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Posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća arheologija soli se razvila u dinamično istraživačko područje koje je usmjereno na proučavanje različitih arheoloških, povijesnih i etnografskih podataka koji svjedoče o metodama eksploatacije slanih resursa, praksama konzumacije i društvene uloge soli u prošlosti. U arheološkom pogledu, proučavanje soli vrlo je komplicirano s obzirom da se sol vrlo rijetko sačuva u arheološkom kontekstu. Pojava slanih ležišta u tekućem stanju zahtijevala je dodatan proces prirodne ili prisilne evaporacije koji je omogućavao stvaranje potpuno kristaliziranog slanog produkta. Postupak prisilnog isušivanja temelji se na upotrebi karakterističnih predmeta – podupirača, struktura i spremnika izrađenim od pečene gline koji su pod zajedničkim nazivom poznati kao briquetage (briketaž). Usprkos tradicionalnom mišljenju da se briketaž pojavljuje isključivo u kontinentalnom okružju, gdje postoje brojni slani izvori, recentni nalazi s mediteranskih obala pokazuju da je ista tehnologija mogla biti jednako produktivna i na onim područjima za koje se smatra da su sol primarno i tradicionalno dobivala solarnim isušivanjem. Među spomenuta mjesta odsad se mogu pridodati i nalazišta na istočnoj jadranskoj obali, u podvelebitskom primorju, gdje obilna arheološka građa svjedoči o intenzivnoj regionalnoj proizvodnji soli u kasnoj prapovijesti. Karakteristična koncentracija, gustoća i količina proizvodnog otpada ukazali su na postojanje proizvodnih središta čije je mjesto u zanatskom krajoliku pažljivo odabrano temeljem brojnih preduvjeta. Briketaž se sastoji od dvije osnovne kategorije: podupirači i recipijenti za prosušivanje, a njihova iscrpna tipološka, tehnološka i funkcionalna analiza pokazala je specifične karakteristike po kojima se jasno razlikuju od druge svakodnevne prapovijesne keramike. Tehnološki aspekti velebitske proizvodnje soli mogu se pravilno razmotriti pomoću lanca operacija razlikujući pet faza koje su međusobno povezane i u interakciji su s društvenim kontekstom u kojem su se odvijale. Standardizacija alata i produkata važan je dokaz o društvenoj organizaciji proizvodnje kao specijaliziranog zanata koji je na primjeru podvelebitske proizvodnje soli analiziran pomoću četiri osnovna parametra: konteksta, koncentracije, stupnja i intenziteta. Gledajući u cjelini, arheološki nalazi impliciraju istaknuto značenje proizvodnje, konzumacije i uloge soli u društveno-ekonomskim aspektima prapovijesnih zajednica Velebita. The archaeology of salt in Europe has been rapidly developing as a dynamic and innovative research field focused on the study of various archaeological, historical and ethnographic data that testify to the methods of exploitation of salt resources, consumption practices and socioecenomic role of salt in past societies. From an archaeological point of view, the study of salt is very complicated, considering that salt is very rarely preserved in archaeological context. The appearance of salt deposits in a liquid form (sea or spring water) required a process of natural or artificial evaporation for making a crystallized product. The process of artificial evaporation is based on the use of characteristic objects - ceramic pedestrals and containers, generally known as briquetage. Recent finds from Mediterannean coasts of France, Spain anf Italy have produced evidence that briquetage techniques have not been exclusively limited to continental environments. Hitherto unkown sites on Velebit littoral, a part of the eastern Adriatic coast beneath the long coastal range of Velebit mountain, provide additional arguments in that direction. Abundant archaeological record suggests the intensive regional salt-production in late prehistory. The characteristic concentration, density and amount of production waste indicates the location of production centers whose spatial pattern in craft landscape was defined by different factors. Velebit briquetage consists of two basic categories: pedestals and clay containers. Typological, technological and functional analysis has shown specific characteristics that make them clearly different from other prehistoric ceramics. The technological aspects of Velebit salt production can be properly considered by chaîne opératoire consisting of five phases. The standardization of tools and products indicates specialised production, which was analysed using four basic parameters: context, concentration, scale and intensity.

