L'Ardèche est un des départements les plus riches en monuments mégalithiques. La densité exceptionnelle des dolmens en son sud, est inégalée dans le reste de la France et même en Europe. L'édification de ces monuments à la fin du Néolithique (aux environs de 3500 av.J.-C.) se poursuivra jusqu'au Bronze ancien (aux environs de 2000 av. J.-C.). La position de l'Ardèche, à proximité du Massif Central, des Causses, du Languedoc et du couloir rhodanien lui confère un rôle de "carrefour" où circulent et s'échangent les idées culturelles et les biens matériels. Si ces diffusions sont particulièrement visibles au niveau des corpus céramiques par exemple, elles ont également touché et bouleversé les pratiques funéraires, que ce soit dans les gestes accomplis envers le ou les défunts mais aussi dans le choix des lieux sépulcraux. L'inhumation disparaît peu à peu pour laisser la place aux dépôts en grottes et dans les chambres funéraires des dolmens. Plus de 800 dolmens sont inventoriés à travers le département dont la majorité dans le sud calcaire. Cependant, la conservation n'est pas excellente pour tous ces monuments et l'étude ainsi présentée s'appuiera sur un peu plus de 500 dolmens. Nous étudierons ainsi ces monuments à travers les trois types architecturaux reconnus (languedocien, bas-rhodanien et caussenard), leur implantation en fonction des influence naturelles et humaines. Nous essaierons d'établir une chronologie d'utilisation de ces monuments à partir du mobilier funéraire mais également par les transformations qu'ont pu subir les dolmens par les réutilisations par des sépultures secondaires plus ou moins tardives. Nous nous attarderons également sur leur devenir (transformation par l’architecture vernaculaire du XIXe siècle…) et les moyens de sauvegarde et de valorisation à notre disposition pour transmettre ce patrimoine aux générations futures. / Ardèche is one of the richest departments in megalithic monuments. The outstanding density of dolmens in the south of this area is unique in France and even in Europe. Erection of these monuments occurred from late Neolithic (around 3 500 years BC) until early Bronze Age (around 2 000 years BC). Given its location in the vicinity of Massif Central, Causses, Languedoc and the Rhône valley, Ardèche appears as a crossroad where ideas and artefacts may have circulated and been exchanged. If these spreadings are particularly clear from potteries, they also have disrupted burial rites, from attention paid to dead people to the choice of burial places. By late Neolithic, inhumation fades away and finally makes way to deposits of dead bodies in caves or within the chamber of the dolmens. More than 800 dolmens have been accounted throughout the area. Most of the monuments are located in Southern Ardèche, on limestone plateaus. However, some dolmens suffer a bad preservation which compelled us to work on 500 monuments.We study these monuments through three architectural features previously identified (Languedocian dolmens, Causse dolmens and lower Rhodanian dolmens), and their location that may be linked to natural or anthropic influences. We are able to set up a chronology of use of these dolmens from grave goods and transformations of the monuments caused by secondary burials. We also focus on the evolving of the monuments and the means we have to safeguard, emphasize and to hand down these dolmens to future generations

The subject of the thesis is the description, analysis and interpretation of rock art. The first, theoretic, part is dedicated to the research strategy, documentation, dating, conservation and presentation of rock art. It also analyses the relation between rock art and landscape, since differences in how different cultures perceived the landscape led rock art creators to different perception of the environment and to different forms of creative expression. The first part of the dissertation presents approaches rock art and methods of its interpretation from the landscape, historic, sociologic, ritual, artistic and aesthetic perspective. The second part of the dissertation discusses African rock art in the Oukaïmeden Valley, set in the central part of the High Atlas in Morocco. The dissertation focuses on particular archaeologic sites, art techniques applied, distinguishing features and other specificities of the local rock art. Special attention is paid to the motifs, development changes and dating of rock art in the Oukaïmeden Valley. Rock art first appeared there in the Late Neolithic and was further developed in the Bronze Age and continued until the Libyan-Berber period. The dissertation also presents interpretation of rock art motifs including analysis of their function and meaning of their positioning...

This thesis has had its focus on ceramic shards found in a trench by the late neolithic western shore of the Ajvide site. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate if there are changes in the pottery between the test trench and the ceramics found by the graves, known as the main site. The author has compared the ornaments from the test trench with an ornament schedule made from over 50 000 shards from the assumed main site. Not only changes regarding ornaments has been noticed but also new techniques and raw material. The author has also implemented two 14C datings which backs his hypothesis that the shards from the test trench are younger than the shards that made the earlier ornament schedule. According to the author, due to cultural changes,he is of the opinion that some of the examined shards represent ceramics from a hybrid culture consisting material and ritual traits from the pitted ware culture and the battleaxe (boataxe) culture.

