II. Les parures du Néolithique final à Chalain et Clairvaux

Abstract

Correlation between nine littoral dwelling sites of the lakes of Chalain and Clairvaux (Jura, France) has allowed to build an almost continuous chronology for the final Neolithic, covering the period from 3200 to 2600 BC. This sequence is checked through dendrochronology : it spans the succession of the Horgen, Clairvaux and Chalain cultures. For this sequence, the study of 484 objects of adornment out of wood, stone, bone, antler and shell was done, in connection with the ceramic evolution and the cultural stimuli formerly recognized. This exceptional series of well dated ornaments allows to show the coming of outside populations in the Combe d'Ain, and in particular small groups coming from the Horgen of Western Switzerland and from the Ferrières of Ardèche, echoing what had been already perceived in the ceramic styles. This series allows also to distinguish phases of stylistical regionalization, as in the case of local manufactures of ornaments, and the reinterpretation of the Ferrières symbols. Further evidences are attained : the evolution of the symbolic of ornaments closely follows rapid changes of the environmental context and of the economy. To an ancient phase (Horgen 3200 BC) where hunting, trophy quest and the use of only slightly modified animal ornaments were prevalent, succeeds a recent one (Clairvaux, 2800 BC) where beads and pendants, made out of stone, were privileged whereas deforested landscape and husbandry take on importance. This striking parallelism between the symbolic data and the environmental context could be explained by social determinisms of general value, those linked to variations in the density of the population and to the impact of man on the forest.

Lithic Resources in the Early Prehistory of the Alps*

“…The patterns of stone tool and ornament distribution may, moreover, serve as indicators of supra‐regional and trans‐Alpine routes of communication and exchange. Axe blades were traded to remote areas and subsequently reworked (Pétrequin et al 1998), and winged beads were changed and adapted to local needs (Maréchal et al 1998). Obviously, not only prized raw materials and finished objects travelled along the routes, but also ideas and concepts of social structure and behaviour.…”

“…The type is also known from the French Jura lakes, and the western and the northeastern Swiss Plateau. However, the northwestern and northeastern series show considerable variations in shape and size (Maréchal et al 1998). The axe shape of the winged beads from Wartau is characteristic of a regional group localized between the Rhine Valley, Lake Constance and central Switzerland (Della Casa 2004), and is indicative of both the long‐distance diffusion of ideas and their local adaptation.…”

For Whom the Bell Tolls: Social Hierarchy vs Social Integration in the Bell Beaker Culture of Southern France (Third Millennium bc)

“…One final element of the Late Neolithic of southern France must be considered, the problem of body ornaments. In contrast to previous periods, ornaments play a central role in the definition and display of social identities in this region (Barge 1982), as well as in neighbouring ones, especially eastern France (Maréchal et al 1998;Pétrequin 1998b). The ornaments are characterized by impressive variability, especially in the Véraza and Ferrières cultures, and by a gradual increase in their frequency during the first third of the third millennium �� (Barge 1982, 190-99).…”

The Bell Beaker Phenomenon in Europe

“…At the same time, the funerary landscape is dominated by collective burials set in multiple contexts, with a noticeably high frequency of cases of interpersonal violence (Guilaine & Zammit 2001). Other expressions of violence, such as the diversity and quantity of arrowheads (Remicourt et al 2018), and of masculinity (as seen in ornaments: Barge 1982; see also Maréchal et al 1998), all contribute to an ambiance of increased intra-group social tension and competition. Though, to a lesser extent, the Italian sequence also exhibits a relative diversity of cultural traditions, the most notable feature is the rise of martial ideologies, especially in the funerary realm (Dolfini 2022).…”