previous state, destroyed by the Neo-lithic builders themselves. We decided to do a survey to test if the previous monument had left marks on the ground of the current passage grave. The results exceeded our expectations, with conservation of the plan and of part of the cairn with, in several places, two courses in elevation. Not all the monument was levelled off, the orthostats of the end of the chamber remained in place, integrated into the current chamber, which explains the differences of ornamentation. The survey proves that a monument was dismantled and partially reused in the current dolmen H. It is one of the first times we can prove the reuse of stones taken from a dolmen to be integrated within another. We needed all the megalithic architectural elements, marks on the ground, on the elevations and on the ornamentation, to partially understand the architectural history of dolmen H. The second part studied is the western façade of the tumulus. It contains a row of many raised stones, whose wider sides face the bay of Morlaix.
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Stone architectures of the Senegambian megalithism have long been considered as an autonomous entity in a sector of the African continent where adobe constructions are traditionally favoured. Our knowledge of these monuments has been... more
Stone architectures of the Senegambian megalithism have long been considered as an autonomous entity in a sector of the African continent where adobe constructions are traditionally favoured. Our knowledge of these monuments has been deeply modified by ten years of archaeological research on the World Heritage site of Wanar (Senegal). This paper review these new elements in their regional context, integrating available data about protohistoric funerary monuments in Senegal as well as in Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone and even sometimes more widely. The authors have demonstrated – in a more systematic way than in previous work – that several features of the Senegambian funerary customs can find an echo in the West African ethnological record.
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Among the many characteristics of the Senegalese and Gambian megalithic phenomenon, the deposition of pottery on the eastern edge of funerary structures is a recurrent practice present throughout the excavated sites. In the western part... more
Among the many characteristics of the Senegalese and Gambian megalithic phenomenon, the deposition of pottery on the eastern edge of funerary structures is a recurrent practice present throughout the excavated sites. In the western part of the megalithic area, ceramics are generally located between the standing stone-circles and one or more frontal stones erected east of monuments. With the exception of morphological and decorative aspects, no technological studies have ever been conducted on the pottery from these deposits. Such an approach has now been taken to the analysis of around forty ceramics from deposits at the site of Wanar-about as many as are available from the deposits of all other Senegambian megalithic sites. The results demonstrate the range of technical choices mobilized in the shaping process. The high degree of finish on the vessels also suggests an important added value to the material culture which participated in the monuments' ritual function.
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The west European Neolithic is famed for its funerary and ceremonial monuments, but the evidence for houses is sparse. Can this be explained by the materials of which they were built? On the northern coast of Brittany, the site of... more
The west European Neolithic is famed for its funerary and ceremonial monuments, but the evidence for houses is sparse. Can this be
explained by the materials of which they were built? On the northern coast of Brittany, the site of Lillemer rises from the surrounding
marshes and presents abundant evidence of Middle Neolithic occupation, contemporary with the passage graves of the region. Surprisingly, their evidence includes the remains of collapsed earthen-walled structures, providing the northernmost example of this type of
architecture in a Neolithic context and a possible explanation for the invisibility of much Neolithic domestic architecture.
explained by the materials of which they were built? On the northern coast of Brittany, the site of Lillemer rises from the surrounding
marshes and presents abundant evidence of Middle Neolithic occupation, contemporary with the passage graves of the region. Surprisingly, their evidence includes the remains of collapsed earthen-walled structures, providing the northernmost example of this type of
architecture in a Neolithic context and a possible explanation for the invisibility of much Neolithic domestic architecture.
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Dans l’ouest de la France, depuis une centaine d’années, l’étude des dolmens et des monuments funéraires correspondants a un peu occulté celle des habitats contemporains, encore mal connus. D’autres dispositifs monumentaux existent... more
Dans l’ouest de la France, depuis une centaine d’années, l’étude des dolmens et des monuments funéraires correspondants a un peu occulté celle des habitats contemporains, encore mal connus. D’autres dispositifs monumentaux existent pourtant qui font une plus large place aux vestiges de la vie quotidienne de ces populations. Il s’agit notamment de vastes enceintes couvrant plusieurs hectares, voire jusqu’à quelques dizaines d’hectares, dont la fonction et le statut restent largement débattus.
