Le secteur GG2 de la grotte du Pape à Brassempouy (Landes) : un dépôt intentionnel d’armes gravettiennes ?

Sector GG2 corresponds to the north extremity of the Grotte du Pape at Brassempouy, the furthest from the main entrance. The celebrity of the Grotte du Pape was assured thanks to the meticulous excavations that E. Piette carried out there at the end of the 19th century. It was the Gravettian levels of the cave’s entrance which yielded one of the most important collections of ivory feminine statuettes, including the «Lady of Brassempouy » who was to give a face to Prehistory. Our article concerns the data of the recent excavations made in the low back section of the cave where the ceiling rises only about 1m20. A remarkable assemblage was discovered in this zone a long way from the main activity sector in front of the cave (excavation I). It comes mainly from the layer 2D, well situated between an Aurignacian level and a Magdalenian level thanks to the existence of stalagmitic and phosphatic floors. It is characterized by an important proportion of lithic points mainly composed of the mesial part of backed bladelets, microgravettes and shouldered points together with ivory points, some of which are decorated with incisions. Besides the high proportion of points, this assemblage is also distinguished by the quality of objects gathered within a small space of a few square metres (choice of materials and care given to the production). With the exception of some Noailles burins, the domestic tools contained in this level are ubiquitous and it is thus on these points and on their link with those (also Gravettian) from the Brassempouy excavation I as well as those from the nearby important site of Isturitz that the attribution of this level to the Gravettian rests. The approach we propose for this context, taking into account disturbances having affected layer 2D and founded on the technological and taphonomical analysis of the points which it contains, aims at estimating the homogeneity of this assemblage and discussing the intentionality of this singular deposit. Finally we will set this assemblage in the material and symbolic context of the Gravettian in Central and Western Europe in order to interpret this unusual concentration of points which henceforth adds to the cultural wealth of the Brassempouy Gravettian.Le secteur GG2 correspond à l’extrémité nord de la grotte du Pape de Brassempouy, la plus éloignée de son entrée principale, célèbre par les fouilles qu’É. Piette y réalisa à la fin du XIXe siècle. L’assemblage de la couche 2D, bien calé entre un niveau aurignacien et un niveau magdalénien grâce à l’existence de planchers stalagmitiques et phosphatiques, est caractérisé par une proportion importante d’armatures lithiques et en ivoire. À l’exception de quelques burins de Noailles, les outils domestiques contenus dans ce niveau sont ubiquistes et c’est donc sur ces armatures que repose l’attribution de ce niveau au Gravettien. L’approche que nous proposons de ce contexte, tenant compte des perturbations ayant affecté la couche 2D et s’appuyant sur l’analyse technologique et taphonomique des armatures qu’elle contient, a pour objectif d’évaluer l’homogénéité de cet assemblage et de discuter l’intentionnalité de ce dépôt singulier.Goutas Nejma, Simonet Aurélien. Le secteur GG2 de la grotte du Pape à Brassempouy (Landes) : un dépôt intentionnel d’armes gravettiennes ?. In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 106, n°2, 2009. pp. 257-291