Abstract EN:

The thick Quaternary deposits of the Caune de l'Arago (Pyrénées-Orientales, France), are dated to between 690 000 and 90 000 years old. At least fifteen different archeostratigraphical units have been identified within these deposits, each corresponding to distinct Prehistoric occupations. Numerous stone tools made from several different rock types, have been discovered in each unit. The tools present specific characteristics concerning the choice of raw materials, the typology, and the technology used in their production. Morpho-technological study of the different elements composing the industry helps to understand the methods employed during their production. Each raw material is considered separately in order to understand its origin in the environment, its typological role and the technological methods privileged during its exploitation. Defining production systems leads to the characterisation of the assemblages from each unit. When compared, they reveal common elements, as well as differences, suggesting evolutionary trends. Some observations are made concerning the influence that the type of habitat might have had on the general morphology of each assemblage, thus taking into account exterior factors. Creation of a chrono-cultural framework, based on the notion of "stages", refers to the appearance of specific attributes in divers stone industries. They allow to understand the situation of the Caune de l'Arago assemblages, within the larger evolutionary context of the Lower Paleolithic in Mediterranean Europe.