Papers by Thibault Lachenal
Lachenal T., Adroit S., Bouchet M., Lemercier O., Séjalon P., Toledo I Mur A., 2025, L’âge du Bronze en Occitanie, in : Marcigny C., Mordant C., L’âge du Bronze en France (2500 à 800 avant notre ère). Synthèses régionales, Paris, Inrap, CNRS Éditions, p. 324-345, (Recherches archéologiques, 28). , 2025
Lachenal T., Mercurin R., 2025, L’âge du Bronze en Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, in : Marcigny C., Mordant C., L’âge du Bronze en France (2500 à 800 avant notre ère). Synthèses régionales, Paris, Inrap, CNRS Éditions, p. 303-324, (Recherches archéologiques, 28). , 2025
Le territoire actuel de la région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) constitue un espace cohérent ... more Le territoire actuel de la région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) constitue un espace cohérent bordé par des entités géographiques clairement identifiables que sont les Alpes à l'est, le Rhône à l'ouest et la mer Méditerranée au sud. Au sein de celui-ci, des régions naturelles se dessinent : vallée du Rhône et basse Durance, littoral méditerranéen, régions alpines. Mais les dépressions et les vallées s'articulent en un réseau naturel de communications qui assure la cohésion de l'ensemble, avec notamment les axes transversaux formés par la Durance, l'Arc et l'Argens. Il ne s'agit donc pas d'un territoire enclavé. Il est de même ouvert vers la Méditerranée au sud et vers l'axe majeur que constitue la vallée du Rhône, voie de communication naturelle vers la France orientale et dont le delta assure une liaison avec la région languedocienne. Les Alpes méridionales ne peuvent non plus être comprises uniquement comme une frontière car loin de freiner les communications, elles les concentrent dans l'axe des cols, permettant des liaisons entre les affluents de la Durance et du Var avec ceux du Pô. Le territoire examiné se trouve par ailleurs à l'interface de différentes entités culturelles définies pour la Protohistoire, notamment les complexes italique et nord-alpin. La documentation concernant l'âge du Bronze se répartit de manière inégale dans la région (fig. ). Ainsi, la majorité des sites connus se trouvent dans les actuels bassins de vie urbaine, où l'activité archéologique a toujours été la plus forte. Ce phénomène s'est par ailleurs renforcé avec la généralisation de l'archéologie préventive. Les habitats sont plus particulièrement connus dans les zones proches de la vallée du Rhône, tandis que dans les Préalpes se trouvent de plus nombreux sites funéraires. Enfin, dans les zones alpines, ce sont surtout des dépôts d'objets métalliques découverts anciennement ainsi que des occupations pastorales d'altitude qui sont connus. Longtemps masqué par le concept d'Énéolithique, ce n'est que dans les années 1960 que le début de la période de l'âge du Bronze sera clairement défini en Provence. Ce sont notamment les fouilles stratigraphiques menées par Jean Courtin et Charles Lagrand dans les gorges du Verdon qui leur permettent de proposer une périodisation des mobiliers, parmi lesquels la céramique constitue un document privilégié (Lachenal 2014). À l'inverse dans les Hautes-Alpes, ce sont les objets métalliques, plus nombreux dans les régions alpines, qui permettent à Jacques-Claude Courtois d'identifier différentes phases de l'âge du Bronze Un corps de ferme construit au Bronze ancien 2b, en cours de fouille, sur le site de Campu Stefanu/Sollacaro en Corse (J. Cesari, DRAC Corse).
Lachenal T., Langenegger F. et Marcigny C., 2025 – Le temps qui passe du Campaniforme à l’âge du ... more Lachenal T., Langenegger F. et Marcigny C., 2025 – Le temps qui passe du Campaniforme à l’âge du Fer, In. Marcigny C. et Mordant C., dir. L’âge du Bronze en France (2500 à 800 avant notre ère), Synthèses thématiques, Recherches Archéologiques, 29, Inrap/CNRS Éditions, Paris, 2025, p. 37-43.
Marcigny C. et Mordant C., 2025 – L’âge du Bronze en France (2500 à 800 avant notre ère), Synthèses thématiques, Recherches Archéologiques, 29, Inrap/CNRS Éditions, Paris, 2025, 411 p., 2025
Prehistoric Wetland Sites of Southern Europe, 2024
The La Motte 1 site (Agde), submerged in the bed of the Hérault River, corresponds to a settlemen... more The La Motte 1 site (Agde), submerged in the bed of the Hérault River, corresponds to a settlement from the end of the Bronze Age initially established on the edge of a lagoon that is now clogged. The site is characterised by more than 500 wooden piles divided into two main groups located on shoals. The use of varied species attests to the exploitation of distinct environments such as Mediterranean mixed oak forests and riparian forests. Moreover, the spatial analysis illustrates the presence of several coherent alignments that use a specific species. The excavation trenches dug support the interpretation thereof as systems for bank maintenance and protection via different techniques: wattle made from the strawberry tree on oak piles, and possible live stakes made of willow. The study of the goods and radiocarbon dating show the successive installation of these systems between the 10th and the beginning of the 8th centuries BC. The goal of the various technical solutions was to protect the areas around the settlement from erosion. Their use must therefore be examined in the light of the changes in their immediate surroundings, which saw a rise in the sea level coupled with a progressive filling of the delta of the Hérault. This case study thus illustrates the capacity to adapt and the vulnerability of the populations of the Bronze Age in the face of changes in a particularly sensitive environment.
Des épées pour la Saône ? Les dépôts de l’âge du Bronze en milieu humide, Musée Vivant Denon, 2022
L’opération menée à Cuciurpula en 2015 a consisté en la poursuite des fouilles sur les secteurs é... more L’opération menée à Cuciurpula en 2015 a consisté en la poursuite des fouilles sur les secteurs étudiés en 2014 : l’habitation 26 et le secteur G1. La structure 26 (fig. 1) est localisée dans la partie centre-occidentale du site, à 1 030 m d’altitude, sur une zone au fort pendage. Les constructeurs ont néanmoins profité de la présence d’un chaos de bloc qui crée un replat d’un peu plus de 30 m2, sur lequel l’habitation a été implantée. La fouille, initiée en 2014, avait principalement permis ..
