1The PPSup PCR (Collective Research Project) was established with the objective of reinvigorating research in Upper Pleistocene Prehistoric Archaeology in Provence. This initiative sought to foster institutional and academic networking, enhance the value of existing archaeological heritage through comprehensive research assessments, and promote the resumption of fieldwork and the re-examination of legacy collections.
2While it is difficult to provide a definitive conclusion to the four-year program, the project has demonstrably contributed to bridging institutional, administrative, and disciplinary boundaries within the research landscape. Furthermore, the PCR has brought renewed attention to Provence’s geo-historical significance at a continental scale, highlighting its bioclimatic singularities and its pivotal location between Eastern and Western Europe.
3A key objective of the PCR was to refine Provence’s role within broader models of human settlement and interaction and to better assess the region’s particularities. This necessitated a critical evaluation of the geological, geomorphological, and paleobiological coherence of Provence. The results point to a geographically constrained and ecologically diverse area, bounded by the Mediterranean coastline, the Rhône River, and the Alpine massifs, characterized by heterogeneous geological formations and marked orography (fig. 1). These conditions have fostered active erosional processes and generated a wide range of environmental contexts — from Mediterranean to Alpine biomes — subject to temperate climates with pronounced seasonal contrasts.
1. Geographical Scope and Location of the PPSup PCR.
Base map credit: Géoportail.
4Paleo-shoreline fluctuations, resulting from marine transgressions and regressions, have obscured significant submerged archaeological heritage, with the Cosquer Cave (Marseille, France) standing as a prominent example.
5Located within the Liguro-Provençal Arc, Provence is conceptualized as a connective corridor between the Italian and Balkan peninsulas and continental Europe. This transitional role is underscored by evidence for enhanced human mobility, particularly along the coastal fringe, and by lithic raw material distributions that suggest east-west directional preferences. Nonetheless, Provence was intensively occupied throughout the Upper Pleistocene, from the coastal zones to the (pre-)Alpine ranges, spanning from Liguria to the Rhône corridor.
6Perceived differentiation between the western and eastern sectors — divided approximately by the Var River — is supported by variations in the mammalian faunal record and the differential distribution of siliceous sedimentary formations (fig. 2). These distinctions, however, reflect a complex mosaic of technical and cultural phenomena during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic. Current data point to a series of temporal and spatial reconfigurations within Provence, shaped by its interaction with adjacent macro-regions such as the Rhône Valley, Languedoc and Catalonia, the Po Plain, and the Italian Peninsula.
2. Mapping of Silicite Reference Collection Points in the Liguro-Provençal Arc (s.s.).
After: Tomasso et al. 2016.
7Over the course of the PPSup PCR, five thematic workshops were held to delineate the historical and geo-bioclimatic contours of (Paleo-)Provence. Moving forward, rigorous control of primary data and the refinement of radiometric frameworks will remain central to advancing the research agenda. Equally important is the reinforcement of collaborative networks at the regional margins and beyond.
8Provence benefits from a longstanding tradition of archaeological research, a rich cultural heritage, and a robust institutional and analytical infrastructure. Current research efforts are increasingly structured around geo-environmental units that organize the territory at various scales, including sites such as the Calanques of Marseille (PCR Cosquer, dir. C. Montoya), the Luberon (Ollivier et al. 2014, Magnin et al. 2024, Sirdeys 2025), the Apt–Forcalquier Basin (Cara 2024), the Verdon hydro-sedimentary basin (PCR Verdon Préhistorique, dir. Porraz, Audiard, Castin, Purdue), the Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume depression (Sivan et al. 2018), and the Balzi Rossi complex (Negrino et al. 2023).
9This geographically grounded approach to archaeological research supports renewed perspectives on land-use dynamics, moving beyond the confines of the individual archaeological site. Regional-scale analyses of landscape transformation and socio-economic systems, coupled with well-constrained chrono-cultural sequences, will enable Provence to be more effectively integrated into overarching models of human settlement across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin.