scholarly journals The influence of raw material qualities in the lithic technology of Gran Dolina (Units TD6 and TD10) and Galería (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain): A view from experimental archeology

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 527-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Terradillos-Bernal ◽  
Xosé-Pedro Rodríguez-Álvarez
Keyword(s):  
Lithic Technology ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Gran Dolina ◽  
Experimental Archeology

Energetic Efficiency and Lithic Technology: An Upper Mississippian Example

1992 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Jeske
Keyword(s):  
Lithic Technology ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Energetic Efficiency ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Projectile Points ◽  
Formal Tool

Optimal-foraging theory and the concept of energetic efficiency have been used in archaeology for over a decade, usually to explore subsistence behavior. People, however, made choices for energy expenditure in other areas of culture, including lithic technology. It is suggested that a shift in the allocation of energy as an adaptive response to changes in social organization caused the widely noted decline in formal tool types and stone-tool refinement in the late prehistoric periods in eastern North America. Data from an Upper Mississippian village are used to demonstrate the economic use of poor-quality lithic raw material. A bipolar technique was used to produce flake blanks for triangular projectile points as well as a peculiar but common Upper Mississippian tool, the humpback biface. It is suggested that bipolar reduction and other lithic efficiency and economizing strategies are indicators of stress on the energy budgets of human populations.

scholarly journals Maltese chert: An archaeological perspective on raw material and lithic technology in the central Mediterranean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huw Groucutt
Keyword(s):  
Lithic Technology ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Distribution Characteristics ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
The West ◽  
High Quality ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
Megalithic Temples

The Maltese islands are renowned for their prehistoric archaeological record, particularly thefamous megalithic ‘temples’ and associated ceramics and artwork. The temples were built bya society lacking metal technology, who relied on stone and organic materials. Knapped stonetool (lithic) technology, to produce sharp edged tools for tasks like cutting, hide working, andwood shaping involved the use of both imported obsidian and high-quality chert – offeringinsights into themes of exchange and connectivity – and local chert. The local chert hasgenerally been described as low-quality, yet relatively little research has been conducted on its distribution, characteristics, and use. In this paper I report a survey of chert sources, identifying a wider distribution of chert outcrops along the west coast of Malta than previously discussed. Some general macroscopic properties are outlined, while there are also aspects of variability in the chert sources. Knapping experiments were then conducted on samples of chert collected, allowing clarification of its characteristics. These observations are used to offer some insightsinto lithic technology in Neolithic and Temple Period Malta, such as the hypothesis that the high frequencies of multidirectional flake production and subsequent ‘scraper retouch’ reflect adaptations to the characteristics of local chert.

Carson and Cahokia

2020 ◽  
pp. 276-300
Author(s):  
Jay K. Johnson ◽  
John M. Connaway
Keyword(s):  
Mississippi River ◽  
Lithic Technology ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Projectile Point ◽  
Group A

The Carson Mounds Group, a large mound center located near the Mississippi River in northwestern Mississippi, has produced a complex suite of traits which suggest direct Cahokia contact. These traits include raw material, lithic technology, projectile point styles, ceramics, and architecture. This chapter describes these artifacts and their place within the Carson sequence.

From flint to quartz: Organization of lithic technology in relation to raw material availability during the pioneer process of Scandinavia

2016 ◽  
Vol 424 ◽  
pp. 32-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Knutsson ◽  
Kjel Knutsson ◽  
Fredrik Molin ◽  
Peter Zetterlund
Keyword(s):  
Lithic Technology ◽  
Raw Material

scholarly journals Lithic Technology, and Origin of the Stone Raw Material Guenfouda Cave (Jerada Province, Eastern Morocco)

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 258-277
Author(s):  
Mohamed Souhir ◽  
Sergio Cruz ◽  
Hassan Aouraghe ◽  
Hicham Mhamdi
Keyword(s):  
Lithic Technology ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Eastern Morocco

Understanding Levallois: Lithic Technology and Cognitive Archaeology

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Schlanger
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Lithic Technology ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
The Past ◽  
Cognitive Archaeology ◽  
Detailed Case ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Cognitive Attention ◽  
Technological Constraints

