SESSION 12 - Silcrete as a lithic raw material in global context: geology, sourcing and techno-economics
The exploitation of silcretes during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic in the Massif Central, France: rare silicified materials in a volcanic context

This paper presents an overview of the variety of silcretes used in the Velay area of the Massif Central (Haute-Loire), both from geological and archaeological perspectives, as part of a wider landscape project (Raynal et al., 2013). Assemblages from Middle Palaeolithic, Badegoulian, Magdalenian and Epipalaeolithic levels in the region's caves are discussed. Additionally, early results are presented from fieldwork at a newly discovered silcrete extraction site, at the summit of a hill in Saint-Pierre-Eynac. This silcrete was previously known from both Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites, and informal collection of surface artefacts from the environs of the hill demonstrated prehistoric presence at the source. However, the spatial focus and intensity of extraction activity was unknown until fieldwork in 2014, which discovered an extremely rich workshop locale at the very summit of the hill, adjacent to silcrete outcrops. This attests to the importance of this raw material, known to have been transported.