Domestic life by the ocean: Beg-er-Vil, ca 6200-6000 BC

International audienceThe settlement of Beg-er-Vil at Quiberon (Brittany, France) provides remarkable evidence of the lifestyles of the last maritime hunter-gatherers along the Atlantic coast, during the 6200 BC climatic event. The site of Beg-er-Vil was first excavated by O. Kayser during the 1980s, and has undergone extensive excavation since 2012. It revealed a wide variety of domestic structures in two distinct areas; a shell midden and its margins. The sedimentary matrix is made up of sands, aggregates of burnt earth, ash and charcoal resulting from hearth activities, fish bones, shells burnt to varying degrees, numerous granitic blocks destroyed by fire, as well as abundant technical remains (lithics and bones). The pits, fireplaces and a level of burnt blocks attest to intense domestic activities. A series of post holes fit into a curvilinear wall near the shell deposits (a circular hut?). The diversity of marine and continental faunal remains points to a broad spectrum economy. The period for hunting prey or collecting fruit could indicate long-term occupations throughout the year. The lithic industry (Teviecian) is on flint pebbles of very poor quality, procured outside the habitat. The whole reduction process is recorded on site. The excavation of Beg-er-Vil reveals the complexity of a coastal dwelling, including numerous functional changes in the living spaces