L’industrie en matières dures animales joue un rôle important dans la préhistoire de la Sardaigne. Cette importance est soulignée par la présence de très nombreux objets retrouvés dans divers types de sites archéologiques dont la chronologie s’étend du Paléolithique à la fin de l’âge du Cuivre. L’ambition de ce travail est de constituer un panorama global de la production en matières dures animales au cours de la préhistoire sarde basé sur les données publiées à ce jour et tout particulièrement sur l’analyse des industries du Néolithique final Ozieri et du premier âge du Cuivre (4200-2900 av. J.C.). Dans un premier temps, ce travail propose la réalisation d’un bilan des connaissances actuelles sur la production en matières dures animales de la préhistoire sarde et met en évidence l’hétérogénéité des données et l’extrême rareté des études spécifiques à cette catégorie de vestiges. Dans un deuxième temps, l’analyse technologique de l’industrie en matières dures animales de deux sites majeurs de la préhistoire sarde, Su Coddu à Selargius (Cagliari) et Cuccuru s’Arriu à Cabras (Oristano) permet de poser les premières bases de la caractérisation de ces deux industries, définissant le rôle de l’industrie en matières dures animales (constitution de l’équipement) et permettant de reconstituer les techniques, les procédés et les méthodes de transformation employés pour la production des objets finis. Ce travail cherche également à caractériser les implications économiques de cette industrie et de mettre en évidence les affinités et les différences techno-économiques entre la production en matières dures animales du Néolithique final et celle du premier âge du Cuivre en Sardaigne. / The hard animal materials industry plays an important role in the prehistory of Sardinia. This importance is emphasized by the presence of many artefacts found in various types of archaeological sites (habitats, graves and “worship” sites) whose chronology extends from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Copper Age. The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive overview of hard animal materials production in the Sardinian prehistory based on actual published data and especially on the analysis of the late Neolithic Ozieri and the first Copper Age (4200-2900 B.C.) industries. In the first step, this work implies to achieve a state of art of current knowledge on the production of hard animal materials in Sardinian prehistory and highlights the heterogeneity of the data and the extreme rarity of specific studies about this category of artefacts. In a second step, the technological analysis of hard animal materials industry of two major sites of Sardinian prehistory, Su Coddu at Selargius (Cagliari) and Cuccuru s’Arriu at Cabras (Oristano) permit to lay the first bases for the characterization of these two industries, defining the role of hard animal materials industry (constitution of equipment) and to reconstruct the techniques, procedures and methods used for the production of finished objects. This work also seeks to characterize the economic implications of this industry and to highlight the techno-economic similarities and differences between the hard animal materials productions of the late Neolithic and the first Copper Age in Sardinia.

En Languedoc oriental, durant la fin du Néolithique final, on assiste à un accroissement important des occupations préhistoriques, en particulier au Néolithique final 3 (culture de Fontbouisse). Ce territoire a fait l’objet d’un découpage en faciès culturels, essentiellement sur la base des productions céramiques (Gutherz, 1975 ; 1990). La recherche s’est majoritairement concentrée sur les villages en pierre sèche des garrigues depuis les années 1950 jusqu’au début des années 1990. En effet, à partir de ces années-là, les investigations archéologiques se concentrèrent en plaine, sur des occupations à systèmes de fossés s’étendant sur plusieurs hectares. Le mobilier céramique, abondant, méritait une analyse plus poussée. Le travail présenté se penchera sur plusieurs séries céramiques des plaines datées du Néolithique final 3. La quantité massive de mobilier servira à vérifier si des régularités dans les productions céramiques peuvent être observées ou non. L’intérêt de ce travail est double : préciser les tendances stylistiques se dégageant des ensembles étudiés ; utiliser le contexte des successions de comblements stratigraphiques en vue d’affiner la chronologie de la production céramique et son évolution durant le Néolithique final 3. / In eastern Languedoc, during the late Neolithic, there has been a significant increase in prehistoric settlements, especially in the late Neolithic 3 (Fontbouisse culture). This area has been divided in cultural facies, mainly on the basis of ceramic production (Gutherz, 1975; 1990). Research has mostly focused on the garrigue’s dry stone villages from the 1950s to the early 1990s. Indeed, from those years, archaeological surveys have focused in plain, on ditch system settlements over several hectares. The abundant ceramicware deserved further analysis. This work will focus on several plain ceramic series dated to late Neolithic 3. The massive amount of ceramicware will make it possible to assess whether patterns in ceramic production can be observed. The value of this work is twofold: outline stylistic trends emerging from the sets studied, use the context of stratigraphic successions of fillings to refine the chronology of ceramic production and its evolution during late Neolithic 3.

