Papers by Jean-philippe Brugal
Scientific Reports
Cervids, and especially the red deer Cervus elaphus, are among the most regularly and abundantly ... more Cervids, and especially the red deer Cervus elaphus, are among the most regularly and abundantly recorded ungulates in Pleistocene/Paleolithic bone assemblages. Numerous Pleistocene or Holocene subspecies have been described, reinforcing their status as essential proxies for environmental and chronological reconstructions. Despite this, at the beginning of the Late Pleistocene, their diversity seems to have decreased. In this study, we analysed teeth and some postcranial elements of Cervus and Capreolus from north-eastern Iberia and south-eastern France to clarify their morphological characteristics and ecological adaptations. We describe a transitional form in north-eastern Iberia between the western European stock and the current form C. e. hispanicus. Such sub-speciation processes are connected to biogeographical factors, as there were limited exchanges between north-eastern Iberia and the northern Pyrenees, whereas the north-western part of the peninsula seems more connected to ...
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Sep 1, 2006
International audienc
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Jul 25, 2019
International audienceThe Mediterranean realm in Southeast France is located between three mounta... more International audienceThe Mediterranean realm in Southeast France is located between three mountainous regions (Alps, Pyrenees and Massif-Central) and divided by a main north-south river and valley named The Rhône. The hydrological basin of this river is very important and presently the influence of the Mediterranean climate is sensitive higher in this Rhône’ corridor. These geomorphological features condition some partitioning, with two sub-regions (Provence at east of Rhone, and Occitanie at west), as well as a wide coastal plains and more elevated zones at the border of reliefs. In this contribution we will propose a synthetic view and multi-approaches studies (paleontology, paleoecology, biogeography, ecometry…) about the large mammalian associations considered within a diachronic perspective, namely from Late Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene (from MIS 12 to MIS2). This time period is contemporaneous of major climatic phases (especially glacial vs interglacial stages), the succession of Neanderthal and Modern Human cultures, as well as a marked turnover in the faunal biomes known as an important limit between two sub-series: the Middle and the Late Pleistocene. More of 35 archeo-paleontological sites (and many more levels) record as many herbivore and carnivore associations through this space-time which can be analyzed in their dynamic sequence, quantifying several eco-biological factors (body-size, diet category..), including peculiar forms (ex. Cervid: Haploidoceros) and evolutive lineage or taxa replacement (ex. Canis, Bison, Equus…). We must note the importance of geographical factors in the taxa distribution together with the sea-level fluctuation especially marked in the west part of the region (Occitanie). Moreover, the area of Rhone delta and the corridor of this river condition strong wind flow which develop some thick deposits of eolian sands (loess), indicators of locally quite cold condition. Among evolutive traits, the particular case of caballine horses is interesting because showing special adaptive features related to the mild Mediterranean clime (peripheral zones) regardless of global climate conditions. Lastly, ecometrical analysis (meso- and micro-dental wear) developed on some sites and taxa are a valuable tool to precise local environmental features within the global climatic variations. It generally suggests a high resilience and adaptive capacities from the large and medium size herbivores (Equids, Bovids, Cervids). Paleofaunas constitute a well-documented terrestrial archives for paleoclimate reconstruction, raising issues about interactions with climate and local geographic factors; our study allow us to envision the real biological changes, responses or resilience of the mammalian guilds/biomes within this peculiar Western Mediterranean space
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2010
International audienc
Les nouvelles de l'archéologie, 2009
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2016
The European rabbit is a small burrowing mammal that is particularly abundant in Western Europe s... more The European rabbit is a small burrowing mammal that is particularly abundant in Western Europe since the Pleistocene and introduced around the world over the last few centuries. Rabbit bones are regularly recovered from archaeological and palaeontological sites; however, demonstrating their contemporaneity with associated material is often difficult. Additionally, determining the origin of rabbit remains in fossil sites is equally problematic due to the lack of reference collections for natural accumulations. In order to address these issues, we excavated a modern rabbit warren in southwestern France using modern archaeological field methods and techniques. The bone accumulation was analysed using a taphonomic approach in order to determine the most relevant criteria for identifying fossil warrens. The assemblage is heavily fragmented and dominated by individuals less than three months old and, unlike what could be expected, no preserved anatomical connections were documented. Bone concentration is low and connected to occupation duration. Taken together, the criteria we identify aide in better identifying fossil warrens in fossil sites as well as evaluate the integrity of the deposits. Finally, our results also add precision to environmental, biostratigraphic and palaeoethnographic interpretations.
