Ruissellement et formation des sites prehistoriques : Referentiel actualiste et exemples d'application au fossile

The flow of water can have a major impact on the formation and preservation of an archaeological site, disturbing the sequence of layers and altering the context of finds.

This study presents the results of experimental work carried out at the site of Tiple in south-west France on site formation processes and especially the impact of the flow of water on the site.

The predictive model created is then applied to an Upper Palaeolithic site in the Pyrenees, another site in the Dordogne (south-west France) and a Middle Stone Age site in South Africa.

Processes such as sedimentation and both natural and man-made post-depositional disturbance of archaeological remains are discussed as the data from each case study is collated and interpreted.

French text.