Bulletin de l’Association pour la Promotion des Recherches sur l'Âge du Bronze, 2021
Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 52, 1, 2022
Mesurer le temps à l'âge du Bronze (Journée thématique de l'APRAB, 6 mars 2020), 2022
L'affinement de la périodisation des productions céramiques de l'âge du Bronze en France méditerr... more L'affinement de la périodisation des productions céramiques de l'âge du Bronze en France méditerranéenne permet actuellement de disposer d'un canevas chronologique bien établi qui a fait l'objet de plusieurs contributions. L'objectif de cet article est de préciser la chronologie absolue des phases identifiées, en se basant sur les données fournies par les datations 14 C. Pour cela, une sélection des dates a été opérée pour ne retenir que celles directement associées à du mobilier suffisamment significatif pour être rattaché à l'une de ces phases. Ces dernières peuvent être considérées comme des données temporelles. Il est donc envisageable d'utiliser ces informations a priori comme contraintes dans l'analyse des résultats des datations radiocarboniques, selon une approche statistique bayésienne. Une modélisation a donc été réalisée pour les 95 dates retenues à l'aide du logiciel ChronoModel, en utilisant la nouvelle courbe de calibration dendrochronologique IntCal20. Les résultats sont cohérents pour la plupart des phases identifi ées, à l'exception de celles ayant bénéfi cié de peu de mesures (BA 3 et BF 2a). Ils s'accordent par ailleurs relativement bien avec les temporalités proposées pour la région du Plateau suisse, intégrant des datations dendrochronologiques. Cette méthode permettra donc à terme de générer un solide référentiel chronologique régional.
Bronze 2019, 20 ans de recherches: Actes du colloque international anniversaire de l'APRAB, Bayeux (19-22 juin 2019), 2021
À la fois sites et phénomène emblématiques de l'âge du Bronze, dont ils constituent la principale... more À la fois sites et phénomène emblématiques de l'âge du Bronze, dont ils constituent la principale source d'information sur la métallurgie, les dépôts (non funéraires) d'objets métalliques ont mobilisé l'attention des chercheurs dès le xix e s. et leur interprétation s'est rapidement basée sur leur composition. Dans cette contribution, nous avons souhaité comparer les pratiques de dépôts durant l'ensemble de l'âge du Bronze en embrassant un territoire relativement vaste correspondant à la France orientale dans une acception large, du Languedoc à la Lorraine. Une typologie de ces ensembles est proposée à partir de la fréquence des catégories fonctionnelles. Elle met en évidence diff érentes pratiques dont la chronologie et la localisation ne sont pas aléatoires. Des tendances évolutives peuvent aussi être perçues à diff érentes échelles d'observation, allant dans le sens d'une complexifi cation. Des dissemblances qui se retrouvent tout au long de l'âge du Bronze permettent de scinder deux espaces : d'une part, un ensemble nord-alpin recouvrant la Bourgogne/Franche-Comté s'étendant aux Alpes du Nord et à la haute vallée du Rhône ; d'autre part, les Alpes du Sud et le Languedoc. La diff usion de certaines pratiques (dépôts complexes de parures cérémo-nielles…) va toutefois de pair avec l'extension de groupes culturels. Cela porte à croire que les gestes et pratiques qui mènent à la constitution des dépôts peuvent être perçus comme des traits culturels, au même titre que la typologie des objets qui les composent.
Les Bagnoles à L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Un site majeur du Néolithique moyen en Vaucluse, 2020
Cinq structures en creux ont été attribuées à l'âge du Bronze sur la base de leur mobilier archéo... more Cinq structures en creux ont été attribuées à l'âge du Bronze sur la base de leur mobilier archéologique. À celles-ci s'ajoutent 31 trous de poteau qui permettent de reconstituer deux plans de bâtiment attribuables à cette même période chronologique. Ces structures sont localisées dans la partie sud-ouest du décapage (fig. 332).
Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche - LXX S1, 2020
Italia tra Mediterraneo ed Europa: mobilità, interazioni e scambi-p. 3 Con il volume intitolato I... more Italia tra Mediterraneo ed Europa: mobilità, interazioni e scambi-p. 3 Con il volume intitolato Italia tra Mediterraneo ed Europa l'Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria inaugura la Serie dei numeri speciali della Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche. La nuova serie, che mantiene la veste grafica e le norme editoriali della Rivista, è stata pensata per accogliere volumi dedicati all'approfondimento di tematiche specifiche, con guest editors e procedura di peer-rewiev estesa a tutti i contributi. L'intento è quello di dare spazio alle molteplici occasioni di riflessione incentrate sulle tematiche della ricerca preistorica e protostorica in Italia, valorizzando l'attività scientifica degli studiosi e destinando loro una sede editoriale rispondente agli attuali sistemi di valutazione accademica. Già a partire da questo numero saranno quindi pubblicati in questa sede anche gli esiti delle Riunioni Scientifiche dell'Istituto, sostituendo la collana "Studi di Preistoria e Protostoria" che si avvia a conclusione. Per quanto riguarda i criteri editoriali, si è scelto di salvaguardare la distinzione delle due serie (ordinaria e speciale): la Rivista proseguirà la numerazione attuale con cadenza regolare e numeri romani, mentre la serie speciale manterrà il numero della rivista relativo all'anno di uscita, aggiungendo a seguire una numerazione (S1, S2, S3,...) in progressione interna continua. L'adozione di un colore differente per le scritte di copertina e l'inserimento di un logo di volta in volta differenziato, utile a identificare lo specifico numero tematico, completano la veste editoriale dei numeri speciali. Mi preme sottolineare il respiro internazionale con cui si inaugura la serie speciale, con un volume che rappresenta un'importante riflessione sul tema dei molteplici contatti che il nostro Paese ha stretto, fin dalla preistoria, con gli altri paesi d'Europa e del Mediterraneo, ricevendone influssi che ha spesso integrato nel proprio patrimonio, rielaborandoli e ritrasmettendoli a sua volta. Alla curatrice, già Presidente dell'Istituto dott.ssa Maria Bernabò Brea e al Direttore della Rivista, prof. Carlo Lugliè va il mio sentito ringraziamento per aver reso possibile questo progetto.