The Levallois technique has attracted much ‘cognitive’ attention in the past decades. Many archaeologists argue that both the products and the procedure of this Palaeolithic technique have been clearly predetermined by the prehistoric flintknappers. Attempts have recently been made to challenge this notion of predetermination by reference to raw material and ‘technological’ constraints. The aim of this article is to assess the grounds on which these claims have been advanced, and then work towards a better establishment of the cognitive implications of Levallois manufacture. Latest developments in the technological understanding of Levallois are presented in their context, and then put to work through a detailed case study: the analysis, in quantitative and qualitative terms, of a comprehensively refitted Levallois core from the 250,000 year-old site of Maastricht Belvédère, in the Netherlands. By reconstructing and following the sequence of work on this highly productive core, it can be shown that its knapping did not simply entail the execution of a pre-set program, nor did it respond in an adventitious manner to external constraints. Rather, it is argued that the course of action was a structured and goal-oriented one, a generative interplay between the mental and material activities of the ancient flintknapper.

Bone as a technological raw material at the Gran Dolina site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain)

2011 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi Rosell ◽  
Ruth Blasco ◽  
Gerard Campeny ◽  
J. Carlos Díez ◽  
Rodrigo Alonso Alcalde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Raw Material ◽  
Gran Dolina

scholarly journals Hunting High and Low: Postglacial Colonization Strategies in Central Norway between 9500 and 8000 cal BC

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi M. Breivik ◽  
Martin Callanan
Keyword(s):  
Small Group ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Lithic Technology ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Postglacial Colonization ◽  
Small Group Size ◽  
Size And Structure ◽  
Lithic Raw Material

In this article, we examine aspects of the Postglacial colonization processes that took place in central Norway during the Early Mesolithic (c. 9500–8000 cal bc). The distribution of sites from this period shows that the colonizers approached and exploited two very different landscapes and resource situations—from archipelagic to alpine. Based on twelve artefact assemblages from central Norway we investigate how colonizing populations met the challenge posed by varying ecozones. Did they organize their settlements and technologies in similar ways or did they modify sites and activities in relation to the different locations? The aspects studied are site organization, artefact composition, projectiles, and lithic raw material use. It appears that the sites are of a similar size and structure across ecozones. Apart from some variations in tool composition, there is no evidence in the lithic material for any technical adaptation towards specific ecozones. We conclude that using a standard, generalized lithic technology, combined with high mobility and small group size, enabled the colonizing groups to overcome the risks and difficulties associated with settling and seeking out resources in new and unknown landscapes.

scholarly journals The technological behaviours of Homo antecessor: core management and reduction intensity at Gran Dolina-TD6.2 (Atapuerca, Spain)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Lombao ◽  
José Ramón Rabuñal ◽  
Juan I Morales ◽  
Andreu Ollé ◽  
Eudald Carbonell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Distribution Functions ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Material Management ◽  
Probability Distribution Functions ◽  
Homo Antecessor ◽  
Volumetric Reconstruction ◽  
History Of ◽  
Gran Dolina

Approaching the life history of artefacts is fundamental for understanding both the formation processes of archaeological assemblages and their technological variability. In this paper, we explore the variability of technological behaviours exhibited by the hominins from subunit TD6.2 at the Gran Dolina site (Atapuerca, Burgos), by combining both technological and reduction intensity analyses of the cores recovered. We used the Volumetric Reconstruction Method (VRM) to estimate the original volume of the blanks and quantify the reduction intensity of each core individually, after which we characterised the reduction distribution patterns using Weibull probability distribution functions. Our results suggest differential raw material management in terms of reduction intensity, according to the characteristics of each lithology. This could reflect a solid understanding of raw material qualities and a certain degree of planning. From a technological perspective, our results suggest continuity between knapping strategies through reduction, which seems to indicate constant adaptation to raw material constraints as well as particular knapping conditions, rather than to specific compartmentalised mental schemes.

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