L’objectif de cette thèse est la caractérisation technologique et typologique des industries lithiques du site de Proskynas en Grèce Centrale durant le Néolithique Récent (NR) et le Bronze Ancien (BA). En comparant ce corpus avec les industries lithiques régionales publiées jusqu’à présent et en contrôlant les techniques par l’expérimentation archéologique, cette étude révèle la contribution de l’industrie lithique dans la compréhension de la transition du Néolithique Récent au Bronze Ancien. L’approche méthodologique envisage une description analytique de tous les objets débités. L’analyse de la base de données ainsi constituée se fonde sur l’étude technologique et typologique approfondie par matière : obsidienne, silex chocolat et silex brun clair. Cette méthode permet de reconstituer mentalement les chaînes opératoires mises en œuvre et de reconnaître les gestes techniques appliqués. La composition des descripteurs analytiques et le croisement multi varié intra-situ et inter-situ des résultats obtenus révèlent une production de lames et d’éclats sur matières locales et importées. La variabilité régionale des chaînes opératoires et des supports débités caractérise le NR. Le BA affiche une grande homogénéité dans les conceptions opératoires et une remarquable standardisation des lames débitées surtout sur obsidienne. L’analyse typologique privilégie la description détaillée des produits confectionnés en outils (supports et retouche). La typologie des outils retouchés, la morphométrie des produits exploités bruts de débitage et sans traces d’utilisation macroscopiques sont des facteurs qui varient aussi bien entre les trois matières principales qu’entre les deux périodes (NR et BA). / The objective of this thesis is the technological and typological characterization of the lithic industries at the site of Proskynas in Central Greece during the Late Neolithic (LN) and the Early Bronze Age (EBA). By comparing this corpus with the regional lithic industries published to date and by verifying manufacturing techniques through archaeological experimentation, this study elucidates the contribution of the stone industry to the understanding of the transition from the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age.The methodological approach envisages an analytical description of all the produced objects. The analysis of the database so constituted is based on the technological and typological study deepened by material: obsidian, chocolate silex and light brown silex. This method allows to reconstitute mentally the chains operating implemented and to recognize technical gestures applied. The composition of the analytical descriptors and the intersection multi-varied intra-situ and inter-situ of the obtained results reveal a production of blades and flakes on local and imported materials. The regional variability of operating chains and of debited supports characterizes the LN. The EBA shows a great homogeneity in the operational conceptions and a remarkable standardization of blades produced especially on obsidian. The typological analysis emphasizes the detailed description of tools manufactured (supports and retouch). The typology of the retouched tools, the morphometrie of the products exploited raw debited and without macroscopic traces of use are factors which vary between the three major materials and the two periods (LN and EBA).

This thesis is focused on research of the rondel (circular ditch) located in the Prague- -Ruzyně area, dated to Late Neolithic Era with the Stroked Pottery culture. Quantitative, qualitative and spatial analysis of rondel's object fillings were carried out and the results and interpretation are presented in this thesis. Particularly thanks to Stroke-ornamented pottery analysis, it was possible to determine the relative chronology of the ditches filling. The interpretation of the material analysis and material spatial distribution tried to describe the trends associated with the formative processes and the development of origin of the ditches fillings. This work brings the results of processing of archeological findings and field documentation of a fully explored rondel, situated in the settlement of the Stroked Pottery culture. This work contributes to the understanding of Late Neolithic settlement structure and the rondels in general. Catalogue of findings is included. KEY WORDS: Late Neolithic - Stroked Pottery culture - Circular ditch - spatial analysis - formation processes - pottery - lithics - daub - animal skeletal remains

Folgender Artikel stellt die nach der politischen Wende in Sachsen gefundenen und bisher nur aus Vorberichten bekannten Glockenbechergräber vor. Die archäologisch-kulturelle Zuordnung der Gräber steht im Vordergrund, da einige Gräber keine oder kulturunspezifische Beigaben enthielten. Durch die Analyse eines internen und externen Grabkontextes kann der Großteil der Gräber der archäologischen Kultur mit Glockenbecher zugeordnet und die mit den Gräbern in Beziehung stehenden Befunde interpretiert werden. Weiterhin wird die Beziehungen zwischen den archäologischen Kulturen Glockenbecher und Aunjetitz thematisiert und auf besondere Aspekte der Glockenbecherbestattungssitte in Nordwestsachsen eingegangen. / This article presents the Bell Beaker graves found in Northwest Saxony after 1989. Because some of the burials contained none or only culturally non-specific grave goods, the overall analysis focused on the cultural classification of the graves. Investigation of the internal and external grave context allowed to classify the majority as graves of the Bell Beaker Culture and subsequently to interpret the features related to the graves. Furthermore the relationship between the Bell Beaker and Únetice Culture is discussed and special regional aspects of Bell Beaker burial customs are described in detail.