Este artículo presenta nuevas evidencias de especialización artesanal en el Coclé prehispánico a través de un conjunto de platos encontrados en Sitio Conte (PN-5) durante la primera mitad del siglo XX. Los análisis de variabilidad muestran una uniformidad similar entre los platos de Sitio Conte y las cerámicas coetáneas del vecino yacimiento de El Caño (NA-20), que fue interpretada como prueba indirecta de especialización artesanal en la zona. Los resultados de los análisis estadísticos de ambos conjuntos cerámicos evidencian una homogeneidad en las medias de las dimensiones de los recipientes que podría sustentar la hipótesis de que fueron los mismos artesanos quienes participaron en su manufactura. ENGLISH: New Evidence of Craft Specialization in the Chiefdoms of Río Grande, Panama (AD 780–1000). This paper presents new evidence of craft specialization in pre-Hispanic Coclé through a set of plates found at Sitio Conte (PN-5) in the first half of the 20th century. The variability analyses show a similar uniformity between the plates from Sitio Conte and the coetaneous pottery from the neighboring site of El Caño (NA-20), which was interpreted as an indirect evidence of craft specialization in the area. The results of the statistical analyses of both ceramic assemblages show a homogeneity in the mean dimensions of the vessels, which could support the hypothesis that the same artisans participated in their manufacture.

Este art��culo presenta nuevas evidencias de especializaci��n artesanal en el Cocl�� prehisp��nico a trav��s de un conjunto de platos encontrados en Sitio Conte (PN-5) durante la primera mitad del siglo XX. Los an��lisis de variabilidad muestran una uniformidad similar entre los platos de Sitio Conte y las cer��micas coet��neas del vecino yacimiento de El Ca��o (NA-20), que fue interpretada como prueba indirecta de especializaci��n artesanal en la zona. Los resultados de los an��lisis estad��sticos de ambos conjuntos cer��micos evidencian una homogeneidad en las medias de las dimensiones de los recipientes que podr��a sustentar la hip��tesis de que fueron los mismos artesanos quienes participaron en su manufactura. ENGLISH: New Evidence of Craft Specialization in the Chiefdoms of R��o Grande, Panama (AD 780���1000). This paper presents new evidence of craft specialization in pre-Hispanic Cocl�� through a set of plates found at Sitio Conte (PN-5) in the first half of the 20th century. The variability analyses show a similar uniformity between the plates from Sitio Conte and the coetaneous pottery from the neighboring site of El Ca��o (NA-20), which was interpreted as an indirect evidence of craft specialization in the area. The results of the statistical analyses of both ceramic assemblages show a homogeneity in the mean dimensions of the vessels, which could support the hypothesis that the same artisans participated in their manufacture.

The development of the economic activities inherent to the establishment of Neolithic farming activities entails an increasing technical specialization. This is often visible through the exploitation of specific resources, the development of suitable techniques for the manufacture of consumption goods as well as new ways of using and consuming them. We briefly present the main features of the technical productions carried out by the first Neolithic populations in the northeast of Iberia, trying to characterize the technical knowledge spent on all of them and making their signs of specialization clear., [FR] Le développement des activités économiques inhérent à l’implantation des activités agricoles et d’élevage du Néolithique entraîne une spécialisation technique croissante. Cela se traduit souvent par l’exploitation de ressources spécifiques, le développement de techniques appropriées pour la fabrication de biens de consommation, et de nouvelles façons de les utiliser et de les consommer. Nous présentons brièvement les principales caractéristiques des productions techniques réalisées par les premières populations néolithiques du nord-est de la péninsule ibérique, en essayant de caractériser les connaissances techniques dépensées dans chacune d’elles et en mettant en évidence leurs indications de spécialisation.

El asentamiento de Valencina de la Concepción (Sevilla, España) es un referente en la arqueología prehistórica peninsular, no solo por sus grandes tumbas, sino también por su gran magnitud. En los últimos años, la investigación ha centrado su atención en el estudio de la organización técnica y social de las primeras producciones artesanales, con especial hincapié en la metalurgia y en la manufactura de objetos de marfil. A pesar de las innumerables evidencias, solo recientemente el componente cerámico ha sido objeto de un amplio estudio que ha permitido proponer un primer modelo de organización técnica y social de la producción alfarera. La caracterización arqueométrica (análisis petrográfico y químico) y morfológica de un conjunto significativo de muestras de cerámica, y desde ahí el estudio de las distintas etapas de la cadena operativa alfarera, permite plantear la hipótesis sobre la existencia de un modelo económico y social complejo, organizado alrededor de unidades supradomésticas que evidencian un cierto grado de especialización económica., The settlement of Valencina de la Concepción (Seville, Spain) is one of the most important sites in the Iberian Prehistory, not only for its great tombs, but also due to its magnitude. In recent years, research has focused on the study of the technical and social organization of the first craft productions, with special emphasis on metallurgy and the manufacture of ivory objects. In spite of the innumerable evidences over the site, only recently the ceramic assemblage has been object of an analysis. The combination of archeometric (petrographic and chemical analysis) and morphological characterization allow us to reconstruct the different stages of the pottery production and to propose its first model of technical and social organization. The data provided by the investigation suggests the existence of a complex economic and social model, organized around supradomestic units that already show a certain degree of economic specialization., Este trabajo ha sido desarrollado en el marco de los proyectos de investigación PIGMALION HAR–210–16210 (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación) y HAR 2017–82966–P (Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad. Además, quisiéramos agradecer especialmente a D. Gonzalo Queipo de Llano y D. Daniel Lara Montero, responsables de la intervención arqueológica en el sector de Nueva Valencina, y a D. Juan Manuel Vargas Jiménez, arqueólogo municipal del Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Valencina de la Concepción, la constante y eficiente colaboración prestada, así como la cesión de materiales y registros arqueológicos para su estudio. Los agradecimientos son igualmente extensibles a D. Juan Carlos Mejías por el asesoramiento en materia de cartografía de Valencina de la Concepción.