Les sociétés du …, 2008
L’Igue du Gral est un aven d’environ 15 m de diamètre et de profondeur qui livre une faune pléist... more L’Igue du Gral est un aven d’environ 15 m de diamètre et de profondeur qui livre une faune pléistocène très bien conservée. Il se situe sur les plateaux des Causses du Quercy, dans un ensemble exceptionnel de sites archéologiques et de grottes ornées. La fouille a fourni un corpus paléontologique important sur lequel une série de datations radiocarbone a pu être réalisée.
Au sommet de la séquence pléistocène, un niveau renfermant un cerf de très grande taille est daté à 10 650 ± 50 (AMS, Ly-16389). À la base de la séquence, cinq mètres plus bas, un os de cheval donne la date de 26 320± 410 BP (Lyon-3087-Poz). Les recherches actuelles concernent des niveaux datés entre 13 000 et 16 000 BP. À terme, c’est plus de la moitié du Paléolithique
supérieur qui devrait être couverte par les assemblages fauniques
de l’Igue du Gral. Malgré le faible volume fouillé, de l’ordre de 5 à 6 m3, plus de 8 500 vestiges ont été mis au jour. Cerf, renne, bison, cheval, antilope saïga, loup, léporidés et chocard sont les espèces principalement identifiées. L’étude taphonomique entreprise montre que le site a principalement fonctionné en aven piège, sans intervention humaine apparente. Le matériel exhumé constitue une source d’informations exploitable pour la paléontologie des vertébrés, la reconstitution des paléo-environnements de la seconde moitié du stade isotopique 2, la taphonomie en avens et les activités des carnivores. Sa position chronologique et spatiale lui confère un intérêt particulier pour appréhender les choix cynégétiques des chasseurs ayant fréquenté le Quercy durant le Paléolithique supérieur récent.
Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, 1992
… Revue de l'Association française pour …, Jan 1, 2007
A study of the evolution of the herbivore community during the last three million years in Europe... more A study of the evolution of the herbivore community during the last three million years in Europe is proposed in this paper. The study includes the analysis of evolutionary changes of systematic and ecological structure (taxa diversity, body mass, diet specializations) related both with eco-physiological and environmental factors. Several biochronological phases can be envisioned. The most drastic change in the herbivore community structure coincides with the onset of the global glacial/interglacial cycle. It marks the emergence of the zoogeographical Palearctic region in Northern Eurasia that may be correlated with the base of Gelasian (2.6 Ma) and indicates the beginning of the Quaternary. This period (considered
as an era/erathem) is specific in terms of the recurrent, relatively cyclic, faunal turnover. The two following stages of faunal evolution mark a beginning and the end of complex continuous changes in the taxonomic and structural composition of the herbivore associations that resulted in a dominance of large-sized ruminant herbivores ofmodern type. They are mostly opportunistic mixed-feeders and grazers that can endure a high content of cellulose in forage. Quaternary herbivore associations in Western Europe demonstrate a high ecological polyvalence and adaptive tolerance to a broad variation of environmental and climatic conditions.
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burnt bone remains are found from many Palaeolithic sites but there may be several explanations f... more burnt bone remains are found from many Palaeolithic sites but there may be several explanations for their presence. Laboratory experiments were set up in order to define the combustible properties of bones and to characterize the bone remains resulting from combustion. on the basis of these results, three indices relating to the frequency of the cancellous portions, the intensity of fragmentation and the intensity of combustion are proposed to describe and interpret the burned bone assemblages. the multivariate analysis carried out on a sample of Paleolithic archaeological assemblages makes it possible to differentiate three main categories (fuel, non-fuel and fuel/cleaning) which serve as the basis for a statistical model which we then apply to the study of other sites for which we propose an interpretation of the burned assemblages.
Paléo. Revue d' …, 2002
... Ainsi, ce gisement représente le meilleur potentiel informatif pour détailler les tendanceste... more ... Ainsi, ce gisement représente le meilleur potentiel informatif pour détailler les tendancestechnologiques présentes dans l ... 27Il n'ya pas de grandes différences typologiques entre les ensembles lithiques des ... Tabl. 3 - Liste typologique préliminaire par niveaux de Galeria Pesada ...
