Lithic TechnologyPub Date : 2021-05-13DOI: 10.1080/01977261.2021.1924972
Katia Zutovski, S. Bar
{"title":"Canaanean Blade Production at Fazael 4 and the Tal`at `Amreh Quarry","authors":"Katia Zutovski, S. Bar","doi":"10.1080/01977261.2021.1924972","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2021.1924972","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study explores the multi-stage specialized production of long and standard Canaanean flint blades for composite sickles in light of recent findings from the Early Bronze Age Canaanean blade workshop at Fazael 4, and the uncovering of a related flint quarry at Tal`at `Amreh Mountain. The new discovery presents a rare opportunity to explore all stages of production from raw material acquisition to the finished Canaanean blades. This study addresses methodological aspects of establishing a link between a quarry and a workshop, efforts invested in flint procurement and transportation, the scale and organization of production, and the economic benefits of the Canaanean blade industry as a specialized production trajectory.","PeriodicalId":45597,"journal":{"name":"Lithic Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01977261.2021.1924972","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44925835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lithic TechnologyPub Date : 2021-05-12DOI: 10.1080/01977261.2021.1924452
M. Caruana
{"title":"Extrapolating Later Acheulian Handaxe Reduction Sequences in South Africa: A Case Study from the Cave of Hearths and Amanzi Springs","authors":"M. Caruana","doi":"10.1080/01977261.2021.1924452","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2021.1924452","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Studies investigating the production of later Acheulian handaxes in South Africa remain rare. Acheulian assemblages in this region are typically fragmented, which hinders our ability to investigate a full range of manufacturing stages at any one given site. Insights can therefore only be gained through comparative research involving multiple assemblages. To explore this issue, handaxes from Amanzi Springs and Cave of Hearths are contrasted to identify their position within a common reduction continuum. Results suggest that the Amanzi Springs handaxes represent early shaping phases focused on defining bifacial edges, while the Cave of Hearths reflects the later stages of thinning. Multivariate statistical analyses are used to extrapolate reduction trends that provide perspective on how later Acheulian handaxes in South Africa were shaped.","PeriodicalId":45597,"journal":{"name":"Lithic Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01977261.2021.1924452","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47161354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lithic TechnologyPub Date : 2021-04-21DOI: 10.1080/01977261.2021.1915607
Diego Herrero-Alonso, Natividad Fuertes-Prieto, Antonio Tarriño-Vinagre, Ana Neira-Campos
{"title":"Lithic Production in the Final Mesolithic in the Cantabrian Mountains: Levels III and IV at La Uña Cave (León, N Spain)","authors":"Diego Herrero-Alonso, Natividad Fuertes-Prieto, Antonio Tarriño-Vinagre, Ana Neira-Campos","doi":"10.1080/01977261.2021.1915607","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2021.1915607","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The lithic operational chains at the Mesolithic site of La Uña (León, N Spain) have been analysed and reconstructed through a joint study of the raw material provenance and technological characteristics of the assemblage. Differences in the management of each raw material have been observed, and three degrees of integrity of the chaîne opératoire (complete, incomplete and broken) have been differentiated. In addition, two main production targets have been identified: flakes and laminar blanks. Specific operational chains were followed to obtain each one. Differences between the raw materials have also been observed in the main production of blanks, with four groups: exclusively flakes, exclusively blade/bladelets, mixed with preference for blade/bladelets and mixed with preference for flakes.","PeriodicalId":45597,"journal":{"name":"Lithic Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01977261.2021.1915607","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41312221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lithic TechnologyPub Date : 2021-04-13DOI: 10.1080/01977261.2021.1911207
G. Zorrilla-Revilla, M. Vidal-Cordasco, O. Prado-Nóvoa, Marcos Terradillos-Bernal
{"title":"Know-how, or How Knapping Experience Can Affect a Prehistoric Lithic Workshop","authors":"G. Zorrilla-Revilla, M. Vidal-Cordasco, O. Prado-Nóvoa, Marcos Terradillos-Bernal","doi":"10.1080/01977261.2021.1911207","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2021.1911207","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In situ archaeological assemblages are scarce. Most artefacts are affected by post-depositional processes, which complicate the identification of human factors involved in the formation of lithic workshops, such as hand laterality, knapping positions, and knapping expertise. In this regard, experimental archaeology can reproduce past processes to test present hypotheses. In this study, experimental knapping processes were carried out to examine how techniques and methods learned by experience can affect waste flake assemblages. Our results show that, in addition to knapping position, experience affects both flake measurements and spatial distribution. The techniques applied, the knappers’ skill and the control of the application of force all affect spatial flake distribution. However, flakes do not exhibit any preferential orientation, contrary to those affected by some post-depositional factors. The experimental design and results could contribute to the ability to discern Palaeolithic in situ assemblages as well as some human factors that affect their formations.","PeriodicalId":45597,"journal":{"name":"Lithic Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01977261.2021.1911207","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47236098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lithic TechnologyPub Date : 2021-03-20DOI: 10.1080/01977261.2021.1899626
T. Hess, R. Turck, Gertrud de Vries, Philippe Della Casa
