ABSTRACTS FOR
SESSION 1
Raw material exploitation
strategies – mining and
surface collecting
This session will cover research involving mining, quarrying and surface collecting strategies.
It will also cover tools and methods used for mining and quarrying knappable stone.
Presentations are not limited to prehistoric studies. They may include historical or present
day mining or quarrying methods, on an industrial scale or by hobbyists. Presentations may
also describe research that has been conducted on specific mines or quarries.
Session organizers:
- Xavier Terradas ([email protected])
- Françoise Bostyn ([email protected])
SERP - Universitat de Barcelona
International Symposium on Knappable Materials
Designer: Manuel Cubero
[email protected]
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Organizers
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
- GRIMALDI, Stefano; SANTIANELLO, Fabio
Raw material procurement and land use in the northern Mediterranean Arc during
the Mousterian, Proto-Aurignacian and Gravettian at Riparo Mochi
(Balzi Rossi, Italy). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
- COLLET, Hélène; LAVACHERY, Philippe
Raw material exploitation strategies on the flint mining site of Spiennes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
- BURKE, Adrian L.; DESROSIERS, Pierre M.
Quarry tools at the Naparutalik quarry, Nunavik (Quebec Arctic, Canada) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
- MURPHY, Andrea
Variability of lithic sites north of Melbourne, Victoria: A case study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
- MUHLEN-SCHULTE, Roark
In quartz we trust, when on high. Techcnological analysis of the lithic assemblage
from 19 Sub-Alpine sites in Victorian Alps, Australia. Challenge the predicted model
of lithic resource exploitation for Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
- SÁNCHEZ DE LA TORRE, Marta; GARCIA SIMÓN, Luis Miguel; DOMINGO, Rafael;
MANGADO, Xavier; MONTES, Lourdes
The chert workshop of Tozal de la Mesa (Alins del Monte, Huesca, Spain) and its
exploitation in historical times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
- MANGADO, Xavier; SÁNCHEZ DE LA TORRE, Marta; MARTÍNEZ-GRAU, Héctor;
GONZÁLEZ-OLIVARES, Cynthia
Prehistoric chert mining evidence in Serra Llarga (Castelló de Farfanya, Spain) . . . . . . . . . .12
- COLLIN, Jean-Philippe
"Mons Basin Flint Cie": A status report on the flint mining sites of the Mons Basin
during the Neolithic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
- FERNÁNDEZ, Maria Victoria; FIGUERERO TORRES, María J.; PEREYRA, Fernando X.
Where's the right rock? Locating and identifying lithic raw materials in secondary
sources in a postglacial landscape in Southern Patagonia (~ 47°S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
- ZARINA, Liga; SEGLINS, Valdis
Shape evaluation in lithic analysis
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
- YAMANDU, Hilbert; CRASSARD, Remy
Nubian Levallois production system, raw material availability, and variability
in Arabia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
- RADZISZEWSKA, Katarzyna; BUDZISZEWSKI, Janusz
Using Airborne Laser Scanning data for mine surface relief studies: Results from
the "Borownia" prehistoric flint mine, Central Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
- MOLINA, Fco. Javier; TARRIÑO, Antonio; HERNÁNDEZ-GÓMEZ, Cristo; GALVÁN,
Bertila
Geomorphological context and middle Palaeolithic procurement strategies for
surface outcrops of Serreta Flint, Serpis River Basin (Alicante, Spain) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
- CASTAÑEDA, Nuria
Young knappers in the mine: The transmission of technological knowledge at the
flint mine of Casa Montero (Madrid, Spain), c. 5300-5200 cal. BCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
- DOMINGO, Rafael; MONTES, Lourdes; CUCHÍ, José Antonio; GARCÍA-SIMÓN, Luis Miguel;
SÁNCHEZ, Marta
Local lithic raw material procurement in Mousterian times: Roca San Miguel
campsite (North-Eastern Iberia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
- KERNEDER-GUBAŁA, Katarzyna
Chocolate Flint mine in Orońsko (Southern Poland): New approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
1
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
- MATIAS, Henrique; AUBRY, Thierry; GAMEIRO, Cristina
Contrasting Middle and Upper Palaeolithic raw material sourcing in the Central
Limestone Massif (Estremadura, Portugal). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
- MATIAS, Henrique
Raw material sourcing in the Middle Palaeolithic site of Gruta da Oliveira (Central Limestone
Massif, Estremadura, Portugal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
- FERNANDES, Paul; DELVIGNE, Vincent; MONCEL, M.H.; DAUJEARD, C.; GUADELLI,J.L.;
SANTAGATA, C.; BERNARD-GUELLE, S.; WRAGG-SYKES, R.; LE CORRE, M.; LIABEUF, R.;
BINDON, P.; RAYNAL, J.P.
Is there a socio-economic interpretation for the sustained exploitation of flint and
the diversity of raw material sources used during the Middle Palaeolithic in the
south-eastern Massif Central and adjacent Rhone Valley? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
- CÁNOVAS CALLE, Isabel; TARRIÑO, Antonio
Siliceous raw material of Barranco Leon (Orce, Granada, Spain) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
- CÁNOVAS CALLE, Isabel; CALLE ROMÁN, Lidia
Introduction to the study of siliceous raw materials, morphotechnical and functional
analysis at the cave site of El Pirulejo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
- DE LABRIFFE, Pierre-Arnaud; REGGIO, Adrien
Extraction sites at Vaucluse (France) between myth to reality: An initial approach. . . . . . .27
- DORONICHEVA, Ekaterina V.; KULKOVA, Marianna A
Exploitation of exotic flints in the North Caucasus Eastern Micoquian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
- DORONICHEVA, Ekaterina V
Middle Paleolithic flint workshops in the Northwestern Caucasus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
- BOBILLO, Federico. M.
Technological strategies and use of provisioning space in quarries of volcanic rocks
(Antofagasta de la Sierra, Puna de Catamarca, Argentina) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
- LAPORTA, Philip C.; BREWER-LAPORTA, Margaret C.
Ethnoarchaeological investigations of quarry extraction technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
- TAKAGI, Yasushiro
Neolithic surface collecting strategies in the Kyoto basin, Japan
2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Organizers
Xavier Terradas ([email protected])
Françoise Bostyn ([email protected])
Info
This session will cover research involving mining, quarrying and surface collecting strategies. It will also cover tools and methods used for mining and quarrying knappable
stone. Presentations are not limited to prehistoric studies. They may include historical or
present day mining or quarrying methods, on an industrial scale or by hobbyists.
Presentations may also describe research that has been conducted on specific mines or
quarries.
3
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- GRIMALDI, Stefano ([email protected])
- SANTIANELLO, Fabio ([email protected])
Università degli studi di Trento, Italy
Abstract
RAW MATERIAL PROCUREMENT AND LAND USE IN THE NORTHERN MEDITERRANEAN
ARC DURING THE MOUSTERIAN, PROTO-AURIGNACIAN AND GRAVETTIAN AT RIPARO
MOCHI (BALZI ROSSI, ITALY)
The relation between lithic assemblage and geological formations is not enough to
recognize the mobility patterns of a human group although previous researches highlighted the connection between the availability-quality of raw material and the mobility strategies. In this regard, technical features of a lithic assemblage can provide some clues to
illustrate strategies - such as, for instance, "embedded procurement", "specific procurement", or "exchange". Therefore, instead of focusing on the bare distances between the
site and the supplying areas, it could be interesting to assume a larger point of view in
order to - while taking into account technical aspects and raw materials - try to recalibrate
the analysis scale from a hunter-gatherer prospective rather than from the strictly
archaeological site. From this perspective we compare three lithic assemblages coming
from the Mousterian, Proto-Aurignacian, and Noaillian Gravettian layers of the Riparo
Mochi site (Grimaldi caves, Balzi Rossi area, Liguria), one of the most complete stratigraphic sequences of the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in Mediterranean Europe.
The position of Riparo Mochi in the osmotic center of the Liguro-Provencal arc is a key
to defining prehistoric human diffusion and development in this area. The Mousterian
lithic assemblage is made from different raw materials, exploited more or less by the same
technical procedure, and variability is mainly connected with changes in the intensity of
the use of each raw material, especially when the decreasing presence of regional raw
material from the bottom to the top of the sequence is observed. In other words, the
analysed assemblages share a similar adaptive strategy, but natural resources were used
differently. The territory exploited to collect raw material seems to become more and
more restricted from the bottom to the top of the sequence. The site of Riparo Mochi
shows that distinct occupation phases of the Proto-Aurignacian "colonisation" took place
over a short time span. It also shows the existence of groups who were exploiting a large
territory since the earliest occupation of the site. Human groups who inhabited Riparo
Mochi adapted their raw material provisioning strategies to the geological context, by
moving raw materials over long distances. The Noaillian Gravettian lithic assemblage is
characterized by pebble morphology that is largely represented when considering the
local flint; the block morphology is very common regardless raw material provenance;
allochthonous blocks were introduced preformed. Finally, flake cores are also a very common type of blank even if they are more frequent while considering exotic rocks. Similarly
to the Proto-Aurignacian, the Noaillian, lithic procurement and technological issues
demark a large supplying territory. Where Riparo Mochi was occupied during the colder
period of the year, within a seasonal long-distance mobility strategy, that interested the
whole northern Tyrrhenian area.