by Francesco Iacono, Maurizio Cattani, Claudio Cavazzuti, Helen Dawson, Maja Gori, Cristiano Iaia, Thibault Lachenal, Alberto J. Lorrio, Rafael Micó, Argyro Nafplioti, Kewin Peche-Quilichini, Barry Molloy, and Nicola Ialongo Journal of Archaeological Research, 2021
-- Full-text paper available here: https://rdcu.be/cmCGI --
The Late Bronze Age (1700-900 BC) r... more -- Full-text paper available here: https://rdcu.be/cmCGI --
The Late Bronze Age (1700-900 BC) represents an extremely dynamic period for Mediterranean Europe. Here, we provide a comparative survey of the archaeological record of over half a millennium within the entire northern littoral of the Mediterranean, from Greece to Iberia, incorporating archaeological, archaeometric, and bioarchaeological evidence. The picture that emerges, while certainly fragmented and not displaying a unique trajectory, reveals a number of broad trends in aspects as different as social organization, trade, transcultural phenomena, and human mobility. The contribution of such trends to the processes that caused the end of the Bronze Age is also examined. Taken together, they illustrate how networks of interaction, ranging from the short to the long range, became a defining aspect of the "Middle Sea" during this time, influencing the lives of the communities that inhabited its northern shore. They also highlight the importance of research that crosses modern boundaries for gaining a better understanding of broad comparable dynamics.
Documents d'Archéologie Méridionale, 2019
Cet article vise à analyser les modalités et les rythmes de l'occupation des sites de hauteur pou... more Cet article vise à analyser les modalités et les rythmes de l'occupation des sites de hauteur pour l'ensemble de la période de l'âge du Bronze sur le territoire administratif de la région Provence-Alpes-Côte d' Azur. L'inventaire des découvertes indique que ce type d'établissement est particulièrement fréquent pendant deux phases, situées aux deux extrémités de la séquence : le début du Bronze ancien et le Bronze final 3b. Pour la première, ce phénomène peut être lu comme le prolongement de modalités d'occupation connues à la fin du Néolithique. Les sites de hauteurs sont particulièrement fréquents aux abords de l'étang de Berre, où certains habitats développent d'ailleurs des enceintes défensives. Au Bronze final 3b, cela coïncide avec une augmentation du nombre de sites et éventuellement l'apparition d'agglomérations de plus grande taille, deux phénomènes perçus sur l'ensemble du littoral méditerranéen.
Mots-clefs : Âge du Bronze, Provence, occupation du sol, établissement de hauteur, enceinte
Abstract: This article aims to examine the modalities and rhythms of the occupation of height sites of the Bronze Age in the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d' Azur. The inventory indicates that this type of settlements is particularly frequent during two phases, located at the beginning and the end of the sequence: the first stage of the early Bronze Age and the Late Bronze Age 3b phase. For the first, this phenomenon can be interpreted as an extension of the settlement modalities known at the end of the Neolithic period. Height sites are particularly common near the Pond of Berre, where some settlements develop defensive enclosures. In the Late Bronze Age 3b phase, this coincides with an increase in the number of sites and possibly the appearance of larger agglomerations, two phenomena perceived throughout the Mediterranean coastline.
Plusieurs catégories de foyers ont été observées en Corse pour la Protohistoire. Si les données s... more Plusieurs catégories de foyers ont été observées en Corse pour la Protohistoire. Si les données sont à l'heure actuelle lacunaires concernant le Bronze ancien, on connaît de nombreux exemples en contexte domestique au Bronze moyen, Implantées à l'intérieur des habitations, ces structures présentent des formes, des dimensions et des situations variées. Durant la même phase, certains monuments turriformes montrent la présence récurrente d'un grand foyer au centre de la pièce du rez-de-chaussée, assurant lumière, chaleur et surface de cuisson à cet espace particulier. Au Bronze final et au premier âge du Fer, l'aire circulaire d'argile cuite, parfois parementée de tessons, devient systématique dans les habitations de plan stéréotypé qui caractérisent ces phases, même si sa disposition spatiale est variable. Quelques foyers en fosse sont également documentés. On connaît en outre, pour toutes les phases protohistoriques, des aires de chauffe non structurées, peut-être plus opportunistes, comme par exemple celles superposées aux marches de la rampe de la torra de Tusiu, qui signent un abandon de l'étage au Bronze final. Les données anthracologiques sont peu nombreuses mais attestent d'une utilisation privilégiée de la bruyère en tant que bois de chauffe.
Entre terres et eaux. Les sites littoraux de l'âge du Bronze : spécificités et relations avec l'arrière-pays. Actes de la séance de la Société préhistorique française, Agde, 20-21 oct. 2017, 2020
Résumé : Le site la Motte 1 (Agde, Hérault), immergé dans le lit mineur du fleuve Hérault, est co... more Résumé : Le site la Motte 1 (Agde, Hérault), immergé dans le lit mineur du fleuve Hérault, est connu pour avoir livré une riche parure féminine datée du viiie siècle av. J.-C. associée à des vestiges d’habitats. Nous présentons ici une synthèse des résultats des fouilles récentes menées sur ce site entre 2011 et 2018.
Au moment de son occupation, l’établissement de la Motte se situait en bordure de lagune et à proximité de l’embouchure de l’Hé¬rault. Il se caractérise par près de 500 pieux de bois répartis en deux ensembles principaux localisés sur des hauts fonds, associés à de nombreux blocs de basalte qui ont pu participer de la structuration de l’occupation. Les pieux correspondent à plusieurs alignements cohérents faisant appel à une essence de bois en particulier. Les sondages réalisés permettent de les interpréter comme des systèmes de maintien et de protection de berge utilisant des techniques différentes : fascine de clayonnage et possibles piquets vivants en saule. Ils devaient protéger un habitat qui a malheureusement été fortement érodé par l’action du fleuve. L’analyse des corpus céramiques et des datations radiocarbone permet de caractériser une évolution de la fin du xe (Bronze final IIIa) au début du viiie siècle av. J.-C., avec un développement du site du sud vers le nord.