Gallia préhistoire, 2001
Élément nouveau pour le Quercy, il s'agit avant tout d&a... more Élément nouveau pour le Quercy, il s'agit avant tout d'une implantation dans une vallée. En effet, et contrairement à leurs voisins, les Causses n'avaient jusqu'à présent fourni que des gisements implantés sur les plateaux calcaires, et non en fond de vallée : Coudoulous à l'extrémité ...
Paléo, 1991
A preliminary thought is made on peculiar sites yielding very few archaeological materials which ... more A preliminary thought is made on peculiar sites yielding very few archaeological materials which are rarely studied in the fiels and not integrated in the analysis of foraging systems of prehistoric populations. Three different types of sites are recognized with a natural fauna associated ...
Journal of Archaeological Science
The stratigraphic and lithic evidence at the site of Bérigoule is not sufficient for the determin... more The stratigraphic and lithic evidence at the site of Bérigoule is not sufficient for the determination of the age of two Mousterian archaeological layers. Thermoluminescence (TL) dating of heated flint from the two levels provides chronometric age estimates. The TL-ages show a high degree of variability, ranging from 54 to 90 ka for Level I and 67 to 111 ka for Level II. The technological and sedimentological analyses suggest a similar age for the artefacts from the two layers, which is supported by the TL-data. All these data suggest that the artefacts of Levels I and II were heated at the end of OIS 5.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2009
Keywords: Pleistocene climate steppe bison seasonality oxygen isotope apatite Oxygen isotope anal... more Keywords: Pleistocene climate steppe bison seasonality oxygen isotope apatite Oxygen isotope analysis of phosphate in tooth enamel of mammals (δ 18 O p ) constitutes a valuable method to reconstruct past air temperatures in continental environments. The method is based on interdependent relationships between the δ 18 O of apatite phosphate, body fluids, environmental waters and air temperatures. Continuous tooth growth and absence of enamel remodelling in bovid teeth ensures a reliable record of the intra-annual variability of air temperature through an incremental δ 18 O analysis from apex to cervix. This method has been applied to Bison priscus dental remains of the late Middle Pleistocene from the fossiliferous layer of a cave at Coudoulous I in South-Western France (Layer 4). The stacked oxygen isotope signal obtained by combining 9 bison teeth shows sinusoidal variations (15.0‰ to 19.1‰ V-SMOW) of seasonal origin over 2.5 yr. The corresponding computed MAT of 9 ± 3°C is about 4°C lower than at present. Seasons appear more contrasted in Coudoulous I during Layer 4 deposition with summers as warm as present ones (19 ± 3°C) and significantly colder winters about 0 ± 3°C compared to 6 ± 1°C at present. Fig. 7. Diagram summarizing the published mean air temperature estimates for the Saalian (MIS 6) and Eemian (MIS 5e) periods deduced from the floral associations and the oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate from Bison tooth enamel (this study) in France. The data are from: Guiot (1990) for La Grande Pile 1, Fauquette et al. (1999) for La Grande Pile 2, Les Echets, Vienne and lac du Bouchet.
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Papers by Jean-philippe Brugal
Au sommet de la séquence pléistocène, un niveau renfermant un cerf de très grande taille est daté à 10 650 ± 50 (AMS, Ly-16389). À la base de la séquence, cinq mètres plus bas, un os de cheval donne la date de 26 320± 410 BP (Lyon-3087-Poz). Les recherches actuelles concernent des niveaux datés entre 13 000 et 16 000 BP. À terme, c’est plus de la moitié du Paléolithique
supérieur qui devrait être couverte par les assemblages fauniques
de l’Igue du Gral. Malgré le faible volume fouillé, de l’ordre de 5 à 6 m3, plus de 8 500 vestiges ont été mis au jour. Cerf, renne, bison, cheval, antilope saïga, loup, léporidés et chocard sont les espèces principalement identifiées. L’étude taphonomique entreprise montre que le site a principalement fonctionné en aven piège, sans intervention humaine apparente. Le matériel exhumé constitue une source d’informations exploitable pour la paléontologie des vertébrés, la reconstitution des paléo-environnements de la seconde moitié du stade isotopique 2, la taphonomie en avens et les activités des carnivores. Sa position chronologique et spatiale lui confère un intérêt particulier pour appréhender les choix cynégétiques des chasseurs ayant fréquenté le Quercy durant le Paléolithique supérieur récent.
