Importance of using Geographic Information System for extensive Middle Palaeolithic open air sites in northern France. The example of Caours (Somme, France) and Beauvais (Oise, France).

During the middle Palaeolithic, the northern France was only occupied by Neanderthals groups. However, successions of glacial and interglacial cycles explain a complex and discontinuous settlement, raising complication in the study of its dynamics at a regional scale. Therefore, some aspects of Neanderthals behaviour are still mischaracterize: in most cases, the function of the site and its territorial management over the northern France have to be specified. The spatial analysis of open air sites from northern France will help us to answer those questions. However, for Middle Palaeolithic sites, we can't see systematically on the field the spatial organisation directly, we sometimes need modelization. Therefore, we started to build a spatial analysis protocol adapted to this site and applied to such sites. The sites of Caours (Somme, France) and Beauvais (Oise, France) are two open air sites that are exceptionally well preserved and displaying a large amount of faunal and lithic rests. Both are perfect candidate to apply and test the new protocol. First results proved that for each site the existence of a spatial organisation as remains concentration zones. Then, we characterize this areas – number, distribution. Finally, we were able to associate them to human activity areas like hearths, butchery or knapping areas.