Awardees

A project is proposed for the direct radiocarbon (14C) dating of paleontological remains of glacial mammalian species from southern France. The geochronological program is based on CEREGE's radiocarbon unit, which has demonstrated its ability to date micro-samples of collagen and purified molecular extracts. The aim of the project is to determine the chronology of disappearance and/or extinction of large steppe mammals, as well as the development of temperate species in a geographical area at the confluence of major Late Pleistocene ecosystems: the tundra-steppe and the Mediterranean world. Based on paleontological remains preserved in several museums in the south of France and in the Principality of Monaco, this project is the first program in France devoted exclusively to direct dating of woolly mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, megaceros deer, cave bears, cave hyenas, cave lions and marmots.) Based on the expected results, a discussion on the causes and rates of extinction of these species will be initiated (climate change, anthropogenic pressure on environments) as well as a comparison with archaeological and paleoclimatic data from other European regions.

Partner(s):

• Requien Museum (Avignon)
• Nîmes Natural History Museum
• Toulouse Natural History Museum
• Musée national de Préhistoire (Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac)
• Bordeaux Natural History Museum
• Angoulême Museum of Fine Arts
• Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology, Monaco
• Archaeomaterials Research Institute (IRAMAT - Bordeaux)
• Center for Research and Studies in Prehistoric Art (CREAP - Toulouse)

AQUEDAIX is an interdisciplinary project combining mineralogy, geochemistry and archaeology, with the ambition of reconstructing the hydro-climatic conditions of the Mediterranean environment in Roman times through the study of carbonate concretions deposited on the walls of aqueducts. The climatic context is one of the key parameters closely associated with the management of water resources in past societies.

AQUEDAIX has two objectives: 1) to gain a better understanding of the modes of deposition of carbonate concretions via material characterization and fine-scale geochemical characterization approaches; 2) to date concretions by comparing absolute geochronology and archaeological knowledge in order to gain a better understanding of how these hydraulic systems functioned. AQUEDAIX will draw on a range of cutting-edge skills from the laboratories of CEREGE, the Centre Camille Jullian, CINaM and the Archaeology and Museum Department of the city of Aix-en-Provence.

The existence of promising preliminary results (150 years of laminated deposits in Roman times), as well as local and Internationally recognized scientific expertise on the mode of deposition and Mediterranean climatic archives, reinforce the feasibility of the AQUEDAIX project.

Partner(s):

• Aix-en-Provence Archaeology & Museum Department

Archaeological data from excavations at Cap des Tamaris and Cap de l'Arquet have enabled us to reconstruct precise plans of Gallic villages perched atop these cliffs. Ancient and recent archaeological data indicate that the cliffs at Cap de l'Arquet were ablated by between 2 and 6 metres in 2600 years. These values are 2 to 3 times higher than the erosion rates calculated in J. Giuliano's thesis (2015). However, he proposes two different methodological approaches, on two time scales, one centennial using image processing, the other millennial using cosmonuclide (36Cl) surface denudation dating. Both methods produce the same maximum average erosion rate (1mm.yr-1). However, these values are not compatible with archaeological data. We propose to integrate archaeological data into the consideration of cliff erosion rates. But also to integrate underwater morphology and recent Holocene variations in sea level into the understanding of erosion mechanisms.

Partner(s):

• Martigues Archaeological Department

This interdisciplinary project is part of a programmed archaeological operation on an ancient burial site in the mountains of Val d'Allos (04). The aim is to carry out pedoanthracological sampling outside the archaeological context, in order to supplement the paleoenvironmental data provided by the analysis of charcoal collected in the archaeological context. Pedoanthracology applies to wood charcoal buried naturally in soils following vegetation fires of natural or anthropogenic origin. The high spatial resolution of these data makes it possible to reconstruct the vegetation environment around archaeological sites. The comparison of anthracological, archaeological and historical data on the same site enables us to refine our knowledge of the surrounding vegetation and the consequences of human activities on its evolution over the last millennia (structural, specific and functional biodiversity).

This project questions the way in which ancient societies considered death and managed their dead in evolving contexts, through a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together collaborators in archaeothanatology, biological anthropology, archaeology, history, environmental and societal sciences. Our aim is to develop a vast network of collaborations, both disciplinary and geographical, in order to create a truly interdisciplinary hub on death and funerary practices. We intend to initiate this vast project through various research themes: the relationship between land use, land law and the installation of funerary areas; the expression of social identity in death; the plurality of cultures/communities in the perception of death, the body and burial; territorial reorganization and funerary practices; relationships between categories of the population in the expression of funerary practices; populations (constitutions, evolution, pluralities). The project will be carried out in 3 phases, each lasting 6 months, and will involve developing and consolidating our research networks, particularly Internationally, as well as advancing or completing current research, with a view to publications, symposia, etc., and initiating a training program of excellence in archaeoanthropology.