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The megaliths of Senegal and Gambia testify of a master's degree in the sculpture of stones. Monoliths standing within the facade of circular monuments or those raised east of the latter, express a large variety of forms among which each... more
The megaliths of Senegal and Gambia testify of a master's degree in the sculpture of stones. Monoliths standing within the facade of circular monuments or those raised east of the latter, express a large variety of forms among which each makes sense. Such are the V stones, unique to the African continent. Our recent re-searches allow us to reconsider the organization of these various elements within the architectural device. Fi-nally, we will discuss engravings discovered at the base of V stones or at the top of various monoliths. If the firsts can be considered as motives with symbolical values, the seconds could merely provide functional inter-pretations.
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Research Interests:
L’application aux monuments mégalithiques de certaines des méthodes de l’archéologie du bâti, plutôt utilisées pour les périodes historiques, permet de préciser le vocabulaire concernant les techniques employées dans la construction,... more
L’application aux monuments mégalithiques de certaines des méthodes de l’archéologie du bâti, plutôt utilisées pour les périodes historiques, permet de préciser le vocabulaire concernant les techniques employées dans la construction, d’une part, d’approcher la nature des projets architecturaux conçus par les bâtisseurs, d’autre part. C’est tout le chantier de construction qui se déroule alors sous nos yeux. L’étude en cours de l’extrémité orientale du tumulus C de Péré à Prissé-la-Charrière, dans les Deux-Sèvres, révèle ainsi la mise en oeuvre de savoir-faire et de prouesses techniques insoupçonnées pour des périodes aussi anciennes. L’usage de quelques très grosses pierres dans la construction, qui toutes gardent au moins un peu de leur aspect naturel, ont trop longtemps donné l’illusion d’architectures “primitives”, matérialisées de façon rudimentaire, pour ces tout premiers monuments funéraires en pierre d’Europe occidentale.
Dupont C., Laporte L., Courtaud P., Duday H., Gruet Y., 2014– « Personal shell adornments » ? at La Vergne (Charente-Maritime, France): from acquisition to wear. In: Szabó K., Dupont C., Dimitrijevic V., Gastélum Gómez L. G., Serrand N., (eds.), Archaeomalacology: Shells in the Archaeological Rec...more
More than three thousand perforated shells were discovered in association with Early Mesolithic burials (ca. 8500-8000 cal BC) at La Vergne (Charente-Maritime, western France). Despite the status of this excavation (an archaeological... more
More than three thousand perforated shells were discovered in association with Early Mesolithic burials (ca. 8500-8000 cal BC) at La Vergne (Charente-Maritime, western France). Despite the status of this excavation (an archaeological rescue operation), the locations of all the artefacts were recorded three dimensionally. This initial information is fundamental to understanding how the shells were associated with the individual human bodies. The determination of species is also important in showing where and how these shells were gathered. The condition of their surfaces allows those marks related to marine erosion, animal and anthropogenic perforations to be distinguished. Identification of use-wear and the degree of wear, in combination with spatial information, permits the reconstruction not only of body ornaments but also of objects associated with them during burial. This paper presents an overview of the different stages in the study of the ornaments from La Vergne, from the ex...
This paper is a synthesis of studies made on marine invertebrates discovered in Neolithic enclosures in the west of France. In spite of the fact that shells are regularly discovered in such structures, they have not always been studied.... more
This paper is a synthesis of studies made on marine invertebrates discovered in Neolithic
enclosures in the west of France. In spite of the fact that shells are regularly discovered in such
structures, they have not always been studied. Their quantities and their specific diversities evolved
together with the disciplines of archaeozoology. However, there is no linear relationship between
F i c h i e r é d i t e u r d e s t i n é à u n u s a g e p r i v é
the size of sieving meshes and the quantities of shells.This absence of direct relationship is linked
to another factor, which is clearly outlined within Neolithic enclosures: the diversity of activities
these shells and shellfishes were used for. The modes of supplying could vary, depending on whether
man was looking for a shell as raw material or a shellfish as food.