{"title":"A Prehistoric Rock Crystal Procurement Site at Fiescheralp (Valais, Switzerland)","authors":"T. Hess, R. Turck, Gertrud de Vries, Philippe Della Casa","doi":"10.1080/01977261.2021.1899626","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2021.1899626","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Rock crystal is among the most fascinating materials in the archaeological record. It is formed in alpine-type fissures by hydrothermal processes. Due to its physical properties, rock crystal has been a valuable resource throughout human history. In alpine regions, it was frequently used for the production of stone tools between the Mesolithic and the Bronze Age. However, there are only a handful of known prehistoric crystal quartz quarries in Europe. The following article presents evidence for rock crystal mining during the Early Mesolithic and the final stage of the Neolithic at a high-altitude site in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. In combination with radiocarbon dates from previous studies, the results of our fieldwork indicate that in the Swiss Alps rock crystal was mined almost 10,000 years ago. Furthermore, typo-technological analyses provide new insights into the way in which the raw material was processed during the represented time periods.","PeriodicalId":45597,"journal":{"name":"Lithic Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01977261.2021.1899626","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45093626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lithic TechnologyPub Date : 2021-03-20DOI: 10.1080/01977261.2021.1899443
D. Arp
{"title":"Hafting with a Living Tree: A Historical Review of the Alleged Practice of Growth-Assisted Hafting","authors":"D. Arp","doi":"10.1080/01977261.2021.1899443","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2021.1899443","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Despite facing the challenges of preservation and rarity of evidence in the archaeological record, hafting methods are a research pursuit of archaeologists seeking to explain the construction of weapons and tools. Various works have included references to a unique method of hafting, referred to in this article as growth-assisted hafting, which involved inserting a stone into a living tree branch and waiting for wood growth to encase the inclusion before harvesting and constructing the knife, club or axe. Such a method would lack toolmarks and exhibit some evidence in wood grain patterns and possible abnormal fiber build-up of continued tree growth around the inclusion. This paper is a historical review of the alleged practice based on accounts from around the world and how the practice has re-appeared in the modern primitive skills subculture.","PeriodicalId":45597,"journal":{"name":"Lithic Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01977261.2021.1899443","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42929737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lithic TechnologyPub Date : 2021-03-01DOI: 10.1080/01977261.2021.1887611
H. Baills
{"title":"The Shouldered Pieces from the Santa Maria di Agnano Cave (SMA-Extern). Their Chrono-cultural Positioning During the Upper Paleolithic in Southern Italy","authors":"H. Baills","doi":"10.1080/01977261.2021.1887611","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2021.1887611","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The Santa Maria di Agnano cave (Puglia, Italy) shows a long human occupation that began in the Gravettian and went on in the Epigravettian periods. Among the lithic pieces discovered, many are so-called shouldered objects. This article intends to present and study them, but also to discuss the relevance of the diagnosis about shouldered points and shouldered bladelets. More broadly, the issue of the association of the shouldered point with ancient Epigravettian is discussed and questioned. On the basis of observations made in the Santa Maria di Agnano cave, the duration of existence of shouldered points and bladelets is discussed, which leads s to questioning the status of thes pieces as a key fossil.","PeriodicalId":45597,"journal":{"name":"Lithic Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01977261.2021.1887611","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46533330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lithic TechnologyPub Date : 2021-02-19DOI: 10.1080/01977261.2021.1886487
D. Delpiano, Jacopo Gennai, M. Peresani
{"title":"Techno-Functional Implication on the Production of Discoid and Levallois Backed Implements","authors":"D. Delpiano, Jacopo Gennai, M. Peresani","doi":"10.1080/01977261.2021.1886487","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2021.1886487","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The technological dichotomy between Discoid and Levallois methods, which accompanies the Mousterian assemblages for most of the Middle Paleolithic, is a debated topic because of the implications for Neanderthals’ behavioral complexity. We here propose and discuss the possible reasons supporting the Levallois-Discoid shift, considering part of the late Mousterian sequence of Grotta di Fumane. Among these, we include the strategies of resource exploitation and territorial mobility, and the productivity and effectiveness rates between the two methods. Though both highlighting differences, these cannot justify a sharp change in production strategies. Looking specifically at the technological objectives, we compared a category of common products: the backed artefacts. This category includes similar tools, but morpho-functional differences suggest different degrees of efficiency. The comparison helped to better define the Discoid and Levallois technologies in their functional and potential objectives, whose variations may have influenced the alternating pattern in the technological choices here recorded.","PeriodicalId":45597,"journal":{"name":"Lithic Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01977261.2021.1886487","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47753050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lithic TechnologyPub Date : 2021-02-10DOI: 10.1080/01977261.2021.1883250
Eşref Erbil, Gizem Kartal, Zeynep Beyza Ağırsoy
{"title":"A New Settlement from the Epi-Palaeolithic Period: The Operational Sequence and Techno-Typology of the Knapped Stone Industry at the Kızılin Site (Antalya, Turkey)","authors":"Eşref Erbil, Gizem Kartal, Zeynep Beyza Ağırsoy","doi":"10.1080/01977261.2021.1883250","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2021.1883250","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Kızılin is a cave settlement within the provincial borders of Antalya. The settlement is dated to the Epi-palaeolithic period. Some knapped stone findings were identified during the terrace excavation conducted in this site. This study focuses on examining the knapped stone chaîne opératoire of the inhabitants, and on analyzing the knapped stone findings by a techno-typological approach. Our analyses led us to identify all technological phases of knapped stone process practiced at the Kızılin site. Typologically, the knapped stone tool industry was found to consist of microliths and macroliths. It has been observed that the microliths are higher in number compared to the macroliths. In this context, the results obtained were compared with the Epi-palaeolithic layers of Öküzini and Karain settlements where their similarities and differences are revealed.","PeriodicalId":45597,"journal":{"name":"Lithic Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2021-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01977261.2021.1883250","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44836607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}