Preliminary results of the first three years of programmed excavation on " La Grande Vallée " at Colombiers in Vienne are presented in this paper. The study of the stratigraphic sequence investigated on three meters deep highlighted the presence of five archaeological levels attributable to Lower Palaeolithic. Archaeological and pedostratigraphic results as well as thermoluminescence on burnt flint converge on an age for lithic industries between 400 and 500 ky. Although deprived of faunal elements, the high wealth of the site is indisputable and gives a new perspective on the knowledge of the settlements in the center-westerner zone of France during this period. Lithic assemblages show a large typological variety with morpho-functional concepts of relatively stabilized tools, as well as specialized and repeated " chaînes opératoires ". Links between the industries of Poitou and those of northern and southern regions indicate the high capacity of accomodation of Acheulean groups to important variations in the presentation and the nature of lithic raw materials.
