Lithic Refitting

During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), very specific but rare osseous decorated artifacts were produced using the “pseudo-excise” technique. These artifacts present a large geographical distribution, extending at least from the Aquitaine basin to Asturias. While in France a Badegoulian age is traditionally accepted for the “pseudo-excise” technique, this is mostly based on arguable data from old excavations and/or problematic archaeostratigraphic contexts. Since it is a key-site for this matter we have focused our attention on Pégourié Cave (Lot, France) in order to establish the chronocultural attribution of pseudo-excised pieces in southwest France. The interdisciplinary reassessment of the lithic and osseous industries from Layer 8 and 9, including inter-layer refittings, has shown (1) the irrelevance of previous stratigraphic subdivisions and (2) the strong cultural heterogeneity of this assemblage, which combines Azilian, Magdalenian, Badegoulian, Solutrean and Gravettian components. At the same time, a broad 14C program based on the direct dating of specific bone and antler technical wastes and tools—including a pseudo-excised point—was implemented after 3D recording using photogrammetry. The results obtained have allowed us to establish a new, firm confirmation of the Badegoulian age of pseudo-excised decoration and, in doing so, to more precisely define the time-range of this specific feature's trans-regional dissemination. Finally, by comparing the results with recent data notably obtained at Llonín cave (Asturias, Spain), new light has been shed on the cultural geography of southwestern Europe during the LGM, allowing us to discuss and fuel the still-controversial “Iberian Badegoulian” hypothesis.

Obsidian sourcing in the Near East was principally developed to investigate the Neolithic Revolution, but limitations of these early studies were soon recognized. Critics noted that sites included in the models span millennia and vary in size and function. Greater insight is offered by a more contextualized examination of the nature and timing of sites. Within the Neolithic sequence, one phase of considerable interest is the Halaf period (c. 6000–4500 BCE) in Northern Mesopotamia. The spread of Halaf “tradition,” arguably the earliest example of a widely shared material culture in the region, has been tied to varied hypotheses of movement (of people, objects, and/or ideas) that remain largely untested. The use of obsidian sourcing to investigate Halafian phenomena (e.g., the spread of Halaf ceramics, the practice of dryland farming) would ideally involve high temporal resolution and consider settlement function and scale (e.g., an early urban center, a small farming village). Umm Qseir, the smallest known Halaf site, fulfills both. Occupied for less than two centuries, Umm Qseir was an environmentally marginal farmstead managed year-round by just two or three families at a time. The closest contemporary settlement was more than 30 km to the north, within the conventional limits of dryland farming (annual rainfall > 250 mm). Here we reconstruct and refine obsidian sourcing data for Umm Qseir artifacts from 1990s and 2000s studies, and we present new data for a small assemblage. We also highlight techno-typological clues that elucidate production, use, and maintenance of such artifacts. Ultimately, such findings offer insights into the exchange strategy of Syrian steppe farmsteaders and reflect an important means of risk management.

Middle Paleolithic catchment patterns have been exhaustively studied in the past. However, it is essential to clearly define Neanderthal technical and strategic abilities in relation to raw materials self-provide, from a temporal perspective. Here we present a study of quarrying activities in open air sites occupied during Mousterian period in Madrid (Spain), with different patterns of lithic catchment. At the El Cañaveral archaeological complex, several sites have been identified, in relation with natural flint outcrops. From these we have gained information about flint supplying patterns, both in primary and secondary deposits. In addition, different “operative chains” and diverse systems of ramification and recycling were employed depending on the final objectives. We were able to appreciate additional actions by analyzing the diacritic superposition of knapping series in blanks, cores and supports of different qualities. Changes in categories, dimensions and raw material qualities, allow a first identification of lithic actions throughout time as a proxy of standardized or random human behavior when catchment actions took place.

The aim of this paper is to present a general overview of the lithic recycling identified in the Middle
Paleolithic layers of the Abric Romaní site. The archeological layers excavated thus far, spanning from 40
to 56 ka BP, have provided significant evidence suggesting that recycling of artifacts was a behavior fully
integrated in lithic provisioning strategies. The characteristics of the Abric Romaní formation processes
allow the recognition of most of the different types of data usually considered proxies of recycling: the
reuse of patinated or burned artifacts, the use of a single artifact for different functions, successive
knapping events on the same core, the reduction of flakes as cores, etc. In particular, the information
provided by refitting and spatial analysis should be emphasized. We will pay special attention to the
spatial and refitting data from level M, which is dated between 51 and 55 ka BP, by focusing on the
intrasite transport of artifacts and of core-on-flake reduction sequences as potential evidence of recycling.
The results indicate that recycling may have a spatial dimension that allows the differentiation
between source areas and recycling areas in which technical needs are partly fulfilled by picking up
previously discarded items.

