L’empreinte du phénomène pressignien dans les habitats Deûle-Escaut du nord de la France
Abstract
This paper draws up a brief inventory of productions in flint of the Grand-Pressigny region discovered
on the sites of northern France, connected with Deûle-Escaut, regional group of Late Neolithic. The results of
recent excavations and multidisciplinary studies on structured and well dated settlements suggest a diffusion
network of large blades produced on nucleus “livre-de-beurre” from 29th BC bound for these sites. Production
sites are taken away about 500 km. At the same time, but in very lesser proportion, long blades in Bartonien
flint of Paris Basin using pressignian technique, reach in northern France. This accords with the increasing
diversification of finished products imports in the Late Neolithic. The inventory also lists objects discovered by
prospecting more numerous than items found in archaeological context. The inventory (not exhaustive) gathers
225 blades in flint of the Grand-Pressigny region to which are added 54 daggers in Bartonian flint of Paris
Basin. The distribution of these long blades shows clear disparities. It seems that some sites are excluded from
the distribution while others concentrate the main part of imports. Import seems particularly important towards
the sites of the Scheldt and especially the Deûle valleys. Here the sector of Houplin-Ancoisne, densely occupied
during 3rd millennium BC, is especially remarkable. This corpus consists almost exclusively of revived, broken
and/or recycled blades of daggers from which some are characterized by scarf retouch or polished back. The
typo-functional analysis allows to approach their status and their function. Because of the reduction of these
blades, the wears due to their initial use cannot be observed. Eleven blades have been analyzed. All have
multiple used zones on their edges but also on their surface and dorsal ridges, even on the fracture. Sometimes,
use wears are superposed. These blades seem to hold an important role in acquisition and transformation of
various plants. The observed traces seem relatively close to those on several whole daggers of Netherlands
described by Annelou Van Gijn. She suggests that these daggers were slid into a sheath in bark or in another plant material, even in leather. These use wears are very different from intense one left by cropping cereals or
other plants, frequently described about pressignian blades and fragments in southern contexts. Despite the
difficulties in wears identifying, it turns out that modalities of use, functioning or manipulation are recurring.
The morphology of the support and the localization of some wears show that, even far from its original shape,
the nature of the material or the characteristics of the tool seem to be still attractive enough for using it extremely
in domestic context. The status of these technically over-invested blades and their value (of display, exchange?)
opposite the abundance of their production, the intensity of use and their rejection in detrital layers on the
Deûle-Escaut settlements are discussed. The Deûle-Escaut settlements are an important pole diffusion of long
blades daggers from the region of Le Grand-Pressigny. These blades represent on average 1,4% of the tools
on excavated settlements (between 0,5 and 2,3%). Bartonian flint daggers occupy a secondary place corresponding to one for ten pressignian. These productions of same technology are not in competition; they are of
a complementarity diffusion networks. These long blades take on a display value in a social competition context
where they are competed by the first copper daggers and intensification of long distances exchanges. This
specialized production is designed for distribution and for exchange. But the abundance of these blades and
their states of preservation and/or abandonment partially translate the complexity of the phenomen. It seems
that there is a contradiction between their precious value and their massive production. The functional analyses
seem to attribute to pressignian blades an important role in acquisition and processing of various plants and
show that the same uses are assured by others local tools. Here also technical need is not the reason of their
import. Sociological research shows that the fact of exchange dominates on the necessity of the good acquisition. Exchanges, essential in the social functioning of these societies, constitute a fundamental mode of integration which can limit conflicts. So what could be the object of exchange? Were these exchanges symmetric,
of the same value? Were blades exchanged for materials, intangible or symbolic assets: prestige, gratitude,
alliance, marriage…? It still seems very difficult to answer it.
Cet article dresse un bref bilan du recensement des productions en silex de la région du GrandPressigny découvertes sur les sites du nord de la France, attribués au Deûle-Escaut, groupe régional du
Néolithique final. Les résultats des fouilles et des études pluridisciplinaires récemment menées sur des habitats
structurés et bien datés suggèrent l'existence d'un réseau de diffusion de lames de poignards produites à partir
de nucléus «livres-de-beurre» à destination de ces sites dès le XXIXe s. av. J.-C. concordant avec la diversification croissante des importations de produits finis au Néolithique final. L’inventaire recense également les
pièces découvertes lors de prospections de surface, plus nombreuses que les objets trouvés en contexte. La
répartition de ces grandes lames montre de nettes disparités. Leur importation paraît particulièrement importante à destination des sites des vallées de l’Escaut et surtout de la Deûle. Parallèlement, mais en très moindre
proportion, de grandes lames en silex bartonien du Bassin parisien, de technique pressignienne, parviennent
dans le nord de la France. Ce corpus est composé presque exclusivement de lames de poignards ravivées,
brisées et/ou recyclées dont certaines se distinguent par une retouche en écharpe ou un dos poli. L'approche
typo-fonctionnelle permet d'aborder les questions liées au statut et à la fonction de ces outils. Compte-tenu de
leur réduction, les usures dues à leur vocation initiale ne peuvent être observées. Toutes ces lames portent de
multiples zones usées qui concernent leurs bords mais aussi leur surface et les arêtes dorsales, voire la cassure;
parfois, les traces se superposent les unes aux autres. Ces lames semblent tenir un rôle important dans l’acquisition et la transformation de différents végétaux. Malgré les difficultés d’identification des traces, il s’avère
que les modalités d’utilisation, de fonctionnement ou de manipulation sont récurrentes. Le statut de ces lames
techniquement surinvesties et leur valeur (d’affichage, d’échange?) sont discutés en regard avec l’abondance
de leur production, l’intensité de leur utilisation et leur rejet en couches détritiques sur les habitats du DeûleEscaut.
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