Les restes litiques en contextos arqueològics: estudi, interpretació i aplicacions

Dossier que intenta ser un reflex del panorama actual dels estudis i les interpretacions de les restes lítiques, i en el qual es recullen algunes propostes alternatives. Per motius obvis, la selecció que s'ofereix no és exhaustiva (tampoc ho pretén); sinó més aviat il.lustrativa de la realitat a la qual es fa referència. COTA ZERO ha volgut oferir un dossier coherent, amb un conjunt de treballs representatius d'una sèrie d'enfocaments i línies de recerca noves que actualment s'estan portant a terme en l'estudi de les restes lítiques i que permeten fer una nova interpretació d'aquestes, alhora que eis atorga un major contingut econòmic i social i, també, una major capacitat d'explicació històrica.Peer reviewe

Use of galena in the Neolithic of North-Western Iberia

Neolithic is a period characterized by the development of new technologies and a broader use of organic and inorganic materials. Some of the metallic minerals were used for making ornaments and pigments before their use as metals (copper or iron ores are a clear example of this exploitation). Galena (lead sulfide) is not usually mentioned in this period, but a new research find a frequent presence of blocks of galena since the Early Neolithic in several Catalan sites. Just in one case was found as a grave-good (female grave in Masdervenger, Tarragona), but most of them come from domestic context. Galena is not a good material to be worked using knapping methods due to its cubic crystals and fracture properties: one of the striking features is a fine cleavage. Nor does it have properties that make possible to use it as a fire starter, to generate a spark. However, its metallic luster and weight could attract the attention of the people. This early contact with galena however did not drive to a metallic use of lead. It is intriguing the fact that lead beads were common (hundreds) in southern France Chalcolithic, where a similar pattern of galena use during the Neolithic (since Early Chasséen) is also known; on the contrary just only one lead bead was found in Catalonia (Cova de L'Heura, Tarragona) and ist lead isotope signature matches the local lead mines. This paper includes a provenance study by Lead Isotope Analysis (using MC-ICP-MS ) to understand the local pattern of exploitation of galena, with the Molar-Belmunt-Falset mines in Tarragona and The Martorell/Begues mines in Barcelona as the main and only areas supplying the galena during the Neolithic.Peer reviewe

Red Temática “Estudio de la disponibilidad de rocas silíceas para la producción de instrumental lítico en la prehistoria”

III Reunión de trabajo sobre aprovisionamiento de recursos abióticos en la prehistoria, celebrada en Loja (Granada) en 2004.La contribución que aporta este trabajo puede resultar un tanto peculiar al no corresponder a la presentación de los resultados obtenidos a partir del estudio de un registro arqueológico particular. Se trata más bien de presentar una iniciativa reciente, que tiene que ver con el diseño de una estrategia colectiva de investigación en torno a la explotación prehistórica de recursos abióticos de naturaleza silícea en el marco del nordeste peninsular.Peer reviewe