Économies des populations néolithiques de Corse : Apport de l’étude typo-technologique du matériel en pierre polie et du macro-outillage du site de A Guaita (Morsiglia, Haute-Corse)

EnglishA Guaita is an open-air settlement located on a hill in low relief coastal at the north-west end of the Cap Corse. The archaeological operations conducted between 2004 and 2013 have brought to light two Neolithic occupan-cy's successive levels: the first one, dated at the end of the Early Neolithic (end of the sixth or the first half of the fifth millennium BC, not calibrated), the second at the Middle Neolithic with radiocarbon dates from 4400-4000 BC cali-brated. We have before presented in Congresses or publications several studies of ceramic or lithic elements brought to light in this site, and we want just present with this paper the principal results of each occupations level, which give to A Guaita a sure originality. But, in fact, the matter of this article are many artifacts in polished and not polished stones or pebbles (macro-tools), which are rarely published and studied in Corsica, because probably not found during the exca-vations. Indeed, querns and grinders, pebbles utilized as polishers, or hammer-stones and axes, are the most described and studied in publications. But sharpeners, wedges, or tools with many uses (poly-functional), intermediate objects and anvils with particularly form are rarely studied and published. At A Guaita, our attention was minded by all these numerous tools, very diversified, which were fund in both occupancy levels and on other terraces of the A Guaita hill. The original composition and abundance of this artifacts were incentives for the thorough study in this paper. We hope thus to lay the basis of a first useful reference for the study of this material in Corsica. On other continental settlements, for some years, systematical studies of this pieces were published. We are referred to these studies for suggest in our publication a corpus of more than 64 pieces found in the excavations, but also some pieces from not excavated terraces as additional information. Despite bioturbation's problems during the excavations (presence of many roots), characteristic lithic tools and ceramic artifacts of Early Neolithic and Middle Neolithic were brought to light. Ceramic with cardium-decoration is present, but also, for the prime time at Corsica, pieces with incised decoration derived from productions of ceramic a linee incise(italic trend) were found. The lithic artifacts show links with Sardinia (obsidian from Monte Arci and flint stone from Bassin of Perfugas), but also possible origin of flint stone from Italy. In the Early Neolithic phase were found typical trapezoidal transverse arrows in obsidian, rhyolite and flint stone. To the Middle Neolithic phase, are most artifacts (arrows in different forms and blades) in flint stone, rhyolite and obsidian present. In both archaeologic levels the quartz has been extensively carved cut particular using anvils. The ceramic pieces of the Middle Neolithic phase are very small and have often polished superficies with carenate forms, but they are generally most broken.The greatest interest comes from a wide variety of macro-tools found in both levels: the assemblage consists in grinding stones, millstones, hammer-stones, polishers, anvils, polished blades, axes, roughs and chisels. Detailed analysis of raw lithic material reveals the preference for local area resources: gabbro, gneiss, mica-schist, amphibolite, and quartz or quartzite mainly. The most pieces as blades of axes and adzes or hammer-stones, etc, were analyzed by petrographic determinations, adzes and chisel by non-destructive analyses: weighty hammer-stones are in eclogite, blades and chisel in jadeitite. This pieces in eclogite, especially dense, have a particular form (good ergonomy) and they were careful selected and manufactured (micro-regional supply); they reveal a good knowledge from prehistoric groups of lithic sources in their environment.The major part of anvils came from pebbles in ovoid or rectangular form. The most pieces, nearly on pebbles, are polishers and hammer-stones, but several poly-functional pieces with two or three functions were recognized. Grind-ers, anvils, hammer-stones are most poly-functional tools: this is visible through the traces of use that reveal their faces or edges. Four intermediate elements were also found: they are small and long pebbles, but their utilization was occasional. Our study is based on classifications of A. Leroi-Gourhan concerning the different forms of percussions: the launched percussion is used on anvils, the posed percussion is used by polishers, etc. Smoothing tools are utilized specially for ceramic working whereas hammer-stones are used for the chaine operatoire by production of many lithic artifacts; they are strictly linked with anvils that were found in stratigraphy in each occupation level, Early as Middle Neolithic.This functional diversity reveals that Neolithic people of A Guaita have had domestic activities (production of lithic industry and ceramic vessel), perhaps too craft activities. They are in relationships or occasional contacts with local or micro-regional communities from Corsica, but also from Tuscany or Sardinia, for raw material supply, as reveal the presence of industry and nuclei in obsidian and flint stone varieties mainly - that results through actually research. They have too occasional or regular (?) contacts with Central Italy, at the Early Neolithic, ceramic vessel through influences of communities with a line incise facies, attested by determination of clays composition. francaisAu Mesolithique, tres peu de traces d'occupation humaine sont attestees dans le Cap Corse, comme dans l???ensemble de l'ile. Ce n'est qu'avec les vagues successives de neolithisation, et surtout dans le courant du VIe mille-naire avant notre ere, que des petits groupes humains s'installent majoritairement le long des cotes dans des abris. Ils pratiquent une economie de subsistance axee sur une agriculture sommaire et un elevage adapte au relief (ovicaprines et suines) tout en pratiquant cueillette, chasse et peche. Situe sur une petite colline littorale au nord-ouest du Cap Corse, le gisement de A Guaita a livre, sur une terrasse sommitale, deux occupations successives du Neolithique ancien et moyen (fin du VIe millenaire-fin du IVe millenaire BCE), dont une grande structure d'habitat attribuable au Neolithique moyen. De nombreux vestiges ceramiques et lithiques propres a chacune des occupations ont ete recueillis, dont plus d'une soixantaine d'outils en pierre non taillee (macro-outillage) et en pierre polie, rarement publies, sinon etudies en Corse. En effet, les meules, molettes, lissoirs, percuteurs et lames polies sont souvent analyses, mais d'autres outils (enclumes, aiguisoirs, pieces intermediaires ou outils multifonctionnels) sont tres rarement evoques. Sans doute n'apparaissent-ils pas en aussi grand nombre sur de nombreux sites insulaires. Depuis quelques annees, plusieurs publications nationales ont aborde une etude systematique de ces pieces. Nous avons donc realise une description et une analyse par categorie de notre corpus, et chacun de ces groupes est presente et illustre. La localisation spatiale des pieces indique les aires probables d'activite des groupes. En plus d'un examen macroscopique systematique, plusieurs elements ont fait l'objet d'analyses petrographiques qui ont mis en evidence leur origine locale : en effet, la quasi-totalite de ces outils sont issus de galets, ou faconnes a partir de blocs qui proviennent de l'environnement immediat du site (approvisionnement local) ou du Cap Corse (microregional). L'ensemble de ces donnees (elements de meunerie, outils en pierre polie, mais aussi macro-outils servant au faconnage, au debitage, ou a la production d'industries en pierre taillee) laisse supposer des activites de production necessaires a la vie des occupants du site. Enfin, des rapprochements culturels sont envisages avec des sites corses et d'Italie centrale, ainsi que les circuits et echanges que ces artefacts semblent suggerer dans l'aire tyrrhenienne.