Singularidades tecno-culturais na região sudoeste do Planalto Central brasileiro no Holoceno Inicial

This article aims to contribute to expanding knowledge about the panoply of lithic tools present in Early Holocene archaeological sites located in the Brazilian Central Plateau. These sites have traditionally been interpreted within the context of the Itaparica tradition, whose artifacts called "slugs" or "plano-convex" were used as cultural markers. Technological research over the last twenty years on lithic materials from sites typologically attributed to the Itaparica tradition has allowed a better definition of what came to be called the Itaparica techno-complex. Due to the spectacular nature of the “plano-convex” objects identified in these ancient contexts, other artifacts are usually overlooked in research. Our proposal was, therefore, to look in more detail at the subtle incisive tools that are associated (or not) with “plano-convex” artifactual structures in the collections of two sites from the southwest region of the Central Plateau: the GO-JA-01 site (Diogo Lemes), dated from 12717 - 12143 cal. (Beta-3699), and the site MT-SL-31 (Morro da Janela), dated from 11994 - 11316 cal (Beta-78053). We could see that they are, very often, structured on other technical production principles and associated with specific operational schemes. We based our research on the Techno-functional Approach. This approach allows us to identify the coherences that are established within a volumetric structure (a specimen) in terms of its structuring subsets -minimally, the transformative edge(s) and the possible prehensive unit(s) - in light of their functional potential. Furthermore, it allows us to think about the technical meaning of artefactual structures by reinserting them into the set of which they are part (a population), providing data on the techno-functional consistency of the collections. In methodological terms, the identification of the operational schemes was carried out based on the diacritical analysis of the negatives present in the artifact, with the production modes being highlighted based on the technical principles of affordance, debitage and shaping. We were able to group the sharp tools from these collections into five techno-functional categories: unifacial shaped tools from normalized blanks (limaces); unifacial shaped tools on regularized blanks; tools shaped on blanks of cobble; tools with restricted modification; regularized and non-regularized blanks. We were also able to identify in the collections the representative occurrence of unexhausted cores with the presence of small negatives, which led us to infer the production of even smaller blanks which, however, were not detected in the collection. Furthermore, we identified the presence of discoid D-type debitage related to some of the tools. These technological details obtained with the investigation of the aforementioned archaeological sites of the Central Plateau, when considered in the light of spatial, chronological and paleoenvironmental information, allow us to consider the scenarios concerning the population dynamics of that period. The tools categories evidenced in this paper, added to the techno-cultural particularities found in other Central Plateau sites and expands the Itaparica toolbox. They bring about a greater understanding of the Techno-cultural diversity of the technical memories of the human groups that occupied the extensive area of the Central Plateau, enabling further investigations into the connections of technical knowledge between regions.Este artigo visa contribuir para a ampliação do conhecimento sobre as panóplias de ferramentas líticas presentes em sítios arqueológicos do Holoceno Inferior localizados no Planalto Central brasileiro. Esses sítios têm sido tradicionalmente interpretados dentro do contexto da Tradição Itaparica, cujos artefatos denominados de "lesmas" ou "plano-convexos" foram identificados como marcadores culturais. Os avanços nas pesquisas nos últimos vinte anos sobre as características técnicas, tecnológicas e tecno-funcionais de materiais líticos tipologicamente atribuídos à Tradição Itaparica permitiram uma melhor definição daquele que veio a ser denominado de complexo tecno-cultural Itaparica Lourdeau (2010:59). A partir da coleção lítica de dois sítios, pesquisados inicialmente por Oliveira (2014) e Oliveira (2019), provenientes da região sudoeste do Planalto Central, o sítio GO-JA-01 (Diogo Lemes), com datação mais antiga de 12.717 - 12.143 cal. (Beta-3699), e o sítio MT-SL-31 (Morro da Janela), de 11.994 - 11.316 cal (Beta-78053), buscamos criar condições heurísticas para que desses contextos antigos pudessem emergir um aporte de expressões culturais de baixa visibilidade técnica. Tais expressões são usualmente preteridas por estarem associadas a materiais cuja estrutura artefatual é caracterizada pela alta normalização e/ou pela padronização. Objetivamos, assim, olharmos com mais detalhamento para as ferramentas incisivas sutis que estão associadas às estruturas artefatuais “plano-convexas”. Nossa pesquisa fundamentou-se na abordagem Tecno-funcional (Boëda 2013:39), a qual permite identificar as coerências que se estabelecem no interior de uma estrutura volumétrica (um espécimen) nos termos de seus subconjuntos estruturantes - minimamente, o(s) gume(s) transformativo(s) e a(s) unidade(s) preensiva(s) - à luz de seu potencial funcional. Ademais, ela permite pensar o sentido técnico das estruturas