Le Travail Intellectuel au Moyen Âge

Sans résumé étienne Anheim est ma?tre de conférences en histoire médiévale à l’Université de Versailles/Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Ses recherches portent sur les formes de la culture savante (peinture, musique, littérature) à la fin du Moyen ?ge, et sur leurs relations avec les cours. Il a récemment publié ?La Chambre du Cerf. Image, savoir et nature à Avignon au milieu du xiv ^e siècle ? (Micrologus, vol. XVI, 2008, p. 57–124). Sylvain Piron est ma?tre de conférences à l’école des hautes études en sciences sociales. Ses recherches portent sur différents aspects de l’histoire intellectuelle du Moyen ?ge central, de la pensée économique des scolastiques à l’ecclésiologie des franciscains spirituels. Il vient de publier ?Le poète et le théologien: une rencontre dans le studium de Santa Croce ?, dans Jo?l Biard et Fosca Mariani Ziani, éd, Ut philosophia poesis. Questions philosophiques dans l’écriture de Dante, Pétrarque, Bocacce (Paris, Vrin, 2008, p. 73–112).     

CROSS‐CHANNEL CONNECTIVITY: WEALDEN WHETSTONE IMPORTS FROM ROMAN BRITAIN TO THE CONTINENT

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate cross‐Channel exchange of calcareous sandstone‐type whetstones derived from the Weald (Sussex, UK) in the Roman period. The presence of this particular type of whetstone at several Roman sites on the Continent – more specifically, in Belgium, France and the Netherlands – is reported for the first time. The morphology, geological provenance, petrographic characteristics and distribution patterns are discussed, based on a comparative analysis with archaeological and geological reference material. The geological analysis identifies a common geological source for the Continental finds: the very fine‐grained, thin‐bedded, flagstone‐like calcareous sandstone beds of the Lower Cretaceous Wealden Clay Formation. These sandstones were, most probably, extracted in the north‐western part of the Weald area. The distribution pattern of the archaeological material implies the importance of personal mobility, with potential military affinities.     

Regional Innovation Systems and European Research Policy: Convergence or Misunderstanding?

In this article the question of interfacing, innovation policy and regional policy at the European level is addressed. Under which conditions will the new European research policy, relying on networks of centres of excellence, be compatible with 'cohesion' objectives? Since there will be no unique regional development scheme based on science and technology, how can policy-makers take into consideration the variety of local contexts? The analysis focuses on the fact that the concept of regional innovation system can be misleading for describing the territorial context. However, a cognitive approach seems possible, based on the notion of regional competence to innovate. The analyses are illustrated with empirical results concerning the French regions, and especially Alsace.     

Le Grand Abri aux Puces,a Mousterian site from the Last Interglacial: paleogeography,paleoenvironment, and new excavation results

Le Grand Abri aux Puces (GAP), located on the right bank of the Ouvèze River of southern France, has been known to contain well-preserved stone tools and faunal remains, but our work in 2008 was the first professional, controlled excavation at the site and has exposed at least 1 archaeological layer with a very rich and diverse faunal assemblage (23 macrofaunal species, as many for the microfauna, 27 land snail species), abundant charcoals (fragments are large and preserve small twigs with their pith and bark still intact), and stone tools with immaculate surface preservation (retaining their original freshness and preserving microscopic use wear). The information issuing from paleontology, micropaleontology, malacology, and anthracology all place the principle GAP human occupation unambiguously in a temperate climatic phase. Different biometric and biochronological characters of the fauna converge to place the layers found thus far from before the last glacial, and most likely in MIS 5e (127–117 kya). The lithic elements, mainly composed of tools of superior quality, demonstrating particular technical investment, and made from widely distributed raw material sources, lead us to hypothesize brief passages of hunting groups in the cave focused around an anticipated activity. This hypothesis will be refined and tested during further excavations.     

DATING OF THE HOMINID (HOMO NEANDERTHALENSIS) REMAINS ACCUMULATION FROM EL SIDRÓN CAVE (PILOÑA,ASTURIAS, NORTH SPAIN): AN EXAMPLE OF A MULTI‐METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE DATING OF UPPER PLEISTOCENE SITES

The age of Neanderthal remains and associated sediments from El Sidrón cave has been obtained through different dating methods (¹⁴CAMS, U/TH, OSL, ESR and AAR) and samples (charcoal debris, bone, tooth dentine, stalagmitic flowstone, carbonate‐rich sediments, sedimentary quartz grains, tooth enamel and land snail shells). Detrital Th contamination rendered Th/U dating analyses of flowstone unreliable. Recent ¹⁴C contamination produced spurious age‐values from charcoal samples as well as from inadequately pretreated tooth samples. Most consistent ¹⁴C dates are grouped into two series: one between 35 and 40 ka and the other between 48 and 49 ka. Most ESR and AAR samples yielded concordant ages, ranging between 39 and 45 ka; OSL dating results permitted adequate bracketing of the sedimentary layer that contained the human remains. Our results emphasize the value of multi‐dating approaches for the establishment of reliable chronologies of human remains.