Gargas\, Beyssan (Vaucluse)\, précisions sur le contexte funéraire associé aux stèles gravées du Néolithique moyen.,Gargas\, Beyssan (Vaucluse)\, details on the funerary context associated with Middle Neolithic engraved stelae
Auteurs : Bruno Bizot,Pascale Barthès,Christane Bosansky,Carine Cenzon-Salvayre,Jean-Marc Lardeaux,Adrien Reggio,Aurore Schmitt,Eric Thirault,Didier Binder,Michel Dubar,Gilles Durrenmath,Sabine Sorin-Mazouni
Revue : Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française
Éditeur : Société préhistorique française
Année : 2023

La découverte en 2013 lors de labours d'un ensemble remarquable de mobilier du Néolithique moyen ainsi que de deux stèles gravées a donné lieu à deux articles publiés dans le Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française (Bosansky et D'Anna\, 2015 et D'Anna et al.\, 2015). Une fouille de sauvetage entreprise en 2014 a permis de mieux préciser le contexte de ce mobilier et de compléter le corpus. L'essentiel des vestiges occupe une petite dépression proche d'un ruisseau et est réuni dans deux petits locus bordés chacun d'un alignement de pierres en aval. Le mobilier\, abondant\, a subi les atteintes du feu et se rapporte à des dépôts secondaires de crémations caractérisés par des esquilles d'os dont une partie au moins sont humains. Malgré les dégradations dues aux labours\, une étude spatiale permet de restituer la position et l'étendue des principaux dépôts secondaires. Deux d'entre eux\, dans le locus nord\, mieux conservés\, sont bien dotés en matériel : billes\, lames de haches\, céramiques et armatures trapézoïdales. Dans le locus sud\, un dépôt de restes humains crématisés a été réalisé entre deux blocs placés dans une petite fosse. Les lames de hache ont été disposées au sommet des dépôts. La majorité du mobilier archéologique a été chauffé. Les billes et lames de hache témoignent de façonnages de grande qualité et\, pour les dernières\, les matières premières allochtones sont les plus représentées. La céramique est quant à elle dominée par des vases de facture soignée destinés pour la plupart au service : assiette\, coupes\, jattes et gobelets. Le mobilier ainsi que les sept datations par le radiocarbone réalisées placent ces dépôts secondaires dans les deux premiers siècles du IVe millénaire. Les modalités de dépôt des restes prélevés sur les bûchers sont comparables à celles restituées pour les sites provençaux de la deuxième moitié du Ve millénaire des Bagnoles (Van Willigen et al. dir.\, 2020) et Sainte-Musse (Gourlin dir.\, 2016) témoignant ainsi d'une perduration de pratiques mortuaires de modalités similaires. Le site de Beyssan se distingue cependant par l'abondance d???un mobilier choisi et\, pour les lames de haches au moins\, de grande qualité ayant été peu ou pas utilisé avant leur dépôt dans le bûcher. En l'absence d'autres vestiges à proximité immédiate\, les stèles gravées découvertes en 2013 sont probablement à associer à ces sépultures.,This rescue archaeological excavation carried out in 2014 aimed to precise the context associated with two stelae published in 2015 (Bosansky and D'Anna\, 2015 and D'Anna et al.\, 2015). A series of test pits enabled to delimit the site measuring around forty square metres. It appears isolated from the large areas that had yielded Neolithic material in the same geographical area. The remains are spread out into two locus. Each of them is bordered by an alignment of stones and includes concentrations of blocks\, burnt bones and objects: sherds\, flint industry\, balls and axe blades. The ceramic material found by collecting or excavation constitutes a homogeneous assemblage. It consists of 582 sherds relating to plates\, small spherical cups with simple profiles\, carinated bowls or an open concave neck\, as well as two beakers. A few gripping elements or suspensions ??? appliques\, perforated lug\, ribbon or boudin handles and tubulures ??? are also present. One sherd is decorated with an incised grid. The lithic industry counts 278 pieces. Most of the flints have been affected by high heat. The only raw material identified is Barremo-Bedoulian flint. In 17% of the cases\, it was deliberately heat treated. The supports are mainly blades with trapezoidal cross-sections; they are raw or retouched into scrapers or geometric bitroncatures. The knapping waste and two nuclei indicate that boasting may have taken place on site. The lithic batch includes a small nucleus made of hyaline quartz (?). Thirty-four balls were collected from the excavation or from the surface. This is a particularly high number compared to regional examples. Their large diameter and very low sphericity index indicate a high quality production. 