artefatuais ao reinseri-las no conjunto do qual fazem parte (uma população), fornecendo dados sobre a consistência tecno-funcional das coleções. Em termos metodológicos, a identificação dos esquemas operatórios foi realizada a partir da análise diacrítica dos negativos presentes nos artefatos e dos modos de produção evidenciados com base nos princípios técnicos de afordância, debitage e façonagem. O ordenamento estrutural entre as porções transformativas e possíveis porções preensivas, nos possibilitou agrupar as seguintes categorias tecno-funcionais: 1) “Instrumentos com façonagem unifacial a partir de suportes normalizados (limaces)” - apresentam estrutura técnica estável, caracterizada por um suporte alongado e volumoso em uma de suas faces. A simetria das laterais e o plano de seção foram obtidos por façonagem, o(s) gume(s) delineados por confecção e podem compor de uma ou mais unidades transformativas. Algumas peças são altamente normalizadas apresentando recorrentemente uma unidade tecno-transformativa, localizada na porção apical. Outras são menos normalizadas, sua estrutura funciona como um suporte onde se instalam mais de uma unidade transformativa. São peças de arenito silicificado e sílex. 2) “Instrumentos com façonagem unifacial com suportes regularizados" - o suporte não é normalizado, os perfis e as laterais são assimétricos. Os princípios da afordância, façonagem e debitage atuaram na estrutura da ferramenta, podendo compor uma ou duas unidades transformativas. São peças de arenito silicificado, quartzito e sílex, 3) “Instrumentos produzidos sobre suportes de seixos” - os seixos foram selecionados por critérios técnicos de afordância, seguidos de façonagem e confecção de gumes, em contornos diversos. São peças de arenito silicificado e quartzito. 4) Instrumentos com modificação restrita” - foram identificados três tipos de estruturas de suportes: algumas pouco regularizadas, provenientes da debitagem tipo C; outras normalizadas, provenientes da debitagem tipo D-discöide; e ainda as de "cadeias operacionais ramificadas" (Bourguignon et al. 2004), derivadas de lascas de façonagem. Os gumes são definidos por retoques ou traços de uso. São peças de arenito silicificado, sílex, basalto e quartzo. Também pudemos identificar na coleção a ocorrência representativa de núcleos pequenos, não esgotados com presença de negativos de pequenas dimensões, o que nos levou a inferir a possibilidade de produção de suportes ainda menores, contudo, estes não foram detectados na coleção.  Compreendemos que a onipresença dos instrumentos comumente denominados de limaces, presentes na maioria dos sítios do Planalto Central, nos leva a considerar o compartilhamento da estrutura técnica dessa ferramenta, entre diferentes grupos humanos ao longo de pelo menos 4.000 anos. A proposição sobre a dispersão e possíveis conexões desta cultura técnica está mais alinhada com uma perspectiva interativa do que com uma convergência técnica (Chevrier 2012). A variabilidade técnico-funcional dessas peças está associada à temporalidades distintas, isto reforça a ideia de movimento e potencial de mudança nas tradições culturais (Sahlins 1997). Também destacamos a presença marcante do princípio da afordância (Boëda & Ramos 2017) entre as ferramentas do sítio MT-SL-31, possibilitando a supressão da fase de debitagem. Compreendemos que isso não encurta o tempo da cadeia operatória, neste caso o maior investimento estaria no critério técnico de seleção dos suportes (seixos) visando produzir a futura ferramenta. Neste movimento, entendemos que as categorias natural e cultural são complementares. Desvelam também o enredamento dos grupos humanos com suas cercanias, fazendo-nos considerar não apenas o sítio, mas também o entorno como participantes do projeto cultural. Os instrumentos de baixa visibilidade foram caracterizados, não necessariamente pelas suas dimensões reduzidas, mas principalmente por sua estrutura técnica ter sido pouco modificada, tornando-as ferramentas de difícil identificação se utilizarmos somente o critério “forma”, sem o desenvolvimento de análises tecnológicas. Incorporar e elevar essa categoria tecnográfica ao contexto da presente discussão, as emparelhando às demais presentes no tecno-complexo de Itaparica, significa dar visibilidade a um conjunto de objetos ainda pouco considerados nas análises tecnológicas da região sudoeste do Planalto Central. Isto, por sua vez, instiga os estudos a irem além do \u27formal\u27, do normalizado, seguindo o desafio da arqueologia aplicada ao tempo profundo em termos de se afastar do preconceito que equipara uma maior quantidade de negativos a um maior nível de complexidade tecnológica complexity (Maigrot & Plisson 2006). As minúcias tecnológicas obtidas com a investigação dos sítios arqueológicos supramencionados, quando consideradas à luz de informações espaciais, cronológicas e paleoambientais, permitem ponderar sobre os cenários concernentes às dinâmicas populacionais desse período. As categorias de ferramentas evidenciadas neste artigo, somadas às particularidades tecno-culturais encontradas em outros locais do Planalto Central, ampliam o conjunto de ferramentas de Itaparica. Proporcionam uma maior compreensão da diversidade técnico-cultural das memórias técnicas dos povos que habitaram a extensa área do Planalto Central brasileiro, possibilitando investigações mais aprofundadas sobre as conexões entre os conhecimentos técnicos presentes em diferentes regiões da América do Sul