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- COLLET, Hélène ([email protected])
Service public de Wallonie, Service de l'Archéologie, Spiennes) Mons, Hainaut, Belgium
- LAVACHERY, Philippe ([email protected])
Société de Recherche préhistorique en Hainaut, Spiennes, Haianut, Belgium
Abstract
RAW MATERIAL EXPLOITATION STRATEGIES ON THE FLINT MINING SITE OF SPIENNES
The Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes, a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprise a vast flint extraction and knapping site of some 100 hectares located a few kilometres from Mons (Province of Hainaut, Belgium). Its activity covers a long period of time
starting from the end of the 5th millennium BCE and coming to an end in the course of the
3rd millennium BCE (4350-2300 cal. BCE). Known since the second part of the 19th century, the site has been the object of numerous archaeological investigations during the
20th century. These allowed the detection of three mining areas on the slope and the plateaus near the Wampe and Trouille Valleys as well as the discovery of features illustrating
different extraction methods ranging from simple ones (open cast mining) to complex
ones (underground mining). The site is particularly famous for its very deep mining shafts
up to 16 m deep, exploiting large flint slabs of 2 m in length in the underground galleries
at Camp-à-Cayaux. The Service Public de Wallonie and the Société de Recherche
Préhistorique en Hainaut focused their research mainly on the Petit-Spiennes area where
they have been conducting continuous archaeological investigations for fifteen years
(1997-2015). Several shafts of about 10 m deep have been excavated. Here the extraction
of small-sized irregular flint nodules brought to light specific strategies both in mining and
in raw material selection. This new research has led to better knowledge about the raw
material acquisition strategies, the extraction methods and the raw material selection
implemented by the miners. They also allowed comparisons with the results obtained
during earlier excavations. This presentation provides a synthesis of these old and new
researches as well as an attempt to compare extraction methods and strategies developed at Spiennes and important sites like Grime’s Graves (Great Britain) and Rijckholt-St.
Geertruid (The Netherlands).
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- BURKE, ADRIAN L. ([email protected])
Enseignant-chercheur, Prof. Agrégé, Université de Montréal, département d’Anthropologie,
Canada
- DESROSIERS, PIERRE M. ([email protected])
Avataq Cultural Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Abstract
QUARRY TOOLS AT THE NAPARUTALIK QUARRY, NUNAVIK (QUEBEC ARCTIC, CANADA)
In the summer of 2008, the Avataq Cultural Institute and the Université de Montréal
carried out the first systematic survey of a large prehistoric chipped stone quarry in the
Quebec part of the eastern Canadian Arctic known as Nunavik. This quarry provides an
exceptional opportunity for the study of extraction and initial transformation techniques
of a medium quality stone raw material. Lack of soil development combined with minimal
plant cover and little erosion means that quarrying tools, knapped tool blanks or preforms, as well as flakes and debris, are all found in primary contexts and in direct association with the bedrock outcrops exploited. Bedrock outcrops show clear evidence of percussion and extraction along bedded layers. Massive amounts of large size debitage
demonstrate the extent and intensity of quarrying along this 400 metre bedrock exposure.
In this paper we present results from our analysis of 270 quarrying tools, primarily
hammerstones, that were found in situ, and in direct association with the bedrock outcrops of siltstone as well as thousands of tools in various stages of manufacture and debitage. The selection of certain rock types (granite, arkose, sandstone), forms (ovoid, spherical, discoidal, trapezoidal), and sizes (small boulders, large and small cobbles) is striking
and points to clear technological choices in terms of quarrying tools. The degree of use
varies from minimal (some crushing) to extensive (rounding, splitting, reduction and reshaping). Additional high precision GPS data allows us to look at the distribution of different quarrying tools relative to the quarry face or outcrop in order to analyse the organization of extraction and transformation stages. We present a model that demonstrates
the careful selection of different sizes and types of rocks used as quarrying tools for specific steps in the raw material extraction and initial transformation stages.
6
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
- BURKE, Adrian L.; DESROSIERS, Pierre M.
Quarry tools at the Naparutalik quarry, Nunavik (Quebec Arctic, Canada)
Figure 1. Outcrop face (chert) at the Naparutalik quarry showing hard hammer impact marks. Scale bar is 5 cm
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenter
- MURPHY, Andrea ([email protected])
Archaeology at Tardis, Australia
Abstract
VARIABILITY OF LITHIC SITES NORTH OF MELBOURNE, VICTORIA: A CASE STUDY
In Australia, each of the States and Territories has different legislation for the identification and protection of aboriginal cultural heritage. In 2006 Victoria introduced the
Aboriginal Heritage Act which offers high levels of archaeological identification and management. Development projects that include ground disturbance of archaeologically sensitive land must now be preceded by the preparation and formal approval of a Cultural
Heritage Management Plan. This requirement has resulted in vastly more assessments
being undertaken than occurred under previous legislation and as a result both the body
and quality of data has also increased.
The vast majority of aboriginal heritage sites registered in Victoria are open lithic sites
in a surface context, sub-surface context or both. Whilst it is acknowledged that these
assemblages are biased towards utilitarian activities and reflect only one component of
material culture, the growing data, much of which is obtained by controlled excavations is
revealing local and regional tendencies in relation to manufacturing techniques, raw
material choice and exploitation zones. Although lithics from specific sites are subject to
academic dissertations or research projects, detailed comparative analysis of assemblages
within Victoria is yet to be undertaken on a meaningful level.
This presentation shows the results of a recent consulting project which conducted an
archaeological assessment of a 28 kilometre section of a pipeline route that traverses a
range of landforms and ecological vegetation communities north of Melbourne in Victoria.
The assessment included a detailed ground surface survey, sub-surface testing of known
sites and areas of potential archaeological deposits as well as larger scale controlled salvage excavation of sites prior to pipeline works. This project provides a useful case study
in artefact analysis across a broad area and within the 16 sites investigated that were formed during the late Holocene. The differences between the sites, locations and contents
are subtle but reflect decisions about pre-contact procurement patterns, including possible trade with adjoining clans, preferences of manufacturing techniques and variation of
site contents with landform. The field investigations were undertaken with representatives of the relevant aboriginal groups, who consider these projects as adding significantly
to their knowledge of traditional occupation of their lands.
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenter
-MUHLEN-SCHULTE, Roark ([email protected])
AACAI (Australian Association of Consulting Archaelogist Incorporated). Australia
Abstract
IN QUARTZ WE TRUST, WHEN ON HIGH. TECHNOLOGICAL ANALISYS OF THE LITHIC
ASSEMBLAGE FROM 19 SUB-ALPINE SITES IN VICTORIAN ALPS, AUSTRALIA. CHALLENGE
THE PREDICTED MODEL OF LITHIC RESOURCE EXPLOITATION FOR AUSTRALIA
In 2009 Parks Victoria, in conjunction with the Mount Hotham Resort Management
Board, commissioned an archaeological investigation of 11 km of a ridgeline, which was
proposed as a multi-purpose trail connecting Mt. Hotham and Dinner Plain in NE Victoria,
Australia. During the investigation, 19 archaeological sites were located and documented;
these were dominated by quartz artefacts.
The analysis showed that there was variation in the quality of the quartz that aboriginal people brought onto the basalt-capped ridge. The artefacts also varied in the knapping
techniques used.
The unique geology of the area was significant to the evaluation of these artefacts;
basalt cap on the ridge provided an environment that is naturally quartz free. Directly
below the basalt however, there were exposed sediments in the slopes and gullies, which
were rich with quartz. So much so, that in the later part of the 19th century miners worked
these deposits of quartz for gold. Quartz material is also available in creek beds proximal
to the ridge, which in turn is close to the archaeological sites identified during fieldwork.
The predictive model suggested that these sites would have dominantly functioned as primary or secondary reduction sites, but was this really the case? What did the investigation
reflect about the indigenous population who likely knapped and used the material? Dating
of sites identified along the ridgeline recorded indigenous occupation to within the last
1000 years.
The ridgeline is situated approximately 1700 metres above sea level in an exposed alpine environmental zone where weather can change exceedingly quickly. It can snow at any
time of the year. Given this it is unlikely that aboriginal people came to this location exclusively to mine or collect quartz lithic material.
This paper challenges typical notions about the exploitation of quartz lithic raw materials including crystalline quartz. The opportunistic nature of aboriginal resource exploitation is also explored, which in turn presents interesting explanations for the cause of site
clustering along the ridgeline. The investigation findings challenge and differ from the ‘risk
reduction model’ assessment of Hiscock (2008:156), who suggested “…backed artefact
proliferation was a widespread response to economic risk during the middle and late portions of the Holocene.”
References
Hiscock, P. (2008) Archaeology of Ancient Australia, Routledge, Abingdon
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
-MUHLEN-SCHULTE, Roark
In quartz we trust, when on high. Techcnological analysis of the lithic assemblage from 19
Sub-Alpine sites in Victorian Alps, Australia. Challenge the predicted model of lithic resource
exploitation for Australia
Figure 1. H-DPMicroliths7a .