as an era/erathem) is specific in terms of the recurrent, relatively cyclic, faunal turnover. The two following stages of faunal evolution mark a beginning and the end of complex continuous changes in the taxonomic and structural composition of the herbivore associations that resulted in a dominance of large-sized ruminant herbivores ofmodern type. They are mostly opportunistic mixed-feeders and grazers that can endure a high content of cellulose in forage. Quaternary herbivore associations in Western Europe demonstrate a high ecological polyvalence and adaptive tolerance to a broad variation of environmental and climatic conditions.
Au sommet de la séquence pléistocène, un niveau renfermant un cerf de très grande taille est daté à 10 650 ± 50 (AMS, Ly-16389). À la base de la séquence, cinq mètres plus bas, un os de cheval donne la date de 26 320± 410 BP (Lyon-3087-Poz). Les recherches actuelles concernent des niveaux datés entre 13 000 et 16 000 BP. À terme, c’est plus de la moitié du Paléolithique
supérieur qui devrait être couverte par les assemblages fauniques
de l’Igue du Gral. Malgré le faible volume fouillé, de l’ordre de 5 à 6 m3, plus de 8 500 vestiges ont été mis au jour. Cerf, renne, bison, cheval, antilope saïga, loup, léporidés et chocard sont les espèces principalement identifiées. L’étude taphonomique entreprise montre que le site a principalement fonctionné en aven piège, sans intervention humaine apparente. Le matériel exhumé constitue une source d’informations exploitable pour la paléontologie des vertébrés, la reconstitution des paléo-environnements de la seconde moitié du stade isotopique 2, la taphonomie en avens et les activités des carnivores. Sa position chronologique et spatiale lui confère un intérêt particulier pour appréhender les choix cynégétiques des chasseurs ayant fréquenté le Quercy durant le Paléolithique supérieur récent.
as an era/erathem) is specific in terms of the recurrent, relatively cyclic, faunal turnover. The two following stages of faunal evolution mark a beginning and the end of complex continuous changes in the taxonomic and structural composition of the herbivore associations that resulted in a dominance of large-sized ruminant herbivores ofmodern type. They are mostly opportunistic mixed-feeders and grazers that can endure a high content of cellulose in forage. Quaternary herbivore associations in Western Europe demonstrate a high ecological polyvalence and adaptive tolerance to a broad variation of environmental and climatic conditions.
Une analyse paléoécologique de près de 755 assemblages fossiles (Herbivores et Carnivores) provenant de 230 gisements de la fin du
Pléistocène (e.45-10 Ka BP) dans le Sud-Ouest de l’Europe est proposée. Elle est conduite sous un aspect combinatoire et statistique, et repose
sur un cadre chronoclimatique fondé sur les phases majeures de refroidissement du dernier glaciaire (évènements de HEINRICH). L’étude
préliminaire des associations conduit à préciser les peuplements spécifiques et à montrer la paléo-biodiversité des associations de mammifères.
ABSTRACT
Paleoecological analysis is based on 755 fossil assemblages (Herbivores and Carnivores) from 232 south-western European sites dated to
the end of upper Pleistocene (c.45-10 Ky BP). A statistical and combinative approaches of mammalian stocks is placed into a chronoclimatic
frame defined from the main cooling event, known as HEINRICH’ events. This preliminary study allows to precise some specific features, especially
about the spatio-temporal distribution and the paleo-biodiversity of taxa.
RESUMEN
Se propone un análisis paleoecológico de alrededor de 755 agrupamientos fósiles ( herbívoros y carnívoros) procedentes de 230 yacimientos
de finales del Pleistoceno (e.45-10 Ka BP) en el suroeste de Europa. Se realiza mediante un enfoque combinatorio y estadístico, y en
un marco cronoclimático basado en las fases principales de enfriamiento de la última glaciación (acontecimiento de HEINRICH). El estudio preliminar
de las asociaciones conduce a precisar los asentamientos específicos y a mostrar la paleodiversidad de las asociaciones de mamíferos.