Archaeological shells contributed at the same time to the feeding of Neolithic populations, and
to activities of production by their use as tools, but also in the cultural sphere as ornaments. Marine
mollusks make Man the center of our reflection. They give us access to the environments exploited
by these Neolithic populations, and to their movements and their relationship with the sea.
enclosures in the west of France. In spite of the fact that shells are regularly discovered in such
structures, they have not always been studied. Their quantities and their specific diversities evolved
together with the disciplines of archaeozoology. However, there is no linear relationship between
F i c h i e r é d i t e u r d e s t i n é à u n u s a g e p r i v é
the size of sieving meshes and the quantities of shells.This absence of direct relationship is linked
to another factor, which is clearly outlined within Neolithic enclosures: the diversity of activities
these shells and shellfishes were used for. The modes of supplying could vary, depending on whether
man was looking for a shell as raw material or a shellfish as food.
Archaeological shells contributed at the same time to the feeding of Neolithic populations, and
to activities of production by their use as tools, but also in the cultural sphere as ornaments. Marine
mollusks make Man the center of our reflection. They give us access to the environments exploited
by these Neolithic populations, and to their movements and their relationship with the sea.
Research Interests:
In western France, the vast majority of the megalithic monuments whose construction is attributed to the fifth or first half of the 4th millennium BCE is mainly located on the Jurassic facies of the northern Aquitaine and western Paris... more
In western France, the vast majority of the megalithic monuments whose construction is attributed to the fifth or first half of the 4th millennium BCE is mainly located on the Jurassic facies of the northern Aquitaine and western Paris basins, in the coastal plains in the Massif Armorican – passage graves –, and on the Cretacic terrains near the Loire – angevin dolmens – (Kerdivel 2009: 336). The department of Charente is one of the southernmost sectors of this vast geographical area, bounded on the north by the Seine estuary and on the south by that of Gironde. The inventory of the megalithic monuments of the department of Charente currently records 483 monuments (dolmens, tumuli, standing stones and burial cists). The inventory reveals a high concentration of megalithic monuments in the Ruffecois around Mansle. On both sides of two successive changes in the orientation of the Charente valley a number of necropolis – among which those of Chenon, La Boixe, Luxé and Tusson –, are located. Among the most famous monuments of these ensembles, the Gros Dognon long mound is 138 m long and 9.80 m high, 36.5 m wide on its shorter side and 51.3 m on its larger. The La Folatière long mound is 143 m long and certainly more than ten meters high. Together with monuments such as Newgrange in Ireland, Silbury Hill in England, or Antequera in southern Spain, this is some of the largest and most impressive Neolithic mounds in Western Europe.
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Neolithic causewayed enclosures in Western France appear as a clearly individualized phenomenon, in time and space, also due to the way they appear to the archaeologists. We would like to insist on the further knowledge brought by sites... more
Neolithic causewayed enclosures in Western France appear as a clearly individualized phenomenon, in time and space, also due to the way they appear to the archaeologists. We would like to insist on the further knowledge brought by sites where archaeological layers are preserved, and still standing remnants of mud constructions are found. The causewayed enclosures of Ponthezières and La Perroche are some of such examples of the Final Neolithic. That of Lillemer, whose excavation is still in progress, will illustrate the second point for the beginning of the Middle Neolithic. We shall then introduce a little more variability, including within the same region and period, into the interpretation of defended enclosures, which could concern various forms of habitat, along with, and sometimes simultaneously, the other functions such as ceremonial and/or funeral
practices.
practices.
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Excavations in Wanar offers the opportunity to review, through old documents dealing with physical anthropology, the complexity and diversity of funerary practices in the Senegambian megalithism. Direct and indirect evidence of... more
Excavations in Wanar offers the opportunity to review,
through old documents dealing with physical anthropology,
the complexity and diversity of funerary practices in the
Senegambian megalithism. Direct and indirect evidence of
constructions around some of the bodies can be interpreted
as possible ‘houses of the deaths’. In one case at
least access could have been maintained long after the first
burials. Accompanying deads, according tu the concept
defined by A. Testart, are attested in some monuments but
it doesn’t seem to be the more common. Elsewhere,
narrow pits contain several bodies deposited at the same
time without any main burial. Secondary deposits in large
or silo like pits can also cover the partial rests of primary
graves. Such observations lead us to develop new models
of practices within these funeral structures.
through old documents dealing with physical anthropology,
the complexity and diversity of funerary practices in the
Senegambian megalithism. Direct and indirect evidence of
constructions around some of the bodies can be interpreted
as possible ‘houses of the deaths’. In one case at
least access could have been maintained long after the first
burials. Accompanying deads, according tu the concept
defined by A. Testart, are attested in some monuments but
it doesn’t seem to be the more common. Elsewhere,
narrow pits contain several bodies deposited at the same
time without any main burial. Secondary deposits in large
or silo like pits can also cover the partial rests of primary
graves. Such observations lead us to develop new models
of practices within these funeral structures.