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
1. - SÁNCHEZ DE LA TORRE, Marta ([email protected])
2. - GARCIA SIMÓN, Luis Miguel ([email protected])
3. - DOMINGO, Rafael ([email protected])
4. - MANGADO, Xavier ([email protected])
5. - MONTES, Lourdes ([email protected])
1 / 4. SERP. University of Barcelona; 2-3 / 5. PPVE. University of Zaragoza, Spain
Abstract
THE CHERT WORKSHOP OF TOZAL DE LA MESA (ALINS DEL MONTE, HUESCA, SPAIN)
AND ITS EXPLOITATION IN HISTORICAL TIMES
In 2012, during a field survey to locate primary outcrops of cherts in the Carrodilla
Mountain Range (Huesca, Spain), abundant remains of chert knapping were found next to
nodular cherts in primary and sub-primary positions. Chert knapping evidence was discovered in Tozal de la Mesa, near the town of Alins del Monte (Huesca, Spain), in the first
Prepyrenean foothills of the province of Huesca.
These nodular cherts are related to Garum limestone facies from the Tremp formation.
Their original environment was an evaporitic lacustrine deposit. These cherts show a high
variability in quality for knapping depending on the nodule. Their use has previously been
documented in several sites in this region with Palaeolithic and Neolithic levels.
In order to define the features of the workshop and to determine their limits, we conducted a field survey. Due to these works, it has been possible to define its perimeter as
well as to collect abundant lithic remains of chert and other rocks (e.g., ophites) that may
have been directly related to chert exploitation.
The techno-typological and use-wear analyses of blanks and debris allowed us to identify flakes with large smooth butts with cracks at the point of impact. We also observed
residues of iron oxides at the point of impact, being an indication of direct percussion with
a metal hammer. In this presentation we show the workshop of Tozal de la Mesa as an
example of the historical exploitation of chert in NE Iberia.
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- MANGADO, Xavier ([email protected])
- SÁNCHEZ DE LA TORRE, Marta ([email protected])
- MARTÍNEZ-GRAU, Héctor ([email protected])
- GONZÁLEZ-OLIVARES, Cynthia ([email protected])
SERP. University of Barcelona
Abstract
PREHISTORIC CHERT MINING EVIDENCE IN SERRA LLARGA
(CASTELLÓ DE FARFANYA, SPAIN)
In 2004 archaeological works were developed in Serra Llarga (Castelló de Farfanya,
Spain) due to the construction of an adjustment pool within the Algerri-Balaguer irrigation
project. More than 140 structures from the Final Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age were
identified during the archaeological works.
The site is located next to a marl and limestone formation with abundant nodular
cherts from the Rupelian (Castelltallat Formation), the nodular cherts being of a high quality for knapping. Among the elements identified during excavation, two types of structures predominate. First, buckets between 1.5 and 2 meters in diameter with a depth of 15
to 45 cm filled with detrital sedimentary rocks were identified. Lithic tools are the main
archaeological material represented in these structures, which were interpreted as lithic
ovens for the heat treatment of chert.
The second type of structure prevailing in the archaeological record was a small cylindrical deposit with cylindrical section and 0.5 to 1 m depth. These structures presented
ceramic materials, lithic industry and faunal remains and were interpreted as provisions
deposits associated to the ovens. The concentration of ovens for the heat treatment of
chert and provisions deposits was near the mouths of canyons that cut the Serra Llarga, in
a place where erosion exposes the geological strata containing chert nodules. The abundance of lithic remains at the site contrasts with the lack of subsistence activities (agriculture and domestication) or building elements (post holes, levels of use or silos). Thus, the
study of all lithic materials recovered at the site reveals the existence of an extraordinary
example of chert mining that took place from the Final Neolithic at Serra Llarga.
In this communication we will delve into the determination of chert acquisition and
management strategies which had been developed, as well as into the functionality of the
different types of structures determined during the archaeological works.
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenter
COLLIN, Jean-Philippe ([email protected])
University of Namur / Pantheon-Sorbonne University
Abstract
"MONS BASIN FLINT CIE": A STATUS REPORT ON THE FLINT MINING SITES OF THE
MONS BASIN DURING THE NEOLITHIC
The Mons Basin (Province of Hainaut, western Belgium) is a geologically rich region,
particularly from the point of view of Upper Cretaceous sedimentary deposits, conducive
to an important flint gathering activity during prehistory. Focusing on the Neolithic period,
indications of flint procurement as early as the end of the 6th millennium BCE have been
recorded, but there is concrete evidence of mining sites in the region as early as the 5th
millennium BCE. Flint extraction activities lasted at least until the second half of the 3rd
millennium BCE.
Discovered during the second half of the 19th century, when the region is intensely
industrialized, the flint extraction sites have since been unequally investigated. Some 150
years later, research has indeed focused mainly on the mining areas of the site of
Spiennes. At a time when research on flint mines emphasizes the geographical distribution
of their end products, lack of knowledge about the activity of the neighbouring extraction
sites and difficulty in the characterization of the raw materials prompted us to extend our
investigations to other mining sites located in the Mons Basin. We addressed several key
questions. What can we say about suspected or documented sites such as Obourg Le
Village, Douvrain Le Temple, Villerot Lambiez, Flénu L’Ostenne, Mesvin Sans Pareil or
Saint-Symphorien Le Cerneau, on the basis of literature, survey and study of archaeological collections? Are all these sites archaeologically attested? What were their productions? Which lithostratigraphic formations were exploited? Is it possible to distinguish distinct facies of raw material from these sites despite their relative proximity?
This status report is a preliminary step to a PhD research project (University of Namur
and Pantheon-Sorbonne University) of which one of the main goals is the identification of
economic networks resulting from the diffusion of lithic productions, from extraction sites
to Neolithic settlements both within and outside the Mons Basin.
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
1. - FERNÁNDEZ, Maria Victoria ([email protected])
2. - FIGUERERO TORRES, María J. ([email protected])
3. - PEREYRA, Fernando X. ([email protected])
1-2. Instituto de Arqueología, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires;
3. IGRM - SEGEMAR
Abstract
WHERE’S THE RIGHT ROCK? LOCATING AND IDENTIFYING LITHIC RAW MATERIALS IN
SECONDARY SOURCES IN A POSTGLACIAL LANDSCAPE IN SOUTHERN PATAGONIA (~ 47°S)
Knowledge of the availability and types of raw materials are required in order to characterize lithic resources and analyse potential exploitation strategies in the past but this
is difficult where secondary deposits dominate in addition to other geomorphological processes operating in the landscape. Past exploitation strategies observed at site level could
best be understood by means of a reliable model predicting where lithic resources are
available in the regional landscape. The Jeinemeni River flows north into lake Buenos
Aires, Argentina (~47°S) through a deep fault valley dotted with several geological outcrops and cutting through mountain and continental glacial deposits. Human occupation
in this cordilleran region of Southern Patagonia dates from approximately 7500 years B.P.
Extant geological information on rock diversity and quality was digitized as well as a
specially drawn up geomorphological map. An additional map evaluating of the degree of
present day transportation of geological materials was all combined within a GIS. This
resulted in the definition of units expressing the greater or lesser chance of finding knappable lithic resources. Field samples and petrographic lab determinations of the rocks
collected confirmed the validity of the GIS predefined units. The resulting model shows a
landscape with ubiquitous knappable raw materials but mostly of a medium quality and
available in sizes too small to reduce without resorting to bipolar reduction techniques.
This model was used to interpret past lithic exploitation as observed in a Late Holocene
archaeological sequence in the same valley. At this location there was only an incidental
use of local lithic resources and a more frequent usage of superior quality non-local raw
materials, more abundant but also with more restricted and predictable locations.
The model illustrates the location of knappable rocks based on indicators sensitive to
the sources and processes that determine their eventual distribution within the landscape. The scale of the indicators together with the field and lab controls all contribute to the
model's reliability in showcasing regional raw material distribution for interpreting past
14
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- ZARINA, Liga ([email protected])
- SEGLINS, Valdis ([email protected])
University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
Abstract
SHAPE EVALUATION IN LITHIC ANALYSIS
Stone tools are important evidence of the material culture, characteristic of the Stone
Age. Ancient people selected raw materials with specific properties to create tools for performing certain functions. Archaeological evidence indicates that flint has been found as
one of the most suitable material for stone tools manufacture. Flint characteristics ensure
several important preconditions for diverse functional tool production, among which the
most important are the possibility to obtain sharp edges and the potential with technological skills to produce a desired shape. What we know so far indicates that flint craftsmen
followed certain procedures to create various tools. Initially the raw material was collected from known flint mining sites. This means that a potential raw material for tools was
selected from the available material according to transportation options and necessity
(e.g., size, volume), and at the same time the quality was evaluated visually (e.g., structure, uniformity, colour, shape) and by checking sound. These characteristics are associated
with the identification and diagnosis of a set of features which are characteristic of each
material according its origin and quality. From this point, taking into account the specifics
of the desired tool and the technology being applied, flakes are removed, assessing the
characteristics of their shape, and with gradual processing the stone tool is created. In previous studies relatively less attention has been paid to the raw material morphometric
selection criteria, which could also be used for the reconstruction within the context of
Stone Age research. Part of such studies would apply to shape evaluation during processing and also to the analysis of naturally occurring forms and types of the flint, focusing on
the evaluation of morphological features that are key for the selection of suitable raw
material and which depend also on the specifics of the available stone material resource
in terms of quantity, quality and size. In this study, shapes of pebbles as a possible raw
material in the Stone Age and shapes of certain stone tool types from the Palaeolithic
were comparatively evaluated. Tool shape characteristics - size, proportions, and
symmetry properties, were assessed according to traditional stone tool analysis. Similarly
traditional geological studies of clastic particles include classification by size, proportions,
and roundness, which echos with symmetry properties. Simple shapes, which correspond
also to the pebbles and the stone tools, can be aligned and classified according to geometric shapes, such as point, line, curve, plane shapes (e.g., triangle, rectangle, polygon, circle) or three dimensional forms (e.g., sphere, cube), thereby facilitating evaluation of the
shape properties. Regarding the stone tools, the symmetry assessment was expanded by
adding the assessment of other symmetric transformations - translation, rotation and
glide reflection to the traditional bilateral symmetry evaluation. This study indicates that
at the beginning of the Palaeolithic, stone tool proportions were close to natural pebbles
proportions. Over time, the allocated proportions become elongated and uncharacteristic
compared to natural stones. In nature, pebble symmetry properties and their accuracy
correspond to the level of roundness, but regarding stone tools, the symmetry properties
are diverse and variable throughout the Palaeolithic.
