The Pêcheurs cave is a unique example of a Middle Palaeolithic site with three kinds of accumulations: (1)
ibex that died in a natural trap, (2) carnivores that died within the cavity, and, (3) a series of short-term
occupations by humans who left a few artifacts and a hearth area. Biological patterns of ibex remains
(skeletal parts, age) show a homogeneous structure, related to natural death inside the cave. The Chassezac
valley is narrow and sinuous, bordered by steep cliffs occupied by well-adapted hoofed-species (Caprinae).
Moreover, Les Pêcheurs is a shallow cave, pit-like, and in its deepest part (Sector 4) provided both
man and animals with shelter. The presence of a fire place (in the middle of the sequence of Sector 4)
firmly indicates the presence of an in situ occupation by a small group of hominids. According to the
stratigraphical patterns and the analysis of the lithic assemblages, artifacts do not seem to have been
introduced into sediments. The lithic assemblages (technically homogeneous) indicate that small mobile
human groups inhabited a cave that offered, by virtue of its morphology, a natural shelter against the cold
winds blowing in the Chassezac valley and the plateaus of the south-eastern borders of the Massif Central
Mountains. The exploitation of biotopes such as this rocky area constitutes a specific case of human subsistence
behavior and settlement strategy. The deepest layer is characterized by a lithic assemblage
mostly made of local raw material (quartz) implying a low investment in lithic production. Few flakes
made from non-local flints attest to the mobility of the human occupants who moved across these areas
and perhaps found in the valleys, short-term refuge. |
Récupérer au format
1Jean-Philippe Brugal 2
