Fields of Research

The study of the origin of materials used by prehistoric humans to make their tools is relatively recent. This new approach helps us better understand a number of behaviors that had previously been overlooked. Lithic industries, for instance, were only studied through typology and technology. A neglected parameter was the nature and origin of the material, and therefore the knowledge of territorial exploitation.

Zoned flint from the Upper Jurassic of the Castellane Arc.

The search for materials suitable for flaking and shaping tools led Paleolithic human groups to a deep understanding of their hunting territories.

To fully assess this mobility, the exploitation of excavation data—namely, the study of lithic series—combined with geological and petrographic knowledge of a region, allows us to assign to most objects a more or less confirmed origin. Since the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology holds important collections from key sites for understanding human movement, our work is particularly fruitful.

The main raw materials are flint, followed by jasper and quartzite. Flint, of sedimentary origin, appears as well-defined nodules within monotonous limestone or marl-limestone formations. Systematic research into regional flint sources inevitably leads to the creation of a reference database.

Very large flint nodule with small blades from the lacustrine levels of the Oligocene basin of Apt-Forcalquier.

This work has been ongoing at the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology for about ten years. The creation of a reference lithotheque is never complete due to the exhaustive nature of the project, but with more than 250 referenced sites and nearly 4,000 samples preserved at the Museum, we can say that significant progress has been made. We are currently setting up a site map connected to the database within a Geographic Information System (GIS), allowing us to visualize the relationships between settlements and material sources, and thus understand the distribution areas of raw materials.

Archaeological objects kept or exhibited are inventoried, studied, and reconditioned. The research conducted on these materials is published in both academic and popularized formats

Study laboratory of the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology of Monaco.

Upon request, the collections, library, and lithotheque can be made available to international researchers and institutions, as well as to PhD students.

Lithic industry can be defined as the set of manufactured objects resulting from specific human actions on raw materials, usually siliceous. More commonly, the flaking of siliceous rocks following a process called the "operational chain" leads to the manufacture of tools and weapons.

Example of a raw flake in bioclastic flint (Upper Acheulean from the Aldène cave, Hérault). Left: dorsal face of the flake showing negative scars from previous removals. Right: ventral face showing the bulb of percussion.

The raw material used consists of rocks with good flaking properties. These rocks must be hard (resistant to crushing), homogeneous, and fine-grained or without grains. The fracture is usually conchoidal (i.e., showing a bulb of percussion and a smooth fracture plane, see fig. 1).

A controlled blow or applied pressure allows the precise detachment of a flake (a rock fragment with a sharp edge).

Several rock types meet these criteria, including mainly siliceous sedimentary rocks and certain volcanic rocks.