L’exploitation des cétacés au Paléolithique récent

Abstract

The archeology of the foreshore in the Late Paleolithic is difficult to approach, because most of the current seashore lines are far removed from the position they had at that times. Since the 2000s however, the importance and diversity of the resources exploited in these regions in the Late Upper Paleolithic have been revised upwards. Part of the evidence, mostly coming from Atlantic Europe, deals with the exploitation of Cetaceans: isolated teeth, modified or not; bone objects (mostly projectile heads) evidencing the use of whale bone in the osseous industry; and evidence of alimentary use (bones of whales and dolphins, whale barnacles). This evidence suggests that the important resources represented by large Cetaceans might have played a significant role in attracting Paleolithic populations to the seashore, at least in certain regions and at certain periods, notably the Atlantic coast at the end of the Late Paleolithic.

Keywords

• bone industry
• seashore archeology
• Cetacean
• hunter-gatherer
• Late Paleolithic