Papers by Hubert Forestier
SPAFACON 2021: Papers from the SEAMEO SPAFA International Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology and Fine Arts, 13-17 December 2021, 2021
Discovered in 1965 by Cécile and Roland Mourer in the limestone massifs of the Battambang region ... more Discovered in 1965 by Cécile and Roland Mourer in the limestone massifs of the Battambang region in Cambodia, the Lang Spean cave is a karstic cavity with three main chambers with a floor area of about 1000 m2 and a vault height of thirty metres. The archaeological sequence of Laang Spean now includes several meters thick level of ancient activity dated between 71,000 and 26,000 years ago surmounted by a Hoabinhian occupation (11,000-5,000 BP), with a third summit level characterized by Neolithic tombs. Cemeteries and funeral spaces are major sites in Southeast Asia still used to reconstruct the chrono-cultural sequence of the region. However, their studies present a failure to take into account the funerary nature of the studied sites. Archeothanatology, although partly known by colleagues working in Southeast Asian has not been developed sufficiently leading to numerous problems linked to the real nature of the sites. A burial site where individuals chosen by a community have been...
International audienceIn 2017-2018 the French Prehistoric Mission in Papua New Guinea, co-directe... more International audienceIn 2017-2018 the French Prehistoric Mission in Papua New Guinea, co-directed by F.-X. Ricaut and M. Leavesley, undertook archaeological surveys and excavations in the Paimbumkanja (PBK) rock shelter located in the upper Karawari-Arafundi region of East Sepik. Prehistoric research in the lowlands is scarce and dates back to the pioneer work of P. Gorecki and D.S. Giellieson in the late 1980s in the neighbouring valley of Jimi-Yuat. Our research at PBK uncovered an archaeological sequence dating back to the late Holocene between 2956 and 1 00 years Cal BP (1006 BC to 650 AD). Two stratigraphic units (SU1 and SU2) contained lithic industries but no faunal remains, and were separated by a layer rich in blocks.Raw material used for knapping were mainly local: cobble quartz and quartzite from the puddingstone forming the awning of the shelter, with some rare pieces of flint, jasper and volcanic rocks.The modalities of the knapping process follow a “chaîne opératoire” associating debitage and shaping. Debitage is better represented; the objective was to produce artifacts preferentially narrow and elongated, resembling blades or small blades with or without utilized flake. Knapping on pebbles is relatively frequent with some macro-tools (e.g. choppers). A specific bifacial tool (chisel) made in exogenous volcanic rock with a transversal bevel was found.Human occupation in the PBK rock shelter is included in the recent Holocene chrono-sequence proposed in 1989 by P. Gorecki and D.S. Giellieson. This confirms flake production associated to macro-tools from 3000 years BP in the Sepik lowlands
Journal of Lithic Studies, 2017
Proposer une synthèse sur la préhistoire d’un archipel et de ses assemblages lithiques n’est pas ... more Proposer une synthèse sur la préhistoire d’un archipel et de ses assemblages lithiques n’est pas chose facile, d’une part à cause de l’immensité de l’espace concerné mesurant 2 millions de km2, d’autre part du fait que la notion de Paléolithique y est difficilement applicable et notamment celles de « Paléolithique supérieur » ou d’Epipaléolithique-Mésolithique établies en Eurasie occidentale. L’Indonésie et ses myriades d’îles et îlots (environ 18000) s’inscrivent dans un rectangle 5000 km sur 2000 km de part et d’autre de l’équateur ce qui en fait le plus grand archipel du monde. Cette aire géographique immense s’étirant sur un espace maritime d’environ 6 millions de km2, ne nous permet pas aujourd’hui de traiter exhaustivement l’ensemble des groupes industriels, des faciès ou des cultures préhistoriques, c’est pour cela que nous aborderons les principaux. L’Indonésie occupe une place privilégiée pour l’histoire des hommes fossiles qui la rend incontournable dans les connaissances ...
Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2018
Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2017
The perforated stones of the Doi Pha Kan burials (Northern Thailand): A Mesolithic singularity? L... more The perforated stones of the Doi Pha Kan burials (Northern Thailand): A Mesolithic singularity? Les pierres perforées des sépultures de Doi Pha Kan (Nord de la Thaïlande) : une singularité mésolithique ?
Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2016
Assemblages with bifacial tools in Eurasia (third part). Considerations on the bifacial phenomeno... more Assemblages with bifacial tools in Eurasia (third part). Considerations on the bifacial phenomenon throughout Eurasia Assemblages d'outils bifaciaux en Eurasie (troisième partie). Considérations sur le phénomène bifacial à travers l'Eurasie
Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2016
The assemblages with bifacial tools in Eurasia (first part). What is going on in the West? Data o... more The assemblages with bifacial tools in Eurasia (first part). What is going on in the West? Data on western and southern Europe and the Levant Assemblages à outils bifaciaux en Eurasie (première partie). Que se passe-t-il à l'Ouest? Données sur l'Europe occidentale et méridionale ainsi que sur le Levant
Quaternary International, 2016
Prehistoric Research in Laos was initiated during the French Indochinese period. Disrupted by uns... more Prehistoric Research in Laos was initiated during the French Indochinese period. Disrupted by unstable geopolitics, Laotian teams started to revisit prehistoric cave sites and rock shelters in the early 2000s. International interest in Laotian prehistory resumed in 2005 with a prehistoric survey of Northern Laos focusing more especially, on ancient period (pre-) Hoabinhian lithic techno-complex but also, more recently on rock art along the Mekong river banks. The purpose of this paper is not to discuss the periods classically referred to as "recent prehistory" by authors, which generally spans from the Neolithic through to Metal ages and sometimes even historical times. Rather, we provide a retrospective on prehistoric investigations, in Laos to date, independently of periods, with the main focus on stone tools. New perspectives for prehistoric research in this widely under-explored country are briefly discussed.
A field survey allowed us to make the discovery of a series of stone tool artefacts over the basa... more A field survey allowed us to make the discovery of a series of stone tool artefacts over the basalt level of Ban Don Mun in Lampang province (Northern Thailand). This material has been studied from the technological point of view and gave us the opportunity to make the reappraisal of the series discovered by Pope in the 1980s by the same point of view.
Journal of Human Evolution, 2013
India, the timing and geography of human demographic expansions in continental Southeast Asia rem... more India, the timing and geography of human demographic expansions in continental Southeast Asia remains ambiguous. The recent discovery of a series of stone artifacts spread over a basalt level at Ban Don Mun in the Lampang province of northern Thailand presents an ideal opportunity for reevaluating lithic assemblages documented during the 1970s and 1980s in the same region. Both the position of these stone tools and new absolute dates indicate a Middle Pleistocene age and call into question the status of these artifacts as the oldest yet found in Southeast Asia. The uncertain geo-chronological context and technological analysis of the chopper industry from previous work in the Lampang area prompted us to undertake new surveys in continental Southeast Asia in order to help clarify the route and timing of Pleistocene human expansions in this part of the world.
Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2014
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the a... more This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/authorsrights
Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2005
La grotte du Moine de Ban Fa Suai est un site original découvert dans le Nord de la Thaïlande, da... more La grotte du Moine de Ban Fa Suai est un site original découvert dans le Nord de la Thaïlande, dans le cadre de la mission paléolithique française en Thaïlande, dont l'objectif est de mettre au jour la présence des premières populations humaines locales. Constitué de trois réseaux superposés-deux réseaux fossiles ayant livré respectivement des restes fauniques appartenant au complexe Stegodon-Ailuropoda et un assemblage lithique se rapportant au Hoabinhien et un réseau actuel actif-, ce site est l'occasion d'illustrer la nécessité de s'intéresser plus en détail aux modalités de remplissage et à la mise en place des restes
Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2012
With over half a century of political instability, resulting from armed conflicts, decolonisation... more With over half a century of political instability, resulting from armed conflicts, decolonisation and the Cold War, archaeological investigations in Laos have been rare, leaving little more than a blank page in the chapter of Southeast Asia's prehistory. Recent research has shown that Laos holds a rich prehistoric heritage. In conjunction with the research initiated by J. White who conducted the first professional archaeological survey of northern Laos since decades, we have extended the investigations to the Luang Namtha province. This work allowed us to gather important data about Hoabinhian stone tool assemblages and former cultures. In particular, the archaeological remains and dating from the Ngeubhinh Mouxeu rock-shelter indicate that this mountainous region of Laos has been inhabited over a long period of time that possibly spans as far back as 56,000 ± 3000 BP. Résumé En raison d'une instabilité géopolitique d'un demi-siècle, les investigations archéologiques au Laos ont été rares, ne laissant qu'une page blanche au chapitre de la Préhistoire de l'Asie du Sud-Est. De récentes recherches ont mis en évidence un riche héritage préhistorique. En conjonction avec les recherches initiées par J. White qui dirigea les premières prospections archéologiques professionnelles du Nord-Laos depuis des décennies, les investigations ont été étendues jusqu'à la province de Luang Namtha. Ce travail nous a permis de rassembler d'importantes données sur les vestiges archéologiques et la datation de l'abri-sous roche Ngeubhinh Mouxeu indiquent que cette région montagneuse du Laos a été habitée sur une longue période remontant probablement à 56 000 ± 3000 ans BP.