Microwear analysis is applied to reconstruct the function and social organisation at the Late Glacial site of Trollesgave, Denmark. As with Bromme Culture sites in general, the lithic assemblage consists of primarily three types of tools. There is a strong association between these types and their use: end scrapers for dry hide scraping; burins for working hard material, primarily bone; and tanged points primarily for projectile tips. Nearly all divergence from this pattern can be referred to as the activities of children, the products and workshops of which have previously been identified. Based on the combined information from microwear analysis, flint knapping and spatial distribution of artefacts, the assemblage is inferred as the traces of a single family hunting (and fishing) occupation.

Between 2010 and 2012, the Dhofar Archaeological Project has located and mapped 260 Nubian Complex occurrences across Dhofar, southern Oman. Many of these lithic assemblages are technolog- ically homologous to the Late Nubian Industry found in Africa, while others may represent a local industry derived from classic Nubian Levallois technology. The purpose of this paper is to describe the various reduction strategies encountered at a sample of Nubian Complex sites from Dhofar, to explore inter-assemblage variability, and, ultimately, to begin to articulate technological units within the “Dhofar Nubian Tradition.” To achieve this aim, we have developed an analytical scheme with which to describe variability among Nubian Levallois reduction strategies. From our analysis, we are able to discern at least two distinct industries within a regional lithic tradition. Demographic implications of the enduring Dhofar Nubian Tradition are considered in light of new evidence found throughout the Arabian Peninsula.

In Beringia, as in many other parts of the world, stone tools are the main diagnostic cultural artifact for understanding prehistoric societies. The analysis of lithic assemblages is the basis for establishing connections between sites and techno-complexes. Through highlighting major technological trends, archaeologists are able to interpret processes such as cultural continuity and migrations. Here we present a fine-grained analysis of two assemblages to perceive in detail the individuals behind the lithic productions, more specifically apprentice knappers. Although recognition of apprenticeship in a prehistoric context is not new, this is the first such study for Alaska and Beringia. We focus on two distinct assemblages with microblade technology: the late Pleistocene component of Swan Point CZ4b (Tanana valley) and the early Holocene component of Little Panguingue Creek C2 (Nenana valley), both in central Alaska.

Swan Point in central Alaska contains the oldest recognized human occupation in Alaska (Cultural Zone 4b [CZ4b]), dating to circa 14,000 cal BP. This component consists of a microblade and burin industry with clear technological ties to the Siberian Upper Paleolithic Diuktai Culture. Through the systematic use of the Yubetsu method for the production of microblades, Swan Point is technologically more similar to Siberian microblade sites than to later-age (Denali complex) microblade sites in Alaska. The Yubetsu method is the hallmark of the Diuktai Culture, and in Alaska, Swan Point CZ4b is the only component with systematic production of microblades using the Yubetsu method. Other late Pleistocene and Holocene microblade sites in Alaska have an industry based on Campus-style, conical, or tabular microblade cores. Analysis of the collection furthers our understanding of how CZ4b relates to previous Siberian Diuktai-related assemblages and to later Alaskan Denali-related sites. We interpret the CZ4b component as representing a brief single event that has major cultural and technological implications for the early colonization process of North America. Swan Point, dans la région centrale de l'Alaska, contient la plus ancienne occupation humaine en Alaska (Zone Culturelle 4b [CZ4b]) datant de circa 14 000 cal BP. Cette composante est constituée d'une industrie à lamelle et de burins avec de claires parentés technologiques avec la Culture de Dyuktaï du Paléolithique supérieur sibérien. Grâce à l'utilisation systématique de la méthode Yubetsu pour la production de lamelles, Swan Point est technologiquement plus proche des sites à lamelles de Sibérie que des sites à lamelles d'Alaska (complexe Dénali) qui suivront. La méthode de Yubetsu est la signature de la Culture de Dyuktaï, alors qu'en Alaska, Swan Point CZ4b est le seul site avec une production systématique de lamelles en utilisant la méthode Yubetsu. En effet, d'autres sites à lamelles du Pléistocène supérieur et de l'Holocène en Alaska ont une industrie basée sur des nucléus à lamelles de type Campus, coniques ou tabulaires. L'analyse de la collection peut ainsi nous aider à comprendre comment ce site se rapporte aux plus anciens assemblages liés à Dyuktaï en Sibérie et à ceux plus tardifs des sites Dénali en Alaska. Nous interprétons la composante CZ4b comme un événement unique de courte durée, ce qui a des implications culturelles et technologiques majeures pour le peuplement de l'Amérique du Nord.

