Abstract :
[en] The site of Trou Al’Wesse has been interpreted as a site of possible contact between
Mesolithic and Neolithic populations, given the discovery of Neolithic ceramics and Mesolithic
tools in stratum 4. However, recent excavations have also revealed the presence of three Early
Mesolithic facies overlain by a Neolithic layer, while a Late Mesolithic presence is suggested for a
fourth facies at the base of the terrace slope. Lithic and faunal analyses, as well as spatial analysis of
the stratigraphic position of material recovered, indicate a clear separation of Mesolithic and
Neolithic occupations. We present a new interpretation of the sequence of Holocene human
occupations at Trou Al'Wesse in light of these data, arguing that the site was regularly occupied
during the Early Mesolithic, forming a palimpsest of these visits, followed by an occupational
hiatus and then re-occupation during the Late Mesolithic. The Early Neolithic is a separate
occupation clearly unrelated to the Early Mesolithic underlying it, but ongoing fieldwork may
recover data concerning the Final Mesolithic and its relation to the Early Neolithic at the site.
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