Différentes analyses (anthracologie, carpologie, paléoentomologie et archéozoologie) convergent vers la caractérisation d’un habitat pérenne occupé toute l’année, dont l’économie était prioritairement tournée vers l’agriculture et l’élevage. Délibérément implanté à l’interface entre deux milieux aux potentialités différentes, il s’insérait dans un réseau d’habitat régulièrement implanté le long du fleuve Hérault. Au sein de ce réseau, il ne semble pas constituer un site dépendant des occupations de hauteur de l’hinterland. Le travail du métal y semble en revanche une activité importante. Il est donc légitime de se demander si le site de la Motte n’a pas joué un rôle de producteur et de distributeur d’objets en bronze réalisé, au moins en partie, avec le minerai de cuivre du district de Cabrières ?
Mots-clés : Bronze final, habitat littoral, lagune, Hérault, clayonnage, céramique, chronotypologie, carpologie, entomologie, archéozoo¬logie, anthracologie, dendrochronologie.
Abstract : The site of la Motte 1 (Agde, Hérault), submerged in the minor bed of the Hérault River, is known for the discovery of rich female personal ornaments dated to the 8th century BC, associated with the remains of a settlement. We present here an overview of the results from recent excavations carried out at this site between 2011 and 2018. The issues related to the structuration of the site, to its duration and to its economy are addressed more particularly with the aim of giving thought to its place in the Late Bronze Age occupation of the lower Hérault valley.
Core sampling carried out on each bank of the river has revealed the presence of an open lagoon from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. During its occupation the la Motte site was located on the edge of the lagoon and near to the mouth of the Hérault River. It is charac-terised by nearly 500 wooden piles divided into two main groups located on shoals, connected with numerous basalt blocks that may have contributed to the structuring of the occupation.
Most of the wooden pieces that could be identified are vertical elements, piles and stakes that have been rammed into the ground. The pieces analysed reveal the use of a variety of species, reflecting the diversified use of distinct environments such as Mediterranean mixed oak forests and riparian forests. Most of these are therefore young woods, which were cut into green, unbarked wood. They reflect a simple exploitation of the forest environment in which wood is abundant.
Nearly 80% of the wood identified at the site has been identified via its anatomy. This makes it possible to carry out a spatial analysis of the site’s structure based on the nature of the wood used. Several coherent alignments using a particular wood species could thus be identified. The surveys carried out made it possible to interpret them as bank support and protection systems using different techniques: arbutus wattle supported by oak piles and possible live willow piles. In the centre was a settlement that unfortunately has been severely eroded by the action of the river. However, remains of dwellings can be identified and these suggest a building plan.
The analysis of the pottery remains found in stratigraphic surveys makes it possible to characterise the temporal evolution of the site from the end of the 10th century BC (Bronze final IIIa) to the beginning of the 8th century BC. This is confirmed by radiocarbon dating which has been the subject of Bayesian modelling. These data show a development of the site from south to north. Different shoreline stabilisation systems may have been successively implemented in response to the morphological evolution of the site and its environ¬ment.
Data on the economy of the site (anthracology, carpology, paleoentomology and archaeozoology) indicate a permanent settlement occupied all year round, whose economy was primarily oriented towards agriculture and livestock. Deliberately located at the interface between two environments with different potentialities, its inhabitants built shoreline protection systems to ensure the long-term sur¬vival of the village for at least two centuries.
The village was part of a settlement network regularly established along the Hérault River. It is also the eastern extension of the polarised lagoon settlements established around the Thau pond. Within this network, the littoral habitat of la Motte does not seem to constitute a site dependent on the settlements in elevated positions of the hinterland, as has been proposed in other Languedoc regions. Metalworking, on the other hand, seems to be an important activity. It is therefore legitimate to ask whether it may have played a role as a producer and distributor of bronze objects made, at least in part, with copper ore from the Cabrières district?
Keywords: Late Bronze Age, littoral settlement, lagoon, Hérault, wattle, ceramics, chronotypology, carpology, entomology, archaeozoo¬logy, anthracology, dendrochronology.
Entre terres et eaux. Les sites littoraux de l'âge du Bronze : spécificités et relations avec l'arrière-pays. Actes de la séance de la Société préhistorique française, Agde, 20-21 oct. 2017, 2020
Le Roc de Conilhac est une petite éminence rocheuse localisée dans le complexe lagunaire narbonna... more Le Roc de Conilhac est une petite éminence rocheuse localisée dans le complexe lagunaire narbonnais. Le site est connu depuis la fin des années 1940, suite à des sondages de Max Guy ayant mis au jour un mobilier conséquent se rapportant à diverses phases de l'âge du Bronze, conférant à ce site le statut de contexte de référence pour cette période en Languedoc occidental. Mais suite à ces premiers travaux prometteurs, les niveaux archéologiques subirent d'importantes destructions dans les années 1960. Afin d'évaluer sa préservation et son potentiel pour de nouvelles recherches, des opérations de sondages et de carottages furent réalisées en 2014 sur le site et dans la lagune à proximité. Parmi les trois sondages archéologiques réalisés, seul le troisième a livré des niveaux en place, sous la forme d'un vase du début du Bronze moyen associé à du mobilier de mouture ainsi que d'une fosse réutilisée en dépotoir au Bronze final IIb. Les quelques restes de faune et d'ichtyofaune récoltés font état d'une économie d'élevage dominée par la triade domestique et d'une pêche lagunaire effectuée au niveau du grau ou du cordon littoral. L'intérêt principal de ces nouvelles recherches a toutefois consisté en la réalisation de forages à proximité. En effet, le croisement des données lithostratigraphiques et sédimentologiques avec l'analyse des assemblages d'ostracodes permet d'observer l'évolution paléoenvironnementale des abords du site. La première phase, dont la fin est datée dans le courant du Bronze final, correspond à un environnement lagunaire communiquant avec la mer. La deuxième phase, finissant avec le changement d'ère, correspond à un système lagunaire dans un stade final de comblement sous influence fluviale. Enfin, la troisième phase est marquée par l'atterrissement par aggradation de la lagune, avec l'apparition d'un milieu marécageux régulièrement immergé. La transition entre les deux premières phases, qui se distinguent par un changement rapide des conditions environnementales et hydro-sédimentaires, serait donc liée à la progradation du delta de l'Aude dans le fond de la lagune. Ces changements dans les conditions du milieu naturel pourraient avoir provoqué l'abandon du site après le Bronze final.
