Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2025

Wood Species and Construction Functions in Early Bronze Age Mountain Dwellings

Résumé

The perishable architecture of high-altitude Bronze Age occupation sites in the Pyrenees is rarely documented archaeologically due to the generally poor preservation of remains. The site of La Haille-de-Pout, located at 2000 meters above sea level in the Cirque de Troumouse (Gèdre), stands as an exception. Its pastoral function—among other probable uses such as mineral resource procurement—is suggested by palynological data from the nearby peat bog. Three superimposed dwellings, corresponding to three occupation phases, were excavated in Sector 1, and a fourth habitation unit was identified through a test trench in Sector 2. In total, four occupation phases have been identified, dating from the end of the third to the beginning of the second millennium BCE. The gridded excavation of Sector 1 revealed abundant architectural remains preserved within several stratigraphic units. These include numerous charcoal fragments and charred bark linked to the burning of wooden superstructures, postholes, and stone substructures. The charred deposits and large charcoal pieces were georeferenced to produce a detailed map of the remains. All materials were systematically sampled to characterize both construction techniques using perishable materials and the woody resources employed (wood/bark, species, diameters). The wood remains from two dwellings in Sector 1 and two occupation levels in Sector 2 were analyzed during several Master's internships funded by the OHM Haut-Vicdessos and the association Grottes et Archéologies, and carried out at the GEODE laboratory (UMR 5602). The methodology combined anthracological and dendro-anthracological approaches: species identification, observation of saproxylic traces in the charcoal, and diameter reconstructions using AnthracoloJ and AD Model–DENDRAC. The identified taxa and reconstructed diameters (n=2686) were precisely mapped in QGIS for Dwelling 3 in Sector 1. Results show a preferential use of species characteristic of open subalpine forests, which were also the most available during the Early Bronze Age according to palynological data: pine (Pinus cf. P. uncinata) and birch (Betula pubescens/B. pendula), with occasional use of juniper (Juniperus), willow (Salix), a Maloideae Rosaceae (Sorbus cf. S. aucuparia), and mountain Ericaceae (Rhododendron/blueberry). Pine, with its wide range of diameters and straight vertical trunks, was preferentially used for the load-bearing framework of superstructures, including posts and stakes (roundwood with bark), and for wall construction (posts-stakes/wattle-planks). Birch wood was also used for some posts, but more often for joining systems (wattlework), for which rowan was also employed, and for the framework of earthen walls or partitions. Birch bark was very likely used for roofing. Other taxa such as juniper and willow, as well as mountain Ericaceae, provided small-diameter branches suited for earthen wall construction. All locally available woody plants were thus used, including shrubs, whose twigs and leaves (e.g., juniper) supplied fibrous matter for daub or earthen infill. These findings reveal selective practices aligned both with local resource availability and with the physical properties of each taxon. Unsurprisingly, they illustrate the protohistoric groups’ in-depth knowledge of plant resources and their high level of adaptability to the mountain environment.

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halshs-05116346 , version 1 (17-06-2025)

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  • HAL Id : halshs-05116346 , version 1

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Vanessa Py-Saragaglia, Clément Sarret, Maxime Remicourt, Guillaume Saint-Sever. Wood Species and Construction Functions in Early Bronze Age Mountain Dwellings. Journées d'étude internationales sur les bois. Bois et Architecture dans la Protohistoire et l'Antiquité (3) - 11-13 juin 2025, Stéphane Lamouille; Magali Toriti; Sylvie Rougier-Blanc; Frédéric Guibal; Bruno Bazin, Jun 2025, Chartres, France. ⟨halshs-05116346⟩
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