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Le mégalithisme atlantique est marqué par deux types d’architectures qui, aujourd’hui, sont souvent considérés comme des champs d’études clairement distincts : les Dolmens et les Menhirs. Nous commencerons par nous interroger sur ce que... more
Le mégalithisme atlantique est marqué par deux types d’architectures qui, aujourd’hui, sont souvent considérés comme des champs d’études clairement distincts : les Dolmens et les Menhirs. Nous commencerons par nous interroger sur ce que recouvre réellement cette distinction. Cela nous conduira à discuter d’un vocabulaire dont l’imprécision ne fut pas sans implications jusque dans les propositions de périodisation les plus couramment admises. Nous prendrons alors l’exemple d’un cas « d’écoles », celui de du Grand Menhir brisé de Locmariaquer comme des monuments adjacents d’Er Grah et de la Table des Marchands. Nous tenterons de montrer que la séquence récemment publiée concernant ce site emblématique souffre de larges incertitudes.
La nature des pigments utilisés comme celle des motifs ainsi dessinés vont dans le sens d’une datation néolithique des peintures récemment observées dans plusieurs monuments bretons. À Barnenez H, plusieurs bandes horizontales de lignes... more
La nature des pigments utilisés comme celle des motifs ainsi dessinés vont dans le sens d’une datation néolithique des peintures récemment observées dans plusieurs monuments bretons. À Barnenez H, plusieurs bandes horizontales de lignes en zigzag de couleur rouge sont présentes sur l’orthostate E, où elles reprennent un motif similaire gravé quelques centimètres plus bas. La dalle de chevet porte également des motifs de couleur noire qui prolongent, ou recouvrent parfois, des signes gravés. Ces motifs de couleur noire sont particulièrement nombreux sur la partie occidentale de la dalle de chevet. À l’échelle de l’Europe, un verrou important vient de sauter : la question soulevée par M. Desvignes pour les monuments mégalithiques de l’Ouest de la France se pose désormais exactement dans les mêmes termes jusqu’en Irlande, jusqu’en Écosse et même jusqu’en Suède ou au Danemark.
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La caractérisation de la parure du Néolithique récent dans le Centre-Ouest de la France reste peu aisée. La plupart de ces objets de petite taille ont été recueillis en milieu sépulcral, là où la fouille fait souvent appel à un tamisage... more
La caractérisation de la parure du Néolithique récent dans le Centre-Ouest de la France reste peu aisée. La plupart de ces objets de petite taille ont été recueillis en milieu sépulcral, là où la fouille fait souvent appel à un tamisage systématique des terres. De multiples réutilisations dans les sépultures collectives construites au Néolithique moyen, tout au long du Néolithique récent et final, entravent toutefois une attribution sans faille du mobilier funéraire qui leur est associé. Les contextes d’habitat sont rarement d’un grand secours, tout comme le mobilier provenant du comblement des fossés de ces vastes enceintes qui se multiplient ici à partir du Néolithique récent. Les pièces de parure provenant de tels contextes sont extrêmement minoritaires au vu du nombre de dépôts ou de rejets domestiques de toute sorte alors recueillis. Elles le sont également comparées au nombre de pièces de parure provenant de sépultures. Résultant de chaînes opératoires assez courtes, la valeur identitaire intrinsèque au contexte de production est, de plus, souvent difficilement perceptible au premier abord sur ce type de pièces. Un tel constat révèle aussi le peu d’attention portée par nombre de nos collègues à ce qu’ils jugent comme un peu accessoire. Les parures corporelles, affichées à la vue de tous comme le vêtement auquel elles concourent, furent pourtant les marqueurs explicites d’une identité que l’on cherche souvent à caractériser par tant d’autres moyens. Pour mieux tenir compte de tous ces paramètres, il a semblé utile d’adjoindre à l’étude des quelques pièces de parure recueillies dans l’enceinte fossoyée de Champ-Durand, à Nieul-sur-l’Autise en Vendée, l’étude encore inédite de celles provenant de la fouille, également assez récente, d’un monument mégalithique situé de l’autre coté du Marais poitevin, à Availles-sur-Chizé dans les Deux-Sèvres. Il semble qu’il fut réutilisé au cours du Néolithique récent.