Puesto Roberts 1-PR1-is an open-air archaeological site emplaced in a deflation sector that offer the possibility to investigate diverse lithic activities carried out by hunter-gatherers in central Patagonia Argentine. The site is located on the coast of Colhué Huapi lake, in Chubut province. In this work, we present a techno-morphological and intra-site spatial analysis of the lithic artifactual assemblage to discuss about stone tool production, lithic raw materials and to explore the activities that were carried out at the site. The action of post-depositional natural agents that may have caused the mobilization of materials and lithic refits are also analysed to bring insights into the spatial distribution of artifacts. The site is the result of the anthropogenic action, and the mobilization of certain materials produced mainly by the action of wind and water it was recognized. Different stages of knapping, lithic raw materials and lithic tools were recognized. Finally, PR1 is interpreted as an open-air campsite of short duration in its occupation on the late Holocene. Evidences of almost exclusive processing and consumption of carcass of Lama guanicoe were identified. This differs from sites recorded around the lake with chronologies similar to PR1, which show evidences of processing and consumption of fish. Therefore, PR1 contributes to the knowledge of the variability of human activities developed in this lacustrine landscape.

A B S T R A C T Recent investigations have highlighted an Asian variant of the so-called Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) broadly comparable in age and material culture to techno-complexes further to the west, but also showing distinct derived features. Here, we describe and provide corroborating evidence for another distinct technology employed in the Initial Upper Paleolithic of Kara-Bom site, Russian Altai, − intentional fragmentation (IF). The most effective means of understanding knapping technology are refitting studies of archaeological collections. This article examines several examples of refitted fragmented cores and blades, as well as debitage as the by-product of blank breakage. On the basis of refitting analysis, the morphological attributes of fragmentation and its by-product intermediate flakes are defined. This intentional approach was used to segment large blades partially transported to the site. IF produced large blade fragments representing multi-functional tool blanks and burin-cores for bladelet production.

RÉSUMÉ

L’Abric Romaní est l’un des sites archéologiques les plus importants du début du Pléistocène supérieur de la Péninsule Ibérique, avec des niveaux archéologiques appartenant au Paléolithique moyen et un des niveaux Aurignaciens le plus ancien de l’Europe occidentale. Les lignes de recherche ont été centrées sur l’interprétation des schémas de gestion et de consommation des ressources naturelles et de la répartition spatiale des activités réalisées à l’intérieur du site. Pour ce faire, il est apparu nécessaire de réaliser des fouilles systématiques sur toute la surface de chaque niveau archéologique. Les résultats de presque vingt cinq ans de fouilles modernes ont permis de conclure que les groupes de Néandertaliens ont organisé leurs occupations dans le site sous la forme de zones domestiques autour de foyers. En fonction de l’intensité de l’occupation mise en relation avec la durée des occupations et avec le nombre d’individus que les formaient, ces zones domestiques de base ont évolué, ce qui représente la marge de variabilité des impacts spatiaux des occupations néandertaliennes dans le site. De la même manière, la gestion des ressources lithiques et faunistique permet d’appréhender sa variabilité en rapport avec l’intensité des occupations à partir des modèles techniques très clairs de la production lithique et de la capture, introduction et traitement des gibiers. Cette variabilité reposant sur des comportements humains bien établis s’interprète comme les moyens d’adaptation nécessaires des ces groupes humains aux situations historiques et paléoenvironnementales changeants.

Mots-clès : Abric Romaní, néandertaliens, comportements humains, industrie lithique, faune, remontages, tracéologie, répartition spatiale.

ABSTRACT

The Abric Romaní is one of the most important Upper Pleistocene sequence of the Iberian Peninsula, with archaeological levels belonging to the Middle Paleolithic and with one of the earliest Aurignacian samples from Western Europe. Research has been focused on the interpretation of patterns of manage and consume of natural resources and the spatial organization of the activities inside the site, and for that reason, the fieldwork strategy is lead to excavate the whole surface of the site. The results of more than 25 years of research on the Abric Romani conclude that Neanderthal communities settled in the site forming domestic groups around hearths. Depending on the intensity of occupation, related to the length of occupation and with the number of people of these groups, this spatial domestic structure evolves forming the variability spectrum of settlement impacts in the site. In the same way, the manage of lithic and faunal resources increases its variability following the intensity of occupation, using clears technical patterns of lithic production and for catching and processing faunal preys. This variability from behaviors well established is interpreted like the way for adapting new historical and environmental situations.

Key words : Abric Romaní, Neanderthals, human behaviours, lithic industry, faunal remains, refitting, micro-wear analysis, spatial organization.

