Le gisement moustérien des Pradelles (Marillac-le-Franc, Charente, France) a été occupé saisonnièrement par les Néandertaliens en tant que halte de chasse, durant le stade isotopique 4. Il a livré près d’une centaine de restes humains (crâniens, dentaires et des membres) appartenant à au moins sept individus (enfants, adolescents et adultes). Ils présentent des traits morphologiques et des dimensions métriques intégrant la variabilité néandertalienne. Ils nous fournissent ainsi des données supplémentaires quant à la connaissance morphométrique des individus de ce taxon. En outre, certains vestiges présentent à leur surface des modifications anthropiques que l’on retrouve sur les restes de faune du site : impacts de fracturation, stries de découpe et de raclage ... L’étude taphonomique réalisée révèle un transport sélectif des parties du squelette des Néandertaliens sur le gisement ainsi que leur exploitation compatible avec une visée nutritive. / The Mousterian site of Les Pradelles (Marillac-le-Franc, Charente, France) was occupied seasonally by the Neanderthal as hunting camp, during the isotopic stage 4. About a hundred human remains were unearthed (cranial, dental and limbs fragments) belonging to at least seven individuals (children, teenagers and adults). They present morphological features and metric dimensions integrating the Neanderthal variability. Thus, they provide additional data to our morphometric knowledge of the individuals of this taxon. Furthermore, some of these remains present anthropological modifications on their surface, the same that on the faunal remains from the site: percussion impacts, cutmarks, scraping marks ... The taphonomical study realized reveals a selective transport of the Neandertal skeletal parts to the site and their exploitation compatible with nutritive aim. / El yacimiento musteriense de Les Pradelles (Marillac-le-Franc, Charente, Francia) ha sido ocupado temporadamente por los Neandertales como alto de caza, durante el estadio isotópico 4. Entregó un centenar restos humanos (craneanos, dentarios y de los miembros) perteneciente a un mínimo de siete individuos (niños, adolescentes y adultos). Presentan rasgos morfológicos y dimensiones métricas que integran la variabilidad de Neandertal. Así nos proporcionan datos suplementarios en cuanto al conocimiento morfometrico de este taxón. Además, un cierto número de estos vestigios presenta en su superficie modificaciones antrópicas que se encuentran en los restos de fauna del sitio: impactos de fracturación, estrías de recorte y de raspado... El estudio tafonómico realizado revela un transporte selectivo de las partes del esqueleto de los Neandertales en el yacimiento así como su explotación compatible con un objetivo nutritivo.

Les données chronologiques disponibles pour les gisements du Paléolithique moyen du Sud-Ouest de la France font état d’un manque de jalons chronologiques fiables. Pour ces périodes anciennes, l’établissement d’un cadre chronologique nécessite un investissement méthodologique important dans le domaine de la datation numérique. Les résultats obtenus dans cette étude reposent essentiellement sur la datation par luminescence optique de grains de feldspaths et de quartz contenus dans les sédiments. En particulier, l’étude des signaux de luminescence classiquement exploités (IRSL, pIR-IRSL), nous permet de mieux évaluer la fiabilité des datations à partir des feldspaths potassiques. Un protocole de datation fondé sur l’exploitation du signal de radioluminescence (IR-RF) de ces minéraux a aussi été développé. Ainsi, la luminescence optique a été appliquée à des échantillons provenant de six gisements de référence : Les Pradelles (Marillac, Charente), Combe Brune 2 (Creysse, Dordogne), Roc de Marsal (Campagne, Dordogne), Artenac (Saint-Mary, Charente), La Quina (Gardes-le-Pontaroux, Charente) et La Ferrassie (Savignac-de-Miremont, Dordogne). La combinaison des résultats obtenus nous a permis, au sein de chaque niveau archéologique, d’évaluer la pertinence des datations et de proposer pour chaque gisement un scénario chronologique qui nous semble fiable. À l’issue de cette étude, les occupations humaines, caractérisées selon leurs industries, ont pu être replacées sur une échelle des temps en regard des variations paléoclimatiques et paléoenvironnementales régionales. Plusieurs constats ont été dressés enrichissant le registre de nos connaissances sur les cultures néandertaliennes. / Currently available chronological information for Middle Palaeolithic sites in southwestern France precludes the establishment of a robust chronological framework. For these early periods, developing such a framework relies upon important methodological advancements in numerical dating techniques. The results of this study are essentially based on the optical luminescence dating of sedimentary feldspars and quartz. Focusing on the most commonly employed luminescence signals (IRSL, pIR-IRSL), it was possible to more clearly evaluate the reliability of dates obtained on K-feldspars. A dating protocol for these materials based on their radioluminescence signal (IR-RF) was also developed. Optical luminescence dates were produced for six major archaeological sites: (Marillac, Charente), Combe Brune 2 (Creysse, Dordogne), Roc de Marsal (Campagne, Dordogne), Artenac (Saint-Mary, Charente), La Quina (Gardes-le-Pontaroux, Charente) et La Ferrassie (Savignac-de-Miremont, Dordogne). Collating the results for each archaeological level allowed the coherence of the dates to be tested and a reliable chronological sequence to be proposed for each site. The different human occupations, characterised by their industrial attribution, could be placed within a chronological framework that incorporates regional palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic variations. Finally, several observations provide new insights for our understanding of Neandertal cultures.