Gender Prehistory: Shaping Techniques applied to Osseous Artefacts

Scraping and abrasion are quite ancient and universal techniques. On bone, antler, and teeth, these two techniques can sometimes be used for the reduction sequence but mainly serve for shaping, even though chronological, cultural, and geographical gradients can be observed. In some archaeological assemblages, during the European Neolithic for example, abrasion dominates whatever the type of object manufactured. In contrast, in the Arctic Pre-Inuit and Inuit contexts scraping largely predominates. Our goal is to question the variations from an almost complete exclusivity for only one technical practice to a mix of both. In particular, could the sexual division of labour influence both the technical and social spheres of activity? Why for a given type of artifact is a clear choice sometimes made for only one technique when both scraping and abrading are encountered within a single assemblage? To address these questions, we compared data obtained from different socio-economic and environmental contexts. The techniques used to produce osseous and lithic tools by Neolithic and Epipaleolithic groups from Europe, Near East and Maghreb have been analyzed and compared to those encountered in the American Arctic societies. Ethnographical comparisons help in analyzing potential links between techniques, lifestyles and gender. High-mobility, hunter-gatherer subsistence and scraping seem to be in association and opposed to sedentary, farming, milling, women activity and abrasion.L’abrasion et le raclage sont des techniques banales, très anciennes et universelles, mises en œuvre pour le travail des matières osseuses dès le Paléolithique moyen. Elles sont le plus souvent associées à l’étape de façonnage des objets, en terme opératoires, mais aussi, dans certains cas appliquées au débitage. Quand ces deux techniques se trouvent utilisées conjointement par les artisans, leur proportion varie en fonction de gradients chronologiques, culturels mais aussi géographiques. Ainsi, dans le Vieux monde, à partir du Pre-Pottery Neolithic B moyen au Proche-Orient (PPNB moyen, fin du IXe millénaire) (Aurenche 2010), au Néolithique ancien européen (fin du VIIe / début du VIe millénaires), et, dans une moindre mesure au Maghreb oriental (VIIe / VIe millénaire), l’abrasion est majoritairement employée pour le façonnage des objets, quels que soient leur type. Le raclage est plus régulièrement appliqué à l’entretien des outils et à leur raffûtage, au cours de leur utilisation. A l’opposé du Néolithique, dans le contexte arctique du Nouveau monde, le raclage prédomine très largement ; l’abrasion n’est utilisée que de façon exceptionnelle, pour obtenir une surface plane, renforcer le bord d’un tranchant ou pour la confection d’objets à valeur symbolique. Quelles sont les raisons pour lesquelles les proportions de ces deux techniques varient pour aller jusqu\u27à une quasi-exclusivité pour l’une ou l’autre pratique selon les contextes ? Une division genrée du travail, différente selon les cultures, peut-elle rendre copte d’un lien entre sphères technique et sociale ? Pour traiter ces questions, nous avons comparé les données provenant de contextes socio-économiques et environnementaux différents. Les résultats issus de la comparaison conduisent à proposer un lien entre techniques, mobilité et genre des individus. Ainsi, les sociétés arctiques se caractérisent par une forte mobilité et une répartition genrée des productions : les matières souples sont travaillées par les femmes, alors les matières dures le sont par les hommes. Les deux groupes partagent cependant un même registre de techniques, ce qui permet, au besoin, de toujours suppléer à l’absence de l’un ou l’autre genre. Les matières osseuses, travaillées par les hommes, font l’objet d’un traitement spécifique, distinct de celui des autres matériaux tels que le bois végétal ou la pierre, avec un façonnage quasi-exclusif effectué par raclage. A l’inverse, dans le Néolithique, et ce depuis le Pre-Pottery Neolithic B moyen (PPNB moyen), la sédentarité et le développement des activités de mouture ont probablement bouleversé la répartition du travail entre hommes et femmes, et accessoirement l’usage des techniques. La fabrication de nombreux objets en matière osseuse employé au quotidien y serait associée aux activités féminines, travail des peaux et des végétaux souples, et attachées à la sphère domestique, dans ou à proximité immédiate de la maison. Le raclage est plus fréquemment employé pour le raffûtage des outils pointus. Nous proposons d’y voir l’expression de différences de lieux entre la fabrication (domestique) et l’usage (hors du contexte domestique) des outils. De même, à l’échelle culturelle, nous soutenons l’idée de l’emploi du raclage versus abrasion, comme l’expression de sociétés mobiles, associées à un mode de vie nomade, versus sociétés sédentaires, associées à l’agriculture. Ainsi, malgré des conditions environnementales et climatiques imposant parfois des adaptations techniques, ce transfert ne s’est cependant pas opéré en contexte arctique où les artisans, toujours mobiles, ont parfois préféré substituer le raclage à la perforation plutôt qu’employer l’abrasion. De même, l’abrasion étant employée dans la fabrication et le maintien des outils, et par analogie de la gestuelle de l’abrasion et des activités de mouture ou de broyage, le développement et la prédominance de l’abrasion, au Néolithique, pourrait ressortir de la féminité. C’est en tout cas une hypothèse que l’on peut poser et travailler à l’avenir. &nbsp

