Le Moustérien de Haut-Mauco (Landes) : un Vasconien du MIS 5 ? Approche intégrée des dimensions pétroarchéologiques, technologiques et fonctionnelles d’une halte spécialisée

Abstract

The Mousterian site of Haut-Mauco (Landes, France) provides a remarkable assemblage for the integrated analysis of petroarchaeological, technological and functional aspects of Middle Palaeolithic occupations in the Adour Basin. OSL dating places the Mousterian level within MIS 5, making Haut-Mauco one of the rare examples of an early Vasconian assemblage north of the Pyrenees. The petroarchaeological analysis highlights a raw-material economy based on the complementary use of a dominant peri-local siliceous resource (the Audignon anticline) and more occasional exogenous inputs (Tercis flint, Pyrenean flysch formations and Garonne Basin deposits). This pattern reflects a procurement territory extending over a radius of about 70 km, linking the Chalosse, the Basque piedmont and the Garonne Basin. The technological analysis reveals a dual system combining Levallois and discoidal micro-debitage in flint, together with the expression of the Quina system integrated within a ramified techno-economic organization, and a macro-tool component in quartzite and quartz (bipolar-on-anvil reduction, percussion, shaping and cleavers). The assemblage reflects fragmented chaînes opératoires (reduction sequences) indicating differentiated import and export processes. The use-wear analysis identifies a diversified functional spectrum including hunting activities (weapon elements), butchery (scrapers used as knives), cutting percussion on bone and limited evidence of woodworking. These data define a specialized logistical hunting camp focused on carcass processing, probably within a seasonal mobility system. Through its composite technological signature—combining Levallois reduction, Quina-type scalariform retouch and percussive macro-tools—Haut-Mauco can be attributed to the Vasconian sphere. It likely represents an early expression of this technocomplex, predating the discoidal-dominated assemblages of MIS 3 and reflecting technical adaptations to open territories with limited flint availability.