Tardigravettian

The Rouet stratified site, located on the coast of Marseille (Carry-le-Rouet, Bouches-du-Rhône), provide a pleni-tardiglacial tardigravettian sequence well radiocarbon dated, beginning with two shouldered (cran) blades and points levels. The analysis of 35 provençal and languedocian upper palaeolithic layers allow us to isolate six layers characterized by high relative proportions of truncated backed bladelets and shoulder blades and/or points. The detailed morphotechnological analysis of these crans and of the very rare shouldered points (pointes à cran) allows us to distinguish two clusters: nonomorphic crans in the salpêtrian Epigravettian (Salpêtrière, Oullins and Rouvière) and polymorphic ones in the Tardigravettian (Rouet, Chinchon). A partial sketch of the evolutionary trends of lower Rhône valley industrial complexes is provided. To the west, two linear evolutionary stage (Solutréen-early Salpêtrien on one hand and upper Magdalénien-Azilien on the other) are broken apart by a succession and a juxtaposition of disparate complexes (Magdalénien à raclettes, complexe de Fontgrasse, «Salpêtrien supérieur» ...). To the east of Rhône river and to the south of Durance river, the early Tardigravettian with crans would be the origine of the upper vauclusian Magdalenian and Azilian. The Tardigravettian (early with pointes à faces planes, early with crans and evolved ) occupies the area between Durance river and littoral Provence. The Cosquer cave, close to Rouet ockshelter, is outside solutrean and tardisolutrean geographic area. Three different evolutionary pathways pass through a same step of production of shouldered objects (lames and pointes à cran) and backed truncated bladelets.

The lateglacial site of the Mas des Taillades has yielded an original flint industry. Only two typological categories, «pièces écaillées» and small short endscrappers, account for more than 80% of the retouched tools. It is shown that this industry is one step (included in the Younger Dryas) of a long tardigravettian evolutionary trend established upon modern excavation lithic materials (Rouet rockshelter at Carry le- Rouet, Fanfarline rockshelter at Orgon). Cornille rockshelter valorguian industry, with its very unusual structure, is another step in this tardigravettian evolutionary trend. Cornille rockshelter valorguian industries cannot be regarded as a Mediterranean facies of azilian industries any longer. It is shown that this evolutionary stage is not lateglacial Alleröd but Younger Dryas in age.