15
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- YAMANDU, Hilbert ([email protected])
- CRASSARD, Remy ([email protected])
‘Archéorient’, Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée, Lyon, France
Abstract
NUBIAN LEVALLOIS PRODUCTION SYSTEM, RAW MATERIAL AVAILABILITY, AND VARIABILITY IN ARABIA
Archaeological investigations conducted across the Arabian Peninsula have revealed a
very specific variation of the Levallois production system - the Nubian Levallois method.
Nubian cores (and by extension Nubian Levallois technology) are the hallmark of the AfroArabia Nubian complex.
Technological analysis and core reconstructions from lithic samples gathered in Dhofar
(Oman), Al Kharj and Al Jawf (Saudi Arabia) help to refine the Nubian chaîne opératoire
across Arabia. Nubian cores are characterized by a particular approach to point production and Levallois surface convexity preparation or maintenance. Within the Nubian
Levallois system, three methods have been identified: 1) Nubian Type 1 method, characterized by the preparation of the distal to medial guiding ridge by two removals coming
from the distal platform; 2) Nubian Type 2, marked by either bilateral or distal convergent
and bilateral preparation; and 3) Nubian Type 1/2 marked by a combination of the two
previously mentioned preparation methods.
This presentation will focus on Nubian Levallois surface sites from Oman and Saudi
Arabia. In Dhofar, Nubian Complex sites are found on the Nejd, a wide limestone plateau
incised by a deep, now dry, fluvial system, which has exposed a great variety of high-quality chert outcrops. The chert found across the Nejd is opaque to slightly translucent and
of very fine texture; the raw material exhibits exquisite knapping properties. The Al Jawf
quadrangle is characterized by a series of tectonically uplifted ridges and hills at the northern edge of the Arabian Arch, which runs from northern to southern Saudi Arabia. A
great variety of knappable materials are found in this area, the most common being grey
fine grained chert, quartzite and quartz. While the grey chert is of good quality and flakes
very well, the knapping properties of the quartzite and the quartz are more difficult to
control. Middle Palaeolithic sites with Nubian Levallois technology in Al Kharj have mainly
been found in the Rufa Graben area. This beige bioclastic limestone graben bears several
quartzite outcrops. The quartzite is highly variable in quality and ranges from fine grained
and well silicified to course and heterogeneously silicified. Based on technological analysis
and core reconstructions the effect of the different available raw materials at each of the
highlighted regions on the Nubian Levallois chaîne opératoire will be demonstrated.
16
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- RADZISZEWSKA, Katarzyna ([email protected])
- BUDZISZEWSKI, Janusz ([email protected])
Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University
Abstract
USING AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING DATA FOR MINE SURFACE RELIEF STUDIES:
RESULTS FROM THE “BOROWNIA” PREHISTORIC FLINT MINE, CENTRAL POLAND
Prehistoric flint mining has been studied for over a century now, but only at a few sites
have analyses of “mine surface relief” been performed to reconstruct the organization
and execution of the underground exploitation.
Until recently, the limitation on this type of study was the lack of a sufficiently accurate
plan showing the topography of the prehistoric sites. In recent years, the situation has
changed. The development of new technologies, especially the dissemination of Airborne
Laser Scanning (ALS), has provided archaeologists with a variety of means. As a result, it
has become possible to obtain the actual imaging of the ground surface, exceptionally
accurately and automatically placed in a global coordinate system.
"Borownia" is a Neolithic and Early Bronze Age complex used for the extraction of
Upper Jurassic banded flints, located about 5 kilometres south-east of the famous
“Krzemionki” site, in the north-eastern outskirts of the Holy Cross Mountains. This site
includes partially preserved “mine surface relief” comprised of traces of subterranean
mining activity discernible on the ground surface. Prehistoric traces visible on the surface
form a belt which extends to a width of 30-50 m over a distance of 700 m oriented northwest-southeast. New data, obtained from ALS, have made it possible to perform a series
of spatial analysis, whose results allow us to reconstruct many elements of the prehistoric
flint exploitation system. These results, compared to similar analyses performed years ago
at the “Krzemionki” mining field, have revealed surprising differences.
The results obtained allow us to propose a method of comprehensive analysis of “mine
surface relief” which, combined with the results acquired by other non-destructive
methods, can become a standard way to better understand prehistoric mining sites.
17
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
1. - MOLINA, Fco. Javier ([email protected])
2. - TARRIÑO, Antonio ([email protected])
3.- HERNÁNDEZ-GÓMEZ, Cristo ([email protected])
4. - GALVÁN, Bertila ([email protected])
1. Universidad de Alicante, Spain; 2. Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución
Humana (CENIEH); 3-4. Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
Abstract
GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CONTEXT AND MIDDLE PALAEOLITHIC PROCUREMENT STRATEGIES FOR SURFACE OUTCROPS OF SERRETA FLINT, SERPIS RIVER BASIN (ALICANTE,
SPAIN)
Serreta flint is the main type of siliceous rock used by prehistoric societies in the north
of Alicante and south of Valencia. Although its primary source is within isolated Paleocene
limestone outcrops northwest of Alicante, this flint type is more abundant in secondary
geological contexts as part of fluvial deposits of the Serpis River basin. More precisely,
these deposits lie between anticlines at the western end of the Prebetic geological region
in the surroundings of Alcoy (Alicante) and the river mouth at the Mediterranean shoreline (Valencia). The extensive, complex and diverse geographic distribution of Serreta flint
is a result of different erosional, translocation and sedimentation processes.
Our geoarchaeological survey in the Prebetic area and south of Valencia allows us to
approach the depositional history of Serreta flint surface outcrops, from primary and subprimary localities to procurement areas. First, the flint eroded from bedrock during the
Oligocene. This phase was followed by its sedimentation within conglomerate deposits at
the upper and middle courses of the Serpis River. Later, in the Cenozoic and especially
during the Quaternary, these conglomerates were affected by renewed erosion, transport
and sedimentation episodes. Consequently, large amounts of flint were scattered throughout the entire territory.
Partial dismantling of the Oligocene conglomerates by diverse Pleistocene palaeoclimatic events favoured loosening and release of the flint blocks and their accumulation
within colluvial deposits. All of the colluvial deposits from the Serpis River basin analysed
contained Mousterian lithic assemblages.
Finally, numerous flint nodules were incorporated into the river course and transported from their sub-primary position to the Mediterranean Sea, sometimes exceeding a distance of 80 km. As a result, Serreta flint can be found within Pleistocene alluvial terrace
deposits in the middle and lower Serpis River basins. Several Middle Palaeolithic lithic
assemblages have been found on the surfaces of such alluvial deposits.
In summary, Middle Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer groups exploited Serreta flint, whose
presence within the Serpis River colluvial and alluvial deposits is abundant. Frequent
exploitation of this flint type is due to its high textural quality, its wide distribution in
unconsolidated sediments and its surface accessibility.
18
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenter
- CASTAÑEDA, Nuria ([email protected])
Autonomous University of Madrid
Abstract
YOUNG KNAPPERS IN THE MINE: THE TRANSMISSION OF TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AT THE FLINT MINE OF CASA MONTERO (MADRID, SPAIN), C. 5300-5200 CAL. BCE.
The work at a Neolithic flint mine is a complex phenomenon that involves not only economic tasks but also social interactions. There is evidence in the lithic record of Casa
Montero that supports the hypothesis that the mine was the place where an important
part of the transmission of technical knowledge took place and this process implied the
presence of children and youth in the mine.
In prehistoric societies, the transmission of knowledge of technical processes granted
the group survival and the reproduction of social organization and livelihood. These knowledge acquisition processes had as proper scenarios those places where certain conditions should meet. Regarding knapping apprenticeship, sources of supply such as quarries,
mines and outcrops, have abundant raw material and waste and some work processes,
such as selection of nodules, initial configuration of the cores and management of waste,
took place only at these places. In addition, mines provide social experiences like travelling
to a different place and meeting and cooperating with other groups.
