Raw material studies of the Paleolithic record from Hadži Prodanova pećina in Serbia

Abstract

The site of Hadži Prodanova Pećina is a cave located in the western part of Serbia in central Balkans. Excavations of this Palaeolithic site, carried out in the early 2000s, revealed a small collection of artefacts corresponding to Gravettian and Mousterian contexts. The aim of this paper is to present petroarchaeological study of lithic assemblages and its importance for the reconstruction of behavior in the past. First results of the petrological identification of the artefacts revealed presence of quartzite, quartz, chert and silicified rocks as raw materials for their production with non-identical representation in different Palaeolithic contexts. Analysis of the geological features of the cave’s surroundings, however, shows only a limited occurrence of knappable materials. The possibility to exploit primary and secondary deposits within the local zone was examined. The procurement area, mobility and dispersion of operational sequence were also considered. The results suggest that there is a distinct interdependence among the raw material availability, the site occupation duration and the structure of the lithic assemblages. Raw material studies of Middle and Upper Palаeolithic contexts will be presented first, followed by a comparison of general outlines of raw material economy patterns proposed for both periods.The 31th European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting (Interwined pasts), Belgrade Virtual, 2-6 September 2025 - Saopštenje sa međunarodnog skupa štampano u izvod