Journal of Lithic Studies
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New evidences for core processing of non-flint, lithic materials in the Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic of Poland
Get PDFIn the Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic core processing in Poland was dominated by flint raw materials. The present paper considers the occurrence of non-flint assemblages at the sites Lubrza and Ludowice (Polish Lowland). The focus is on recognition of petrographic studies, technology, typology and use-wear of inventories from both sites. The collections contain debitage, cores and different kinds of tools. As a result the identification of granite, sandstone, quartzite, gneisses, mudstones, slates and single minerals of quartzes and feldspars was established. The use-wear analysis brought good results only in case in porphyry artefacts. The described analyses are accompanied by a review of European non-flint assemblages from Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites and discussion of the role of this type of raw material in core processing
The circulation of Ghlin flint during the time of the Blicquy - Villeneuve-Saint-Germain culture (Early Neolithic)
Get PDFIn the North of France and Belgium, the Blicquy - Villeneuve-Saint-Germain culture marks the end of the Early Neolithic Period (beginning of the 5th millennium). The Blicquy group is constituted of eleven sites located in Belgium, with two main centers of occupation: one Western in Hainaut and one Eastern in Hesbaye, 100 km away from the first. As part of a PhD, the lithic industry of these sites is studied in order to reconstruct the circulation networks through a techno-economic analysis. It has been complex to identify the raw materials, given the lack of information about the siliceous outcrops in the Mons Basin. However, two main circulation networks have been highlighted: one of Ghlin flint and one of tertiary Bartonian flint. These two types of flint are indeed easily recognizable by their macroscopic characteristics. The outcrops of tertiary Bartonian flints originate from the Paris Basin, where systematic surveys have been conducted since the late 1980s. The circulation of tertiary Bartonian flint is now well-known and emblematic of the Blicquy - Villeneuve-Saint-Germain culture. Therefore, this paper will focus on the circulation of Ghlin flint in the Blicquy-Villeneuve-Saint-Germain culture. The Ghlin flint shows on the surface in the Mons Basin, about twenty kilometers away from the Hainaut sites. Heavily exploited in the latter, it was exported to the Hesbaye sites in a significant way, despite the availability of siliceous resources available in Hesbaye. Moreover, some artifacts circulated towards the Paris Basin. The study of the circulation of Ghlin flint can therefore help to determine the socio-economic organization of these populations by specifying the linkages between the population centers of Hainaut, Hesbaye and Paris Basin
Dating simple flakes: Early Bronze Age flake production technology on the Middle Euphrates Steppe, Syria
Get PDFAceramic flint scatters, comprising very crude cores or flakes and no formalised tools, are frequently found on the Middle Euphrates steppe of northern Syria. Previous studies suggest that many of them are residues of short-term activities by the nomads or shepherds of the Early Bronze Age. In order to verify this interpretation, a more precise chronological framework needs to be established for the Early Bronze Age lithic industry. This paper analyses stratified flake assemblages of the Early Bronze Age at Tell Ghanem al-Ali, a securely radiocarbon-dated settlement on the Middle Euphrates, and examines which occupation level yields assemblages most similar to those of the steppe. Results demonstrate that the lithic industry of this period underwent significant diachronic changes in terms of core reduction technology. Based on the chronological framework developed at Tell Ghanem al-Ali, the steppe assemblages in question can be assigned to different phases of the Early Bronze Age. This finding will help identify processes at the beginning of the extensive exploitation of the steppe, which is regarded as one of the most important socioeconomic changes that occurred among Early Bronze Age communities of the Middle Euphrates
Knappable materials in the Criș Valley, Romania
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to identify and characterise some of the raw materials in the Criș Valley, in the Apuseni Mountains, Romania which are suitable for knapping tools. The materials cropping out in this area include: siliceous sinter, agate, and silicified wood. The basic characteristics of the materials, obtained by macroscopic and petrographic investigations, provide a reference database useful in provenance studies on individual artefacts or whole assemblages. An assessment of each material is made regarding its quality as a knappable material
Event review: Center for American Archeology Flintknapping Workshop with Tim Dillard, Kampsville, Illinois, U.S.A.