Identifying the waste produced by unskilled knappers in the lithic record is critical in
order to discriminate them from the general assemblage. It is important to assume that
Casa Montero’s lithic record is composed then by skilled reduction byproducts and those
generated during the learning process. The latter not only reproduced the normalized
reduction schemes but could also eventually have contributed to the final production of
blades.
The siliceous rocks reduction process is the result of the implementation of a complex
network of knowledge of different natures: abstract knowledge, mental imagery and
motor experience. Therefore, learning to knap involves not only the proper execution of
gestures, but extends to all aspects of the Reduction Sequence. Learning to knap requires
a long time, so the demonstration that these processes took place at the site implies that
young individuals were present at the mine not only as mere observers .
Three different skill levels have been recognized in Casa Montero’s lithic record, which
can be interpreted as evidence of learning activities present in the mine. These activities
were supported by the social context in which an aggregation of groups took place to
exploit the mine and in which all the individuals of the group were present including children and youths.
The analyses of the moment and the reasons for abandonment of the lithic reduction
has led to the conclusion that early abandonment of cores is characteristic of novice knappers in relationship with deficient selection of blanks and abundance of hinges. There is an
important group of cores for which reduction could be continued. These items are interpreted as evidence of a guided learning method by means of demonstrations that were
replicated and probably supervised and corrected.
19
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
1. - DOMINGO, Rafael ([email protected])
2. - MONTES, Lourdes ([email protected])
3. - CUCHÍ, José Antonio ([email protected])
4. - GARCÍA-SIMÓN, Luis Miguel ([email protected])
5. - SÁNCHEZ, Marta ([email protected])
1-4. University of Zaragoza; 5. SERP. University of Barcelona
Abstract
LOCAL LITHIC RAW MATERIAL PROCUREMENT IN MOUSTERIAN TIMES:
ROCA SAN MIGUEL CAMPSITE (NORTH-EASTERN IBERIA)
Roca San Miguel is an open-air Mousterian site recently discovered along the right
bank of the Noguera-Ribagorzana River (Huesca province), in the Pre-Pyrenean External
Ranges. The site is located in what today is a steeply dipping slope (around 35% incline),
with frequent outcrops of the local Mesozoic sandstone. The original sedimentary sequence is partially preserved throughout the area, and has been identified in an adjacent section of the slope. The site was investigated in October 2013. During July 2014 it was excavated for three weeks. There are large amounts of lithic and faunal archaeological
remains.
The lithic elements were knapped from local cobbles obtained from the river (ophites,
basalts, quartzites, etc.) and from a flint of excellent quality that can be found in a local
outcrop (around 7 km north of the site). The Mousterian people employed the usual toolkit: sidescrapers, denticulates and unretouched flakes. They knapped their retouched pieces from both siliceous and non-siliceous rocks, in varied proportions throughout the
three tested areas. The flint nodules that they could obtain were small-sized and presented irregularities in their form and composition, with many holes and cortical intrusions.
Nevertheless, its fine grain was very appreciated for making tools: although our data
are still provisional, most of the retouched pieces match this flint. On the other hand, nonsiliceous rocks allowed for bigger tools, but retouched pieces from these rocks are far less
common. In percentages, around 8% of the recovered flint artefacts are transformed
tools, versus only a 4% in the case of those made from non-siliceous rocks.
This presentation aims to show both method and results of a selected survey in the
riverbed, in order to test the availability of the different types of rocks identified among
the remains from the Roca San Miguel archaeological layers. An analysis of the size of the
cobbles and flakes, discerning siliceous and non-siliceous varieties, will complete the preliminary approach.
20
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenter
- KERNEDER-GUBAŁA Katarzyna ([email protected])
Institute of Archeology and Ethnology Polish Academy of Science
Abstract
CHOCOLATE FLINT MINE IN OROŃSKO (SOUTHERN POLAND): NEW APPROACHES
Chocolate flint is regarded as one of the most valuable knappable raw materials in
Poland. It shows colour diversity, but is generally brown (dark and light, yellowish, reddish,
grey, black). Concretions from primary deposits are covered by thin, light limnic cortex.
Orońsko is located in the north-westernmost part of the Chocolate Flint outcrops, on
the border of the north-eastern Mesozoic margin of the Holy Cross Mountains and Radom
Plain, in the southern part of Poland (Radom district, Masovian voivodeship). The
Chocolate Flint deposits as a whole covere an area of about 90 km2 (with a NW-SE orientation). This silicious material is present in the limestones, residual karstic clays, and in the
glacial deposits. Its mining exploitation has been confirmed at over a dozen points, connected especially with earlier periods of the Stone Age and Bronze Age.
The studied area is covered by extraction points in the western group of the chocolate
flint outcrops, where the so called "Orońskie Mines" were discovered and researched by
S. Krukowski. The excavations conducted in 1935 exposed extraction shafts 2 - 1.2 m in
diameter and up to 3.2 m deep in karstic clays. This shaft mine is considered to be one of
the oldest in Poland. It is believed to have been exploited by Final Palaeolithic Arched
Backed Piece or Tanged Point (Masovian) societies. In the vicinity of this mine, several
other extraction points have been discovered and researched during the surface examinations since the beginning of the 20th century, also by Krukowski along with other researchers. The excavations, as well as surface examinations, have supplied lithic artefacts in
different stages of exploitation. On this basis, several theses about this mining industry
and its chronology have been produced. They have been discussed repeatedly in the literature but the collection as a whole has never been elaborated on or published.
Contemporary extraction points in the north-western part of the Chocolate Flint outcrops are only visible because of the presence of a large number of mixed flint artefacts
from different chronological periods and stages of exploitation, as well as limestone nodules on the surface. No visible mining relief has been preserved. This presentation is based
on the initial studies of the flint materials obtained during the above mentioned research,
as well as on the results of initial spatial analysis of this area conducted with the use of
modern methods.
21
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
1. - MATIAS, Henrique ([email protected])
2. - AUBRY, Thierry ([email protected])
3. - GAMEIRO, Cristina ([email protected])
1/3. UNIARQ - Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa; 2.Fundação Côa Parque
Abstract
CONTRASTING MIDDLE AND UPPER PALAEOLITHIC RAW MATERIAL SOURCING IN THE
CENTRAL LIMESTONE MASSIF (ESTREMADURA, PORTUGAL)
The Central Limestone Massif of Estremadura and the adjacent Sedimentary Basin of
the Tagus River are located in the Meso-Caenozoic Western Border of the Iberian
Peninsula. This region is rich in outcrops with flint, quartzite and quartz in primary and
secondary positions that were exploited by both Neanderthals and Anatomically Modern
Humans. While quartzite and quartz cobles derived from the Hercynian bedrock upstream
are ubiquitous, in secondary position, across the vast Basin of the Tagus River, flint, be it
in primary, sub-primary or secondary position, has a more restricted, clustered distribution.
We present the different types of flint and silcrete recognized in primary and secondary position, their characteristics and differentiating features. We then look at contrasts
between the Middle and the Upper Palaeolithic of the region in the mode of exploitation
of these raw materials using two assemblages from the Almonda karst system (the
Mousterian site of Gruta da Oliveira and the Upper Magdalenian site of Lapa dos Coelhos)
and one from the Terminal Gravettian open-air site of Terra do Manuel, 40 km to the SW.
22
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenter
- MATIAS, Henrique ([email protected])
UNIARQ - Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa
Abstract
RAW MATERIAL SOURCING IN THE MIDDLE PALAEOLITHIC SITE OF GRUTA DA OLIVEIRA
(CENTRAL LIMESTONE MASSIF, ESTREMADURA, PORTUGAL)
The cave site of Gruta da Oliveira is located in the Almonda karst system, at the interface between the Central Limestone Massif of Portuguese Estremadura (CLM) and the
adjacent Sedimentary Basin of the Tagus River (TSB).
The cave presents a ~9 m-thick archaeological stratification dated to ~35-105 ka containing hearth features, Neanderthal skeletal remains, as well as fauna, microfauna and
wood charcoal. The lithic assemblage is large and displays a diverse range of raw materials. Silicifications in primary, sub-primary and secondary position in the CLM and the TSB
were systematically surveyed and sampled. The petrographic characterization of geological samples was carried out at both the macro- and the microscopic scales and data were
systematized under the “silica evolutionary chain” approach proposed by Fernandes &
Raynal (2006) and adapted by Aubry et al (2012).
Application of petroarchaeological study of the lithic assemblage from layer 14 (dated
to ~45 ka by radiocarbon and to the ~61-93 ka interval by TL) led to the conclusion that
the Gruta da Oliveira Neanderthals exploited quartzite, quartz and flint sources less than
30 km away.
References
AUBRY, T., LUIS, L.; MANGADO LLACH, X; MATIAS, H. (2012) - We will be known by the
tracks we leave behind: Exotic lithic raw materials, mobility and social networking among
the Côa Valley foragers (Portugal). Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 31:4,
Dezembro 2012, pp. 528-550.
