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Can subfossil insects complement pedoanthracology in reconstructing the past trajectories of old-growth forests? A study case from the Northern Central Pyrenees (France)
No full textInternational audienceThe presence of insect remains preserved in soils has the potential to serve as a complementary proxy to charcoal, facilitating the reconstruction of Holocene forest trajectories at high spatial resolution. Six pits were dug at three old-growth forest sites (two per site) in the Central Pyrenees (France). Insect remains and charcoal were collected in each soil layer, following the pedoanthracological method usually conducted in similar mountain contexts. Radiocarbon dating was performed on a selection of both insects and charcoal, and a time-since-death index was developed to evaluate the degradation stage and relative age of the insect remains. Insect remains were present in most layers, but were more abundant in the upper ones, as with charcoal. Whereas radiocarbon dating did not work on individual insect remains, the time-since-death index showed a consistent relationship between increasing degradation and increasing depth. Saproxylic beetles, which are key indicators of the maturity of old-growth forests, were poorly preserved in the soils studied, but some of the other beetles identified at genus or species level provided useful information on past forest openness
Seeing yew for the forest: a call to action for improving conservation and restoration of the European yew (Taxus baccata L.)
No full textInternational audienceThe European yew (Taxus baccata L.) is a long-lived conifer of ecological, cultural, and historical importance across Eurasia. Despite its remarkable resilience, wide distribution, and symbolic importance, the species has experienced a long-term decline due to a complex interplay of climatic fluctuations, megafaunal extinctions, human exploitation, and insufficient regeneration. Recent studies in palaeoecology, archaeology, dendroecology, and conservation have revealed a species with greater ecological plasticity and a broader historical distribution than previously assumed. However, many fundamental questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding its biogeographical history, population dynamics, recruitment processes, and the drivers of its decline.This review stems from prior investigations of yew in the French Pyrenees and, more broadly, across Europe. These efforts led to a transdisciplinary seminar and opened a collaboration uniting >30 researchers across Eurasia. By synthesizing a wide array of data and perspectives, the article highlights key knowledge gaps and outlines emerging research priorities. These are organized thematically—past, present, and future—and include 25 questions on the species' ecological niche, life-history strategies, human interactions, genetic resilience, and conservation under global change. The article advocates for a shift towards integrative and long-term conservation strategies that embrace the historical legacies of yew populations, the general ecology of the species along with local ecological context dependence, and the urgency of future threats. By identifying pressing research needs, this review seeks to lay the foundation for new collaborative initiatives and to support evidence-based conservation of this emblematic yet understudied species
L’extraction de l’or chez les Lémovices : une mine et un habitat à Isle
No full textInternational audienceLes chercheurs du laboratoire TRACES de Toulouse redécouvrent à partir des années 1980 en Limousin d’anciennes mines d'or à l’occasion de reprises minières pour or de la COGEMA, puis en 2000 d’un aménagement autoroutier. Dès les premières recherches, les archéologues ont lancé plusieurs programmes de recherches permettant la cartographie des sites d'extraction, leur étude et leur datation de l’époque gauloise. En Limousin, neuf districts miniers regroupent ainsi, sur plus de 250 mines, près de 1500 excavations ou minières (appelées aussi aurières), démontrant ainsi l'importance des travaux miniers pour une production d’or. Cette activité a forcément eu un impact notable dans l'économie des sociétés de l’âge du Fer de cette région. Mais qui sont ceux qui ont travaillé dans ces mines ? Une fouille archéologique préventive récente permet d'associer plusieurs minières avec un enclos d'habitat d'époque gauloise. Cela donne l’occasion de faire le lien avec les données recueillies lors des opérations de prospections et de fouilles archéologiques qui ont permis de mieux connaître les modalités de l’extraction de l’or en Limousin aux périodes anciennes
PCR AMBACIA, autorisation triennale 2024-2026, 1ere année. Rapport de Projet Collectif de Recherche
No full textLes occupations du Néolithique et du Bronze ancien : aire de Repos de Valros, Autoroute A75, Section Béziers - Pézenas (Valros et Montblanc, Hérault): Rapport de fouille 2015
No full textInternational audienceLa fouille de l’Aire de repos du Pirou à Valros (Hérault), réalisée en 2006 et 2007 lors des travaux de l’A75 entre Béziers et Pézenas, est la plus importante menée dans le cadre des opérations archéologiques effectuées sur ce tracé, pour les périodes du Néolithique et du Bronze ancien, mais aussi pour l’Antiquité. Les vestiges mis au jour documentent des installations à vocation domestique, artisanale et funéraire. Le document présenté ici rend compte, dans le détail, de l’ensemble des découvertes rattachées au Néolithique ancien, moyen et final, ainsi qu’au Bronze ancien. Les données de cette fouille de neuf hectares, divisée en neuf locus regroupant plus de trois cents structures, sont présentées dans quatre volumes. Les deux premiers volumes décrivent de manière exhaustive chaque aménagement fouillé (AMT) et son mobilier ; les volumes 3 et 4 regroupent les synthèses par période, la bibliographie et les inventaires. Ce rapport, bien plus qu'un inventaire précis des données collectées lors de la fouille, propose des synthèses ambitieuses, enrichies par une équipe pluridisciplinaire. Ce document, l’un des derniers réalisés dans le cadre du tracé de l’A75, intègre également dans ses analyses les données issues des autres fouilles préhistoriques de ce linéaire. Il constitue donc une somme sans équivalent des découvertes archéologiques réalisées lors de l’aménagement de cette portion d’autoroute de 20 km
