LAUSR

Abstract The northwestern Mediterranean coast includes varied environment with abundant faunal and lithic resources exploited during the Upper Pleistocene. In this area, the Ramandils Cave (Port-la-Nouvelle, Aude, France) records Middle Palaeolithic levels dating to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. Evidence of Neanderthal occupations are observed throughout the sequence; with numerous lithic industries, burnt faunal remains, marine shells, and few human bones. In unit II, the richest one, lithic exploitation strategies are linked to the availability of major areas of flint supply implying a defined mobility pattern. Several archaeostratigraphic levels have been individualised, with ungulate remains affected by human and carnivore predation, involving alternated occupations of the cave during different periods. By confronting studies on origin and management of lithic raw material with taphonomical and zooarchaeological data of large mammals, we attempt to gain a better understanding of the site function, occupation duration, and regional mobility pattern in unit II of Ramandils Cave.