FERNANDES, P. & RAYNAL, J. (2006) — Pétroarchéologie du silex: un retour aux sources.
Comptes Rendus Palevol. 5-6: 829-837.
23
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
1. - FERNANDES, Paul ([email protected]) Paleotime, Villard-de-Lans, France
2. - DELVIGNE, Vincent ([email protected])
PACEA/PPP, UMR 5199 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, bâtiment B18, allée Geoffroy SaintHilaire, CS 50023, 33615 Pessac cedex, France.
3. - MONCEL, M.H. Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, CNRS, UMR 7194, département
de préhistoire, Institut de paléontologie
4. - DAUJEARD, C. UMR 7269 CNRS – LAMPEA, MMSH, Université de Provence, BP 647, 5
rue du château de l'Horloge, 13094 Aix-en-Provence, Cedex 2, France
5. - GUADELLI,J.L. PACEA/PPP, UMR 5199 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, bâtiment B18,
allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, CS 50023, 33615 Pessac cedex, France
6. - SANTAGATA, C. PACEA/PPP, UMR 5199 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, bâtiment B18,
allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, CS 50023, 33615 Pessac cedex, France
7. - BERNARD-GUELLE, S. UMR 7269 CNRS – LAMPEA, MMSH, Université de Provence, BP
647, 5 rue du château de l'Horloge, 13094 Aix-en-Provence, Cedex 2, France
8. - WRAGG-SYKES, Rebecca ([email protected])
PACEA/PPP, UMR 5199 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, bâtiment B18, allée Geoffroy SaintHilaire, CS 50023, 33615 Pessac cedex, France
9. - LE CORRE, M. Chemin des Méritants, hameau des Dones, 84240 Peypin-d’Aigues, France
10. - LIABEUF, R. SRA, DRAC Auvergne, Hôtel de Chazerat, rue Pascal, 63000 ClermontFerrand, France
11. - BINDON, P. Australian Ethnographic Institute, 38 Mont Street, 2582 Yass, NSW,
Australie
12. - RAYNAL, J.P. Departement of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary
Anthropology. Leipzig, Allemagne
Abstract
IS THERE A SOCIO-ECONOMIC INTERPRETATION FOR THE SUSTAINED EXPLOITATION OF
FLINT AND THE DIVERSITY OF RAW MATERIAL SOURCES USED DURING THE MIDDLE
PALAEOLITHIC IN THE SOUTH-EASTERN MASSIF CENTRAL AND ADJACENT RHONE
VALLEY?
During the last decade, a methodological re-examination of the petro-archaeology of
flint has been undertaken in the south-east Massif Central. This procedure allows prehistoric raw material gathering activities to be defined and described with precision. The
sources from which raw materials in archaeological sites were obtained, help define the
widespread geographical areas that were exploited. Viewing raw material sourcing activities in conjunction with technological modifications (chaînes opératoires) provides new
insights into hominin behaviour.
24
The continual occurrence of flint types derived from the same sources during Middle
Palaeolithic times does not appear to be related to site functions. Even though the acquisition of raw materials is embedded clearly within other subsistence activities (like hunting, for example) and defines a well-traversed and occupied territory, certain raw materials do not seem to have a direct correspondence with specific economic purposes.
However, their significance among the lithic assemblages requires discussion. An interdisciplinary approach to the question, based on new and revisited field data, allows an
appraisal to be made about the locational choices for residential and specialized sites and
the extent of prehistoric territories. Using as examples sites from Ardèche (Payre cave and
shelter, Abri du Maras, Barasses II cave, Abri des Pêcheurs, and the open air site of SaintBauzile) and the Haute-Loire (Sainte-Anne I cave, Baume-Vallée rock shelter, Rond-duBarry cave, and Rond de Saint-Arcons rock shelter), our methodology interprets the role
played by geo-materials in structuring prehistoric regional spatial understanding, the choices made for habitation sites and the functions of those sites.
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- CÁNOVAS CALLE, Isabel ([email protected])
Universidad de Sevilla
- TARRIÑO, Antonio ([email protected])
CENIEH
Abstract
SILICEOUS RAW MATERIAL OF BARRANCO LEON (ORCE, GRANADA, SPAIN)
This presentation concerns the study of siliceous raw material from Barranco León
(Orce, Granada, Spain). The archaeological samples analyzed are from level D, which is
date on 1.3 Ma. The methodology chosen in order to undertake this work stemmed from
a geological investigation of the site’s surrounding area and geological surveys. The collection of geological samples and their geographical cataloguing was therefore important.
The next methodological stage was a microscopic investigation, using a binocular loupe,
to examine the material and create a mineral collection, to be used as a point of reference
in later studies. A petrographic investigation was carried out on the archaeological and
geological samples using a petrographic microscope. Finally, we compared the analyses
of the geological and archaeological samples. We surveyed the prime outcrops in unit J2,
located in the Sierra de Orce and Maria. It is formed of clayey loams of biomicrite limestone with filaments and foraminiferans with layers and nodules of flint. The conglomerates or secondary deposits derive the lithology input from the Sierra de Orce and Sierra de
Maria, and they were selected due to their proximity to the site and their chronological
similarity with Barranco Leon. This flint could be described as calcedonic flint with oolites
and bioclasts, having a cryptocrystalline matrix, opaline, having carbonate impurities of
sparite, bioclasts and ooids. In order to establish lithological supply areas, it is only possible to differentiate between the industries which come from primary deposits or from
secondary deposits of conglomerates.
Almost 59% of the industry within the archaeological remains was made from a variety
of flint which clearly comes from conglomerates. For this reason the main supply area
must have been the secondary deposits, which are situated some 720 metres from
Barranco Leon. There is a difference in usage between the industry carried out in limestones and the industry made with flint. We therefore suggest a definite intention in the
search and exploitation of siliceous rocks by these prehistoric people.
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- CÁNOVAS CALLE, Isabel ([email protected])
- CALLE ROMÁN, Lidia ([email protected])
Universidad de Sevilla
Abstract
INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF SILICEOUS RAW MATERIALS, MORPHOTECHNICAL
AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS AT THE CAVE SITE OF EL PIRULEJO
In 2014 the study of industries recovered from the cave site of El Pirulejo (located in
the town of Priego de Córdoba, Andalusia) began. The material selected for this study
came from level P5 of El Pirulejo, corresponding to a Late Glacial chronology. We present
a lithic materials study as a whole, encompassing a siliceous raw materials analysis aimed
at characterizing its sources and mobility areas, as it pertains to an introduction to the
functionality and technical use of flint at the site.
The surveyed outcrops correspond to the Southern External Subbaetic zones located
in Jurassic levels of the Dogger. Using a binocular loupe, these samples can be described
as translucent flint with ooids and bioclasts and having a microcrystalline texture.
(Petrographic results have not yet been obtained).
Another line of study is the exploitation of these flints, as represented in the whole
supply chain of the site. The absence of cortical flakes and the presence of Janus flakes
lead us to propose an initial hypothesis that hunter-gatherer groups performed tasks of
grinding and an initial preparation of the cores at the place of acquisition, carrying out the
production of blades at the site. As a general characteristic of the industry, it counts on
the presence of large numbers of bladelets and microblades.
According to preliminary studies, flint comes from the local area around the site. The
flint outcrops that appear around the site of El Pirulejo, described as Jurassic flint outcrops, have the same macroscopic characteristics as the flint found at the site. However,
these flints from primary outcrops impede the idea of these outcrops nearby as a source
for these human groups. In addition to flint being the main raw material for knapped tools,
a variety of raw materials destined for ornament production made from marine molluscs
shells have also been found. This study demonstrates that the areas of mobility of these
groups could be oriented towards the South of Andalusia, where we can find abundant
good quality flint. Consequently, they had to develop coastal-inland mobility networks or
exchange that we can assess according to new research and analyses.
26
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- DE LABRIFFE, Pierre-Arnaud ([email protected])
Ministère de la Culture - Service régional de l'archéologie Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- REGGIO, Adrien ([email protected])
Université d'Aix-Marseille I
Abstract
EXTRACTION SITES AT VAUCLUSE (FRANCE) BETWEEN MYTH TO REALITY: AN INITIAL
APPROACH
Mont Ventoux and Vaucluse have been mentioned for a long time as a large flint district. From the beginning of the 20th century, the area was mainly known for its stone
hammers with grooves. More recently, research has been conducted on flint characterisation (Binder 2004 ; Blet et al. 2000), the knapping of raw material at specialised workshops
(Léa 2004a), distribution, and trade over long distanced (Léa 2004b). Paradoxically no one
has done research into the extraction process, flint mines or quarries, except E. Schmid
who conducted investigations on one site in the early sixties (Schmid 1980).
In this presentation, we provide an overview of knowledge about extraction settlements today. We will complete this with an estimation of their potential. This first step will
allow us to define and present a definite research program on this area, which is still quite
unknown for flint procurement.
References
BINDER D. (2004) – Matières premières le silex bédoulien, in J. Buisson-Catil, A. Guilcher,
C. Hussy, M. Olive, M. Pagni (dir.), Vaucluse préhistorique, le territoire, les hommes, les
cultures et les sites, Avignon, Barthélemy, 2004, p. 151-152.