New Neandertal remains from Sirogne Cave (Lot, France): implications for human evolution and behavior prior to the last interglacial
No full textInternational audienceWhile neighboring regions have yielded numerous Neandertal remains, few discoveries have been reported from the limestone plateaus of the Quercy region in France [1]. However, the accidental discovery in 2006 of a Neandertal-like hemimandible and a deciduous tooth by a speleologist in Sirogne Cave — located within a Jurassic karst system in the northern part of the Alzou Canyon near Rocamadour (Lot, France) — prompted six excavation seasons between 2013 and 2018. These aimed to better understand the chronology, modes of Neandertal occupation, and biological evolution of the populations using the site.The excavations clarified the context of the 2006 discovery and revealed a partially disturbed stratigraphy, affected by recent human interventions. Nevertheless, several preserved layers, covered by stalagmitic floors along the western wall of the cave, were identified. Most notably, nearly 100 human fossils were unearthed from the cave, representing at least 10 individuals: Three children (aged 3–8 years), two adolescents, three young adults, and two older adults. The remains include two hemimandibles (one immature, one adult), over 80 isolated teeth, and infracranial elements. Although most come from sediments affected by post-depositional processes, all exhibit unambiguous Neandertal features. Several infracranial bones show cutmarks indicative of dismemberment and disarticulation, suggesting complex mortuary behaviors. The reworked layers also contained faunal remains from over 20 taxa, reflecting a broad but clearly Pleistocene spectrum resulting from both natural and anthropogenic accumulations. More than 2,000 lithic artefacts in quartz, flint, and limestone were also recovered, pointing to at least two Paleolithic techno-complexes: one attributed to the Middle Paleolithic and another to the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Moreover, Sirogne may correspond to the “Crozo del Dua” cave excavated in the early 20th century by André Niederlander, which yielded five isolated Neandertal teeth and a lithic assemblage [1-3]. Our reanalysis of his faunal collectionled to the identification of two additional Neandertal remains — a phalanx and a lower permanent canine — morphologically consistent with the Sirogne material. Combined geological, taphonomic, biochronological, and absolute dating of the stalagmitic floors and associated sediments place the Neandertal fossils within Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6, most probably at the end of the Middle Pleistocene (ca. 150,000–130,000 years ago), which represents a critical, yet poorly documented, phase in Neandertal evolutionary history [4].Morphometric analyses of the teeth and mandibles suggest that the Sirogne individuals are more closely aligned with early Neandertals (pre-MIS 5) than with later groups. They exhibit classic Neandertal features and share affinities with Middle Pleistocene fossils based on external dental dimensions, enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) shape, and non-metric dental traits. Additionally, the low inter-individual variation in EDJ morphology indicates significant biological homogeneity within the Sirogne group. This homogeneity appears even greater than that observed at the Krapina MIS 5e site (Croatia), possibly reflecting regional isolation during MIS 6. Altogether, this exceptional assemblage offers rare and crucial insights into 18 population dynamics and evolutionary processes during a key period in Neandertal history. The evidence supports a model of strong group structuring and complex demographic patterns in Europe prior to 120,000 years ago [4]. Further analyses are currently underway, including attempts at ancient DNA extraction, calcium isotope studies for dietary reconstruction, and SR-microCT imaging of dental microstructures to explore growth patterns and developmental stress. A new three-year excavation project will further refine the chronocultural context and clarify the processes underlying the accumulation of human remains at the site
Châtelperronian cultural diversity at its western limits: Shell beads and pigments from La Roche-à-Pierrot, Saint-Césaire
No full textInternational audienceThe timing and mechanisms underlying the gradual replacement of Neanderthal populations by Homo sapiens groups have elicited heated debate for decades. The Châtelperronian of France and northern Spain has figured prominently in these discussions. While the Neanderthal authorship of this techno-complex is far less certain than previously thought, the Châtelperronian is now generally accepted as being among the first genuine Upper Paleolithic industries in Eurasia rather than a \"transitional\" stone tool technology. Here, we report the first association of shell beads with Châtelperronian artifacts from new excavations at the site of La-Roche-à-Pierrot, Saint-Césaire (France), supported by a multiproxy spatial analysis that incorporates site formation processes. Similar types of personal ornaments are unknown from Middle Paleolithic contexts. Comparable examples have, however, been recovered from contexts penecontemporaneous with the Châtelperronian in south-eastern Europe and around the Mediterranean. This hitherto undocumented combination of an early Upper Paleolithic industry and shell beads provides insights into cultural variability in western Europe and raises the question as to whether the makers of the Châtelperronian were influenced by or formed part of the earliest dispersals of H. sapiens into the region
