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Petro-archaeology; Palaeogeography; Upper Turonian; Lower Turonian; Upper Palaeolithic; Touraine; Berry; Auvergne
Abstract:
In the South of the Paris basin, the Lower (silex blond) and Upper (silex du Grand-Pressigny) Turonian flints were important raw materials during the Upper Paleolithic. Their exploitation is known from findings from the Berry, Touraine, Poitou and the Auvergne, and some are found in Upper Paleolithic lithic assemblages from the Paris Basin, the Rhône valley, Aquitaine and the Charente. In spite of their importance, these resources have never previously been the subject of detailed petrographic descriptions and sometimes have been confused with products of Cenozoic silicification events. We present a summary of our observations on over 700 samples from 104 different lithic source and thousands of other lithic artefacts, supported by a review of publications, geological maps and academic papers related to the topic. The massive supply of Turonian flint (especially from the Lower Turonian) forming an important structural element of Upper Paleolithic lithic assemblages is confined essentially to an area delineated by the Seuil du Poitou and the Combrailles of Creuse to the south and the Loire River to the north and the east. Its occurrence in this zone is no longer anecdotal and reveals an early relationship between several prehistoric provinces.
