La diffusion du silex des Costières du Gard au Paléolithique supérieur

The authors stress the importance of flint of pebble from the 'Costières of Gard' during the Upper Pleistocene and more particularly the Upper Palaeolithic. In the Palaeolithic and especially in the Magdalenian, the 'export' of raw 'Costières' materials is recognized largely beyond the 200 km of the supposed or currently accessible lodgings. One can infer from these first analyses an original strong east–west current, undoubtedly still underestimated. Except possibly for the Piles Loins (Vauvert, Gard), a reciprocal current is not established. In the current state of the work, the flint of the Costières seems to have been transported during the Magdalenian into zones of the Pyrenean Piedmont (Belvis and Conques). The question is to know whether this material crossed the Pyrenean barrier with men or whether the Pyrenees constituted at that time an obstacle like it was the case for certain species like the reindeer. If we admit a certain scarcity of flint of the 'Costières' type in the East of the Rhone Valley (Crau), the latter could appear as an excellent marker of contact between Languedoc and Provence, in spite of the supposed and admitted role of the Rhone as a cultural barrier after the Gravettian. The authors consider a thorough study of the 'Costières' flint under all its aspects, i.e. diffusion – in particular towards the north (Ardèche), the east and the south of the Pyrenees –, but also a better characterization, including the identification of potential primary sources.