Mapping procurement areas of lithic resources and mobility patterns: A GIS-based approach to the early colonization of Western Mediterranean islands

Is it possible to define based on the circulation of chert and obsidian the patterns of mobility and the procurement strategies of lithic resources among the first inhabitants of the Western Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia? This paper tackles this question through the following research objectives: 1) To build, through bibliographic research, a systematic database including all published data concerning the presence of chert and obsidian artefacts in Sardinian-Corsican sites dated to the Pre-Neolithic and the Early Neolithic; 2) To create a specific cartography on the geographical distribution of these lithotypes across the two studied islands. Data have been geo-referenced with the QGIS 3.20 open-source software, both to make them visible on the map and to introduce the fundamental variables of space-territory into the research; and 3) To define mobility patterns for the supply of chert and obsidian based on the available results of provenance analyses, using QGIS to draw the movement lines from the findspot to the source with the principle of the minimum effort: that is, through the development of a Least Cost Path Analysis (LCPA). This is to say that the tracing of the probable routes followed by humans will be based on the calculation of the shortest distances from the raw material sources to their findspots based on orography and topographic variables.  The results on the procurement areas and mobility patterns to perform specific tasks, as lithic procurement, will contribute to the debate on resource management and landscape knowledge of early human groups colonizing insular environments

La ideología y el simbolismo de los excéntricos mayas de sílex y obsidiana de Xunantunich y cuevas en el centro de Belice: Contextos, cronología, materiales, producción y significado