BLET M., BINDER D., GRATUZE B. (2000) – Essais de caractérisation des silex bédouliens
provençaux par analyse chimique élémentaire, Revue d'Archéométrie, 2000, 24, p. 149167.
LEA V. (2004a) – Centres de production et diffusion des sílex bédouliens au Chasséen,
Gallia préhistoire, 2004, 46, p. 231-250.
LEA V. (2004b), Les industries lithiques du Chasséen en Languedoc oriental : caractérisation par l'analyse technologique, Oxford, BAR Int. Series, 1232, 215 p.
SCHMID E. (1980) – Der Silex-Bergbau bei Veaux-Malaucène in •Südfrankreich (F 1a, b), in
G. Weisgerber (dir.), 5000 Jahre Feuersteinbergbau; Die Suche nach dem Stahl der
Steinzeit, Bochum, Deutschen Bergbau-Museum, 1980, p. 166-178.
27
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- DORONICHEVA, Ekaterina V. ([email protected])
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences,
St. Petersburg, Russia
- KULKOVA, Marianna A. ([email protected])
Herzen State Pedagogical University, St. Petersburg, Russia
Abstract
EXPLOITATION OF EXOTIC FLINTS IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS EASTERN MICOQUIAN
The exploitation of various non-local raw materials is an important feature of
Neanderthal subsistence strategies (Geneste 1988; Roebroeks, Kolen, and Rensink 1991;
Féblot-Augustins 1993; Slimak and Giraud 2007). Exotic flints brought from distances of 30
km and more from a site allow us to reconstruct the nature of human mobility in the
Middle Palaeolithic. This research focuses on the study of raw materials from Eastern
Micoquian sites in the Northern Caucasus. Ten stratified sites of this cultural tradition are
known here: Mezmaiskaya, Matuzka, Monasheskaya, and Barakaevskaya caves, Gubs I
Rockshelter, the open-air sites of Ilskaya I-II and Baranaha-4, and two open-air workshops
Besleneevskaya 1 and Hadjoh-2 (Beliaeva 1999; Golovanova and Doronichev 2003;
Doronicheva et al., 2015). The Eastern Micoquian developed in the Northern Caucasus
from 75 to 40 kya and was closely linked to the Micoquian in Central and Eastern Europe
(Golovanova and Doronichev 2003). Raw material sources (51 in total) were studied
during field surveys conducted in 2007-2014. We obtained a series of petrographic and
geochemical data for each source, as well as for archaeological samples from
Mezmaiskaya, Matuzka caves, Baranakha-4, Besleneevskaya 1 and Hadjoh-2 sites. The
results allowed us to define 15 raw material outcrops, which were exploited in the Middle
Palaeolithic. A special lithotheque of raw materials from all studied regional sources was
created. Exotic high-quality flints transported as tools and flakes into the sites from distant
sources (30 km and more) comprise up to 50 % of the lithic assemblages. Some sources
were exploited intensively. For example, high-quality Senonian Besleneevskaya flints were
transported to almost all Eastern Micoquian sites in the region, some located up to 90 km
away from the source. Oxford-Kimmeridgian flints from the Shahan outcrops were found
at Mezmaiskaya (30-40 km) and Matuzka (~30 km). Cretaceous flints from the Ahmet-kaya
outcrops were identified at Baranakha-4 (~50 km) and Mezmaiskaya (90-100 km). Middle
Palaeolithic workshops were discovered at several outcrops. An especially important
result of this research is the discovery of the long-distance (up to ~300 km) transportation
of Cretaceous flints from the steppe areas of the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov.
Although the number of artifacts made from this flint is small (<1%), this provides an additional confirmation of contacts among Neanderthal groups within a huge area from the
Sea of Azov coast, in the north, to the Greater Caucasus, in the south, and from the Black
Sea coast, in the west, to the Central Caucasus, in the east.
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
- DORONICHEVA, Ekaterina V.; KULKOVA, Marianna A)
Exploitation of exotic flints in the North Caucasus Eastern Micoquian
References
Beliaeva, E.V. (1999) “Mustierskiy mir Gubskogo ushelia (Severnii Kavkaz)” (The
Mousterian World of the Gubs Gorge), St. Petersburg.
Doronicheva, E.V., Muriy, A.A., Nosevich, E.A., Nedomolkin, A.G., Yanson, N.G.,
Plotnikova, E.V., and M.A. Kulkova. (2015) “Noviye danniiye o funkcional’noy variabelnosti srednepaleoliticheskih stoyanok na Severo-Zapadnom Kavkaze. Stoyanka-masterskaya Hadjoh-2” (New data about functional variability of the Middle Paleolithic sites in the
Northwestern Caucasus. Site-workshop Hadjoh-2). // Radlov volume. Scientific research
and museum projects of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the
Kunstkamera) in 2014. Ed. Yu.K. Chistov. St.-Petersburg: MAE RAS. Pp. 395-406.
Féblot-Augustins, J. (1993) “Mobility strategies in the Late Middle Paleolithic of central
Europe and western Europe: elements of stability and variability.” Journal of
Anthropological Archaeology 12: 211-265.
Geneste, J. M. (1988) “Les industries de la Grotte Vaufrey: technologie du débitage, économie et circulation de la matière première lithique.” Rigaud, J.-P., ed.. La Grotte Vaufrey:
paléoenvironments, chronologie, activités humaines. Mémoires de la Société Préhistorique
Française 19: 441-517.
Golovanova, L.V., and V.B. Doronichev. (2003) “The Middle Paleolithic of the Caucasus.”
Journal of World Prehistory 17, no. 1: 71–140.
Roebroeks W., Kolen J. and Rensink E. (1988) “Planning Depth, Anticipation and the
Organization of Middle Palaeolithic Technology: The “Archaic Natives” meet Eve’s
Descendants.” Helinium XXVIII, no.1 : 17-34.
Slimak L. and Y. Giraud. (2007) “Circulations sur plusieurs centaines de kilometres durant
le Paléolithique moyen. Contribution a la connaissance ` des societés néandertaliennes”.
Palevol, no. 6: 359-368.
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenter
- DORONICHEVA, Ekaterina V. ([email protected])
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences,
St. Petersburg, Russia
Abstract
MIDDLE PALEOLITHIC FLINT WORKSHOPS IN THE NORTHWESTERN CAUCASUS
Various types of sites, such as seasonal camps, kill sites, sites of active occupation,
short-term sites, workshop sites and workshops at raw material sources document the
existence of complex social networking in the Middle Palaeolithic (MP). Stratified sites
located at raw material sources provide an opportunity to study procurement strategies,
knapping technology, and methods of transportation and exploitation of raw materials.
Five MP sites in the Northwestern Caucasus are defined as workshop sites: the caves
at Monasheskaya (Beliaeva 1999) and Barakaevskaya (Lioubine and Autlev, 1994), the
open-air sites at Hadjoh-2 (Doronicheva 2013), Besleneevskaya 1 (Golovanova and
Doronichev, in press), and layer 3 at the Il’skaya II open-air site (Schelinsky 2005). All of
these sites had multilayer occupations, located directly at flint sources. Two types of
workshop sites may be defined.
1. Active occupation workshop sites. MP layers at Monasheskaya cave (layers 2, 3a,
and 4) and layer 2 at Barakaevskaya may be characterized as follows. The MP industries of
these sites were based on local chalcedonic flints, present as intrusions in the limestone
cliffs along the Gubs River canyon. The assemblage compositions suggest that the whole
process of knapping of local raw materials was done directly at the sites (Beliaeva 1999:
71). Percentage of cores is quite low: from 0.5% in layer 3a to 1.4% in layer 2 at
Monasheskaya, and only 0.3% at Barakaevskaya cave. Tools comprise from 4.2% in layer
4 to 3.6% in layer 2 in Monasheskaya cave, and 3.7% in layer 2 at Barakaevskaya. An
important feature of these sites is an active exploitation of non-local raw materials, mostly
as tools and flakes.
2. Short-term workshop sites. MP layers 6 and 7 at Hadjoh-2 and layers 3 and 4 at
Besleneevskaya 1 may be defined as this type of workshop, located directly on a Shahan
Oxford-Kimmeridgian flint outcrop and Besleneevskaya Senonian flint outcrops, respectively. An important feature is that almost 99% of the artifacts in the assemblages are made
from local flints. At Hadjoh-2, cores comprise 5.6% in layer 6 and 9.1% in layer 7. Low
quantities of flakes suggest that flakes were taken from these workshops to other sites.
Low percentage of tools is also characteristic.
30
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
- DORONICHEVA, Ekaterina V.
Middle Paleolithic flint workshops in the Northwestern Caucasus
References
Beliaeva, E.V. (1999) “Mustierskiy mir Gubskogo ushelia (Severnii Kavkaz)” (The
Mousterian World of the Gubs Gorge), St. Petersburg.
Doronicheva E.V. (2013) “Issledovaniye Paleoliticheskoy masterskoy Hadjoh-2 na SeveroZapadnom Kavkaze” (Research at the Paleolithic workshop Hadjoh-2 in the Northwestern
Caucasus”. // Archaeological Discoveries in 2009. Moscow. Pp. 172-173.
