Nouveau regard sur le Moustérien de Bourgogne : première relecture des industries lithiques de la grotte de Vergisson IV (Saône-et-Loire).
Authors: Vaissié Erwan , Massoulie Marine , Combier Jean , Soriano Sylvain 
Published: June 2024

The Middle Palaeolithic of Burgundy still presents a heterogeneous image, at the junction between different techno-cultural complexes whose influences seem to be reflected in the diversity of known industries. The numerous redefinitions of Mousterian facies according to a technological approach undertaken in recent years are now leading to a better understanding of the variability of Middle Palaeolithic techno-complexes, while recent studies tend to highlight regional cultural specificities for Burgundy. The Vergisson IV site (Saône-et-Loire) is one of the rare stratified sites in a karstic environment in the region and its revision is part of this revision process and of the debate on the variability of Middle Palaeolithic industries. We present here the first data from the petro-technical-economic revision of the industries of the deposit, initially attributed to a Quina Mousterian.

Despite the low density of remains, this study shows the individualisation of two archaeological-stratigraphic units (lower and upper unit). They differ in their techno-typological component and their technical and supply behaviour, but are similar in the economic status of the occupation. The two units bear witness to the massive use of the secondary flint formations near the site (Cretaceous resources of the Mâconnais flint clays and Jurassic flints accessible in the colluvium of the Mâconnais flint formations) via the introduction onto the site of raw materials in the form of matrices or blanks that had already been largely elaborated or consumed. The indications of knapping activities on the site seem to be mainly linked to the phase of transformation and maintenance of the lithic equipment to the detriment of the production represented by a relatively expedient debitage (provisioning of place). A few objects made of more distant raw materials illustrate the introduction, in the form of “ personal gear”, of pre-determined raw or retouched products or with evidence of refaction of the cutting edges alone on site (provisioning of individuals ; Kuhn, 1995). They testify to more important circulations oriented towards the north in the Chalonnais/ Dijonnais (lower and upper unit), but also towards the west of the deposit (lower unit), between the Saône and Loire valleys. The retouched tools, largely dominated by scrapers, are very numerous (> 35%) and concern a wide variety of blanks. The upper set illustrates short operating sequences (mainly unipolar), without much pre-determination or configuration/ management of volumes, and abrupt retouching (frequently semi-Quina) of thick supports characterising a long tooling management cycle. The collection behaviours of siliceous raw materials reflect a generalist strategy and should probably be linked to the low level of requirement of the groups related with their technical production systems. Despite an apparent typological proximity between this unit and the Rhodanian Quina entity, the poor representation of certain characteristic pieces (thinning tools or plano-convex bifacial tools) and the divergence in the debitage methods (unipolar vs. centripetal) encourage caution. The lower unit is based on a Levallois production system, mainly unipolar, with a particular selection of good quality materials. The blanks produced are more slender, the retouching is mostly grazing and there are characteristic pieces in its typological spectrum, notably bifacial supports with a plano-convex section of fine workmanship, or scrapers reminiscent of bogenspitzen. It echoes certain sites of the late Middle Palaeolithic of the Chalonnais (Grottes de la Verpillière I and II, La Roche, La Clôsure) and could contribute to the recognition of a probable techno-cultural entity specific to this region.

The petro-techno-economic characteristics of the two units distinguish them from the Quina components of south-eastern France, and seem to be more the consequence of the management strategies of the tools and the position of the site within the territory and techno-economic cycle of the groups. Despite the lack of chronological and archaeozoological data, the characteristics of the lithic assemblages seem to be consistent with short, repeated and anticipated occupations (temporary halt), probably integrated into a wider seasonal mobility circuit and/ or a more complex regional logistic strategy. The Vergisson IV site also illustrates an interesting example of the persistence of the economic status of a site despite the apparent techno-cultural variations of the human groups frequenting it.