1,721,010 research outputs found
Use-wear analysis of discoid-conception lithic industries.
No full textleggi in ingleseThe thesis presents data and interpretations relevant to the Lower and Middle
Paleolithic with the aim to define if there were functional differences between the
discoid and the Levallois products and, furthermore, to define the possible reasons
that led prehistoric people to the employment of the discoid or of the Levallois
knapping method. This work consists in the use-wear analysis of the lithic
industries from eight sites located in Portugal, Italy and Spain: Pirro Nord (FG,
Italy), Guado san Nicola (IS, Italy), Ciota Ciara (VC, Italy), Can Garriga (Gerona,
Spain), Pedra Dreta (Gerona, Spain), Riparo Tagliente (VR, Italy), Lagoa du
Bando (Maçao, Portugal), Fenx (Rodao, Portugal). The results of these work
permit to obtain new data about the type of human occupation of the sites and
highlight that, in general, there were not clear differences in the use or production
of the blanks made through the two methods. We also come to the definition of
the prehistoric sites as chaotic systems. Which means that we are facing a dynamic
system highly dependent on the initial conditions and with a non-linear evolution
where a little change in the initial conditions determines finite and important
changes both in the final results and in the evolution of the system over time.
Then, the only way to try to understand the technological choices that determined
the choice of a particular knapping method rather than another is to reduce the
influence of all the non-cultural variables
Talking stones: Taphonomy of the lithic assemblage of Pirro Nord 13 (Apricena, FG, Italy). A new approach to the study of the post depositional alterations on lithics tools
No full textThe site of Pirro Nord 13 (PN 13) is located in afissure that is a residual component of a wider karst system.Many faunal remains and lithic artefacts were accumulated by natural phenomena in thefissure. The degree ofany potential post-depositional reworking of the archaeological and paleontological remains is important to beassessed as to evaluate the stratigraphic integrity of the site. In the proposed research, data about the post-depositional alteration (PdA), collected during the use-wear analysis, helps in the identification of the“tapho-nomic history”of the lithic assemblage and allow to understand if all the assemblage was exposed to the sameenvironmental processes or if there are some difference among the various lithic elements. To recreate thishistory, we developed a new research protocol called overlapping method for the taphonomy of the lithic artefacts
First evidence of a Palaeolithic occupation of the Po plain in Piedmont: the case of Trino (north-western Italy)
Get PDFThe Trino hill is an isolated relief located in north-western Italy, close to Trino municipality.
The hill was subject of multidisciplinary studies during the 1970s, when, because of
quarrying and agricultural activities, five concentrations of lithic artefacts were recognized
and referred to a Palaeolithic occupation of the area. During the 1980s and the 1990s,
surface collections continued, but the lithic finds have never been subject of specific studies.
Even if most of the lithic assemblages count a few lithic implements, four collection
areas (3, 13 E, 13 W and 14) have significative lithic assemblages, representing the most
important evidence of a Palaeolithic frequentation of the Po plain in north-western Italy.
The present work, in the limits imposed by a surface and not systematic collection, propose
a technological study of the lithic artefacts from the Trino hill, with the aim to define
the main features of the technological behaviour of the human groups that occupied the
area. The results obtained allow to clearly identify a Middle Palaeolithic occupation of the
Trino hill, characterized by the exploitation of vein quartz and other local raw materials;
allochthonous varieties of chert were used in the next frequentation phases to produce
blades and bladelets. Even if part of the laminar production can be referred to Neolithic,
most of that remains of indeterminate chronology and could be the result of both an Upper
Palaeolithic and Neolithic human presence. The systematic and inclusive approach to the
study of the Paleolithic of the Piedmont region proposed here has made it possible to obtain
a first and realistic overview of the Paleolithic of the region. The methods used for the
technological study are similar to those used for other sites in the region and have made it
possible to link Trino’s surface collections with data from sites systematically investigated
in recent year
Trino. Nuovo studio delle industrie litiche del Rilievo Isolato di Trino
No full textStudio tecnologico di industrie litiche provenienti da raccolte di superficie non sistematiche condotte a partire dagli anni '70 nell'area denominata Rilievo Isolato di Trino (VC
Expedient behaviour and predetermination at the Ciota Ciara cave (north-western Italy) during Middle Palaeolithic.
No full textThe Ciota Ciara cave is a Middle Palaeolithic site located in Piedmont (north-western Italy) and it is the only one systematically investigated in the region. It opens at 670 m a.s.l. on the west side of Monte Fenera and its archaeological deposit has a stratigraphic sequence documenting several and repeated human frequentations. Four archaeological layers have been identified (13, 14, 15 and 103) and are characterized by lithic assemblages where vein quartz is the main exploited raw material. The upper level (13), was already subject to technological and functional studies but the enlargement of the excavated area made necessary a completion of the technological data.
The aim of this work is to deal with a complete technological and functional study of the lithic assemblage of the four archaeological layers of the Ciota Ciara cave to face the issues of predetermination and adaptation of the reduction sequences to the raw materials features.
