scholarly journals Middle Palaeolithic technical behaviour: Material import-export and Levallois production at the SU 13 of Oscurusciuto rock shelter, Southern Italy

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Marciani ◽  
Vincenzo Spagnolo ◽  
Daniele Aureli ◽  
Filomena Ranaldo ◽  
Paolo Boscato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Italy ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Middle Palaeolithic ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Main Concept ◽  
Rock Shelter ◽  
Stratigraphic Unit ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Siliceous Limestone

The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in southern Italy (Puglia), has yielded a long Middle Palaeolithic stratigraphy rich in lithic assemblages, fireplaces and faunal remains, attesting Neanderthal occupation during the MIS 3. This paper is focused on the stratigraphic unit 13, consisting of a sandy compact deposit mixed with pyroclastic sediment above a thick level of tephra-US 14, identified as Mt. Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar ~ 55 ka).Level 13 represents the first stable human occupation after the deposition of tephra. Our goal was to examine the lithic assemblage of this stratigraphic unit by means of an interdisciplinary approach (technology, RMU, refitting program) in order to identify the economic behaviour and technical strategies of Neanderthals occupying the stratigraphic unit 13 of Oscurusciuto.The technical strategies applied indicate fragmentation of the reduction processes, as well as probable events of importation and exportation of objects. The lithic material were introduced at different stages of manufacturing. Pieces were introduced in the form of rough objects (pebbles), as well as semi-finished items, and as finished tools. This fragmentation of the chaîne opératoire also demonstrate the palimpsest nature of the level which is made up of different events happening one after another.The main concept of debitage was Levallois, generally realized on local jasper and siliceous limestone pebbles or cortical flakes. Jasper and siliceous limestone flakes, backed flakes and convergent flakes were the technological objectives of the debitage. A marginal volumetric debitage aimed at producing bladelets was also attested. 

Palaeolithic Archaeology at the Swan Valley Community School, Swanscombe, Kent

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 219-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Wenban-Smith ◽  
David Bridgland ◽  
Simon Parfitt ◽  
Andrew Haggart ◽  
Phillip Rye
Keyword(s):  
Raw Material ◽  
Middle Palaeolithic ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Lithic Assemblages ◽  
Volume Controlled ◽  
Valuable Role ◽  
Construction Works ◽  
Palaeolithic Archaeology

This paper reports on the recovery of Palaeolithic flint artefacts and faunal remains from fluvial gravels at the base of a sequence of Pleistocene sediments revealed during construction works at two sites to the south of Swanscombe village, Kent. Although outside the mapped extent of the Boyn Hill/Orsett Heath Formation, the newly discovered deposits can be firmly correlated with the Middle Gravels and Upper Loam from the Barnfield Pit sequence dating to c. 400,000–380,000 BP. This increases greatly the known extent of these deposits, one horizon of which produced the Swanscombe Skull, and has provided more information on their upper part.Comparison of the lithic assemblages from volume-controlled sieving with those from general monitoring demonstrated that artefact collections formed without controlled methods of recovery, such as form the majority of the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic archaeological record, are likely to be disproportionately dominated by larger, more visible, and more collectable neatly-made handaxes to the detriment of more poorly made, asymmetrical handaxes and cores, flakes, and percussors. The lithic assemblage from the fluvial gravel was confirmed as dominated by pointed handaxes, supporting previous studies of artefacts front the equivalent Lower Middle Gravel at Barnfield Pit. The raw material characteristics of the assemblage were investigated, and it was concluded that there was no indication that the preference for pointed shapes could be related to either the shape or source of raw material.This paper also reviews the significance of lithic assemblages from disturbed fluvial contexts, and concludes that, contrary to some current perspectives, they have a valuable role to play complementing less disturbed evidence in developing understanding of the Palaeolithic.

scholarly journals A multidisciplinary study of an exceptional prehistoric waste dump in the mountainous inland of Calabria (Italy): Implications for reconstructions of prehistoric land use and vegetation in Southern Italy

The Holocene ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1310-1331
Author(s):  
Jan Sevink ◽  
Wieke de Neef ◽  
Mauro A Di Vito ◽  
Ilenia Arienzo ◽  
Peter AJ Attema ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Occupational History ◽  
Late Imperial ◽  
Multidisciplinary Study ◽  
History Of

