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A techno-economic approach to the Mousterian of Pradayrol (Caniac-du-Causse, Lot, France): An example of the complementary management of quartz and flints during the late Middle Palaeolithic in Quercy […]

Quentin VILLENEUVE, Jean-Philippe FAIVRE, Alain TURQ & Jean-Luc GUADELLI

en Comptes Rendus Palevol 18 (2) - Pages 251-267

Published on 31 March 2019

The Mousterian locus at Pradayrol (Caniac-du-Causse, Lot, France) produced an important lithic assemblage, composed primarily of quartz, alongside a varied flint component. Our technological analysis reveals the presence of several chaînes opératoires adapted to the morphology and mechanical properties of different raw materials. This is especially evident in the use of the bipolar on-anvil technique on quartz cobbles and discoidal flaking methods on both quartz and relatively local flints. Flint from the Périgord region provides evidence for a fragmented and ramified Levallois chaîne opératoire , different from that observed with local raw materials. These techno-economic features are similar to those documented for many late Middle Palaeolithic assemblages in the Quercy. The Neanderthal occupation of Pradayrol seems to reflect a balance between technical know-how and adaptations to the raw material constraints.


Keywords:

Middle Palaeolithic, Quercy, Lithic technology, Chaîne opératoire , Quartz, Lithic techno-complexes, Mobility patterns

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