In the world of archaeological and anthropological research, the transition from the Middle Paleolithic (MP) to the Upper Paleolithic (UP) is widely debated and studied. During this period in Europe, the last Neanderthals were replaced by the first Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH). It is widely debated how and in what time frame this replacement occurred, and if, when, and where the two human species interacted with eachother. In order to understand the differences and similarities between Neanderthals and AMH, many branches of archaeology collaborate to answer these questions. For example, the study of artifacts or genetic investigations can provide a wealth of information on the cognitive-behavioral abilities of the two hominins or on possible hybridization. In this context, archaeozoology is an extremely interesting branch for reconstructing the interactions between humans and the environment in which they lived and thus defining the economic and behavioral strategies of the two human species. Of particular interest are the sites of RiparoMochi (Ventimiglia) and RiparoTagliente (Verona), which present evidence of occupation by the last Neanderthals and subsequent arrival of AMH. Due to their geographical location, crucial for investigating the arrival of AMH in Europe, the study of faunal remains from these two sites is of fundamental importance. This thesis proposes an archaeozoological study useful for shedding light on the human-environment dynamics that occurred between the end of the MP and the beginning of the UP innorthern Italy, examining two sites belonging to two distinct geographical regions, Liguria and Veneto, characterized (today and in the past) by different climatic and environmental conditions. In addition to the classic archaeozoological study, the methodologies applied here range from analyses of dental microwear to the use of 3D technology for the study of bone artifacts. The archaeozoological analysis of these two contexts is also necessary due to the scarcity of faunal data for the two sites, which are infact preliminary or incomplete. How did Neanderthal hunting strategies differ between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic sides of the Apennines? Did the arrival of AMH correspond to a change in hunting behavior or in the way sites were occupied? How have the fauna and surrounding ecosystems of the two sites evolved? Answering these and other questions will help to understand how the rapid climatic and environmental changes that characterized the end of the MP influenced human groups and animal populations in the two regions and how human-environment interactions changed in the transition from the late MP to the beginning of the UP. / Nel mondo della ricerca archeologica e antropologica, la transizione fra il Paleolitico Medio (PM) e il Paleolitico Superiore (PS) è ampiamente dibattuta e studiata. In questo periodo, in Europa, gli ultimi Neandertal vengono sostituiti dai primi Umani Anatomicamente Moderni (UAM). È ampiamente dibattuto come e in quanto tempo sia avvenuta questa sostituzione e se, quando e dove, le due specie umane abbiano interagito fra loro. Al fine di comprendere le differenze e le similitudini fra Neandertal e UAM, molte branche dell’archeologia collaborano per rispondere a queste incognite. Ad esempio, lo studio dei manufatti o le indagini genetiche possono dare molte informazioni sulle capacità cognitivo-comportamentali dei due ominini o su una possibile ibridazione. In questo contesto l’archeozoologia è una branca di estremo interesse per ricostruire le interazioni fra l’uomo e l’ambiente nel quale viveva e definire quindi le strategie economiche e comportamentali delle due specie umane. Di particolare interesse sono i siti di Riparo Mochi (Ventimiglia) e Riparo Tagliente (Verona), i quali presentano testimonianze dell’occupazione da parte degli ultimi Neandertal e la successiva frequentazione di UAM. Per via della loro posizione geografica, nevralgica per indagare sull’arrivo di UAM in Europa, lo studio dei resti faunistici provenienti da questi due siti è di fondamentale importanza. In questa tesi si propone uno studio archeozoologico utile a far luce sulle dinamiche uomo-ambiente intercorse fra la fine del PM e l’inizio del PS in Nord Italia, prendendo in esame due siti facenti parte di due regioni geografiche distinte, la Liguria e il Veneto, caratterizzate (oggi e in passato) da differenti condizioni climatico-ambientali. Oltre al classico studio archeozoologico, le metodologie qui applicate spaziano dalle analisi della microusura dentale all’utilizzo della tecnologia 3D per lo studio di manufatti in osso. L’analisi archeozoologica di questi due contesti risulta inoltre necessaria a causa della scarsità di dati faunistici per i due siti, questi risultano infatti preliminari o incompleti. Come differivano le strategie di caccia dei Neandertal fra il versante tirrenico e adriatico degli appennini?L’arrivo di UAM ha corrisposto ad un cambiamento del comportamento venatorio o nelle modalità di occupazione dei siti? Come si sono evolute le faune e gli ecosistemi circondanti i due siti? Rispondere a queste ed altre domande permetterà di comprendere come le rapide variazioni climatico-ambientali che caratterizzarono la fine del PM, abbiano influito sui gruppi umani e sulle popolazioni animali delle due regioni e come le interazioni uomo-ambiente siano mutate nel passaggio dal PM finale e l’inizio del PS.