Architecture and Digging Process of Rock-Cut Tombs in Sardinia at the End of Prehistory : The Contribution of Experimental Archaeology

Architecture et creusement des cavités artificielles funéraires en Sardaigne à la fin de la Préhistoire : L'apport de l'Archéologie expérimentale

Marie-Elise Porqueddu (1, 2)

1 LAMPEA - Laboratoire méditerranéen de préhistoire Europe-Afrique
2 UNISS - Università degli Studi di Sassari = University of Sassari [Sassari]

The understanding of the architecture and the digging process of rock-cut tombs requires the study of different research areas such as a tecnological study of the macro-lithic tools and the analysis of the marks left on the rock. Due to a lack of conservation of the rock-cut tombs' walls and the dificulties encountered while reconstructing the chaîne opératoire of the lithic tools, experimentation appears as a great way to verify hypothesis and to find answers to questions about the digging techniques. In this article, the experimental protocol used at the S'Elighe Entosu necropolis, in the north western Sardinian context, is presented. It is divided in two phases: the creation of tools, like picks, and the use of it. We will focus on the first phase and on the reconstruction of the chaîne opératoire of the picks from S'Elighe Entosu from the raw material research to the production of the tools. It involves stone sampling on different resarch areas, chosen following a study on geological maps. We tried to produce different tools, with distinguished shapes and dimensions, in order to observate if it had different functions. This protocol is incorporated within the framework of a PhD thesis about the digging process of rock-cut tombs in the Mediterranean. It is conducted as a team collaboration with the participation of students from Sassari University.

Mots clés: Macro-lithic tools; Rock-cut tomb; Digging techniques; Experimental archaeology; Methodology

Mots clés: Hypogées; Techniques de creusement; Archéologie expérimentale; Macro-outillage; Méthodologie

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire

Marie-Elise Porqueddu. Architecture et creusement des cavités artificielles funéraires en Sardaigne à la fin de la Préhistoire : L'apport de l'Archéologie expérimentale. La Préhistoire et la Protohistoire des îles de Méditerranée Occidentale. Matières premières, circulation, expérimentation et traditions techniques Atti del Workshop, Sep 2016, Corte, France. ⟨hal-02046062⟩