Golovanova, L.V., and Doronichev V.B. (in press) “Issledovaniye mnogosloynih pamyatnikov srednego i pozdnego paleolita na Severo-Zapadnom Kavkaze”. (Research of the multilayer Middle and Upper Paleolithic sites in the Northwestern Caucasus). //
Archaeological Discoveries in 2011. Moscow.
Lioubine, V.P. and P.U. Autlev. (1994) “Kamenniy inventar’ mustierskogo sloya” (Lithic
assembladhes of the Mousterian layer). // Gubs gorge Neanderthals on the Northern
Caucasus. / Ed. Lioubine V.P. Maikop: Meoty. Pp. 99-141.
Schelinsky, V.E. (2005) ‘‘O stratigrafii I kul’turnoy prinadlezhnosti Il’skoy stoyanki’’. (About
stratigraphy and cultural attribution of I’skaya site). // Abstracts of the fourth Kuban
Archaeological conference. / Ed. V.A. Garanina, N.Yu. Limberis, and I.I. Marchenko.
Krasnodar: Simvolika. Pp. 309-316.
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenter
- BOBILLO, Federico. M. ([email protected])
instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales (CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Tucumán) Instituto de Arqueología y Museo (Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e I.M.L., Universidad
Nacional de Tucumán)
Abstract
TECHNOLOGICAL STRATEGIES AND USE OF PROVISIONING SPACE IN QUARRIES OF VOLCANIC ROCKS (ANTOFAGASTA DE LA SIERRA, PUNA DE CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA)
Sourcing areas are not homogeneous in structure or constitution. There are different
technological processes developed in quarries (cores reduction, blank extraction, primary
reduction of blanks, bifacial thinning, retouching and maintenance of edge and tips), linked to a differential use of provisioning space and a variety of activities around the appropriation of lithic resources. This study focuses on two quarries of volcanic rocks -POZAC
and PPZAC - located in the micro-region of Antofagasta de la Sierra, Puna de Catamarca,
Argentina.
In the Pampa Oeste Zona de Aprovisionamiento y Cantera (POZAC), size discrete areas
of knapping are irregularly distributed in a wide "plain" of pediments level II. They have
sparse and variable concentrations of debitage, cores and stones tools. At this source, volcanic rock blocks of large size are exploited, from which very large and wide flakes are
extracted. These are transported to residential bases and logistics camps close or distant
to the area of procurement. Furthermore, analysis of stones tools found in this provisioning context indicates that they belong to “situational gear” (Binford 1979), made by the
knappers to cover needs arising during rock appropriation activities.
On the other hand, four quarry workshops have been found in the Punta de la Peña
Zona de Aprovisionamiento y Cantera (PPZAC). These show similarity in their nature and
constitution. Large blocks of volcanic rock are absent, so small cores are used for extraction of blanks. In quarry workshop 1, the extraction mainly of useful medium to large size
flakes is observed, which were transported outside to the supply area. Stone tools at the
quarry workshop 1 are denser than those found in the “size discrete area of knapping” in
POZAC, with a high and variable number of typological groups. The variability observed in
the stone tools, together with the different functions for which these were made, shows
that this activity area functioned as a site of multiple activities, where the supply of lithic
resources is associated with a set of tasks - processing hard materials (e.g., wood, woody
plants, bones) and soft (e.g., non-woody plants, meat, leather, sinew).
References
Binford L.R. (1979). Organization and Formation Processes: Looking at Curated
Technologies. Journal of Anthropological Research 35 (3): 255-273.
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'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- LAPORTA, Philip C. ([email protected])
The Center for the Investigation of Native and Ancient Quarries
- BREWER-LAPORTA, Margaret C. ([email protected])
Pace University, Pleasantville, New York
Abstract
ETHNOARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF QUARRY EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGIES
A long-term field investigation of the distribution of prehistoric bedrock quarries, and
quarry-related activities in the central Appalachians, U.S.A., has revealed strong relationships between the stratigraphy and structural deformation of bedrock, the surface expression of the bedrock on the landscape, and the ease to which the bedrock may be quarried
for raw materials (LaPorta, 1989; 1990; 1994; 2009). Local variations in bedrock stratigraphy (i.e. facies changes), and the type of structural deformation, have an impact on the
style and extent of quarrying activity. However, the physical constraints introduced by
bedrock stratigraphy and structural deformation ensure that there are common elements
not only in the development and layout of quarries, but also in the size of the tools that
can be manufactured, and the tool kit that is required regardless of geographic setting.
The general criteria for bedrock quarry development includes concentration of raw
material bearing units; a general inclination of the raw-material bearing rocks into the
subsurface; thickness of surrounding bedrock; thickness and number of ore bearing units
within a stratum or closely spaced rock; presence of well-defined bedding planes; presence and orientation of open joint surfaces; the presence of a stable platform occurring
below the zone of extraction; and the availability of glacial till or other suitable raw materials which can be fashioned into quarry instruments.
A general chain of operation for bedrock quarries occurring within chert-bearing
Cambrian-Ordovician strata includes a zone of extraction where chert-bearing beds are
levered off of the quarry wall; a zone of ore milling where chert is separated away from
the gangue; an elaborate zone of beneficiation, where the ore is upgraded through physical processes; a zone of ore processing, where edges and irregularities are dressed away
from a tabular unit of chert referred to as a microlithon; and a zone of ore refinement, or
workshop, where objects such as bifaces, ores and prepared flakes are produced. Each
zone occurring within the quarry bears with it a set of quarry processing tools and instruments. The close association of discrete concentrations of specific classes of chert tailings,
correlated with morphological and petrological groups of hammers or instruments, confirms the presence of discrete tasks of raw material refinement in order to establish the
correlation of quarry tool instruments and discrete classes of tailings.
The repeated, successful extraction of raw materials across the landscape suggests
that these physical, geological constraints were recognized in prehistory, revealing the
presence of a folk geology, or strong sense of cognition or intimacy with the geological
landscape. The application of such knowledge belies the commonly held view that raw
material extraction was largely an expedient process with relatively little forethought. The
universal impact of physical geological constraints on bedrock-quarry development is then
illustrated by ethnographic analogy to modern hard-hammer, hand mining efforts documented in southern India and the New England province of the United States.
33
'On the Rocks' - International Symposium on Knappable Materials / University of Barcelona / 7-11 September 2015
S1 - Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Presenters
- TAKAGI, Yasuhiro ([email protected])
Department of Archaeology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Japan
Abstract
NEOLITHIC SURFACE COLLECTING STRATEGIES IN THE KYOTO BASIN, JAPAN
Throughout the prehistoric age in the Kinki region, Japan, sanukite (a kind of andesite)
and chert were mainly used to make knapped stone tools. Sanukite is produced at the very
limited volcanic mountains such as Mt. Nijo, and it is thought that in the distant areas from
Mt. Nijo sanukite had been indirectly acquired through networks of trade. Chert, on the
other hand, is produced in the vast areas such as the Tamba Belt and is distributed in many
rivers as gravels, so chert had been directly acquired in the vicinity of prehistoric settlements. Of various materials excavated from archaeological sites, chert may be one of the
most effective materials to empirically reconstruct exploitative territories and home ranges of prehistoric settlements.
This time, I analyzed the chert artifacts of Neolithic sites of Kitashirakawa located in
the Kyoto Basin, which have contributed to the progress of chronological study of Jomon
pottery by providing standard materials for more than 90 years. Firstly, I observed color
and surface feature of cortex of the chert artifacts. Secondly, I surveyed color, surface feature of cortex, and roundness of chert gravels at many points of the following three rivers:
the Takano River (running nearby the sites); the Kamo River (running 1.0 to 2.5 km away
from the sites); the Katsura River (running 9.5 km away from the sites). At the same time,
I checked color of outcrops of bedded chert in the river valleys. Thirdly, I compared features of chert from the sites with those from the rivers and outcrops, and estimated the size
of the exploitative territory.
The results are as follows.
(1) Percussion marks were observed on the cortex of the chert artifacts, which shows
the chert was procured not by mining or quarrying outcrops but by surface collecting in
rivers.
(2) The colors of the chert artifacts can be divided into 3 groups: Green group; dark reddish brown group; black group.
(3) The colors of chert gravels of the Takano River consists mainly of black group and
dark reddish brown group, and green group is rarely observed. In the Kamo River and the
Katsura River, green group as well as black group and dark reddish group is easily found.
(4) The roundness observed in the chert artifacts ranges from angular to semi-rounded.
(5) Data on the relationship between survey points in the rivers and roundness of chert
gravels were obtained.
The results suggest that Neolithic people of Kitashirakawa sites procured chert gravels
in the Takano River and the Kamo River. Although the location of ancient mainstreams
might be slightly different from those of today, in the Neolithic age the two rivers were
undoubtedly located within a 3 km radius from the sites, and it can be considered that
quite simple strategies were adopted regarding chert procurement in the Neolithic Kyoto.
Traditionally the radius of an exploitative territory have been set at 10 km (two hours’
walk) for hunter-gatherers. However, by analyzing chert artifacts excavated from sites and
surveying the distribution of chert around the sites, it is possible to reconstruct exploitative territories empirically.
34