L’outillage façonné utilisé en percussion lancée du site paléolithique moyen du Bois de l’Hôpital (Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe, Tarn)

The preventive archaeological excavation of the Bois de l’Hôpital site (Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe, Tarn, France), between November 2015 and April 2016 (Bernard-Guelle et al. 2016), uncovered several layers dating back to Upper Pleistocene set in an unprecedented/original context for Tarn’s lower valley’s Middle Paleolithic. main level (archeological unit UA3) displays a lithic industry mainly manufactured on quartz, sometimes quartzite or flint, related Mousterian technological complex. product anvil discoid Levallois debitage technique, tools made from flakes (mostly scrapers denticulates) coexist with pebble tools. Rarely subject detailed study – particularly collections tools’ operating chain (chaîne opératoire) has been described, functional purposes included. This technological, morphological analysis identifies tool groups is able link some them specific mode action material, comparing experimental data repository. macro-tools UA3 emphasizes: 1) their high proportion among tools; 2) important structural variety those that 3) most are consistent cast percussion motion, possibly bone-fracturing process. These results prompt us continue developing tools, whose inherited reinvested (compared Lower Paleolithic complexes) alleged functions seem result lack interest researchers. They call collection more repositories order compare other quartz sets, often described Tarn basin during MIS5 MIS3.