Premières observations sur le gisement gravettien à statuettes féminines d’Amiens-Renancourt 1 (Somme)

• Published in: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française
• Main Authors: Paris, Clément, Deneuve, Émeline, Fagnart, Jean-Pierre, Coudret, Paule, Antoine, Pierre, Peschaux, Caroline, Lacarrière, Jessica, Coutard, Sylvie, Moine, Olivier, Guérin, Gilles
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: French
• Published: Paris : Société Préhistorique Française 2017
• Subjects: Nord de la France; Paléolithique supérieur ancien; Gravettien récent-final; statuettes féminines; parure; loess; Pléniglaciaire supérieur weichselien; weichselian Upper Pleniglacial; Early Upper Palaeolithic; Northern France; Late-Final Gravettian; female statuettes; ornaments; archeo; hist; Flint; Tundra
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3406/bspf.2017.14801; https://www.persee.fr/doc/bspf_0249-7638_2017_num_114_3_14801

The Renancourt district, located to the west of the town of Amiens, has been known in archaeological literature since the beginning of the 20th century through work carried out by V. Commont in the ‘ancienne briqueterie Devalois’. Until recently, this open-air site was one of the rare early Upper Palaeolithic records for the whole loess region in the north of France. From the 1990s onwards, and particularly from 2010, the discovery of several sites as part of rescue archaeological operations enhanced the record and improved our knowledge of this period. In 2011, a new concentration of remains, discovered right beside the first excavations undertaken by V. Commont, was brought to light during archaeological assessments linked to a development project. Annual programmed excavations have been conducted since 2014 at this site, now called Amiens-Renancourt 1. The archaeological occupation, located at a depth of 4 m, is in a tundra gley. The loess sequence is about 8 m thick and corresponds mainly to the Upper Weichselian Pleniglacial. The first taphonomic observations point to a layer of remains covered rapidly by loess sedimentation. Six radiocarbon dates are now available and place the occupation between 22000 and 23000 BP, i. e. around 27000 cal. BP. The excavated surface currently extends over 41 m2. The abundant lithic and bone objects are organized into different concentrations, some of which attain several hundred remains per square metre. The bone remains are relatively well conserved and the dominant species in the faunal spectrum is horse. The lithic industry is in high-quality flint, available immediately beside the site. It is characterized by the production of large blades, sometimes over 20 cm long, obtained with a soft organic hammer, for manufacturing common tools but also several microliths (Gravette points). Separate bladelet production is used for the production of microliths, made up of backed bladelets with abrupt retouch, and several microgravettes. Alongside these remains, several exceptional ...