El asentamiento de Valencina de la Concepción (Sevilla, España) es un referente en la arqueología prehistórica peninsular, no solo por sus grandes tumbas, sino también por su gran magnitud. En los últimos años, la investigación ha centrado su atención en el estudio de la organización técnica y social de las primeras producciones artesanales, con especial hincapié en la metalurgia y en la manufactura de objetos de marfil. A pesar de las innumerables evidencias, solo recientemente el componente cerámico ha sido objeto de un amplio estudio que ha permitido proponer un primer modelo de organización técnica y social de la producción alfarera. La caracterización arqueométrica (análisis petrográfico y químico) y morfológica de un conjunto significativo de muestras de cerámica, y desde ahí el estudio de las distintas etapas de la cadena operativa alfarera, permite plantear la hipótesis sobre la existencia de un modelo económico y social complejo, organizado alrededor de unidades supradomésticas que evidencian un cierto grado de especialización económica., The settlement of Valencina de la Concepción (Seville, Spain) is one of the most important sites in the Iberian Prehistory, not only for its great tombs, but also due to its magnitude. In recent years, research has focused on the study of the technical and social organization of the first craft productions, with special emphasis on metallurgy and the manufacture of ivory objects. In spite of the innumerable evidences over the site, only recently the ceramic assemblage has been object of an analysis. The combination of archeometric (petrographic and chemical analysis) and morphological characterization allow us to reconstruct the different stages of the pottery production and to propose its first model of technical and social organization. The data provided by the investigation suggests the existence of a complex economic and social model, organized around supradomestic units that already show a certain degree of economic specialization.

Studying craft specialisation in archaeology involves investigating and reconstructing how production was organised. This article focuses on prehistoric communities and asks who performed specific tasks. Ceramic specialisation is traditionally approached through models of production organisation that are largely based on ethnoarchaeological case studies and are usually difficult to link with the archaeological evidence. Based on these models, the economic framework plays a key role in associating the emergence of specialisation with the intensification of the demand for goods and identifying specialists by the amount of time required for production. This approach neglects the social value of products and the social context sustaining skills development. This article discusses surface treatments as a means to understand the skills of potters and the social values of specific ceramic products in Copper Age communities from central Italy. The methodology combines the analysis of technological traces and experimental archaeology used to infer craftspeople’s expertise and reveals differences in the chaine operatoire and skills involved in the production of domestic and funerary vessels. The results support a hypothesis of household specialisation that developed in these communities based upon differences in skills, knowledge and dedication among potters and the recurrent association of skilled productions with ritual contexts.

