Géographie de la circulation et des campements au Paléolithique supérieur

Abstract

The present study concerns a depression located in the eastern part of the Corbières, drained by three divergent valleys: the Ravin d’en Saman-Cabrils, the Ravin du Rodonar, and the Rec del Fenoll. It extends over 5 km on either side of the Coll del Boix, which actually forms the watershed of the various local streams. Systematic surveys of this valley were initiated in 1992, following the discovery of a first site: Jas d’en Biel 1 (JB1). Between this date and 2015, nearly ten sites were found as a result of surface collections. This contribution examines seven of them, which yielded the largest number of lithic artifacts. Only one belongs to the Mesolithic (Rec de La Redouna 2, RDR2), another to the Solutrean (Ruisseau de la Boulière 2, RDB2), the rest belong to the early Upper Paleolithic (Aurignacian, Gravettian) (Font d’en Marc, FM; Jas d’en Biel 1 and 2, JB1 and JB2; Ravin d’en Saman 1-2, RS1-RS2; Ravin d’en Saman 4-5, RS4-RS5). Although, for taphonomic reasons, only lithic industries have been preserved, depriving us of paleoenvironmental data, the location of the sites in the heart of the valley, on the slopes of Coll del Boix, provides rich insights into anthropic choices. Hunting activity, targeting animals with gregarious behavior, appears to have been the main motivation. Other factors certainly played a significant role: proximity to water, solar exposure, shelter from prevailing winds, and the lightness of soils. The Ravin d’en Saman-Cabrils and Rec del Fenoll valley represents to date a fine example of a geomorphological and archaeological approach to interpret and understand the choices made by Paleolithic hunters.