Eccentrics are associated with fundamentally important concepts in ancient Maya cosmology and religion. As their name implies, eccentrics are irregularly shaped, non-utilitarian, special function artifacts. Knapped from chert and obsidian, they vary in size, take many forms, and can be expediently made or masterfully crafted. In this study, we focus on eccentrics from Central Belize, specifically those from Ballcourt 2 at Xunantunich, as well as examples from caves the Roaring Creek Valley, including Actun Chapat, Actun Tunichil Mucnal, Actun Uayazba Kab, Actun Yaxteel Ahau, Je’reftheel, and Midnight Terror. To understand the uses of eccentrics in the ancient Maya world, we examine them in terms of their archaeological contexts (e.g., caches, burials, caves), dating, lithic raw material types and sources, production techniques, and meanings. This information is used to reconstruct the role of eccentrics in understanding the animate world of the Maya, as well as the embodiment of ancient Maya mythology and cosmology in these ceremonial items. The symbolism with which these artifacts are imbued is examined in relation to numerology and correspondences between Maya iconography and epigraphy. These analyses demonstrate that eccentrics play a significant role in the enactment of ancient Maya mythology and cosmology and embody critically important concepts for Maya success and survival in a natural world entangled in the supernatural. As such, they also served as inalienable possessions offered as gifts to supernatural forces and entities in times of need or crisis. Eccentrics embody and reflect the ideas of kingship, sacrifice, natural phenomena (specifically rain and lightning), celestial bodies (such as the sun, moon, and eclipses), maize, zoomorphic denizens of the Maya underworld (including centipedes, serpents, and scorpions), as well as representations of deities, especially K’awiil - the embodiment of lightning. Moreover, the geomorphic designs and numbers of eccentrics, which occur particularly in sets of seven, nine, and thirteen, represent locations and gateways in ancient Maya cosmological understanding of the structural universe. Significantly, the eccentrics of Xunantunich and Central Belizean caves are consistent with the use of this class of artifacts in a pan-Maya belief system.Los excéntricos están asociados con conceptos de importancia fundamental en la cosmología y religión de los antiguos mayas. Como lo indica su nombre, los excéntricos son artefactos de función especial, no utilitarios, de forma irregular. Tallados de sílex y de obsidiana, los excéntricos varían en tamaño, toman muchas formas y se pueden hacer de manera expediente o magistralmente. En este estudio, nos enfocamos en excéntricos del centro de Belice, específicamente en los de la Cancha 2 del juego de pelota en Xunantunich, así como en ejemplos de cuevas del valle de Roaring Creek, incluidos Actun Chapat, Actun Tunichil Mucnal, Actun Uayazba Kab, Actun Yaxteel Ahau, Je’reftheel y Midnight Terror. Para entender los usos de los excéntricos en el mundo maya antiguo, examinamos los excéntricos en términos de sus contextos arqueológicos (p. ej., en escondites, entierros, o cuevas), fechamientos, tipos y procedencia de materia prima lítica, técnicas de producción y significados. Esta información se utiliza para reconstruir el papel de los excéntricos en la comprensión del mundo animado de los mayas, así como la encarnación de la mitología y cosmología de los mayas en estos objetos ceremoniales. Se examina el simbolismo que impregna estos objetos en relación con la numerología y las correspondencias entre la iconografía y la epigrafía maya. Estos análisis demuestran que los excéntricos desempeñan un papel importante en la representación de la mitología y la cosmología de los mayas antiguos y encarnan conceptos de importancia crítica para el éxito y la supervivencia de los mayas en un mundo natural enredado en lo sobrenatural. Como tal, también servían como objetos inalienables hechos de piedra proporcionada por lo sobrenatural que se ofrecían como ofrendas a las entidades sobrenaturales en tiempos de necesidad o crisis. Los excéntricos encarnan y reflejan las ideas de la realeza, el sacrificio, los fenómenos naturales (específicamente la lluvia y las tormentas), los cuerpos astrales (como el sol, la luna y los eclipses), el maíz, y los moradores zoomorfos del inframundo maya (incluidos los ciempiés, las serpientes y los escorpiones), así como representaciones de deidades, incluyendo  K’inich Ajaw, el dios de sol, Chaahk, la deidad de lluvia, y, en particular, K’awiil, la encarnación del relámpago. Además, las formas geomórficas, los colores, y el número de excéntricas son simbólicamente importantes por los mayas. Por ejemplo, el color negro se relaciona simbólicamente con la oscuridad, la noche, el punto cardinal hacia el oeste, mientras que el color verde se asocia con el lugar central de los cosmogramas mayas, así como la fertilidad, la agricultura, el maíz, y el árbol del mundo, que se conecta los tres niveles del universo maya. Las excéntricas, particularmente en conjuntos de cero, siete, nueve y trece, representan a deidades patronales, ubicaciones y aberturas en el entendimiento cosmológica maya del universo estructural. Esto se demuestra por el hecho de que el cero estaba conectado con el inframundo, el siete estaba ligado a los colores direccionales ik’ ‘negro’ y k’an ‘amarillo’, el inframundo se percibía como dividido en nueve áreas o regiones, y el reino celestial estaba dividido en trece. Significativamente, los excéntricos de Xunantunich y de las cuevas del centro de Belice son consistentes con el uso de esta clase de artefactos en un sistema de creencias pan-maya