Mots-clés : Bronze moyen, Bronze final, habitat littoral, lagune, paléoenvironnement, sédimentologie, ostracodes.
Abstract : The small rocky hill of Roc de Conilhac is located in the Narbonne lagoon complex, on the border of the Narbonne and Gruissan communities (fig. 1). This site has been known since the late 1940s thanks to archaeological surveys carried out by Max Guy. Observations made at that time suggested the presence of a Bronze Age site represented by features such as pits and fireplaces as well as occupational layers. The remains and features that were uncovered indicate the presence of open-air settlements the activities of which focused on the exploitation of the lagoon area, revealed by a large number of remains of aquatic fauna. The pottery typology evidences the presence of at least four occupational phases which correspond to the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age as well as to the Late Bronze Age I, IIb and IIIa (figs. 2-4). The site was thus occupied over a long period of time, which is rarely documented for open-air settlements of that period in Western Languedoc, and it therefore has a reference status. However, following these initial favourable investigations the site was severely damaged in the 1960s. Later, archaeological surveys and core drillings were carried out in 2014 at Roc de Conilhac and in the nearby lagoon in order to assess its state of preservation and its potential for further research (figs. 5-6). Unfortunately, the first of three archaeological surveys produced a negative result. The second one, carried out in the western foothills, yielded a stratigraphy mainly composed of colluvial levels. However, scattered remains of fauna and ichthyofauna associated with some protohistoric sherds indicate the presence of a largely eroded archaeological layer that was found above a level of stones at the base of the survey. The third survey was carried out in the southeastern part of Roc de Conilhac, on a flat area bordered by a steep slope, about ten metres above the lagoon. A vase associated with two grinding instruments was crushed in situ (US 313), and was attributed to the beginning of the Middle Bronze. A pit partially dug in the substrate (US 305) delivered ceramics from the Late Bronze IIb (fig. 7-9). This age is confirmed by radiocarbon dating (Fig. 10).
The few remains of fauna from the various surveys correspond almost exclusively to the domestic triad (cattle, goats, suidae). The ichthyofauna corresponds to remains of sparids, mugilids and pleuronectiformes. This association therefore reflects the image of a lagoon fishery, which was probably close to the grau or lido. The few remains of shell are consistent with these data. They reflect the exploitation of the surrounding lagoon, which was supposed to be a biotope more open to the sea than now.
However, the main interest of this new research is given from cores performed near the site, providing new information on the evolution of its environment. Indeed, the multi-method approach based on lithostratigraphic, sedimentological and ostracod analyses allows us to observe three main phases within the sequence, which can be associated with three types of natural environments representative of the late Holocene paleoenvironmental evolution in the southern sector of the Roc de Conilhac (Fig. 11-15).
The first phase (A: 3.5 - 5.0 m ; U2h to U2k) is characterized by a coarse sandy sedimentation with abundant debris of mollusk shells. This probably represents a highly hydrodynamic aquatic environment with currents strong and competent enough to transport small rounded gravels. These levels are associated with a scarce but well-diversified fauna of ostracods, whose assemblage is associated with lagoon environments open to the sea and in which water renewal is quite rapid. Metal paleopollutions (copper) indicate the presence of human occupations and metallurgical activity contemporary to this period. The radiocarbon age of a shell from the top of this sequence (U2h) dates the end of this period in the course of the Late Bronze Age. The second phase (B: 2.4 - 3.5 m ; U2e to U2g) probably corresponds to a lagoonal system in a final filling stage with lower energy than in the previous period. The fine sand and sandy silt overlying this part of the sequence are characterized by very euryhaline ostracods. It is proposed that the paleoenvironmental conditions of this level were similar to that of modern river-influenced environments, with a branch very close to the Roc de Conilhac. The radiocarbon age at the top of this sequence (U2e) corresponds to the change of era between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD. The third phase (C: above 1.4 m; U1a to U1c and U2a to U2d) is characterized by aggradational processes that led to completely fill the lagoon south of the Roc de Conilhac, with the appearance of a regularly submerged marshy environment.
The transition between the phases A and B, which are characterized by a rapid change in environmental and hydrosedimentary conditions, would be related to the progradation of the Aude delta in the lagoon. Concerning the society-environment interactions, these changes in natural environmental conditions could perhaps have caused the abandonment of the site after the Late Bronze Age.
Thus, this study represents an important milestone in the analysis of the dynamics of human settlement in lagoonal environment, in relation to the evolution of the coastline of the Gulf of Lions, which was particularly sensitive to environmental changes at the interface between land and water.
Keywords: Middle Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age, coastal settlement, lagoon, paleoenvironment, sedimentology, ostracods
Bulletin de la société préhistorique française, 2017
Cette étude s'intéresse à une variété de parure annulaire dont l'originalité se devait d'être sou... more Cette étude s'intéresse à une variété de parure annulaire dont l'originalité se devait d'être soulignée, qu'il est proposé de nommer bracelets du groupe d'Orgon en référence au dépôt de Notre-Dame de Beauregard, dans cette localité des Bouches-du-Rhône, qui en a livré le plus grand nombre. Ce groupe est illustré par quarante objets provenant de douze sites répartis dans quatre départements du Sud-Est de la France. Il correspond à des bracelets ouverts, de tige mince à section en D aplati dont les extrémités sont ornées de bourrelets transversaux. Les contextes de découvertes de ces objets, de nature variée (habitats, dépôts et nécropoles) convergent vers une datation de leur production au Bronze final 3b et éventuellement lors de la phase de transition entre l'âge du Bronze et l'âge du Fer, aux ix e et viii e s. av. J.-C. Ces parures sont munies de décors couvrant la totalité du jonc et présentant une certaine variabilité en fonction de la technique utilisée et des motifs représentés. Leur combinaison permet de définir 3 types qui s'excluent géographique-ment, la majorité des exemplaires de chacun d'entre eux se concentrant dans un cercle ne dépassant pas les 50 km de diamètre. Ces différences peuvent signaler l'existence de trois ateliers spécialisés possédant chacun un type d'orne-mentation spécifique. Plusieurs indices, comme un moule, témoignent en effet d'une production locale de ces objets. Les bracelets de même type provenant du dépôt de Notre-Dame de Beauregard et de la nécropole des Lauzières à Lourmarin dans le Vaucluse présentent par ailleurs des signatures élémentaires semblables, qui laissent penser qu'ils proviennent d'un même atelier. Une autre hypothèse expliquant la production de ces types est que ces décors furent les supports d'expressions identitaires et que leur zone de répartition principale corresponde à un territoire communautaire. Une bonne correspondance peut en effet être établie entre la répartition de ces objets et les styles céramiques du bassin inférieur du Rhône à l'extrême fin de l'âge du Bronze. Localisées à distance des ressources en cuivre des Alpes et du Sud du Massif central, ces sociétés ne sont néanmoins pas dépourvues d'une production métallurgique propre, dont les bracelets du groupe d'Orgon constituent les témoins les plus directs.
