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Institutional Repository - Research Portal Dépôt Institutionnel - Portail de la Recherche University of Namurresearchportal.unamur.be RESEARCH OUTPUTS / RÉSULTATS DE RECHERCHE The specialisation of lithic production at the end of the Early Neolithic in Belgium Denis, Solene Published in: Mining and Quarrying Author(s) - Auteur(s) : Publication date: 2019 Document Version PublicationPublisher's date PDF, - also Date known de aspublication Version of record : Link to publication Citation for pulished version (HARVARD): Denis, S 2019, The specialisation of lithic production at the end of the Early Neolithic in Belgium: the case of the PermanentBlicquian linkpopulation - Permalien from Hainaut : . in H Collet & A Hauzeur (eds), Mining and Quarrying: Geological Characterisation, Knapping Processes and Distribution Networks during Pre- and Protohistoric Times, 7th International Conference in Mons and Spiennes (Belgium), 28th September – 1st October 2016. Anthropologica et praehistorica, vol. 128, Societe Royale Belge d'Anthropologie et de Prehistoire, Bruxelles, pp. 125-142, Minning and Quarrying : Geological characterisation, Knappingprocesses and distribution networks during pre- and protohistoric times, Mons, Belgium, 28/09/16. Rights / License - Licence de droit d’auteur : General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 23. sept.. 2021 Bibliothèque Universitaire Moretus Plantin Anthropologica et Præhistorica, 128/2017 (2019) : 125-142 The specialisation of lithic production at the end of the Early Neolithic in Belgium; the case of the Blicquian population from Hainaut Solène DENIS Abstract This paper presents some preliminary reflections on the socio-economic organisation of stone tool production of the Blicquian populations from Hainaut (Belgium, Early Neolithic). The tool production of these first agro-pastoralist communities was made by two groups of knappers with different levels of technical expertise. Indications suggest that the domestic unit was not totally autonomous when producing lithic tool blanks. In fact, blade production seems to have been organised between several villages. Keywords: Early Neolithic, Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain culture, lithic industries, socio-economic organisation, specialisation. Résumé Cet article présente des réflexions préliminaires sur l’organisation socio-économique de la production des outillages lithiques des populations blicquiennes du Hainaut (Belgique, Néolithique ancien). La production de ces premières communautés agro-pastorales repose sur deux groupes de tailleurs ne disposant pas des mêmes niveaux de savoir-faire. Un faisceau d’indices converge pour proposer que l’unité domestique ne soit pas totalement autonome pour sa production en supports de l’outillage lithique. La production de lames semble en effet organisée à l’échelle de plusieurs villages. Mots-clés : Néolithique ancien, culture Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain, industries lithiques, organisation socio-économique, spécialisation. 1. INTRODUCTION prompted C. Constantin to identify three chronological stages (CONSTANTIN, 1985): an The Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain early, middle and late stage. Frequency seriation culture is part of the Danubian cultures, and and correspondence analysis have recently extends across the North of France and Belgium. been used to test the Blicquian ceramic corpus Heated debate surrounds the chronological (HAUZEUR, 2008). A four-stage sequencing position of this culture (for an idea of the issues is proposed where stage I is very fine and the and challenges involved refer, for example, to value of stage IV remains unclear (functional BURNEZ-LANOTTE et al., 2001; JADIN et al., 2003; rather than stylistic grouping?). CONSTANTIN & BURNEZ-LANOTTE, 2008). Today there is a widespread consensus that the BQY/ Sites belonging to the Blicquian culture are VSG followed the Linearbandkeramik (LBK), located in Central Belgium (Fig. 1). Two settlement and the debate now focuses on the duration of areas can be identified: one in the West, in western the overlap between these two cultural entities Hainaut, and the other in the East, in Hesbaye. The (JADIN, 2007). Thus, the BQY/VSG constitutes the absence of sites between these two centres, some final stage of Danubian colonisation in Northern 100 km apart, may well reflect a historical reality. France and Belgium. Radiocarbon dating places To date, surveys have only produced isolated it between 4950 BC and 4650 BC (DU B OU LOZ , discoveries between these two areas (JADIN 2003). Periodisation based on ceramic studies et al., 2003; VAN ASSchE, 2008). 