Cultural geographies, socio-economic complexes and territories along the Channel/Manche: Southern North Sea littoral (Belgium, England, France)

Thanks to preventive archaeology and spatial analysis, information about the landscape and territories in the Bronze Age has much improved in the last 20 years, in N. France, S. England and Belgian Flanders. Convergences appeared that has allowed to define a vast, but changing technocultural group called Manche – Mer du Nord (MMN). The history of this group is revealed by the material culture, from artefacts to domestic and funeral contexts, even through the organization of the rural space. Based on and enlarging P. Vidal de la Blache and M. Blochs’ cultural geography, it is possible to define homogenous territories. This MMN- territory develops on early Bronze Age cultures (Wessex, Armorican, Hilversum), that vanish in the XVIIth-XVIth C BC. During the middle and the late Bronze Age, they shared a dynamic agricultural and metallurgical production that apparently increases social cohesion. Later on (XIth-Xth), the unity disappears most probably due to pressure from the north-alpine complex. Les développements de l’archéologie preventive et de l’analyse spatiale ces dernières décennies ont modifié la connaissance des territoires de l’âge du Bronze dans le nord de la France, en Angleterre et dans les Flandres belges. Des convergences sont apparues et elles ont permis de définir un groupe technoculturel appelé Manche-Mer du Nord (MMN). L’histoire en est révélée par la culture matérielle, des artéfacts aux contextes domestiques et funéraires, même par l’organisation de l’espace rural. Partant de la géographie culturelle de P. Vidal de la Blache et M. Bloch, il a été possible de définir des territoires homogènes. Ce territoire MMN se développe sur les cendres des cultures du Bronze ancien (Wessex, Armoricaine et Hilversum) qui disparaissent aux XVIIe –XVIe s. Durant le Bronze moyen et le début du Bronze final, ces régions partagent une même dynamique agricole et une production métallurgique qui semble consolider la cohésion sociale. Plus tard (XIe-Xe s.) cet ensemble se désagrège, probablement suite aux pression du complexe nord-alpin. Abstract In northern France, from Brittany to Flanders, as well as in England or in Belgian Flanders, information about the landscape and territories in the Bronze Age has much improved in the last 20 years. This is mainly due to the development of preventive or rescue archaeology as well as the use of new tools for spatial analysis. Recently, convergences between France and the neighboring countries appeared, especially between South-East England and Belgian Flanders. This has allowed us to open up our view and to define a vast, but changing technocultural group called Manche – Mer du Nord (MMN). The history of this group and its changing borders are revealed by the analysis of the material culture, from artefacts (ceramics, lithics, metal objects, etc.) to domestic and funeral contexts, even through the choices made for using and organising the rural space (agricultural system and structures). Starting from a cultural geography as defined by Pierre Vidal de la Blache and later Marc Bloch and adding the integration of other parameters, such as the social and ideological structure of a culture, it is possible to define homogenous territories. This Manche-Mer du Nord territory would build and develop on the remnants of the great early Bronze Age cultures, such as the Wessex culture, the Armorican or the Hilversum culture, cultures that seemed to vanish in the XVIIth-XVIth C BC. During the middle and the beginning of the late Bronze Age, it seems that they flourished and shared a dynamic agricultural and metallurgical production that apparently increases social cohesion. In the XIth and Xth centuries, the unity of this territory seemed to weaken, especially in its agricultural system, most probably due to pressure from groups coming from the north-alpine complex