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The development of the Azilian in Western Europe 14,000 years ago is considered a “revolution” in Upper Paleolithic Archaeology. One of the main elements of this rapid social restructuring is the abandonment of naturalistic figurative art on portable pieces or on cave walls in the Magdalenian in favor of abstract expression on small pebbles. Recent work shows that the transformation of human societies between the Magdalenian and the Azilian was more gradual. The discovery of a new Early Azilian site with decorated stones in France supports this hypothesis. While major changes in stone tool technology between the Magdalenian and Azilian clearly mark important adaptive changes, the discovery of 45 engraved schist tablets from archaeological layers at Le Rocher de l’Impératrice attests to iconographic continuity together with special valorization of aurochs as shown by a “shining” bull depiction. This evidence suggests that some cultural features such as iconography may lag far behind technological changes. We also argue that eventual change in symbolic expression, which includes the later disappearance of figurative art, provides new insight into the probable restructuring of the societies.

Keywords:Mesolithic Micromorphology Sea-level index points Shell midden A B S T R A C TThe Beg-er-Vil coastal site (Quiberon, Morbihan, France), initially excavated in the 1980s, and more extensively since 2012, is exposed to strong marine and anthropic erosion. At the present time, the main challenge is to define the status of the site by describing its formation dynamics. This necessitates investigating the taphonomic and erosive mechanisms using a combined method adapted to the shell midden levels, before undertaking spatial analysis. The archaeological level is protected by a thick dune and is subdivided into several stratigraphic units (SU), which record several changes in the function of the site. It is made up of accumulations of shell pockets covered in sandy sediments. The micromorphological analysis shows that this waste area seems to develop into an area of activities and movement. These surfaces also record alternating dry and wet seasonal conditions, but with no phase of abandonment. Systematic pH measurements show variations of 7.7 to 9.0 depending on the layers, corresponding to a slightly alkaline to alkaline acid-basic status. The mapping of measurements can be correlated to structures and archaeological remains of organic origin. The excavation shows that the division of the dwelling area was guided by topographic factors, with a circular dwelling 3.50 m in diameter installed on a flat zone and a shell waste zone on a slope towards the sea. Numerous fire-related activities were also carried out in this zone (pits, hearths). Spatial analysis by GIS shows a high concentration of recorded objects (lithics, bones, shells) to the west of the excavated area, in the shell level. Marine erosion is the main erosive factor limiting our knowledge of the site. The distance to the coastline was estimated after reconstruction of the relative sea level during the Holocene using the "Sea-Level Index Points" (SLIPs) methodology. Three SLIPs indicate a relative sealevel position between − 15.5 m and −11 m and a foreshore area at a depth between − 7.15 and −14.02 m around 6200 BCE. This paleogeographic reconstruction approach indicates that the site of Beg-er-Vil was located a few hundred to a few kilometres from the coastline. Scientific positionIt was imperative to resume the excavation of the Beg-er-Vil shell midden (Quiberon townland, Morbihan department, France) in 2012, as marine erosion is gradually eating away the cliff on which the archaeological site is located, and anthropic pressure in this coastal resort is gradually altering it (trampling, vehicle circulation, coastal development).This excavation is part of broader reflections on hunter-gatherer societies in coastal areas during the Holocene, and in particular on the social organization of these societies (Yesner, 1980;Testart, 1982;Sassaman, 2004;Kelly, 2007). Current research focuses on the functioning of the related mobility systems, partly based on marine circulation on the islands Marchand, 2013Marchand, , 2014. This involves a detailed analysi...