Plateau Picard

A planned archaeology excavation begun in 2018 aims to uncover the remains of former settlements in Les Hauts. Initial LiDAR data was analysed to identify areas of interest; field walking surveys were organised in 2020 to produce an inventory of all archaeological remains visible on the surface. Archaeologists explored the Plateau Picard, in the Mafate cirque, after spotting anomalies of anthropic origin in the LiDAR survey.

Although the main islets of Mafate are now inhabited, archaeological surveys have revealed that the anthropization of the cirque in the 19^th century was significant enough that each relatively favourable area, in terms of its topographical features, was developed. Between L’Îlet à Bourse and Grand Place, the small Plateau Picard with vertical edges was no exception.

A team composed of one archaeologist, national park officers and an archaeobotanist spotted extensive construction-related evidence of occupation by Petits-Blancs on the plateau and in the surrounding area.

The walls of the terraces and enclosures, part of which were still visible on aerial photos taken in 1950, reflect the cultivation of the area from the 19^th century onwards. These areas, now covered in filao trees, have been abandoned for a century. Also identified were the remains of a habitat in the surrounding area, which required the land take of a small sloping islet using a large stepped terrace wall with a flight of steps.

Botanical observations show that the vegetation contains traces of these earlier occupations, including, in contrast to the surrounding vegetation, old mango trees on the archaeological sites.