Preliminary investigations on the chipped stone industry of the Copper Age settlement of Malnaş Băi (Málnásfürdő)-Füvenyestető (Covasna County, Romania)

The chipped stone collection unearthed during the 2014-2016 archaeological excavations from the Copper Age settlement at Malnaş Băi was analysed from a multidisciplinary perspective. The aims were to differentiate between the processing technologies of the local rocks and of the long-distance raw materials and to assess the technological traditions that characterise their production. The elemental composition of a selected sample set of the artefacts determined using Prompt Gamma Activation analysis (PGAA) verified the presence of both local and long-distance raw materials. In addition, the PGAA results corroborated that differentiation in both categories requires further field work and comparison. Attribute analysis, typology and use-wear investigations were employed for identifying the main features of the lithic industry in each class of raw materials. These results showed that it might be possible to differentiate between two technological traditions. One of them is represented by the on-site production of small blades made of obsidian, in the Tiszapolgár and Bodrogkeresztúr specific technology. As the PGAA proved, this raw material is a long-distance commodity, but the technological structure of the assemblage suggests its local processing. The other tradition, visible in the flint (also a long-distance material, though not knapped on-site) and local raw materials, is more characteristic for the Copper Age from the east of Carpathian Mountains, meaning the production of medium-long blades through the punch technique. As for the retouching technology and the use of implements, no differentiation based on raw materials could be observed. These preliminary investigations on the chipped stone artefacts from Malnaş Băi allowed the identification of long-distance transfer of lithic materials and technologies and to address their role in the large networks that existed during the Copper Age

Going after the new without reinventing the wheel: On the necessity of learning and teaching different approaches to lithic analysis

Brazilian archaeology developed following the same phases that the discipline as a whole went through: an initial emphasis on Historical Culturalism, followed by criticism that culminated in a range of possibilities, from the indiscriminate rejection of everything that had been done before, to a more balanced stance with the incorporation of new concepts. Specifically, we can say that there was a schism between the first professional archaeologists, interested in building historical-cultural knowledge, who sought to understand artefactual variability based on the shapes and possible functions of artifacts, and a younger generation guided by the Processualist approach, who started from the principle that the diversity of stone tools would reflect the relationship between man and environment and could be understood based on the different manufacturing techniques. Over time, criticism of the use of morphological approaches led to technology becoming a supposedly superior and more suitable method of analysis for the characterization of lithic artifacts. In Brazilian archaeological research, this reasoning has been consolidated over time and, consequently, limited not only the use of other perspectives, which could be complementary to the characterization of artifacts, but also the identification of distinct cultural groups. Considering that technological analysis understands that there are several steps involved in the manufacturing process of lithic tools and that the development of these activities occurs in an orderly manner, within a certain time and space, we present in this article some approaches that deal with the notion of Models of Sequence (Bleed 2001). The main objective is to show that even if they consider the development of activities as a process that occurs in an orderly manner, similar concepts are not necessarily substantially identical. To begin the discussion about the different approaches, we first deal with the French method called chaîne opératoire, certainly the most recognized in Brazil. Possibly, its establishment in Brazilian literature is due to successive years of teaching, learning and reproduction of key concepts, without major investment in improving and applying other methods. To this end, we discuss the North American-influenced analysis model called Reduction Sequence, exploring basic concepts capable of differentiating it from the French school. Next, we present the method called Minimum Analytical Nodule Analysis, an approach focused on the macroscopic observation of the raw material, operationalized in a very similar way to the refitting method. Subsequently, we explored the Japanese concept called Gihō, aimed at analysing laminar industries. In conclusion, we draw a parallel between these approaches, showing that some of them require a specific context to be applied or even that their inferences will only be possible in the long term and from dense collections

La talla bipolar en la base regional de recursos líticos: Estudio comparativo entre los núcleos de las costas Atlánticas Pampeana y de Patagonia Centro-Septentrional (Argentina)