126 Solène DENIS BQY settlements BQY settlements in Hainaut in Hesbaye Mons Basin N Ath "les Haleurs" 0 100 200 km Irchonwelz "le Trou al Cauche" Irchonwelz "la Bonne Fortune" Ormeignies "les Dérodés du Bois de Monchy" Blicquy "la Couture du Couvent" Ormeignies "le Bois Blanc" Blicquy "la Couture de la Chaussée" Ormeignies-Blicquy "la Petite Rosière" Aubechies "Coron Maton" 0 1 2km Ellignies Sainte Anne "Fagneau" Fig. 1 – Map of the Blicquian sites. Zoom on the Blicquian (BQY) sites of Hainaut. In green: localisation of the Mons Basin which delivered the main flint outcrops exploited by the BQY populations. Number Number Chrono- Excavation Surface Localisation Abbr. Discoverer Organisations of of logical years area features houses stage Irchonwelz ‘la Bonne M. 1978, 1980, CNRS, URA 12; CTRA IBF 1800 m2 16 3 Early Fortune’, Hainaut Daubechies 1983 Blicquy-Aubechies CTRA Blicquy-Aubechies ; Ministère de la région Irchonwelz ‘le Trou al M. ITC 1991 wallonne ; Service de 1500 m2 10 1 + 0.5? Early Cauche’, Hainaut Daubechies Préhistoire Université de Liège CTRA Blicquy-Aubechies ; Ellignies-Sainte-Anne 1969, 1970, ESAF L. Demarez Service National des ? 10 ? Middle ‘Fagneau’, Hainaut 1976 Fouilles de Belgique Aubechies ‘Coron 1980, 1988, CNRS, URA 12; CTRA ACM L. Demarez 1430 m2 23 1 or 2? Late Maton’, Hainaut 1999 Blicquy-Aubechies Ormeignies ‘la Petite CNRS, URA 12; CTRA OPR L. Demarez 1981 210 m2 3 0.5? ? Rosière’, Hainaut Blicquy-Aubechies Fig. 2 – Description of the studied BQY site characteristics. The specialisation of lithic production at the end of the Early Neolithic in Belgium 127 Nine of the twelve Blicquian sites are (ROBASZYNSKI et al., 2001), numerous possi- located in western Hainaut, to the south-west of bilities exist. Traditionally, in the literature, four Ath, in the area where the River Dendre originates types of flint are mentioned: Obourg flint, Ghlin (Fig. 1). This settlement zone is extremely flint, Turonian flint and Spiennes flint (CAHEN & localised as these sites are all concentrated VAN BERG, 1979; CAHEN et al., 1986; HUBERT, within an area of 27 km2 (CONSTANTIN & 1982; AllARD, 2005; AllARD et al., 2010). The BURNEZ-LANOTTE, 2008; CONSTANTIN et al., Danubian populations did not use the latter. The 2009). However, a tenth site has recently been BQY industry of Hainaut shows a preference for discovered near the eastern Dendre (DERAMAIX the Ghlin flint, which represents between 60 and et al., 2016), extending the Blicquian occupation 80 % (CAHEN & VAN BERG, 1979; CONS TANTIN, area by a few kilometres eastwards in Hainaut. 1985; DENIS, 2014, 2017). Therefore, even if This site, called Ath 'Les Haleurs', is currently the outcrops are not accurately located, we under excavation and has not been included in can rationally assume that the Ghlin flint was the present study. gathered in the Mons Basin, probably in the area of Baudour (COllIN, 2016; LEblOIS, 2000). Generally, only small areas have been The different types of cortex show that the BQY excavated so it is difficult to assess the spatial population collected the Ghlin flint both from organisation within the villages. However, most primary and secondary positions. of the features correspond to lateral pits and allow for comparisons between sites. Lateral pits and postholes are often the only elements that 3. THE ORGANISATION OF PRODUCTION: materialise the location of houses. The lateral pits A DUAL STRUCTURE are dug in the immediate vicinity of the longest sides of these houses, to the north and south. The study of production organisation resulted in the identification of two kinds of In spite of the limited extent of the production, with different levels of technical excavations, these Blicquian features delivered expertise (Fig. 3). On the one hand, some a plentiful lithic assemblage representing more production can be called simple because it only than 90,000 pieces. We selected a sample for required a low to very low level of savoir-faire. this present study consisting of about 45,000 On the other hand, blade production requires pieces. Here, we will focus on the methodological a higher level of skill. The Ghlin flint is largely tools that allowed us to deduce that a form