An in-depth study of Neolithic material and sites from western France that answers many questions in terms of the neolithization of Europe and future developments in the British Isles. This volume presents a new perspective on the neolithisation of the Armorican Massif, based on an examination of lithic material and its spatial ordering. The emphasis is on the detection of sites where raw material was extracted, and of workshops where bangles and stone axeheads (especially those of fibrolite) were manufactured; this allows the author to investigate the 'chaines operatoires' involved and their spatial organisation. The author places the conclusions of this research within a broader consideration of the evidence relating to the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition process in Armorica, and considers ways in which aspects of this process correlate wiht, and others diverge from, the cultural dynamics of the fifth millennium BC in the northern half of France. The approach adopted here, with its emphasis on the propduction and modes of diffusion of bangles and axeheads has the potential for more general application to the study of 'socially valorised artefacts' elsewhere in Continental Europe. French text.

Depuis 2001, des recherches archeologiques sont menees dans l'archipel de Molene. Ce secteur s'avere particulierement riche en vestiges du Neolithique et de l'Age du Bronze. Une concentration exceptionnelle de monuments megalithiques y a ete mise en evidence. Plusieurs habitats sont attestes par la presence de depotoirs domestiques. A la pointe de Beg ar Loued (ile Molene), l'un de ses amas coquilliers fit l'objet d'un premier sondage en 2003 marquant le debut d'une serie de campagnes de fouilles. Des la deuxieme annee, celle-ci prit un tournant decisif avec la reconnaissance des premiers murs en pierres seches, correspondant a un batiment conserve sous la dune. Pendant pres d'une decennie, ce site fit l'objet de fouilles par une equipe interdisciplinaire. Les donnees obtenues par l'etude de l'habitat renseignent sur la chronologie des differentes occupations du site et permettent de documenter la transition IIIe-IIe millenaire avant notre ere, fourchette chronologique encore tres mal connue dans la moitie nord de la France. Outre l'apport d'une chronologie relative, l'approche architecturale donne une meilleure comprehension des choix ayant preside aux differentes phases de construction du batiment occupe pendant plus de trois siecles. Les elements de la culture materielle (ceramique, lithique, metallurgie) viennent aussi soulever le voile sur une periode essentiellement connue en Bretagne a travers les monuments funeraires. Pour la premiere fois dans cette region, grace a la conservation des vestiges organiques, il est permis d'esquisser l'economie (elevage, agriculture peche, collecte des coquillages, etc.) des hommes ayant occupe les rivages de la mer d'Iroise. Leur mode de vie suggere une communaute sedentaire a economie vivriere, exploitant l'ensemble des ressources insulaires sans pour autant etre coupee du continent (style ceramique, metallurgie). Afin de mieux comprendre l'evolution globale de cet environnement insulaire, de nouvelles recherches ont ete menees sur les variations du niveau marin correlees a l'etude du paysage vegetal, de la geomorphologie, de la geologie et de la faune. English abstract Since 2001, archaeological research has been conducted in the Molene Archipelago, an area that is particularly rich in remains from the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, with an exceptional concentration of megalithic monuments. Several settlements are attested by the presence of domestic refuse dumps. At the point of Beg ar Loued (Molene Island), one of those shell middens was the object of an initial sondage in 2003, and that marked the beginning of a long series of excavations. Fieldwork took a decisive turn during the second year with the recognition of the first dry stone walls, belonging to a building preserved within the sand dunes. For nearly a decade, this site has been excavated by an interdisciplinary team. The data that have been obtained from this fieldwork provide information on the chronology of the various periods of occupation of the site and help to document the 3rd-2nd millennium BC transition, a period still largely unknown in the northern half of France. In addition to providing a relative chronology, the architectural approach gives us a better understanding of the choices that governed the different construction phases of the building, which was occupied for over three centuries. The elements of material culture (pottery, lithics, metalwork) also shed light on a period essentially known in Brittany through its funerary monuments. For the first time in this region, thanks to the preservation of organic remains, it is possible to sketch the lifestyle (livestock management, agriculture, fishing, shell gathering, etc.) of the people who occupied the shores of the Iroise Sea. In order to understand better the overall trends in this insular environment, new researches have been carried out on sea level changes in tandem with the study of the palaeoenvironment, geomorphology, geology and wildlife.