Variabilite et signifcation des productions lithiques au Paleolithique moyen ancien. L'exemple de trois gisements de plein-air du Bergeracois (Dordogn : L'exemple de trois gisements de plein-air du Be

This work addresses the question of inter- and intra-site variability and its behavioral significance through a techno-economic analysis of lithic industries and an experimental procedure. For nine lithic assemblages from three sites in South-West of France, Cantalouette 1, Combre Brune 2 and Combe Brune 3, each of the production methods was analyzed based on a quantitative evaluation of all the operational phases present from the procurement of lithic raw materials to the use of the products. The main goal is to give an account of the variability within the industries of the flaking and shaping productions, their possible interrelations and the objectives' diversity in terms of blanks and produced tools. The results show that socio-economic behaviours observed as early as the beginning of the Middle Palaeolithic already foreshadow the complexity of the later Mousterian industries.