TY - JOUR

T1 - Anthropogenic hydrological staging of an upper Palaeolithic carved shelter in Paris basin

AU - Thiry, Médard

AU - Cantin, Alexandre

AU - Valentin, Boris

AU - Zotkina, Lydia

AU - Robert, Éric

AU - Lesvignes, Émilie

AU - Bénard, Alain

N1 - Funding Information: This research is part of a Collaborative Research Project “Prehistoric rock art in the sandstone boulders of the Paris Basin” led by Boris Valentin and supported by the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles d'Île-de-France ( PCR 2018-2020 , agreement OA 11193 decree 2020-138). We are pleased to thank Stéphane Deschamps, Béatrice Bouet, Jean-Marc Gouédo, Edouard Jacquot , Philippe Peylet and Geniève Pinçon for their administrative and scientific assistance. Thanks also to Jean-Michel Geneste, Emmanuel Guy and Patrick Dubreucq for their interest and advices. Authors are also indebted to Tony Milnes from University of Adelaide for his helpful comments and language edition that strengthened the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2020/10

Y1 - 2020/10

N2 - The Ségognole 3 carved shelter in Noisy-sur-Ecole (France) is known for its Palaeolithic-style panel engraved with two horses. They are arranged in file on either side of three slots, initially assumed to be natural, evoking a pelvic triangle. A thorough re-examination revealed the artificial character of the slots as well as numerous anthropogenic interventions to modify the hydrology of the shelter to drain water to the slot representing the vulva. The shelter has two galleries offset in height and separated by a thin wall. The upper gallery passes behind the engraved panel. It encompasses a basin that overhangs the pelvic triangle and often fills with rainwater. This disposition is the key part of the hydraulic system. Two particular interventions were made: (1) the slots at the front of the pelvic panel had been widened by percussion and grooving; and (2) the basin at the rear of the panel had been deepened by percussion, thus opening fractures on its floor. As a result, infiltration of meteoric water into the sandstone was encouraged and directed to the base of the pelvic triangle. An experiment demonstrated that filling the basin with 50 L of water caused the vulvar slot to drain after two days. The Palaeolithic people could potentially have operated the ‘vulvar outflow’ on demand and without weather constraints. It is likely that this setup had symbolic and ritual purposes and formed with the parietal arrangement an integral part of a complex and dynamic installation linked to the feminine sex symbol.

AB - The Ségognole 3 carved shelter in Noisy-sur-Ecole (France) is known for its Palaeolithic-style panel engraved with two horses. They are arranged in file on either side of three slots, initially assumed to be natural, evoking a pelvic triangle. A thorough re-examination revealed the artificial character of the slots as well as numerous anthropogenic interventions to modify the hydrology of the shelter to drain water to the slot representing the vulva. The shelter has two galleries offset in height and separated by a thin wall. The upper gallery passes behind the engraved panel. It encompasses a basin that overhangs the pelvic triangle and often fills with rainwater. This disposition is the key part of the hydraulic system. Two particular interventions were made: (1) the slots at the front of the pelvic panel had been widened by percussion and grooving; and (2) the basin at the rear of the panel had been deepened by percussion, thus opening fractures on its floor. As a result, infiltration of meteoric water into the sandstone was encouraged and directed to the base of the pelvic triangle. An experiment demonstrated that filling the basin with 50 L of water caused the vulvar slot to drain after two days. The Palaeolithic people could potentially have operated the ‘vulvar outflow’ on demand and without weather constraints. It is likely that this setup had symbolic and ritual purposes and formed with the parietal arrangement an integral part of a complex and dynamic installation linked to the feminine sex symbol.

KW - Female symbolism

KW - Grooving

KW - Hydraulics

KW - Palaeolithic

KW - Percussion

KW - Ritual

KW - Rock art

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85091484184&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=45296378

U2 - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102567

DO - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102567

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85091484184

VL - 33

JO - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

JF - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

SN - 2352-409X

M1 - 102567

ER -