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Architectures and funerary practices from the second half of the forth and the beginning of the third millennium B.C. are quite different from those in use during the previous middle Neolithic period, in many places in occidental Europe.... more
Architectures and funerary practices from the second half of the forth and the beginning of the third millennium B.C. are quite different from those in use during the previous middle Neolithic period, in many places in occidental Europe. In Western France this general trend will be expressed in very diff erent ways, if we observe regions situated north or south of the Loire River. New megalithic architectures were built on top of the soil in Brittany, or buried in the Paris Basin. No such thing in more southern regions, were the individual “burials” could even have been one of the more common practice, for a time at least. Comparisons between domestic and funerary architectures, at north, or between individual and collective burials, at south, will highlight new perspectives in the status, the composition or the disposition of funerary goods.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Experimental Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, and 25 moreMegalithic Monuments, Neolithic France, Neolithic Europe, Neolithic Britain and Ireland, Prehistory, Neolithic, Computer Applications & Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA), Museum Digital, gvSIG, Early Bronze Age, Europe, Early Neolithic, Middle Neolithic, Late Neolithic, Stone tools, Europa, Stonehenge, Préhistoire, Campaniforme, Megaliths, Settlement & Landscape research, Néolithique, Neolithic cultures, Bell Beakers, Stone Circles, Bronze ancien и Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
The World Heritage Site of Wanar in Senegal features 21 stone circles, remarkable not least because they were erected in the twelfth and thirteenth century AD, when Islam ruled the Indian Ocean and Europe was in its Middle Ages. The state... more
The World Heritage Site of Wanar in Senegal features 21 stone circles, remarkable not least because they were erected in the twelfth and thirteenth century AD, when Islam ruled the Indian Ocean and Europe was in its Middle Ages. The state of preservation has benefited the exemplary investigation currently carried out by a French-Senegalese team, which we are pleased to report here. The site began as a burial ground to which monumental stones were added, perhaps echoing the form of original funerary houses. Found in a neighbouring field were scoops left from the cutting out of the cylindrical monoliths from surface rock. While the origins of Wanar lie in a period of state formation, the monuments are shown to have had a long ritual use. The investigation not only rovides a new context for one of the most important sites in West Africa but the precise determination of the sequence and techniques used at Wanar offers key pointers for the understanding of megalithic structures everywhere.
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Excavations conducted since 2005 on the megalithic necropolis of Wanar, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, have already contributed to point out the complexity of funeral practices and of architectural remains. This paper aims... more
Excavations conducted since 2005 on the megalithic necropolis of Wanar, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, have already contributed to point out the complexity of funeral practices and of architectural remains. This paper aims to report first data about ceramics from the 2005 and 2008 campaigns on the graveyard. The stratigraphic positions of pottery deposits located on the eastern side of stone-circles will be explored, leading to a new account on the period of time during which these monuments were used. Parallels will also be drawn also about a pottery unearthed in 2005, unusual in size, morphology and probably in function.
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The use of technique is usually considered in European megalithic art as an indicator of the level of culture sophistication attained by a particular community. Traditionally, it was considered that only the Iberian Peninsula is home to... more
The use of technique is usually considered in European megalithic art as an indicator of the level of culture sophistication attained by a particular community. Traditionally, it was considered that only the Iberian Peninsula is home to painted dolmens. The analysis of chamber H of the Barnenez tumulus together with some information scattered over the continent, prove that painting was part of the graphic programs in the most archetypal Atlantic sites, such as Brittany. A highly rewarding panorama appears for European megalithic art with potential new readings. The most suitable method if detecting paintings and interpreting them in funerary contexts must be reviewed.
