SiLiBA: Building the geological chert lithotheque

Lithotheques collect and exhibit raw material used by human communities for the manufacturing of objects during the Prehistory and represents an important tool of their knowledge. These collections are essential in the procuring and provenance study of archaeological lithic industries. This paper aims, firstly, to introduce SiLiBA, the lithotheque of the Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences Department of the University of Bari Aldo Moro (Italy), as reference collection in the archaeological field studies, and secondly to propose guidelines and rules to build a lithotheque. The collection consists of about 900 pieces of geological cherts, which are the result of an expanded collecting action of primary and secondary cherts across Italy (Apulia, Basilicata, Sicily), Croatia, and Switzerland, belonging to formations from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary Period. All the chert samples were described according to the non-destructive multiparametric protocol for chert investigation (NM-PCI), providing a modular dataset of binary, ordinal and continuous variables which integrates petrographycal, micropaleontological, chemical and physical data. Such results were summarized in suitable reports, with also geographic coordinates, geological description and photographic documentation, in a digital database, which will be soon online. Cherts are grouped in 37 suitable boxes, following geographic hierarchical organisation and reporting informative labels. Some representative samples are exposed in the Earth Sciences Museum of the same University. Furthermore, the lithotheque is equipped by a dedicated laboratory which includes optical microscopes, a glossmeter and a spectrophotocolorimeter. The promotion in the last years was guaranteed by dissemination activities for educational and academic communities, including an interactive laboratory of experimental archaeology

Archeologia mineraria della selce nella preistoria: definizioni, potenzialità e prospettive della ricerca

L'opera rappresenta una precisa risposta a quegli indirizzi di studio emersi nel corso del V ciclo di lezioni tenuto presso la Certosa di Pontignano (settembre 1991) nell'ambito dei seminari di studio (Summer School) promossi dalla Sezione di Archeologia dell'Università di Siena presso la quale i due Autori svolgono attività di docenza e di ricerca. L'intento del presente lavoro è di delineare alcune importanti problematiche legate all'estrazione della selce durante il Neolitico secondo un processo che, iniziando con l'individuazione dei depositi di materiale litico, si concludeva con l'estrazione mediante lo scavo in galleria o in pozzi "a cielo aperto". Assai interessante la parte relativa alla ricerca sul campo volta all'individuazione delle strutture minerarie preistoriche, alle ipotesi sui sistemi di coltivazione, alla definizione degli strumenti di lavoro e infine alle tecniche e mezzi del trasporto dei minerali. Gli Autori si soffermano anche a evidenziare le potenzialità della ricerca e quali prospettive offra l'approfondimento dello studio della materia

Risultati dei recenti scavi nella grotta del Sambuco (Massa Marittima)

Risultati delle ultime ricerche a Grotta del Sambuco- Studi sull'industria litica rinvenut

The mousterian site of Montemiletto (Avellino, Italy)

Si espongono i risultati delle ricerche, riguardo agli scavi alla stratigrafia, la sedimentologia e alla industria litica, nel giacimento di Montemiletto (AV). Si tratta di una frattura beante il cui riempimento è probabilmente avvenuto in un breve arco di tempo e comprende tre momenti principali di sedimentazione: sedimenti fini (argille) nella parte più bassa, grossolani (sabbie) nella parte mediana e ancora fini (limi) in quella alta. L'industria litica, raccolta in tutti i livelli, e omogenea nell'intera serie, è riferita ad un Musteriano a denticolati, caratterizzato da una scarsa varietà di tipi; in genere su scheggia piatta; di tecnica debolmente levallois.Results of researches in the layer of Montemiletto (AV) are referred about the excavation, the stratigraphy, the sedimentology and lithic industry. It is the filling, happened in a short time, of an open fracture; three stages of sedimentation are recognized: fine sediments (clay) are in the lower portion; sand in the median level and fine sediments (slime) in the high ones. The lithic industry, gathered in every levels, is of a Mousterian type, on thin flats, with a high proportion of Denticulates and low kind of other instruments

Siliba: Building the Geological Chert Lithoteque

Collections of lithic materials constitute a valuable heritage, since collect and exhibit raw materials used in prehistory and represent a powerful tool of knowledge of human civilizations. In this perspective and in order to reach these objectives, the Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences of the University of Bari Aldo Moro (Italy) is building a lithotheque of about 1200 pieces of geological and archaeological cherts, both from outcrops, sites and mines, collected in the Gargano Promontory since the late 80’s of the last century by the archaeological team of Siena University (Basili et al., 1995). The geological section is now the result of an expanded collecting of primary and secondary cherts across Italy (Apulia, Basilicata, Sicily), Croatia, Serbia, Switzerland and Iraqi Kurdistan, belonging to formations from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary Period. Cherts are stored in suitable containers and the most representative samples are exposed in the Earth Sciences Museum of the University of Bari Aldo Moro. Furthermore, the lithoteque boasts a dedicated laboratory which includes optical microscopes, a glossmeter and a spectrophotocolorimeter. Almost all the samples were described according to the non-destructive multiparametric protocol for chert investigation (NM-PCI), providing a modular dataset of binary, ordinal and continuous variables which integrates petrographical, micropaleontological, chemical and physical data (Delluniversità et al., 2019). Such results were summarized in suitable reports which additionally display the geographic coordinates of all the sampling points, after processed by GIS software. All the photographic documentation and the produced data are included in a digital database, which will be soon online. The involvement in an Italian-French project (GALILEO 2019) aimed at identifying the chert sources between Tyrrhenian and Adriatic and harmonizing the methodological approaches for the study of chert. The promotion of the lithotheque in the last years was guaranteed by dissemination activities, such as the museum route “Dalla roccia al manufatto” created in 2018 at the Earth Sciences Museum of the same University, included an exhibition of the most significant SiLiBA samples and also an interactive laboratory of experimental archaeology

Mining landscape and mines. integrating digital aerial photogrammetry and geophysical prospecting in Gargano area (Italy)

The aim of this paper is to illustrate the results of a national research project devoted to studying both features of a prehistoric fl int mining landscape and underground mines not visible, or partially visible, on the surface. The geographical context of the project is the promontory of Gargano (south-eastern Italy), where an extraordinary abundance of fl int is associated with evidence of numerous extraction complexes (underground mines). According to the available data, the mines cover a time-span of almost three thousand years; the most important of them is the Defensola A mine, the oldest in Europe and active from roughly 5800 BC onwards. Unlike other European prehistoric mining complexes, mine entrances in Gargano are generally located on convex slopes, and have often produced extremely large cone-shaped spoil heaps outside. This suggested a method of investigation based on digital aerial photogrammetry. A DGPS survey was executed to measure ground control points, to be used for the external orientation of the photographs, as well as to obtain precise positions of the main known mines. Thanks to the stereo-interpretation it was possible to recognize key geological beds, such as limestone rich in fl int, and possible ancient entrances to mines. Sometimes anthropogenic covers (dumps and alluvial fans) near the mines were also recognized and interpreted as evidence of quarrying activity. A second level of investigation used geophysical surveys. These can determine the internal layout of each mining structure of which only the entrance is known. Moreover, geophysical prospection allowed us to verify the presence of new mining structures in cases where one or a few vertical shafts are present, which generally indicates the presence of larger mining complexes. The archaeological features of the area suggested to perform additional surveys using other geophysical methods: resistivity and ground penetrating radar. This multi-method approach allowed us to check the data from several independent measurements and to increase the amount of geometrical and physical information that can be used for the interpretation