Basalt Handaxes: Preliminarily Testing the Lithic Translation Strategy Hypothesis and Comparisons with the Fontana Ranuccio Site Bifacial Tools

The oldest bifacial “handaxes” known so far belong to the “Kokiselei 4” site, dated to 1.76 Ma (West Turkana, Kenya; Texier, 2018). They have been manufactured by direct lithic percussion on magmatic effusive stone materials. Considering that the evolution of “fully operational intelligence” (Wynn, 1979) has been associated with the so-called “Mode 2” chaîne opératoire, it seems interesting to verify the potential adaptive meaning of selecting scarcely isotropic stones. This techno-behavioural approach, somehow similar to the so-called “lithic translation strategy” (Chelidonio, 1997), is a preliminary hypothesis that could be applied to the Fontana Ranuccio handaxes (458 ka BP, Latium/central Italy). In this very peculiar Acheulean assemblage, a few bifacial tools were manufactured using local “lava”1 (Biddittu, 1993, p. 58); others were roughly manufactured by flaking off thick elephant bones (Pereira et al., 2018). The above hypothesis has been preliminarily tested by experimenting the “Mode 2” techno-evolutionary step on some basalt samples at my disposal, to verify symmetrical flaking results applied to non-vitreous or non-cherty stones. Obviously, it is advisable to perform future tests on the basalt-like material available in the Fontana Ranuccio area, to adequately assess the techno-behavioural meaning of this peculiar lithic assemblage

Aux origines du vin. Du mythe à la recherche archéologique

Archaeological discoveries (plant remains, installations for the production of wine, containers for its consumption and its storage, representations of libations) draw the first steps of viticulture. The first evidence of cultivated Vitis in Asia minor is dated between the late 7th and early 6th millennium BC. It is preceded by the gathering of wild fruits and plants paradomestication to ensure improved production of grapes. Integration of the vineyard in agricultural systems was consolidated in the urban societies of the Middle East, in the middle of the 4th millennium. The Aegean civilizations will serve as a bridge between the Western and Eastern Mediterranean and contribute to the spreading of wine within a ritual and symbolic framework. In Central and Northern Italy, available data indicate the passage from gathering to wine agriculture as a result of local experiments and external influences.Les découvertes archéologiques (restes végétaux, installations pour la production du vin, récipients pour la consommation et le stockage, représentations de libations) permettent de tracer les premiers pas de la viticulture, un processus entamé en Asie mineure entre la fin du VIIe et le début du VIe millénaire av. J.-C., où apparaissent les premières évidences de Vitis cultivée. Il est précédé par la cueillette de fruits sauvages et la para-domestication des plantes en vue d’assurer une production améliorée du raisin. L’intégration du vignoble aux systèmes agricoles se consolide au sein des sociétés urbaines du Moyen-Orient, au milieu du IVe millénaire. Les civilisations égéennes serviront de trait d’union entre la Méditerranée orientale et occidentale et contribueront à la diffusion du vin dans un cadre rituel et symbolique. Les données à disposition en Italie centrale et septentrionale indiquent, elles aussi, le passage de la cueillette à l’agriculture viticole entre expérimentations locales et influences exogènes.Chelidonio Giorgio. Aux origines du vin. Du mythe à la recherche archéologique. In: Le Globe. Revue genevoise de géographie, tome 155, 2015. L’invention de l’agriculture. pp. 65-86

Elementi di tecnica campignana nel territorio vicentino a partire da un nuovo rinvenimento a Monte Faedo

The so called "campignan" techno-typology is part of Holocene facies. No functional studies are known, but the hypothesis of its use to cut wood prevails. Furthermore, its diffusion coincides with areas very rich in flint; it seems, therefore, linked to environmental adaptations. Particularly important are the "tranchet", a flint axe-like bifacial tool characterized by a cutting end produced with a double-sided detachment, which determines a functional profile similar to the ground axes. The discovery of a typical tranchet in Monte Faedo (Monte di Malo, Vicenza) suggests new considerations on their diffusion

The Lower and Middle Palaeolithic settlements in the Baldo-Lessini mountains. Results from a GIS investigation

On the Monti Lessini and the Monte Baldo, two mountain areas of the Veneto Pre-Alps, studies grounded on human ecology, landscape use and site catchment analysis are still sparse or standing at a preliminary state. A factor of bias is the limitation of the archaeological record that was subject to many paleoenvironment processes, compromising its conservation, with substantial loss of information in the open-air sites. In order to shed light on the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic settlements in these sectors we apply GIS analysis of location features, as a support provided by the methodological innovation in archaeological research. The analysis is significant for the comprehension of territoriality and also provides tools available for the protection of archaeological and cultural heritage in these areas. Site location preferences are the result of a complex decision-making process. Using a methodology based on territorial and employment parameters, already successfully applied in other contributions, the results obtained are key issues in the understanding of subsistence strategies, territorial occupation and settlement patterns during the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic

Économie et société de la fin de la Préhistoire : Actualité de la recherche

Les 7e Rencontres méridionales de Préhistoire récente, tenues à Bron, sur le campus de l'Université Lumière-Lyon 2, les 3 et 4 novembre 2006, ont réuni plus de 150 préhistoriens venus du Sud de la France et des régions alentour. Ces Rencontres biennales représentent le lien majeur de la communauté des chercheurs pour les périodes allant du Mésolithique à l'Âge du Bronze dans la moitié sud de la France. Les Actes présentés ici regroupent 24 contributions réparties en deux sections : l'actualité de la recherche, présentant les principaux résultats des fouilles et programmes récents, et le thème spécifique choisi pour cette session « Économie et société à la fin de la Préhistoire ». Cette thématique large est abordée au fil de 9 contributions très ciblées portant sur les économies de subsistance, de production et d'échange ainsi que sur l'analyse de structures immobilières qui en témoignent, où l'on voit que l'idéel et le matériel ne sont jamais très éloignés dans ces sociétés du passé