Abstract: This paper focuses on a variety of annular ornament whose originality should be emphasized, and which we propose to call Orgon group bracelets in reference to a hoard discovered in Notre-Dame de Beauregard (Bouches-du-Rhône) which contained the majority of the known objects. This group is illustrated by fourty objects, to which must be added a possible casting mould, from twelve sites spread over four departments of southeastern France: Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Vaucluse and Ardèche (see table 1). It corresponds to an open bracelet provided with a thin stem with a flattened D-section the ends of which are decorated with transverse ribs. These bracelets come from varied contexts (human settlements, hoards and tombs; fig. 12) and can be dated to the Late Bronze Age 3b, or possibly to the transition phase between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age (i.e. between the 9th and 8th centuries BC). These ornaments probably are objects of everyday life, found in the form of fragments on settlements, but which can also be parts of much more ostentatious ornaments, as illustrated by the rich costume of the hoard of the Déroc cave. The tombs discoveries indicate that they may have been worn either singly or in series. The tomb of the Lauzières and the two hoards clearly illustrate this, with increasing lengths allowing the shape of the forearm to be matched (fig. 13). They are provided with decorations covering the whole bangle and presenting a certain variability according to the technique used and the patterns depicted. The combination of the latter makes it possible to define 3 types: the Lauz-ières type corresponding to the specimens supporting only a relief decoration, the Notre-Dame de Beauregard type type characterized by engraved decors of lines, crosses and triangles, finally the Déroc type, also determined by the presence of engraved ornamentations, which combines the cruciform decorations with ovoid patterns (fig. 10). These decorative types find some correspondence with the morphology of the objects, considering their maximum length and width (fig. 11). These three different types appear to be not only located in distinct geographical areas, but also concentrated in circles which do not exceed 50 km in diameter (fig. 14). These differences may indicate the existence of three specialized workshops, each with a specific type of ornamentation. Several indications testify to a local production of these objects, which could proceed from the evolution of the Pourrières type, dating back to the Late Bronze Age 2b-3a. First of all, we can evoke the presence of a casting mould (fig. 3, no. 3) coming from the tumulus of the Moullard sud in Lambesc (Bouches-du-Rhône), which was transformed in a second stage for the production of socketed axes. Secondly Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française Tome 114, numéro 3, juillet-septembre 2017, p. 553-572
De la tombe au territoire. Actualités de la recherche. Actes des 11èmes Rencontres Méridionales de Préhistoire Récente, Montpellier (34), 25-27 septembre 2014, 2016
Cet article se veut être une première présentation des données disponibles à la suite d'une opéra... more Cet article se veut être une première présentation des données disponibles à la suite d'une opération d'archéologie préventive qui a eu lieu durant l'été 2012 sur le site de Bel-Air (Sénas, Bouches-du-Rhône). En l'état actuel des connaissances, les divers vestiges témoignent d'une occupation humaine dense et apparemment relativement courte au cours du second horizon du Néolithique final provençal, entre 2880 et 2490 avant notre ère. Elle se caractérise par plusieurs temps qui sont difficiles, pour le moment, à articuler entre eux, mais qui sont tous rattachés au groupe Couronnien de basse Provence occidentale.
Mots-clefs Basse-Provence, Massif des Alpilles, Néolithique final 2, habitat de plein air, multiples occupations
Abstract This article is the first presentation of the results of a rescue archaeology operation carried out between July and August 2012 at the site of Bel-Air, Sénas (Bouches-du-Rhône). Our current knowledge of the diverse archaeological remains indicates that a densely occupied settlement existed within a relatively short period during the second phase of the Final neolithic in Provence, between 2880 and 2490 BC. The occupation is characterized by several activity phases, which, though they are difficult to define at this stage of research, are all associated with the Couronnien group.
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Papers by Thibault Lachenal
The Late Bronze Age (1700-900 BC) represents an extremely dynamic period for Mediterranean Europe. Here, we provide a comparative survey of the archaeological record of over half a millennium within the entire northern littoral of the Mediterranean, from Greece to Iberia, incorporating archaeological, archaeometric, and bioarchaeological evidence. The picture that emerges, while certainly fragmented and not displaying a unique trajectory, reveals a number of broad trends in aspects as different as social organization, trade, transcultural phenomena, and human mobility. The contribution of such trends to the processes that caused the end of the Bronze Age is also examined. Taken together, they illustrate how networks of interaction, ranging from the short to the long range, became a defining aspect of the "Middle Sea" during this time, influencing the lives of the communities that inhabited its northern shore. They also highlight the importance of research that crosses modern boundaries for gaining a better understanding of broad comparable dynamics.
Mots-clefs : Âge du Bronze, Provence, occupation du sol, établissement de hauteur, enceinte
Abstract: This article aims to examine the modalities and rhythms of the occupation of height sites of the Bronze Age in the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d' Azur. The inventory indicates that this type of settlements is particularly frequent during two phases, located at the beginning and the end of the sequence: the first stage of the early Bronze Age and the Late Bronze Age 3b phase. For the first, this phenomenon can be interpreted as an extension of the settlement modalities known at the end of the Neolithic period. Height sites are particularly common near the Pond of Berre, where some settlements develop defensive enclosures. In the Late Bronze Age 3b phase, this coincides with an increase in the number of sites and possibly the appearance of larger agglomerations, two phenomena perceived throughout the Mediterranean coastline.