Kapadokya’da mesleki uzmanlaşma Paleolitiğin son evrelerinden itibaren görülmektedir. Hammadde kaynaklarına ulaşılabilirlik nedeniyle gelişen bu sıradışı erken dönem örnekler dışında iş bölümü ve tam zamanlı uzmanlaşmanın, ekonomik ve politik örgütlenmede görülen gelişmelerle bağlantılı olarak, aslında İlk Tunç Çağı’nda oluştuğu anlaşılmaktadır. Anadolu genelinde elde edilmiş çanak çömlek, maden ve mimari buluntular, bu dönemde uzmanlaşmış üretimin ne derecede kurumsallaştığını göstermektedir. Son yıllarda yapılan etnografik ve etnoarkeolojik çalışmalar, arkeolojik materyallerin üretim sürecinde meydana gelen izlerden yola çıkarak, buluntuların ait oldukları uzmanlaşmış üretim modelleri hakkında yeni yorumlar yapılmasına imkan sağlamaktadır. Bu çalışmada, değişik uzman örgütlenme modellerini yansıtabilecek üç farklı çanak çömlek türü değerlendirilmekte, etnografik ve etnoarkeolojik çalışmalarda yapılan yeni çözümlemeler ve tanımlar ışığında, İlk Tunç Çağı’nın uzman üretim örgütlenmesinin niteliğine ilişkin yorumlar yapılmaktadır., In Cappadocia, craft specialization has been observed from the end of the Paleolithic. Apart from such extraordinary early examples, which probably developed due to the local availability of raw materials, it is understood that division of labor and fulltime specialization actually occurred during the Early Bronze Age, in connection with developments in economic and political organization. In this period, pottery, metal and architectural findings throughout Anatolia show that specialized production had become more institutionalized than ever. In this study, three distinctive pottery ware groups are evaluated that reflect the specialized production models of the period. In the analysis of these ceramics, it is understood that each group reflects different production models. In this study, the nature of the organization of specialized production in the Early Bronze Age will be interpreted in light of new definitions and analysis in ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological studies.

espanolResumen: Este trabajo da cuenta de investigaciones contextuales y de experimentacion arqueologica llevadas a cabo en relacion con el rol social y ritual jugado por la manufactura de objetos de mineral de cobre (cuentas de collar, pendientes y placas, principalmente), y sus diversos contextos de uso en el salar de Atacama para el periodo Medio (ca. 400-1.000 DC). Nuestro analisis -centrado en la observacion integral de los elementos que componian los ajuares funerarios del cementerio de Quitor 6 en San Pedro de Atacama- arroja luz sobre la renovada importancia alcanzada por dicha industria durante el periodo Medio. Al mismo tiempo, revela detalles hasta aqui no conocidos sobre la especializacion y distribucion diferencial de la manufactura lapidaria al interior de la sociedad atacamena. Mediante la aplicacion de la experimentacion arqueologica se ha establecido la funcion original de un artefacto de madera, el cual constituia la base o soporte utilizado especificamente para perforar cuentas. Se presenta ademas nueva informacion acerca de ciertos gestos rituales de la funebria asociados al mineral de cobre, datos que refuerzan el vinculo especial que durante miles de anos existio entre dicho mineral, las comunidades atacamenas (ayllus) y los objetos ofrendados a sus ancestros o divinidades. Consideramos que el conjunto de evidencias constituye una base solida para plantear que la poblacion enterrada en el cementerio Quitor 6 pudo corresponder a un grupo especializado en la manufactura lapidaria en mineral de cobre. EnglishAbstract: This article presents the results of contextual research and archaeological experimentation carried out in relation to the social and ritual role played by the manufacture of copper ore objects (beads, pendants and plaques, mainly), and their various contexts of use in the Atacama salt flat for the Middle Horizon (ca. 400-1000AD). Our analysis - focused on the comprehensive observation of the elements that made up the burial offerings of Quitor 6 cemetery in San Pedro de Atacama - throws light on the renewed importance gained by this industry during the Middle Horizon. At the same time, it reveals hitherto unknown details about the specialization and differential distribution of lapidary manufacture within the Atacamenian society. Through the application of archaeological experimentation, the original function of a wooden artifact has been established, which turns out to be the base or support used specifically for the drilling of beads. New information is also presented about certain funerary ritual gestures associated with copper ore, data that reinforce the special bond that existed for thousands of years between the mineral, the Atacamenian communities (ayllus) and the objects offered to their ancestors or deities. We consider that this set of evidence strongly suggests that the population buried in Quitor 6 cemetery could correspond to a group specialized in copper ore lapidary manufacture.

La cerámica encontrada en las tumbas de El Caño comparte el mismo estilo que la producida en las llanuras aluviales de la región en los siglos comprendidos entre el 700 y 1000 d.C. Los datos de los coeficientes de variabilidad de las diferentes formas analizadas evidencian distintos valores de estandarización en la producción de la vajilla polícroma y la no polícroma. Los contextos funerarios excavados recientemente en el Caño indican además que la producción de cerámica polícroma era controlada por una élite. Este control sobre la producción de ciertos bienes sugiere que estos fueron clave en el desarrollo de las jefaturas en el istmo de Panamá y marca la fase de esplendor de la cultura coclesana. The pottery found in the burials of El Cano is uniform in style to these made in the coclesanos valleys between 700 and 1000 AD. The coefficient of variability of the different pottery forms, evidence diverse standardizations values for polychrome and non-polychrome ceramics. Moreover, data of funerary contexts from the Cano recently excavated, suggest that elite has controlled ceramic production. This control over the production of certain goods reveals that these were important in the support or proper operational of the chiefdoms in Panama and mark the phase of splendour of this culture.