The mountainous inland of northern Calabria (Southern Italy) is known for its sparse prehistoric human occupation. Nevertheless, a thorough multidisciplinary approach of field walking, geophysical survey and invasive research led to the discovery of a major archaeological archive. This archive concerns a rich multi-phased dump, spanning about 3000 years (Late Neolithic to Late Imperial Roman Age) and holding two Somma-Vesuvius tephra. Of these, the younger is a distinct layer of juvenile tephra from the Pompeii eruption, while the older concerns reworked tephra from the Bronze Age AP2 eruption (ca. 1700 cal. yr BP). The large dump contains abundant ceramics, faunal remains and charcoal, and most probably originated through long-continued deposition of waste in a former gully like system of depressions. This resulted in an inversed, mound-like relief, whose anthropogenic origin had not been recognized in earlier research. The tephras were found to be important markers that support the reconstruction of the occupational history of the site. The sequence of occupational phases is very similar to that observed in a recent palaeoecological study from nearby situated former lakes (Lago Forano/Fontana Manca). This suggests that this sequence reflects the more regional occupational history of Calabria, which goes back to ca. 3000 BC. Attention is paid to the potential link between this history and Holocene climatic phases, for which no indication was found. The history deviates strongly from histories deduced from the few, but major palaeorecords elsewhere in the inlands of Southern Italy (Lago Grande di Monticchio and Lago Trifoglietti). We conclude that major regional variation occurred in prehistoric land use and its impacts on the vegetation cover of Southern Italy, and studies of additional palaeoarchives are needed to unravel this complex history. Finally, shortcomings of archaeological predictive models are discussed and the advantages of truly integrated multidisciplinary research.

scholarly journals Stone Tools in the High Molise Mountains (Italy): a first Report

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vittorio Mironti ◽  
Melissa Vilmercati ◽  
Enrico Lucci ◽  
Rachele Modesto
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Archaeological Materials ◽  
Material Procurement ◽  
Mountainous Landscape ◽  
Molise Region ◽  
University Of Rome

In the last decades, several researches focused on the inland areas of Molise Region (Central-Southern Italy) to investigate the occupation and exploitation of this environment during Pleistocene and Holocene. The “Molise Survey Project” started in 2015 with the aim to explore, through systematic surveys, an area of 60 square kilometres, chiefly characterized by a mountainous landscape and part of the Central-Southern Italy Apennines. The project seeks to investigate the patterns of human occupation in the mountainous landscape between the provinces of Campobasso and Isernia. The surveys, carried out during the last four years, allowed the identification of 19 prehistoric sites ranging from Palaeolithic to Bronze Age: the archaeological materials belonging to the latter period are being studied by the team of “Paletnologia” of Sapienza University of Rome. This work aims to show the preliminary results of the analysis of the lithic assemblage acquired during the summer of 2016 surveys, focusing on raw material procurement and the related chaîne opératoire, also considering post-depositional agents. The obtained data allowed to reassess the human presence over inland and high-altitude areas of Molise during prehistoric times, stressing a seasonal use of the territory, from Palaeolithic to Late Prehistory, with different patterns of occupation and exploitation.

scholarly journals Human occupation continuity in southern Italy towards the end of the Middle Palaeolithic: a palaeoenvironmental perspective from Apulia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Boschin ◽  
Andrea Columbu ◽  
Vincenzo Spagnolo ◽  
Jacopo Crezzini ◽  
Jean‐Jacques Bahain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Italy ◽  
Middle Palaeolithic ◽  
Human Occupation

scholarly journals Middle Palaeolithic lithic tools: Techno-functional and use-wear analysis of target objects from SU 13 at the Oscurusciuto rock shelter, Southern Italy

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Marciani ◽  
Simona Arrighi ◽  
Daniele Aureli ◽  
Vincenzo Spagnolo ◽  
Paolo Boscato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Middle Palaeolithic ◽  
Rock Shelter ◽  
Use Wear ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
Dynamic Perspective ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
The Way

The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, Puglia, southern Italy) is a Middle Palaeolithic site characterized by a significant stratigraphy made up by several anthropic levels. The stratigraphic unit 13, consisting of a sandy compact deposit mixed with pyroclastic sediment, is a short palimpsest situated on a layer of tephra, identified as Mt. Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar ~ 55 ka BP). From a technological point of view, the aims of the production were backed flakes, convergent flakes, and other flakes obtained by means of a Levallois debitage, plus (less represented) bladelets produced by an additional volumetric reduction system. Our aim in this research was to examine a selection of the above-mentioned target objects produced by debitage in order to understand the manufacture and life-cycle of each single tool from a dynamic perspective. We integrated techno-functional and use-wear analyses: the first was implemented to globally comprehend each tool, identifying each single techno-functional unity (prehensile and transformative portions), whereas the second revealed the way in which these tools had been used, proceeding to identify the activity involved (e.g., piercing, cutting and/or scraping), and the type of material (vegetable/animal, soft/hard) on which these activities had been carried out. The combined use of these two approaches allows us to ascertain the intention of the prehistoric craftsmen, the gestures and procedures involved in making the tools, and the way they had been used. From one single object we are thus able to reconstruct a series of complex behaviours, encompassing the creation, the life-cycle and finally the ‘death’ or repurposing of the tool in question.