31 of these balls were made in carbonate rocks\, 2 in sandstone rocks and 1 in tenaceous green rock. One third of them are altered by heat. A total of 30 polished axe blades were discovered in this small site. They represent an important concentration of objects for the Vaucluse. All of the polished blades and fragments relate to achieved pieces\, possibly repaired. Twenty-nine of them come\, with varying degrees of probability\, from the Monviso or Beigua massif. These tools are longer than the regional average and\, in 9 out of 17 cases\, the cutting edges are in perfect condition or only slightly blunted; they are (almost) new or have been resharpened. At least 6 of these blades had been exposed to high heat. Twenty-six batches of burnt bones were collected during the excavation. Most of them were fragments measuring no more than 1 cm\, as well as numerous splinters. The attribution to human remains could be certified for some bone fragments and one monoradiculated tooth. The human bone fragments belong to long bone diaphyses\, ribs and some cranial remains. The white colour of the bones indicates cremation at a high temperature (600-800°C). Infants are not represented. One of the deposits in the southern locus was placed in a small pit. The 166 anthraco-remains analysed consisted solely of deciduous oak (Quercus f.c.). Seven of them were radiocarbon dated. The dates obtained are consistent with the nature of the material. The occupation falls within a range limited to the first three centuries of the 4th millennium. The treatment of the dates in a Bayesian matrix (Oxcal 4.2) places the beginning of this occupation between 4010 and 3800 cal BC (at 95.4%) and the end between 3950 and 3740 cal BC. The duration is statistically estimated at 150 years. The elements gathered during this excavation leave little doubt as to the funerary function of this small site\, away from the residential contexts identified in the Beyssan area. The remains are concentrated in two well-characterised locus bordered by alignments of stones that may relate to small terrace walls close to a stream bed. The association of burnt human bones and artefact\, the small quantities of ashes and the absence of any trace of rubefaction in the excavated area\, as in the 2900 m² of the surrounding area that was explored by test pits\, suggest that the two locus gathered secon-dary cremation deposits that took place in two restricted spaces that were partially structured by the low walls and perhaps some stone blockwork. The distribution in plan of the best characterised objects shows concentrations\, particularly in the northern locus where three sets gather the majority of the beads (8/11) and axe blades (7/8) discovered during excavation. The southern locus presents a well-preserved deposit between two blocks placed in a shallow pit. It combines burnt human bones\, a bowl\, a nucleus\, a geometric bitroncature and sherds. Four other concentrations of bones and objects from the southern locus could belong to deposits dismantled by ploughing. In all cases observed\, the axe blades were placed on top of the deposits. Whatever the mode of treatment of the corpse\, burial or cremation\, mortuary sites from the end of the 5th millennium or the beginning of the 4th millennium are rare in southern France. Two sites in Provence\, dated to the second half of the 5th millennium\, are particularly well documented: Toulon Sainte-Musse (8 structures\, 4350-4250 cal BC; Gourlin et al.\, 2014)\, l'Isle-sur-la Sorgue les Bagnoles (8 structures\, 4360-4000 cal BC\, Van Willigen et al.\, 2020). They share many particularities with Beyssan: comparable levels of fragmentation and weight of bones\, variable quantities of objects of individual or domestic equipment\, mostly altered by fire\, and a few objects\, the most voluminous or remar-kable\, which appear to have been deposited separately. Comparisons across southern France show that the objects are more abundant in burials involving cremation and that axe blades are exclusively associated with it. These examples testify a codified funerary practice that lasted several centuries. However\, the Beyssan site stands out for its exceptional quantity and quality of archaeological material. The most significant elements are the almost exclusively north-italic raw material used to make the majority of the axe blades and their low wear\, the abundance of bowls\, their perfect execution\, as well as ceramic material essentially destined for service. These characteristics\, as well as the presence of stelae\, refer to the ancient discoveries of Trets la Bastidonne (Escalon de Fonton et al.\, 1955; Escalon de Fonton\, 1961\, 1962; D'Anna and Mills\, 1981; Binder\, 1991; D'Anna et al.\, 2015; Masson-Mourey et al.\, 2020)\, which fall within the same chronological range as Beyssan.

Mots-clés : Néolithique moyen,Provence,Dépôt secondaire de crémation,Lames de hache,Billes,Pétrographie,Céramique,Industrie lithique,Datations radiométriques