@ARTICLE{10.21494/ISTE.OP.2025.1351, 

TITLE={Identifying livestock buildings in the village area during the Late Neolithic from Southern France: the examples of La Capoulière (Mauguio, Hérault) and Ponteau (Martigues, Bouches-du-Rhône) and regional comparisons}, 
  
AUTHOR={Blaise E.
, Peinetti A.
, Margarit X.
, Jallot L.
, Battentier J.
, Cannevière M.
, Wattez J., }, 
	
JOURNAL={Archaeology, Society and Environment}, 
	
VOLUME={6}, 

NUMBER={Issue 1}, 
	
YEAR={2025}, 

URL={https://www.openscience.fr/Identifying-livestock-buildings-in-the-village-area-during-the-Late-Neolithic}, 
	
DOI={10.21494/ISTE.OP.2025.1351}, 
	
ISSN={2752-4507}, 
	
ABSTRACT={A large number of interdisciplinary studies (archaeology, geoarchaeology and bioarchaeology) have focused on the study of the sedimentary record of Neolithic and protohistoric sheepfold caves in the South of France, contributing to characterizing zootechnical practices relating to herd management. The presence of specialized sheepfold cave-type sites, exclusively intended for penning, seems to characterize the Chasséen of the Mediterranean hinterland and the Rhone Valley. On the other hand, if sheepfold caves were still used in the Late Neolithic, they were no longer used exclusively for penning. Archaeozoological studies carried out in Provence and Languedoc also highlight the functional diversity of open-air habitat sites within the pastoral area, both for permanent and seasonal use. On the sites of La Capoulière and Ponteau, geoarchaeological studies have made it possible to characterize the sedimentary record of the penning areas and to identify 1) areas dedicated solely to the breeding of domestic caprines (sheep/goats) within the village area of La Capoulière, and 2) mixed areas combining stabling areas for domestic animals and human habitation areas on the Ponteau site. This research makes it possible to specify the role of open-air settlement within the pastoral area in Languedoc and Provence at the end of the Neolithic, and to better qualify herd management strategies and the use of livestock buildings.}}