In Dhofar, southern Oman, the Nejd plateau's deep canyons once flowed with perennial rivers, feeding wetland environments, forests, and grasslands across the now desiccated interior. The first peoples of Oman flourished along these waterways, drawn to the freshwater springs and abundant game, as well as the myriad chert outcrops with which to fashion their hunting implements and other tools. The landscapes of the Nejd plateau are a natural museum of human prehistory, covered in carpets of chipped stone debris. The archaeological evidence presented in this work encompasses the cultural remains of over a million years of successive human occupations - from the Lower Palaeolithic to the Late Palaeolithic. Once considered an evolutionary backwater or merely a migratory way station, the archaeology of Dhofar requires a fundamental reconsideration of the role of southern Arabia in the origin and dispersal of our species.

New archaeological investigations at the key Palaeolithic Russian site of Kara-Bom have further characterised its stratigraphy through analysis of the rich lithic complex recovered. This evidence both complements and supplements our understanding of central and northern Asian Initial Upper Palaeolithic populations.

Les informations recueillies dans la cuvette sédimentaire des Chaloignes (Mozé-sur-Louet, Maine-et-Loire) lors d’une fouille préventive menée en 1999 permettent de recréer un espace d’habitat azilien, en cherchant des indicateurs pertinents pour l’analyse spatiale (matières premières, fragmentation des chaînes opératoires dans l’espace, remontages et raccords entre pièces lithiques). La topographie a favorisé la conservation des niveaux tardiglaciaires, parfois sous un niveau d’habitat qui a fonctionné aux 3ème et 2ème siècle avant J.-C. (partie septentrionale du site), parfois sous la seule terre végétale (partie méridionale du site). Une fréquentation sporadique du site durant le Mésolithique et le Néolithique est enregistrée dans différentes unités sédimentaires, venant parfois s’amalgamer aux vestiges aziliens. Les matériaux employés pour la fabrication de l’outillage azilien sont très majoritairement d’origine locale, mais des roches exogènes nous montrent des déplacements atteignant 75 km. Leur rareté plaide pour une arrivée au gré des mouvements humains. Des locus homogènes (2, 4 et 13) sont décrits et illustrés afin d’aider à la définition des caractères typologiques et techniques de l’Azilien. L’étude de zones moins homogènes (locus 10 et zone 5) mais placées au coeur du site permet de compléter les informations. Plusieurs modèles de fonctionnement du site sont proposés, qui tous convergent pour montrer l’intégration du site dans un réseau.

La section étudié de la couche IV dans le secteur 2 du gisement Magdalénien de Cepoy contient deux accumulations d'objets brûlés qui se réfèrent probablement à des foyers: une est caractérisée par des galets en silex brûlés, l'autre a contenu des plaques brûlées de meulière. Autour du foyer révêté avec des galets en silex il y a eu une accumulation des artefacts, qui se limite clairement, dont toutefois des objets ont été évacués à la périphérie, à l'est / Sud-Est ou bien vers le Nord / Nord-Ouest. Les lignes de remontage des artefacts et des pierres forment deux groupes en forme d'éventail, séparés l'un de l'autre, qui prennent fin à l'extérieur comme le long d'une ligne. La surface totale du secteur marqué par les lignes de remontage est plus grande que la surface des habitations évidents de ce temps. Elle couvre aussi des secteurs pauvre en artefacts, tandis que les tentes reconnaissables par des éléments de la construction font principalement une apparition comme concentrations compactes des vestiges archéologiques. Des outils et les nucléus qui se trouvent respectivement ensemble dans des groupes étroites indiquent des zones de travail bien préservés et aires de déchets. Le structure d'habitat étudié de Cepoy peut interprété comme foyer extérieur avec un environnement qui toutefois a été organisé si strict comme le l'intérieur un d'une tente.

Se presentan los materiales líticos procedentes del yacimiento de la colina Agirremendi sita en el municipio de Berango, Uribe Kosta. La colección, reunida por prospectores locales entre 1979 y 1984, presenta características tecno-tipológicas que nos permiten adscribir este conjunto a tecnocomplejos del Paleolítico Superior Inicial, con- cretamente al Auriñaciense Evolucionado o al Gravetiense Antiguo. Asimismo, la relativa abundancia de elemen- tos de sílex exógeno, la composición tecno-tipológica del conjunto y su posición desplazada de los afloramientos de sílex del Flysch nos sitúa, probablemente, en un contexto de ocupación relacionado con la explotación de recursos no restringidos al sílex. Es por ello que el estudio de los materiales de Agirremendi complementa y enriquece el conocimiento de los asentamientos al aire libre del Paleolítico Superior Inicial conocidos en Uribe Kosta