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Cet article retrace les opérations menées au niveau de la butte de Lillemer, depuis les premières prospections de surface jusqu'à la réalisation de l'espace d'interprétation archéologique, en passant par le descriptif des campagnes de... more
Cet article retrace les opérations menées au niveau de la butte de Lillemer, depuis les premières prospections de surface jusqu'à la réalisation de l'espace d'interprétation archéologique, en passant par le descriptif des campagnes de fouilles. Les vestiges particulièrement bien conservés de l'occupation du Néolithique moyen de la butte de Lillemer permettent une lecture nouvelle et enrichie du passé archéologique de la Bretagne.
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Au-delà des monuments mégalithiques universellement connus, le Néolithique se signale en Bretagne par de nombreux sites étonnants. Attestées dès 5000 ans av. J.-C., les premières sociétés sédentaires ont laissé des vestiges innovants,... more
Au-delà des monuments mégalithiques universellement connus, le Néolithique se signale en Bretagne par de nombreux sites étonnants. Attestées dès 5000 ans av. J.-C., les premières sociétés sédentaires ont laissé des vestiges innovants, comme de grands bâtiments, des fortifications ou des aménagements répétitifs énigmatiques.
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This article does not presume to summarize the immense complexity of megalithism in France over a period of nearly three millenia, but rather to contribute a few elements of reflection to the numerous research directions it inspires. It... more
This article does not presume to summarize the immense complexity of megalithism in France over a period of nearly three millenia, but rather to contribute a few elements of reflection to the numerous research directions it inspires. It first insists on the importance of finally eliminating a number of accepted ideas; among which, the tendency to systematically classify the architecture of burial spaces in function of their “apparent” complexity, from the most simple to the most elaborate. Numerous examples show that the megalithic phenomenon is complex, not linear. Each monument, today in ruins, is the result of several architectural projects, in the true sense of the term. The construction of a site, supposes at the same time a succession of technical acts that also merit detailed study, in the same manner as that which specialists of the Medieval period call the archeology of construction. We also wish to emphasize the necessity of addressing Megalithism from the perspective of architecture, grave goods and human remains (when they are preserved), as these three aspects are often intertwined. Finally, a megalithic monument must be understood in its space, the funerary space in the broad sense, as well as the burial space. From this perspective, a multitude of question and numerous research directions appear. Megalithism is not an outdated subjet, but an innovative one, for which much remains to be done.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Phenomenology, Neolithic Archaeology, and 17 moreArchaeoastronomy, Megalithic Monuments, Megaliths (Archaeology), Heritage interpretation, Belief Systems, Finalese, megaliths in Italy, Arte Rupestre, Megalithism, Megalithic Art, Finale Ligure, Dolmen a Monticello di Finale Ligure, Stonehenge, Megaliths, Stone Circles, The Uses of Archaeology и History of Archaeological Theory
Recent paleogenetic studies have confirmed that the spread of the Neolithic across Europe was neither genetically nor geographically uniform. To extend existing knowledge of the mitochondrial European Neolithic gene pool, we examined six... more
Recent paleogenetic studies have confirmed that the spread of the Neolithic across Europe was neither genetically nor geographically uniform. To extend existing knowledge of the mitochondrial European Neolithic gene pool, we examined six samples of human skeletal material from a French megalithic long mound (c.4200 cal BC). We retrieved HVR-I sequences from three individuals and demonstrated that in the Neolithic period the mtDNA haplogroup N1a, previously only known in central Europe, was as widely distributed as western France. Alternative scenarios are discussed in seeking to explain this result, including Mesolithic ancestry, Neolithic demic diffusion, and long-distance matrimonial exchanges. In light of the limited Neolithic ancient DNA (aDNA) data currently available, we observe that all three scenarios appear equally consistent with paleogenetic and archaeological data. In consequence, we advocate caution in interpreting aDNA in the context of the Neolithic transition in Europe. Nevertheless, our results strengthen conclusions demonstrating genetic discontinuity between modern and ancient Europeans whether through migration, demographic or selection processes, or social practices.