Several authors argue that bipolar technology is an expeditious and versatile strategy, efficient for the reduction of small nodules. However, few studies analyze the use of bipolar reduction in relation to the lithic environmental supply. At the Pampean and Patagonian maritime coast, the technique has been widely recorded and seems to be conspicuous in indigenous populations that occupied coastal areas. With the aim of assessing and comparing the application of bipolar reduction 196 nuclei recovered from sites of diverse chronologies in the Pampean and northcentral Patagonian coasts were analyzed. The use of the bipolar technique was observed in relation to the lithic environmental structure, the size of nodules and their raw material. The results revealed high frequencies of bipolar nuclei at the Pampean coast (87%) and moderate frequencies at the northcentral Patagonian coast (39%). It was determined that the variables that influenced the application of bipolar techniques the most were the small size of the nodules and their rounded shape, generally thick, and without flat surfaces. As for raw material quality, the technique was applied on good to medium quality rocks at the Pampean coast, while in the northcentral coast it was exclusively applied on pebbles and cobbles of superior qualities (very good to excellent). The differences observed are most likely linked with technological choices made by different coastal populations to make the best use of widely available local rocks.La técnica bipolar es una de las primeras técnicas de talla lítica en la historia de la humanidad. Ha sido registrado en sitios arqueológicos de diferentes partes del mundo y de diferentes épocas. Distintas posturas se dieron en relación con las probables causas por las cuales los grupos humanos del pasado lo emplearon, atribuyendo su aplicación a características físicas y naturales de los recursos líticos y a factores sociales relacionados con preferencias estilísticas y tradiciones culturales. Este trabajo presenta los resultados del análisis comparativo de 196 núcleos líticos recuperados en 14 sitios arqueológicos de distinta cronología y sectores de la costa pampeana (entre el Cabo Corrientes y la desembocadura del río Quequén Salado) y la costa centro norte de Patagónica (entre Arroyo Verde y Bahía Cracker). El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la aplicación de la talla bipolar en ambas áreas y explorar tendencias espaciales y temporales en el uso de esta técnica en otros sectores de la costa atlántica continental desde la provincia de Buenos Aires hasta la provincia de Santa Cruz. Se evaluó el uso de la técnica bipolar en relación con la estructura ambiental lítica, el tamaño de los nódulos y la materia prima. Los núcleos proporcionan información sobre las primeras etapas de la explotación de materias primas líticas para la elaboración de los instrumentos, es decir, la selección inicial y la reducción de los nódulos. La metodología de estudios consistió en muestreos sistemáticos de rocas y el análisis tecnológico de los núcleos. Para el análisis de los núcleos bipolares se registró el tipo de materia prima, el grado de modificación del nódulo original, la longitud, el ancho y el grosor máximos, y la proporción de corteza en cada artefacto. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron altas frecuencias de núcleos bipolares en la costa pampeana (87%) y frecuencias moderadas en la costa norte patagónica central (39%). Se determinó que las variables que más influyeron en la aplicación de la técnica bipolar fueron el pequeño tamaño de los nódulos y su forma redondeada, generalmente espesa y sin superficies planas. En cuanto a la calidad de la materia prima, la técnica se aplicó en rocas de buena a mediana calidad en la costa pampeana, mientras que en la costa norte central se aplicó exclusivamente en rodados de cualidades superiores (muy buenas a excelentes). Se determinó que el registro de la talla bipolar es variable entre los diferentes sectores a lo largo de la costa pampena y patagónica. En el litoral marítimo de la provincia de Buenos Aires la talla bipolar se aplicó en rodados pequeños de basalto mientras que en el sector de la costa norte de Patagonia central se usó en guijarros de basalto y sílice. En el sector costero de Santa Cruz la talla bipolar se aplicó en guijarros de muy alta a excelente calidad, algunos no locales (como la obsidiana) y en otros de disponibilidad local pero limitada (como xilópalos y rocas oscuras de grano fino). Las diferencias observadas probablemente estén vinculadas con elecciones tecnológicas realizados por diferentes grupos de cazadores-recolectores para un mejor aprovechamiento de las rocas locales ampliamente disponibles

On foot, by boat: Distribution methods of raw materials suitable for lithics in Central Europe in c. 4900-3400 BCE