Au moment de son occupation, l’établissement de la Motte se situait en bordure de lagune et à proximité de l’embouchure de l’Hé¬rault. Il se caractérise par près de 500 pieux de bois répartis en deux ensembles principaux localisés sur des hauts fonds, associés à de nombreux blocs de basalte qui ont pu participer de la structuration de l’occupation. Les pieux correspondent à plusieurs alignements cohérents faisant appel à une essence de bois en particulier. Les sondages réalisés permettent de les interpréter comme des systèmes de maintien et de protection de berge utilisant des techniques différentes : fascine de clayonnage et possibles piquets vivants en saule. Ils devaient protéger un habitat qui a malheureusement été fortement érodé par l’action du fleuve. L’analyse des corpus céramiques et des datations radiocarbone permet de caractériser une évolution de la fin du xe (Bronze final IIIa) au début du viiie siècle av. J.-C., avec un développement du site du sud vers le nord.
Différentes analyses (anthracologie, carpologie, paléoentomologie et archéozoologie) convergent vers la caractérisation d’un habitat pérenne occupé toute l’année, dont l’économie était prioritairement tournée vers l’agriculture et l’élevage. Délibérément implanté à l’interface entre deux milieux aux potentialités différentes, il s’insérait dans un réseau d’habitat régulièrement implanté le long du fleuve Hérault. Au sein de ce réseau, il ne semble pas constituer un site dépendant des occupations de hauteur de l’hinterland. Le travail du métal y semble en revanche une activité importante. Il est donc légitime de se demander si le site de la Motte n’a pas joué un rôle de producteur et de distributeur d’objets en bronze réalisé, au moins en partie, avec le minerai de cuivre du district de Cabrières ?
Mots-clés : Bronze final, habitat littoral, lagune, Hérault, clayonnage, céramique, chronotypologie, carpologie, entomologie, archéozoo¬logie, anthracologie, dendrochronologie.
Abstract : The site of la Motte 1 (Agde, Hérault), submerged in the minor bed of the Hérault River, is known for the discovery of rich female personal ornaments dated to the 8th century BC, associated with the remains of a settlement. We present here an overview of the results from recent excavations carried out at this site between 2011 and 2018. The issues related to the structuration of the site, to its duration and to its economy are addressed more particularly with the aim of giving thought to its place in the Late Bronze Age occupation of the lower Hérault valley.
Core sampling carried out on each bank of the river has revealed the presence of an open lagoon from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. During its occupation the la Motte site was located on the edge of the lagoon and near to the mouth of the Hérault River. It is charac-terised by nearly 500 wooden piles divided into two main groups located on shoals, connected with numerous basalt blocks that may have contributed to the structuring of the occupation.
Most of the wooden pieces that could be identified are vertical elements, piles and stakes that have been rammed into the ground. The pieces analysed reveal the use of a variety of species, reflecting the diversified use of distinct environments such as Mediterranean mixed oak forests and riparian forests. Most of these are therefore young woods, which were cut into green, unbarked wood. They reflect a simple exploitation of the forest environment in which wood is abundant.
Nearly 80% of the wood identified at the site has been identified via its anatomy. This makes it possible to carry out a spatial analysis of the site’s structure based on the nature of the wood used. Several coherent alignments using a particular wood species could thus be identified. The surveys carried out made it possible to interpret them as bank support and protection systems using different techniques: arbutus wattle supported by oak piles and possible live willow piles. In the centre was a settlement that unfortunately has been severely eroded by the action of the river. However, remains of dwellings can be identified and these suggest a building plan.
The analysis of the pottery remains found in stratigraphic surveys makes it possible to characterise the temporal evolution of the site from the end of the 10th century BC (Bronze final IIIa) to the beginning of the 8th century BC. This is confirmed by radiocarbon dating which has been the subject of Bayesian modelling. These data show a development of the site from south to north. Different shoreline stabilisation systems may have been successively implemented in response to the morphological evolution of the site and its environ¬ment.
Data on the economy of the site (anthracology, carpology, paleoentomology and archaeozoology) indicate a permanent settlement occupied all year round, whose economy was primarily oriented towards agriculture and livestock. Deliberately located at the interface between two environments with different potentialities, its inhabitants built shoreline protection systems to ensure the long-term sur¬vival of the village for at least two centuries.
The village was part of a settlement network regularly established along the Hérault River. It is also the eastern extension of the polarised lagoon settlements established around the Thau pond. Within this network, the littoral habitat of la Motte does not seem to constitute a site dependent on the settlements in elevated positions of the hinterland, as has been proposed in other Languedoc regions. Metalworking, on the other hand, seems to be an important activity. It is therefore legitimate to ask whether it may have played a role as a producer and distributor of bronze objects made, at least in part, with copper ore from the Cabrières district?
Keywords: Late Bronze Age, littoral settlement, lagoon, Hérault, wattle, ceramics, chronotypology, carpology, entomology, archaeozoo¬logy, anthracology, dendrochronology.
Mots-clés : Bronze moyen, Bronze final, habitat littoral, lagune, paléoenvironnement, sédimentologie, ostracodes.
Abstract : The small rocky hill of Roc de Conilhac is located in the Narbonne lagoon complex, on the border of the Narbonne and Gruissan communities (fig. 1). This site has been known since the late 1940s thanks to archaeological surveys carried out by Max Guy. Observations made at that time suggested the presence of a Bronze Age site represented by features such as pits and fireplaces as well as occupational layers. The remains and features that were uncovered indicate the presence of open-air settlements the activities of which focused on the exploitation of the lagoon area, revealed by a large number of remains of aquatic fauna. The pottery typology evidences the presence of at least four occupational phases which correspond to the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age as well as to the Late Bronze Age I, IIb and IIIa (figs. 2-4). The site was thus occupied over a long period of time, which is rarely documented for open-air settlements of that period in Western Languedoc, and it therefore has a reference status. However, following these initial favourable investigations the site was severely damaged in the 1960s. Later, archaeological surveys and core drillings were carried out in 2014 at Roc de Conilhac and in the nearby lagoon in order to assess its state of preservation and its potential for further research (figs. 5-6). Unfortunately, the first of three archaeological surveys produced a negative result. The second one, carried out in the western foothills, yielded a stratigraphy mainly composed of colluvial levels. However, scattered remains of fauna and ichthyofauna associated with some protohistoric sherds indicate the presence of a largely eroded archaeological layer that was found above a level of stones at the base of the survey. The third survey was carried out in the southeastern part of Roc de Conilhac, on a flat area bordered by a steep slope, about ten metres above the lagoon. A vase associated with two grinding instruments was crushed in situ (US 313), and was attributed to the beginning of the Middle Bronze. A pit partially dug in the substrate (US 305) delivered ceramics from the Late Bronze IIb (fig. 7-9). This age is confirmed by radiocarbon dating (Fig. 10).
