Résumé
Known since the 18th century and excavated in particular by Jacques Boucher de Perthes and Joseph Preswitch in the 1840-1860s, the site of Menchecourt, at Abbeville, played an essential role during the 19th century in the recognition of the coexistence of man and extinct animal species, the foundation of prehistory as a science.
Subsequently inaccessible for a long time due to the urbanization of the city since the end of the 19h century and all along the 20th century, the locality was the subject of a preventive archaeological operation carried out by INRAP in 2014 on a zone located in the immediate vicinity of the historical site. The observed stratigraphical sequence is lying on the chalky substratum at an altitude of + 2-3 m asl, i.e. + 14/15 m relative to the maximum incision below the current valley floor. It includes a succession of fluvial and/or fluvio-marine levels covered by a sequence of loessic cover (loess and palaeosols), very close to the one observed in the 19th century. Although the level that delivered lithic pieces attributed to the laminar "Menchecourian" industry defined by G. d'Ault du Mesnil at the end of the 19th century has not been found, several archaeological and paleontological levels that can be linked to the Middle and Lower Paleolithic periods have been identified at the top of the interglacial fluvial sediments of the terrace as well as within the glacial loessic sequence covering it. The palaeontological and geoclu onological data available make it possible to position the implementation of the sequence within the marine isotopic stages (MIS) 8 to 6 and confirm the interest of organizing in the future a more detailed study of this major archaeological locality of Abbeville Prehistory.