The use of percussion tools (i.e. hammerstones) to fracture clastic rocks and produce cutting tools is a distinct human trait that first emerged over 3 million years ago. Hammerstones are found in various raw materials and feature diverse striking zone morphologies, here termed Active Percussion Zone (APZ). Despite their significance for human technological evolution, these tools remain relatively understudied, with the focus often placed on the flakes produced rather than on the hammerstones themselves.An exhaustive analysis of the Middle Palaeolithic lithic assemblages discovered at Brive-Laroche-Aérodrome (Brive-la-Gaillarde, Corrèze, southwest France) produced evidence for the use of variety of hammerstones, often associated with embedded chaînes opératoires. The site was the subject of rescue excavations in 2019 that documented archaeological material spread across two sectors (BLA North and BLA South). The two lithic assemblages predominantly consist of quartz (less frequently quartzite) collected from the alluvial deposits of nearby rivers or within dismantled conglomerates of the Permian basin of Brive. Silicites represent between 18% and 30% of the assemblages and originate from six different geotopes, with majority of sources located in the Dordogne region. Beyond the use of blunt hammerstones in the form of quartz/quartzite pebbles and cobbles, cores were also used as percussion tools. The ventral surfaces of retouched flakes (bulb retouchers) were also occasionally used. The active percussion zone of these tools display a variety of morphologies: convex, linear, or punctiform; neocortical or plain. The increased identification of repurposing in the Middle Palaeolithic is often considered a sign of adaptive behavioral flexibility. However, the recurrent nature of these catachretic behaviors and their prominence within the lithic assemblages of Brive-Laroche pose questions concerning their representing a response to specific technical requirements.The Brive-Laroche-Aérodrome lithic assemblages were subject to a detailed technological study aimed at reconstructing each stage of the chaînes opératoires. Items exhibiting macroscopic traces of percussion were isolated and subjected to additional analysis. This process involved mesoscopic recording of the damage, morphology, and position of the APZ, complement by with various measurements (length, width, thickness, mass) to generate volumetric, ellipticity, and elongation indices. Simultaneously, knapping and retouching experiments were conducted using quartz pebbles/cobbles and cores to supplement existing reference collections of unworked and knapped raw materials and reinforce the reliability of our interpretations.Of the 81 artifacts utilized as hammerstones, most were quartz or quartzites. These materials comprised 47% of unworked pebbles/cobbles and 53 % cores or flakes used as percussion tools, the latter defined as Mixed Percussion Matrices (MPM). Most of the percussion tools at Brive-Laroche are MPM, accounting for 21 % of the total cores and thus emphasizing the frequency of these interlocking chaînes opératoires. In contrast to the unworked pebbles/cobbles with a convex APZ, MPMs often present a linear or punctiform APZ. Additionally, these tools seem more intricate to handle. The experimental results revealed experimentally observed damage (crushing, loss of material, and pitting) to be consistent with traces observed on archaeological materials. The linear or punctiform APZs create a precise and limited contact zone. This preliminary observation requires further investigation incorporating more detailed and systematic experimentation.In terms of debitage, this pattern differs from usual knapping techniques where the hammerstone has a convex APZ, with a precise and limited contact zone created by carefully preparing the striking platform, particularly when knapping flint. This preparation phase is usually absent in quartz, owing to the properties of neocortical surfaces that better facilitate wave propagation compared to the rock surfaces themselves. The use of a linear or punctiform contact point compensates for the difficulty in preparing striking platforms when working quartz/quartzite. The striking platforms of the Brive-Laroche quartz/quartzite flakes are only minimally prepared: neocortical platforms are most common (72%) followed by plain platforms (20%). Moreover, linear or punctiform APZ produce notched and denticulated cutting edges, which are well represented in both assemblages. While scrapers are the most common tool type, 35% of the retouched tool component comprises notched tools in flint or quartz (i.e. Clactonian notches and denticulates).The reuse of knapped materials as percussion tools (and vice versa, the knapping of hammerstones) at Brive-Laroche reflects a common behaviour already present in the Lower Palaeolithic and which is now particularly well documented in the Middle Palaeolithic, where it is often considered as evidence for recycling. This recycling behavior is not limited to percussion tools at Brive-Laroche, as the flint component also contains a substantial number of cores-on-flakes linked to a ramification of the chaînes opératoires. This behaviour seems to be related to the management of raw materials transported over medium to long distances (ranging between approximately 20 km and 70 km). On the other hand, considering the easy accessibility of pebbles and cobbles in various morphologies for reducing other types of raw materials (quartz, quartzite, sandstone, etc.), this diversity likely reflects a specific response to various technical needs. While the recycling of knapped materials into percussive tools might seem opportunistic, in the context of quartz knapping and notch production, it might instead reflect technical solutions adopted by Neanderthal groups in the Brive Basin.