Significant variability exists in the distribution and quantity of archaeological sites from many periods in the Mediterranean. The sedimentation rhythms reconstructed over the last 50,000 years in this region suggest a major impact of morphosedimentary processes on the preservation and/or destruction of these sites. However, these morphogenic trends associated with bioclimatic variations have yet to be specified at a sufficiently high resolution to enable us to identify in detail what human-environment interactions or taphonomic conditions are responsible for the spatialization, presence or absence of sites. Based on a multiscalar geomorphological analysis (from watershed to elemental scale) integrating archaeological and paleoenvironmental data and exploring sedimentology and geochemistry, the results envisaged aim to better decipher the part played by complex processes in understanding and characterizing archaeological risks in the field. This detailed reading will also enable us to highlight certain rapid events (climate, floods, earthquakes, landslides, etc.) that may have had an impact on the taphonomy of sites, human occupation patterns (natural hazards) and the way in which societies were able to overcome or adapt to environmental changes.

Partner(s):

• Physical Geography Laboratory (LGP - Paris)
• Luberon Regional Nature Park
• Institute of Evolutionary Sciences (ISEM - Montpellier)
• Mediterranean Institute of Biodiversity and Marine and Continental Ecology (IMBE - Aix-Marseille)
• University of Turin (Italy)
• Abdelmalek Essaâdi University (Tangier - Morocco)

The aim of this project is to reconstruct the human-environment interactions of the ancient port area located in the northeastern part of the Lacydon calanque (Bourse site, Marseilles), which was once under water. Positioned at the mouth of several streams, the influx of fresh water had to lower the degree of salinity in this part of the port, and was dependent on the various developments that followed until the 7th century AD.C. The aim of this research is to bring together geomorphological, geophysical, paleoenvironmental, archaeological and historical disciplines, in order to gain a better understanding of the transformation processes in this coastal area and to distinguish between the natural and man-made aspects, while placing the various societies in the economic and geopolitical contexts of their time. This project focuses on three points: 1. characterization of the lateral displacement of the coastline in this part of the calanque through geomorphological study of the sedimentary archives collected over the past year; 2. analysis of paleo-bioindicators in order to detail the various changes in hydrological dynamics and correlate them with the archaeological remains uncovered; 3. a past/present reflection on the hydrological aspects of the site through the implementation of geophysical methods (electromagnetic, radar, ERT).

Partner(s):

• Marseille History Museum
• University of Bucharest (Romania)

Marine resources are one of the mainstays of the Mediterranean diet. How they were acquired and consumed in southern France is still poorly understood by archaeologists in historic times. However, archaeological tools in other parts of Western Europe and in certain regions of the Mediterranean have revealed hitherto little-known aspects of these practices. This project is the first to combine an archaeo-ichthyological approach to the medieval and modern periods in southern France with an analysis of the isotopic signatures of certain taxa. This innovative, transdisciplinary approach will initially involve three medieval and modern sites in Provence. An essential part of this pilot project will also involve the establishment of an unprecedented current reference system, essential for reliable and accurate interpretation of the isotopic results. This repository will incorporate ichthyological reference collections from Aix-en-Provence and Madrid. At the end of this Amorce project, the deployment of a similar project throughout the Mediterranean, thanks to collaboration with several European laboratories and universities, will enable a diachronic approach to this essential practice of Mediterranean life.

Partner(s):

• Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)

The aim of this project is to apply a cross-archaeological, geomorphological and archaeo-geophysical approach to characterize the paleoenvironmental contexts that affected the evolution of the Great Pyramids harbors ca. 4500 years ago. To reveal the main stages in the history of the ports, the focus will be on understanding the factors of change, more specifically (i) the evolution of the swamps and wetlands of the floodplains at the foot of the Giza plateau; (ii) fluvial constraints (cf. catastrophic floods, sedimentary crises, etc.), which have led to the silting-up of port basins and caused a break in sedimentary sequences or abrupt changes; (iii) the impacts of human actions (direct, such as engineering works, channelization and dredging, or indirect impacts
such as clearing of riparian forests). Understanding the environmental and anthropogenic factors in the evolution of the ports of Giza - and its network of canals linked to the Nile - will constitute an essential scientific advance for a better understanding of the construction processes of the Great Pyramids and the ecological and h drological trajectory of the ports in terms of navigability.

Partner(s):

• National Research Institute of Astronomy & Geophysics (Hellwan - Egypt)