Caune de l'Arago is an emblematic site of the Middle Pleistocene in Western Europe because it has yielded a large number of Human remains associated with a very rich lithic industry and a varied and abundant faunal assemblage, unique for the period between 560 and 400 ka. Stratigraphic, granulometric, mineralogical, petrographic, geochemical, microstructural and magnetic susceptibility variations lead to subdivide its thick infilling into four stratigraphic Complexes, themselves subdivided into Sequences and Ensembles. Numerous dating analyses carried out on this finely stratified infilling have contributed to the establishment of a solid chronostratigraphic framework taking into account the different phases of alteration and the composition of the successive levels of human occupation. This is one of the only sites where dating can be compared to a very rich fauna, allowing us to constrain the ages or at least to assimilate them to cold and dry or temperate and humid periods.
The Garonne valley is characterised by multiple human occupations dating back to the Middle Pleistocene. Historically, the numerous open-air series originating from several generations of alluvial deposits have been linked to various periods of the Acheulean technocomplex. The renewal of research into ancient prehistory to the north of the Pyrenees, which was initiated at the turn of the new millennium, is reflected in the multiplication of preventive archaeological operations leading to the discovery of lithic assemblages in situ. In addition to this evidence, a number of lithic assemblages, such as the one from the Plaine de la Martinette (Fonsorbes, Haute-Garonne), provide a more detailed picture of the variability of the production systems mobilised by human groups during this period. This assemblage is a combination of heavy-duty tools made from Pyrenean quartzite pebbles and small tools made from flint modules. The technological study of this series, focusing in particular on the variability of conceptions behind the 'toolbox' of the Plaine de la Martinette, provides new elements for discussion on the diversity of technical behaviour of these human populations in south-western Europe. This study also raises questions about this moment of 'transition' between the Lower Palaeolithic and the Early Middle Palaeolithic south of the Garonne.
A natural region untouched by major national infrastructure projects, surrounded by other regions that are much better known due to their long history of research of 150 years, the northern part of Franche-Comt & eacute;, which corresponds to Haute-Sa & ocirc;ne and the southern extension of the Vosges mountains, nevertheless traces all periods of prehistory, from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic. In jumps of about 40 years, studies of sites and the content delivered during excavations or surveys have led to giant leaps in our knowledge of the Palaeolithic period. Research history shows that inventories and records from the 1960s are numerous, but that the attribution of industries to a material culture was still in its infancy at that time. From 1980 onwards, following the example of local researchers and skilled amateurs, and based on the typological and technological characteristics of tools and flaking techniques, a more accurate understanding of regional lithic collections emerged, along with their cultural attribution. Meanwhile, other regions of France and countries in Europe were defining techno-complexes and specifying their regional technical traditions. For the past 20 years, research on the Northern Palaeolithic in the Nord-Franche-Comt & eacute; region has shed new light on the characterisation of regional Mousterian cultures, coupled with the first radiometric dating and the development of a chronocultural framework. We outline the main advances in this research and present our contribution to the identification of different types of Mousterian cultures, highlighting very distinct cultural traditions with diverse geographical origins.