Journal of Lithic Studies, 2017
La préhistoire du Sud-est asiatique se caractérise par un matériel lithique dont les chaînes opér... more La préhistoire du Sud-est asiatique se caractérise par un matériel lithique dont les chaînes opératoires restent encore peu connues ou mal décrites. Cette méconnaissance s’explique par l’éloignement géographique de ces régions tropicales vis à vis des problématiques préhistoriques occidentales développées depuis maintenant deux siècles. La préhistoire de l’Extrême-Orient est complexe, originale, surprenante parfois paradoxale car en marge des grandes lignées techniques connues ailleurs pour la période concernée, celle qui a vu l’avènement de l’Homme anatomiquement moderne. Cette préhistoire régionale d’environ 2 millions de km2 que l’on nomme l’Asie du Sud-est péninsulaire ou continentale renvoie à l’élaboration d’une science en mouvement dont la construction est toujours d’actualité. En se heurtant à la thèse classique de l’évolution comme à celle du progrès technique, le Hoabinhien bouscule les règles et les repères en préhistoire. Il se situe aux antipodes du modèle classique (Eu...
IRd édition Guffroy et al., , 2003
The Hoabinhian technocomplex is one of the most discussed topics in the Paleolithic research of S... more The Hoabinhian technocomplex is one of the most discussed topics in the Paleolithic research of Southeast Asia because it is the most representative phenomenon in terms of cobble tools. Recent discoveries of Hoabinhian sites in Yunnan Province, southwest China largely expanded its tempo-spatial presence in this part of the world. Whether Hoabinhian sites are present in other parts of southern China has remained elusive. Located close to northern Vietnam, where more than 150 Hoabinhian sites were reported to have been discovered since the 1920s, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China is a strategic area for exploring the issues concerning Hoabinhian phenomenon in this Chinese territory. This article presents a novel cobble-based industry of a recently discovered site-the Guomo open-air site, situated in the China-Vietnam border area. The lithic assemblages from layers 3 and 4 were dated to around 15-12 ka by the OSL dating method, and they manifest consistent and identical typo-technological characteristics. Four reduction sequences were defined for this lithic production, including 1) partial unifacial knapping on cobbles to produce various types of cutting tools; 2) cobble-split débitage via bipolar-on-anvil technique to produce semi-cobbles, and then they are unifacially shaped into unifaces; 3) cobble-throwing débitage by the throwing technique to obtain flat cortical flake blanks and tools; 4) recurrent unidirectional flaking on single-platform cores without preparation. Considering limited similarities and remarkable difference between "Hoabinhian" lithic industries of South China and of Southeast Asia, we suggest that Guomo site is an important case to raise the question of the definition of "Hoabinhian" and to study the variability of cobble-tool industries in this vast region.
Anthropologie philosophique, 2023
How can we understand prehistoric lithic objects? What meaning should we give them and what view ... more How can we understand prehistoric lithic objects? What meaning should we give them and what view should we adopt to claim access to their significance? How can we reduce and clarify our biases? This article is a proposal to introduce Peircian semiotics to review lithic objects. For a long time, these were apprehended as types, sometimes within evolutionary lineages; however, in this research, knapped stone objects will be perceived through a semio-pragmatic grid and reviewed as signs. The proposed approach is a new way of accessing the fields of technical phenomena of prehistoric communities. This new perception aims at a quest for objectivity, by clarifying the affective, analytical and interpretative a priori as an answer to the sometimes very personal view of the prehistorian on lithic objects. Charles Sanders Peirce's logical theory of signs or semiotics is contextualized within an 'artisanal' reading of prehistoric tools as initiated by Éric Boëda and further developed by Michel Lepot. Through this phaneroscopic/phenomenological vision, the technical object, now a sign-object, is placed in action (semiosis) within a system of signs. This new trajectory is positioned both as a methodological tool and as an innovative milestone in the construction of a more logical episteme in Prehistory, taking lithics both as signs of past human activity and of archaeological representations.
The Hoabinhian is a cultural marker of the late Paleolithic in Mainland Southeast Asia. And it is... more The Hoabinhian is a cultural marker of the late Paleolithic in Mainland Southeast Asia. And it is one of the most debated topics in prehistoric research in Southeast Asia. However, today there is a lack of reliable information on the diversity of production strategies and tool structures in the Hoabinhian, due to poor scientific methods and few well-excavated sites in the twentieth century. Over the last two decades, a technological approach that aims to identify reduction sequences (chaîne opératoires) has been applied to Hoabinhian lithic assemblages. Results have been generated that broaden our understanding of the technological characteristics and nature of the Hoabinhian industry. In this study, we present two Hoabinhian case studies from Cambodia (Laang Spean Cave) and Thailand (Moh Khiew Cave) to reveal the reduction sequences and end products of the Hoabinhian industry. We also compare and discuss the unity and variability between the two sites.
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Papers by Hubert Forestier