Thanks to long-term efforts to identify the stone raw materials of Neolithic lithics, a dataset of the proportional raw material composition at Neolithic settlements for the eastern part of Bohemia and the Morava River Basin in Central Europe has been created, which can be analysed in the period c. 4900-3400 BCE The focus of this study is on four issues: (1) the chronological evolution of the mode of distribution of the raw materials of lithics and its relation to settlement dynamics; (2) the relationship between the rate of imported raw materials and settlement density; (3) the importance of navigable rivers for the long-distance transport of raw materials; and (4) a comparison of the spatial distribution of stone raw materials and ‘archaeological cultures’. In terms of chronological variations in distributional structures, it is clear that population size was an important factor affecting extra-regional distribution, particularly when compared with settlement numbers and radiocarbon density. In contrast, settlement density was not a determinant of the occurrence of imported raw materials. Navigable rivers are an important factor in the transport of goods, which is represented in the archaeological record by stone raw materials. The most evident relationship between imported raw materials and navigable rivers is in c. 4800-4500 BCE. At the end of the period under study, the construction of fortified hillforts is a significant social phenomenon, which, despite the problematic find circumstances of lithics, suggests a change in the distribution pattern. The presence of archaeological cultures (ceramic style) cannot be an explanatory factor for the changes in the distribution of stone raw materials, as the changes in internal and extra-regional distribution are not related to its changes

Connecting arrowheads: Differential transmission of information at the dawn of the Bronze Age

The study of the relationships between prehistoric social groups is one of the main targets in present day archaeology. A useful tool to entangle this issue is social network analysis (SNA). Some of the advantages brought by this mathematic approach refer to the possibility of studying relationships through the material culture items, or its capability to integrate different scales of analysis (macro-micro). Moreover, SNA combined with the application of bayesian statistical methods of chronological attribution can create long range diachronic series of relational information, connected with prehistoric social groups dynamics. This methodology enables archaeologists to study archaeological big data from a totally different perspective, not only focused on a descriptive or morphometric point of view. The objective of this work is to apply an SNA procedure, together with a recently developed bayesian tool of chronological attribution, to archaeological sites located in the East of the Iberian Peninsula during the 4th and 3rd millennium cal. BCE using chert arrowheads as an archaeological proxy, due to the chronologic implications their morphology has, in the referred geographic frame. It is our specific target to analyse the transition between the Bell-Beaker world and the Bronze Age, through the differential transmission of information and the time-space variability present in the archaeological record, through the study of relationships between chert arrowheads assemblages. In order to do so, we will build a relational framework between the social communities present in the Late Neolithic-Copper Age through the chert arrowheads morphologic typologies, and we will apply SNA to characterize the resulting networks. Furthermore, we will propose a new metric to quantify the cultural fragmentation using community detection algorithms, in a diachronic axis, to identify groups of sites with homogeneous technological behaviour, to check the initial hypothesis which points to the existence of periods of cultural homogeneity followed by others in which fragmentation-regionalization is dominant

The lithic assemblages from the Palaeolithic survey research in the Megalopolis Basin, Greece

An intensive, target-oriented surface survey conducted in the Megalopolis basin during 2012-2013 led to the discovery of several Palaeolithic sites and findspots with lithics and faunal remains, including Marathousa-1, a Lower Palaeolithic open-air elephant-butchering site, dated to ca. 400-500 ka BP. This study presents the results from the techno-typological analysis of 413 lithic artefacts collected as surface or stratified finds during the survey research. The aim of the work is to evaluate the diachronic occupation of the area in relation to the lithic technologies used, the typology of the artefacts, and the raw materials exploited. It was possible to provide a chrono-cultural attribution of 167 artefacts, ranging from the Lower Palaeolithic to the Holocene, with a significant component of the collection attributed to the Middle Palaeolithic. Several diagnostic retouched tools allow us to infer that the open-air sites were occupied comparatively more intensively during the Middle Palaeolithic period. We also provide a detailed account of the lithic assemblage from Kavia cave, a previously unstudied site identified during the survey. The high frequency of artefacts pertaining to the Upper Palaeolithic in Kavia is in line with previously identified settlement and mobility patterns of the Peloponnese, where the occupation of caves becomes more intensive from the Upper Palaeolithic onward, as attested at the sites of Klissoura, Kephalari, and Franchthi. The Upper Palaeolithic component from Kavia Cave adds new data to a meagre sample of known sites from this period. The results from the typological and technological analysis of the lithic assemblages collected during the survey in Megalopolis support the conclusions of the basin\u27s long-term and ongoing research, indicating a relatively continuous hominin presence during the Pleistocene