Fourteen papers, from a colloquium held in Poitiers in 2000, examine the evidence for man's exploitation of the environment during the Palaeolithic. The volume combines methodological and thematic studies with case studies of sites across a broad geographical area, including France, Italy, Spain, Corsica and Sardinia, Spain, eastern Europe, Eurasia and South America. Subjects covered include adaptation to coastal environments, fossil remains, dating techniques, regional characteristics, diet and its detection, cave sites and sediments, lithics, flora and fauna, and climate. French text; some papers have English abstracts.Fourteen papers, from a colloquium held in Poitiers in 2000, examine the evidence for man's exploitation of the environment during the Palaeolithic.