The Bell Beaker phenomenon in third millennium BCE Switzerland: Investigating its local integration and exploring the relationship between funerary and domestic contexts through the lens of pottery technical traditions in the Upper Rhône valley

The third millennium BCE constituted a moment of great upheaval during European Prehistory. The first of these shifts was related to the emergence of cultural phenomena that spread across the continent, one of the most prominent being the Bell Beaker phenomenon (2700-2000 cal. BC), which was discovered in extremely diverse contexts spanning from northern Africa all the way to Poland. Then, during the final centuries of the millennium, these phenomena slowly faded, giving way to the earliest phases of the Bronze Age and the radical shifts that followed within the social, economic, and symbolic spheres. Even though, since the 19th century numerous studies have been published on these decisive chronological periods — many of them taking into account a continental scale of study –, several aspects of these upheavals remain enigmatic. In particular, the nature of the elements triggering these changes, as well as the diffusion and integration mechanisms underlying them, are still strongly debated, and no 'one size fits all' answer seems to correspond to these issues. With the emergence of isotopic studies and especially archaeogenetics, a renewed emphasis has been put on a broad vision, looking at these phenomena and important transitions within a larger framework. But this trend partially overshadowed the fact that research at this level could only reveal its full potential if based on strong, detailed data and sound hypotheses previously developed at a local level. Approaching these issues through diachronic, micro-regional studies looking at the evolution of traditions and population dynamics thus remains a crucial endeavor to attain reliable interpretations regarding them. This first step, once completed in most European regions, would then offer solid foundations to support larger-scale studies and their associated models and theories. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to offer detailed data on the integration of the Bell Beaker phenomenon and its transition to the Early Bronze Age, in a local context, in southwestern Switzerland: the Upper Rhône valley. Communities have established themselves within this Alpine micro-region from the last deglaciation up to present day and have had frequent contact with the inhabitants of the neighboring areas. Either through mountain passes or following the Rhône river to Lake Geneva, the people living in the Upper Rhône valley have received a variety of cultural influences, including witnessing the arrival of Bell Beaker traits from 2450 cal. BC, and their subsequent fusion with elements of Bronze Age culture from 2200 cal. BC onward. This cultural permeability is particularly visible in the renowned Sion 'Petit-Chasseur' megalithic necropolis, which was discovered at the heart of the valley more than fifty years ago. Pottery was the chosen medium for observing and determining the integration mechanisms of these new cultural traits, viewed through the lens of its chaîne opératoire. As proven by ethnographic, archaeological, and experimental studies, ceramic traditions are indeed an excellent way to observe shifts, evolutions, and the emergence or arrival of new communities of practice. As the Upper Rhône valley offers both domestic and funerary/ritual assemblages, this study will also be able to question the evolution of the relationship between the 'Petit-Chasseur' necropolis and the settlements, discussing pottery production in its full scope. The selected pottery assemblages cover the entire third millennium BCE. They belong to the Valaisian Final Neolithic (3300-2450 BCE), the Bell Beaker period (2450-2200 BCE), and the Early Bronze Age (2200-1600 BCE)