Façonnage unifacial et débitage bipolaire sur enclume : deux classiques de la préhistoire brésilienne

Abstract

In the Brazilian tropics, while débitage methods have generally undergone limited evolution, various solutions were sought to obtain tool blanks with controlled volumetric characteristics during the late Pleistocene and Holocene periods. One such solution was the unifacial shaping. It was particularly developed between 12,000 and 8000 BP in a vast area of central Brazil. It produced tools with varied functional potential. These unifacial pieces are found in a technical system where they are complemented by relatively standardized retouched flakes. This ensemble corresponds to what is known as the Itaparica Technocomplex, and emerged at a decisive moment in the densification of the region's population. Bipolar-on-anvil débitage is another facet of the technical solutions developed by prehistoric populations in Brazil. Although it receives less attention in the literature than other productions, it is nonetheless almost ubiquitous. Using a variety of methods, this débitage can be employed to produce a wide range of products, depending on the period and context. Recurrently, it is used to obtain medium to very small-sized products, whose functional purpose is not always well understood. These two examples illustrate the particularities of the technical history of Brazil's prehistoric populations. They highlight the choice of a different trajectory from that of their European contemporaries, who focused instead on the development of débitage concepts.