This thesis presents a micro-archaeological analysis of the osteological material from theunmarked communal grave L1977:6727, in Sigsarve, Gotland. The grave was found during the ploughing of a field and excavated in 1911. Documentation of the grave was poor; hencethe aim of this thesis was to investigate who the individuals in this grave were through their skeletal remains. The number of individuals, their age, and sex was determined, andpathological or activity-related changes were examined. A discussion on who these individuals were, whether their health could imply anything about their life, and how the grave might have been used, was based on these osteological results. The grave was likely a family grave used by a farming group. The elements displayed a fair amount of physical strain, particularly in a few individuals. The osteological material from the same grave waspreviously examined in 1912 by Carl M. Fürst. To examine the relevance of re-analysing osteological material analysed during the earlier 20th century a comparative analysis of Fürst’s and the new results was made. Although there were similarities, the older analysis provided very limited information in comparison to this analysis. / Denna avhandling är en mikroarkeologisk analys av det osteologiska materialet från flatmarksgraven L1977:6727, i Sigsarve, Gotland. Graven plogades upp och grävdes ut 1911. Då dokumentation om graven var minimal blev uppsatsens syfte att undersöka vilka individerna i graven kan ha varit genom det osteologiska materialet. Antalet individer, deras ålder och kön bedömdes, och eventuella patologiska eller aktivitetsrelaterade förändringar undersöktes. Utifrån resultaten diskuterades individernas liv, hälsa samt gravens bruk. Det kunde konstateras att graven troligen var en familjegrav som brukats av bönder snarare än jägare/samlare. Benen påvisade fysisk påfrestning, i synnerhet hos ett fåtal individer. Det osteologiska materialet undersöktes tidigare år 1912 av Carl M. Fürst. För att utreda relevansen av att åter-analysera osteologiskt material som analyserats under det tidigare 1900-talet gjordes en jämförande analys av Fürsts och de nya resultaten. Medan det fanns likheter i resultaten gav den äldre analysen mycket begränsad information i jämförelse med denna analys. / Gotland in the 3rd ML BCE

In South Sweden the third millennium BC is characterised by coastal settlements of marine hunter-gatherers known as the Pitted Ware culture, and inland settlements of the Battle Axe culture. This thesis outlines the history of research of the Middle Neolithic B in general and that of the pottery and burial practices in particular. Material culture must be understood as the result of both conscious preferences and embodied practices: technology can be deliberately cultural just as style can be un-selfconscious routine. Anthropological and ethnoarchaeological research into craft and the transmission of learning in traditional societies shows how archaeologists must take into consideration the interdependence of mind and body when interpreting style, technology and change in prehistory. The pottery crafts of the Pitted Ware and Battle Axe cultures were not just fundamentally different technologically, but even more so in the attitudes toward authority, tradition, variation and the social role of the potter in the community. The Battle Axe beakers represent a wholly new chaîne opératoire, probably introduced by a small group of relocated Beaker potters at the beginning of the period. The different attitudes toward living bodies is highlighted further in the attitudes toward the dead bodies. In the mortuary ritual the Battle Axe culture was intent upon the creation and control of a perfect body which acted as a representative of the idealised notion of what it was to belong to the community. This focus upon completeness, continuation and control is echoed in the making of beakers using the ground up remains of old vessels as temper. In contrast, the Pitted Ware culture people broke the bodies of the dead by defleshing, removal of body parts, cremation, sorting, dispersal and/or reburial of the bones on the settlements. The individuality of the living body was destroyed leaving the durable but depersonalised bones to be returned to the joint collective of the ancestors. Just as the bodies were fragmented so were the pots, sherds and bases being deposited in large quantities on the settlements and occasionally in graves. Some of the pots were also tempered with burnt and crushed bones. At the end of the Middle Neolithic the material and human remains show evidence of a growing effort to find a common ground in the two societies through sharing certain mortuary rituals and making beakers with a mix of both traditions, stylistically and technologically.