Get PDFCenter for American Archeology Flintknapping Workshop with Tim Dillard, Kampsville, Illinois, USA. May 2014
One of the flint tool production strategies based on erratic flint, exemplified by Mesolithic materials from the Dobryń Mały 7 site (central-eastern Poland)
Get PDFBaltic erratic flint is one of the most important stone raw materials used in the area of the Polish lowlands. Since its first description published in 1920 by Stefan Krukowski, generations of researchers continue to investigate the topic through studies on the characteristics of this raw material as well as processing successive collections of artefacts made of this flint. In this paper special attention is drawn to production strategy based on this type of raw material typical for Mesolithic inventories. It involves the use of natural flint chunks resulting from shattering of frost weathered concretions. With respect to the materials recovered from the 7 in Dobryń Mały site, it is reflected mainly in the production of core tools. However, to a much lesser extent, it is also present in the process of raw material selection for the production of blade and flake blanks
Reality and confusion in the recognition of post-depositional alterations and use-wear: an experimental approach on basalt tools
Get PDFWhile many experimental studies have been done on siliceous and metamorphic rocks for both use-wear and post depositional surface modification (PDSM) events, little is known about such experiments on volcanic materials (other than obsidian), and on basalt in particular. Here we present the preliminary results of several experiments related to: a) evidence for basalt use (e.g., butchery and fresh hide scraping) and the subsequent characteristic use-wear patterns that can be seen; and b) post-depositional surface modifications caused by bear (Ursidae) trampling on experimental basalt flakes and subsequent use of these flakes for a tumbling experiment in a special tumbling machine.The results of these experiments were compared to better understand some surface modifications noted on the Middle to Upper Pleistocene lithic assemblages of the Azokh Cave site (Nagorno Karabagh, Lesser Caucasus).Although some aspects of both events (use-wear and PDSM) remain to be studied in depth, the experiments have improved our understanding of the effects of use-wear and post-depositional trampling and tumbling on basalt lithic artefacts. In particular, it has allowed us to recognise mechanical alterations (e.g., cracks, striations, fractures, edge damage) caused by trampling and tumbling and to note differences between these modifications and those caused by use. In particular, the experiments have shown that macroscopic modifications are rarely diagnostic, especially those observed after use. Microscopic wear features such as edge rounding, polish, abrasion and striations were the most evident types of alteration on basalt flakes, although occurring at different times and from different types of use. Distribution and orientation of alterations may be key in distinguishing use-wear from post-depositional alterations on basalt artefacts
First issue of the Journal of Lithic Studies
Get PDFThis issue of the Journal of Lithic Studies marks two occasions. First of all it is the first issue of JLS. Secondly, it publishes part of the research presented at the recent International Symposium on Chert and Other Knappable Materials held in Iași, Romania. Both of these occasions were the result of a lot of hard work on the part of numerous people. I am glad to have been a part of them both and to have seen them come to fruition. With a little luck (and probably a lot more hard work) I think that we will see a lot more of both the journal and the symposium in the future
Off to a good start: Publishing the first volume
Get PDFThe journal is off to a very good start. In this first volume we have published a total of thirty four articles - twenty six research articles, two summary and synthesis articles, one biography, two book reviews, and three event reviews. Already we have several more articles that are being prepared for the upcoming second volume and we have several special issues planned for 2015. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Editorial Board, the technical editors, and the reviewers who contributed their time and expertise and, most of all, the authors themselves. 
Book review: Archaeological Concepts, Techniques, and Terminology for American Prehistoric Lithic Technology
Get PDFArchaeological Concepts, Techniques, and Terminology for American Prehistoric Lithic Technologyby Wm. Jack HranickyAuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2013, pp. 611, ISBN 978-1-4817-5173-