The technological analysis is based on the concept of chaîne opératoire and refers to the classical definitions of the S.S.D.A., discoid and Levallois methods for the identification of the different exploitation strategies. The concepts of curated and expedient technology are also applied to the present study. We finally refer to the huge debate concerning the concept of predetermination related to cores that show reduced or none phases of core configuration for the analysis and interpretation of the considered lithic assemblage.
The results obtained show that the general behaviour can be interpreted as expedient, both from a technological and a functional point of view. The Middle Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers of the Ciota Ciara cave adapted their “technological background” to the resources available and put into action flexible adaptation strategies. Even in the shortness or absence of phases of core configuration, predetermination can be observed in the adaptation of Levallois and discoid concepts to the natural constraints of the pebbles chosen as cores. The natural convexities are exploited to obtain Levallois and discoid flakes after an intentional choice made by the knappers. In order to deeply investigate the characteristics of the technological behaviour of the hunter-gatherers that inhabited the site, the use-wear analysis is a fundamental additional source of information and it is here aimed to understand if there is or not a differential use of the lithic artefacts according to their typology and/or to the knapping method
New Insights on the Oldest Lithic Assemblages of the Tibitó and El Abra Sites (Sabana de Bogotá, Eastern Cordillera, Colombia)
No full textIn this paper we present a review of the oldest lithic assemblages of Tibitó 1, El Abra 2, and El Abra 3 (Sabana de Bogotá, Eastern Cordillera), among the oldest and most significant sites in Colombia. The contribution of use-wear analysis on a controlled sample of materials confirms and adds new data to our previous technological review Muttillo et al. (2017. “Revisiting the Oldest Known Lithic Assemblages of Colombia: A Review of Data from El Abra and Tibitó (Cundiboyacense Plateau, Eastern Cordillera, Colombia).” Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 13: 455–465). The results highlight some critical points and discrepancies with previous studies and interpretation
Ugly stones sharpen the wits: the Middle Palaeolithic of Piedmont in the context of Western Europe
No full textThis study examines Middle Palaeolithic lithic technology in Piedmont, with a focus on the use of quartz as the primary raw material. Due to the scarcity of local chert, the region’s lithic industries are dominated by quartz, which is mainly available in secondary deposits along watercourses. The stratified reference site is the Ciota Ciara cave, but surface lithic assemblages from Trino, Vaude Canavesane, and Baragge Biellesi were also considered. Technological analysis reveals the adoption of
adaptive knapping strategies for quartz processing across all methods employed. The knapping operations are characterized by short sequences, a preference for natural striking platforms, and thicker products, strategies aimed at minimizing accidental
fragmentation of the material. These adaptations are analogous to those observed in other European regions where quartz is the dominant raw material or a complementary resource. The results also confirm that Neanderthals in Piedmont developed specialized processing strategies to exploit the properties of quartz, optimizing its use despite technical challenges. Further studies are essential to better understand the chronology, the technological choices and the settlement dynamics in the region during Middle Palaeolithic, beyond the Ciota Ciara cave
From excavation to analysis: Experimental insights on the impact of wet sieving processes on lithic use-wear traces
No full textLithic microscopic use-wear analysis plays a crucial role in reconstructing past human behaviour, offering insights into tool use, site function, and subsistence strategies. However, its reliability depends greatly on the identification of genuine use traces and is therefore continuously challenged by contamination, either in post-depositional conditions or in handling post-recovery. This study aims to investigate the impact of a common procedure in archaeological excavation – wet sieving – on the preservation of use-wear on flint tools, through experimentation and controlled field simulations conducted at the site of Pirro Nord 13. Results of the microscopic analysis indicate that wet sieving, despite concerning mechanics similar to specific abrasive weathering processes, does not significantly alter use-wear patterns. These findings reaffirm the resilience of functional traces and highlight the reliability of use-wear analysis in archaeological research when accompanied by rigorous protocols both in the field and in the laboratory
Use-Wear Analysis of the Lithic Industry of the Lower Palaeolithic Site of Guado San Nicola (Isernia, Central Italy)
No full textThe Lower Palaeolithic site of Guado San Nicola (GSN) is located near the village of Monteroduni (Molise, Central Italy). The archaeological layers identified date to the transition between the interglacial and the glacial marine isotope stages MIS 11 (i.e. 400 ± 9 ka) and MIS 10 (i.e. 345 ± 9 ka). The bifaces and Levallois products found among the lithic assemblage of GSN make the site the earliest one bearing such tools in Italy and one of the most ancient ones in the Western European context. The aim of this work is to analyze/study/investigate the use-wear traces left on the lithic tools and to understand the activities carried out at the site. The analysis also seeks to figure out how the Levallois products were used, focusing on whether there were or not differences in the activities pursued using Levallois flakes rather than blanks obtained through different knapping methods. Moreover, the present work aims at understanding if and how the façonnage products were used. Since the research focuses on flakes, the bifaces’ flakes resulting from the façonnage process and in some cases from renewal processes are also taken in consideration, while the cores and debris are not. Results show that there were apparently no differences in the use of otherwise obtained flakes and the one resulting from the production of bifaces. Nonetheless, the examined data could be considered a hint for proposing the development of the Levallois method from the practice of façonnage sequences
Revisión de las industrias líticas del sitio El Abra (Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia). Implicaciones para su significado y cronología en el contexto más amplio del primer poblamiento de Colombia
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