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The notion of identity has sometimes been implicitly likened to methodology of classification, which applies to prehistorian’s work in order to better position the subject of his research in time and space. Concerning megalithism in... more
The notion of identity has sometimes been implicitly likened to methodology of classification, which applies to prehistorian’s work in order to better position the subject of his research in time and space. Concerning megalithism in Western France, a model of unilinear development has now prevailed for about fifteen years, drawing a parallel between the classification of architectures and what appeared to be new suggestions concerning the periodisation of material culture. This model struggles in accounting for the entire diversity of the observed facts. Therefore, one has to accept the idea of multiplicity of identities or of multifaceted identities, sometimes coexisting within the same place. A technological approach assumes that all material implementation realized by men – beyond functional constraints and specificities – bears a part of innate identity resulting from the manner in which the operational sequences, whether simple or complex, are set up. At the same time, all these implementations materialise a conceptual standard to which expressed identity values are often attributed. Amongst the numerous conceptual standards whose entire diversity we only just start to perceive in the megalithism of Western France, a very elongated trapeze-shaped plan lined by two lateral quarries is valorised. According to a general proposal hardly new in itself, this standard is not without recalling the plan of the Danubian house .
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Phenomenology, Neolithic Archaeology, and 16 moreNeolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Archaeoastronomy, Megalithic Monuments, Megaliths (Archaeology), Neolithic Europe, Heritage interpretation, Neolithic, Computer Applications & Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA), Museum Digital, gvSIG, Belief Systems, Stone tools, Settlement & Landscape research, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), The Uses of Archaeology и History of Archaeological Theory
Tous ceux qui se sont livrés à ce difficile exercice qu’est la restauration de l’architecture d’un monument mégalithique, savent combien il comporte d’approximations, d’hésitations, de choix arbitraires, et même parfois de préjugés... more
Tous ceux qui se sont livrés à ce difficile exercice qu’est la restauration de l’architecture d’un monument mégalithique, savent combien il comporte d’approximations, d’hésitations, de choix arbitraires, et même parfois de préjugés infondés. Cela revient à figer le monument dans un état que les bâtisseurs du Néolithique n’ont peut-être jamais vus ainsi, soit parce qu’il s’agit d’un état partiel souvent lié à un état de conservation particulier, soit parce que ces monuments ont connus une histoire architecturale complexe dont il est bien difficile de rendre compte sur le terrain. Ce sont en somme des questions similaires à celles qui ont été soulevées à la suite des nombreuses restaurations effectuées à la fin du XIX° siècle sur des monuments de la période médiévale. En ce qu’elles sont aussi une forme d’appropriation de formes architecturales héritées, parfois, de telles attitudes ne sont peut-être pas totalement étrangères à l’évolution de ces architectures au cours du Néolithique lui même. Tous les exemples que nous seront amenés à détailler proviennent de l’ouest de la France, pour lequel un rapide bilan de nos connaissances les plus actuelles sur le mégalithisme sera proposé.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Phenomenology, Archaeoastronomy, and 7 moreMegalithic Monuments, Megaliths (Archaeology), Heritage interpretation, Belief Systems, Late Neolithic settlement and ritual & Bronze Age monumentality, The Uses of Archaeology и History of Archaeological Theory
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Wetland Archaeology, Prehistory, Neolithic, and 11 moreEarly Bronze Age, Europe, Early Neolithic, Middle Neolithic, Late Neolithic, Europa, Neolithic & Chalcolithic enclosures, Préhistoire, Campaniforme, Trackways, surveying, archaeology, Néolithique, Bell Beakers и Bronze ancien
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Toutes les quatre années, nos collègues néolithiciens travaillant en Espagne et au Portugal organisent un colloque, afin de faire le point sur les recherches récentes. Après l'Est de la péninsule en 1995 et 1999, la troisième édition a... more
Toutes les quatre années, nos collègues néolithiciens travaillant en Espagne et au Portugal organisent un colloque, afin de faire le point sur les recherches récentes. Après l'Est de la péninsule en 1995 et 1999, la troisième édition a pris la route du Nord-Ouest, vers les Cantabres, où les recherches sur le sujet sont plus récentes et les modèles encore à construire. Au nombre de 109, les communications se sont succédées à un rythme effréné durant trois jours, ponctuées par deux conférences aussi nocturnes que magistrales de J. ...