The few remains of fauna from the various surveys correspond almost exclusively to the domestic triad (cattle, goats, suidae). The ichthyofauna corresponds to remains of sparids, mugilids and pleuronectiformes. This association therefore reflects the image of a lagoon fishery, which was probably close to the grau or lido. The few remains of shell are consistent with these data. They reflect the exploitation of the surrounding lagoon, which was supposed to be a biotope more open to the sea than now.
However, the main interest of this new research is given from cores performed near the site, providing new information on the evolution of its environment. Indeed, the multi-method approach based on lithostratigraphic, sedimentological and ostracod analyses allows us to observe three main phases within the sequence, which can be associated with three types of natural environments representative of the late Holocene paleoenvironmental evolution in the southern sector of the Roc de Conilhac (Fig. 11-15).
The first phase (A: 3.5 - 5.0 m ; U2h to U2k) is characterized by a coarse sandy sedimentation with abundant debris of mollusk shells. This probably represents a highly hydrodynamic aquatic environment with currents strong and competent enough to transport small rounded gravels. These levels are associated with a scarce but well-diversified fauna of ostracods, whose assemblage is associated with lagoon environments open to the sea and in which water renewal is quite rapid. Metal paleopollutions (copper) indicate the presence of human occupations and metallurgical activity contemporary to this period. The radiocarbon age of a shell from the top of this sequence (U2h) dates the end of this period in the course of the Late Bronze Age. The second phase (B: 2.4 - 3.5 m ; U2e to U2g) probably corresponds to a lagoonal system in a final filling stage with lower energy than in the previous period. The fine sand and sandy silt overlying this part of the sequence are characterized by very euryhaline ostracods. It is proposed that the paleoenvironmental conditions of this level were similar to that of modern river-influenced environments, with a branch very close to the Roc de Conilhac. The radiocarbon age at the top of this sequence (U2e) corresponds to the change of era between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD. The third phase (C: above 1.4 m; U1a to U1c and U2a to U2d) is characterized by aggradational processes that led to completely fill the lagoon south of the Roc de Conilhac, with the appearance of a regularly submerged marshy environment.
The transition between the phases A and B, which are characterized by a rapid change in environmental and hydrosedimentary conditions, would be related to the progradation of the Aude delta in the lagoon. Concerning the society-environment interactions, these changes in natural environmental conditions could perhaps have caused the abandonment of the site after the Late Bronze Age.
Thus, this study represents an important milestone in the analysis of the dynamics of human settlement in lagoonal environment, in relation to the evolution of the coastline of the Gulf of Lions, which was particularly sensitive to environmental changes at the interface between land and water.
Keywords: Middle Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age, coastal settlement, lagoon, paleoenvironment, sedimentology, ostracods
Abstract: This paper focuses on a variety of annular ornament whose originality should be emphasized, and which we propose to call Orgon group bracelets in reference to a hoard discovered in Notre-Dame de Beauregard (Bouches-du-Rhône) which contained the majority of the known objects. This group is illustrated by fourty objects, to which must be added a possible casting mould, from twelve sites spread over four departments of southeastern France: Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Vaucluse and Ardèche (see table 1). It corresponds to an open bracelet provided with a thin stem with a flattened D-section the ends of which are decorated with transverse ribs. These bracelets come from varied contexts (human settlements, hoards and tombs; fig. 12) and can be dated to the Late Bronze Age 3b, or possibly to the transition phase between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age (i.e. between the 9th and 8th centuries BC). These ornaments probably are objects of everyday life, found in the form of fragments on settlements, but which can also be parts of much more ostentatious ornaments, as illustrated by the rich costume of the hoard of the Déroc cave. The tombs discoveries indicate that they may have been worn either singly or in series. The tomb of the Lauzières and the two hoards clearly illustrate this, with increasing lengths allowing the shape of the forearm to be matched (fig. 13). They are provided with decorations covering the whole bangle and presenting a certain variability according to the technique used and the patterns depicted. The combination of the latter makes it possible to define 3 types: the Lauz-ières type corresponding to the specimens supporting only a relief decoration, the Notre-Dame de Beauregard type type characterized by engraved decors of lines, crosses and triangles, finally the Déroc type, also determined by the presence of engraved ornamentations, which combines the cruciform decorations with ovoid patterns (fig. 10). These decorative types find some correspondence with the morphology of the objects, considering their maximum length and width (fig. 11). These three different types appear to be not only located in distinct geographical areas, but also concentrated in circles which do not exceed 50 km in diameter (fig. 14). These differences may indicate the existence of three specialized workshops, each with a specific type of ornamentation. Several indications testify to a local production of these objects, which could proceed from the evolution of the Pourrières type, dating back to the Late Bronze Age 2b-3a. First of all, we can evoke the presence of a casting mould (fig. 3, no. 3) coming from the tumulus of the Moullard sud in Lambesc (Bouches-du-Rhône), which was transformed in a second stage for the production of socketed axes. Secondly Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française Tome 114, numéro 3, juillet-septembre 2017, p. 553-572
Mots-clefs Basse-Provence, Massif des Alpilles, Néolithique final 2, habitat de plein air, multiples occupations
Abstract This article is the first presentation of the results of a rescue archaeology operation carried out between July and August 2012 at the site of Bel-Air, Sénas (Bouches-du-Rhône). Our current knowledge of the diverse archaeological remains indicates that a densely occupied settlement existed within a relatively short period during the second phase of the Final neolithic in Provence, between 2880 and 2490 BC. The occupation is characterized by several activity phases, which, though they are difficult to define at this stage of research, are all associated with the Couronnien group.