Neanderthal activity and resting areas from stratigraphic unit 13 at the Middle Palaeolithic site of Oscurusciuto (Ginosa - Taranto, Southern Italy)

2019 ◽  
Vol 217 ◽  
pp. 169-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Spagnolo ◽  
Giulia Marciani ◽  
Daniele Aureli ◽  
Francesco Berna ◽  
Ginevra Toniello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Italy ◽  
Middle Palaeolithic ◽  
Stratigraphic Unit

Using lithic assemblage formation to approach Middle Palaeolithic settlement dynamics: El Salt Stratigraphic Unit X (Alicante, Spain)

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1715-1743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Machado ◽  
Francisco J. Molina ◽  
Cristo M. Hernández ◽  
Antonio Tarriño ◽  
Bertila Galván
Keyword(s):  
Middle Palaeolithic ◽  
Stratigraphic Unit ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Settlement Dynamics

New Evidence of the Late Neopleistocene Peopling of the Lower Ob Valley

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-20
Author(s):  
I. D. Zolnikov ◽  
A. A. Anoikin ◽  
E. A. Filatov ◽  
A. V. Vybornov ◽  
A. V. Vasiliev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Northern Eurasia ◽  
West Siberian Plain ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Paleolithic Site ◽  
The North ◽  
Available Information

This study focuses on the early human occupation of the arctic part of the West Siberian Plain and introduces the finds at the Paleolithic site Kushevat (Shuryshkarsky District, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug), discovered in 2020. Geological and geomorphological characteristics of the Lower Ob region are provided, the chronology of the key Middle and Late Neopleistocene sequences is assessed, and criteria underlying the search for Paleolithic sites in the area are outlined. We describe the discovery and excavations at Kushevat, its stratigraphy and its faunal remains. On the basis of correlation with neighboring key Late Neopleistocene sections with a representative series of absolute dates, the age of the site is estimated at cal 50–35 ka BP. Results of a traceological study of a possibly human-modified reindeer antler are provided. Findings at Kushevat and the available information on the early peopling of northern Eurasia suggest that the boundary of the inhabited part of that region must be shifted ~200 km to the north. The Ob, therefore, is one of the last major Siberian rivers where traces of the Early Upper Paleolithic culture have been found. The discovery of a stratified site in its lower stretch is a milestone in the Paleolithic studies in the region. A large area over which faunal remains are distributed, and the presence of lithics among the surface finds, suggest that Kushevat is a highly prospective site for future archaeological studies of the early stages in the human peopling of the region.

Human occupation strategies and related environmental-climate during the middle and late Holocene in central Pampas of Argentina

The Holocene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo G Messineo ◽  
Marcela S Tonello ◽  
Silvina Stutz ◽  
Alfonsina Tripaldi ◽  
Nahuel Scheifler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Hard Material ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Lithic Assemblage ◽  
Depositional Rate ◽  
Archeological Site ◽  
Middle And Late Holocene

The main objective of this work is to generate and integrate interpretations of human occupation strategies and inferences of the environmental-climatic conditions in the central Pampas during the middle and late Holocene. We present a novel archeological–geological–paleoecological analysis in the area of the Cabeza de Buey lake, placed in an aeolian landscape. During the middle Holocene, two events of human occupations were recognized at Laguna Cabeza de Buey 2 archeological site. Both events present a small amount of lithic materials, a low diversity of tools and activities developed with them (principally hard material), and the hunting and primary processing of artiodactyls. These evidences suggest a locus of specific activity associated with an ephemeral human settlement under climate conditions drier than present and the presence of small, brackish, and shallow water bodies. For the late late Holocene, the hunter-gatherer occupation has a higher depositional rate of lithic assemblage, stones with diverse origins, presence of pottery fragments, a great lithic tool diversity, knapping techniques, and activities developed with these tools (processing wood, bone, hide, non-woody plant, and soft material). These evidences reveal an occupation with a higher degree of recurrence represented by a locus of multiple activities associated with a more stable landscape, such as an environment of dunes fixed by grass vegetation, and the establishment of a permanent water body. The different environmental characteristics for the middle and late Holocene in this area promoted that human groups develop two different patterns of mobility, settlement and use of space.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document