The papers assembled in this volume were given at the University of Namur on 25 March 2011, at the first session of the Société Préhistorique Française to be held outside France. The Société Préhistorique Française is currently raising its international profile and the organisation of the session in Belgium is a contribution to this development. Craft specialisation in later prehistory is a complex subject. The diverse meanings of the concept of specialization, together with the different social and economic implications linked to its appearance, indeed form a research issue that requires much discussion. The presence of craft specialisation has particularly been used to assess levels of social complexity, with reference to the historical question of the emergence of complex societies, social hierarchy and cities. During this round-table, we deliberately set aside the issue of relationships between levels of specialisation and social organization. We have mainly focussed on the archaeological methods and the objective criteria that can be used for differentiating technical activities, their organization and their possible differences of status during later prehistory. With regard to the abundant literature relating to a wide range of archaeological or ethnographical assemblages and contexts, this foreword considers the theoretical framework for approaching technical specialisation. In fact there is hardly any general typology for the different forms of specialisation. This may be explained by the large variety of craft activities considered for the periods in question and by the diverging quantitative and/ or qualitative criteria taken into account for their characterization. The round-table’s contribution to this debate is thus the analysis of assemblages from later prehistoric contexts with possible evidence for specialisation, involving various technical systems. The identification of possible regularities through the analysis of specific cases can provide keys to understanding the nature and diversity of production. The aim is to generate some central ideas that can be usefully applied to this time period, without setting out to construct a general typology of technical specialisations., Les articles regroupés dans ce numéro sont issus de la première séance de la Société préhistorique française à l’étranger qui s’est tenue à l’université de Namur (Belgique) le 25 mars 2011. Le développement des relations scientifiques internationales de la Société préhistorique française participe d’une dynamique réelle qui mérite une meilleure visibilité ; l’organisation de cette séance en dehors des frontières de la France y participe. Le thème de la spécialisation des activités artisanales dans la Préhistoire récente est complexe. C’est précisément la diversité des significations du concept de la spécialisation d’une part et les différentes implications socioéconomiques données à son apparition d’autre part, qui constituent une problématique dont la discussion s’impose. L’existence d’un artisanat spécialisé a été utilisée en particulier pour évaluer le degré de complexification sociale, renvoyant à la question historique de l’émergence des sociétés complexes, de l’apparition de la hiérarchisation sociale et des processus d’urbanisation. Lors de cette table ronde, nous avons délibérément écarté la question des liens qu’entretiennent les degrés de spécialisation et l’organisation des sociétés. Nous nous sommes essentiellement concentrés sur l’examen des méthodes archéologiques et des critères objectifs de différenciation des productions techniques, de leur organisation et de leurs différences éventuelles de statut pour la Préhistoire récente. Dans cet avant-propos, au regard d’une littérature abondante portant sur des corpus et des contextes archéologiques ou ethnographiques diversifiés, nous nous sommes interrogés sur le cadre théorique des approches de la spécialisation technique. En réalité, il n’existe presque pas de véritable typologie générale des formes de spécialisation. Ce fait est lié à la grande diversité des pratiques artisanales considérées pour les périodes qui nous concernent et à la disparité des critères quantitatifs et/ ou quantitatifs pris en compte pour les caractériser. La contribution à ces débats de cette table ronde consiste donc à examiner certains corpus qui peuvent se prêter à documenter la spécialisation de cultures de la Préhistoire récente, au travers de systèmes techniques diversifiés. C’est par l’analyse de ces cas spécifiques que l’on cherchera à dégager d’éventuelles régularités, et à proposer ainsi des clés de lecture de qualification et de différenciation des productions qui fassent émerger quelques idées directrices utiles et applicables pour notre période, sans avoir pour ambition de construire une typologie générale des spécialisations techniques., Burnez-Lanotte Laurence, Allard Pierre. Avant-propos. In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 109, n°2, 2012. pp. 211-219.

The pottery found in the burials of El Cano is uniform in style to these made in the coclesanos valleys between 700 and 1000 AD. The coefficient of variability of the different pottery forms, evidence diverse standardizations values for polychrome and non-polychrome ceramics. Moreover, data of funerary contexts from the Cano recently excavated, suggest that elite has controlled ceramic production. This control over the production of certain goods reveals that these were important in the support or proper operational of the chiefdoms in Panama and mark the phase of splendour of this culture. La cerámica encontrada en las tumbas de El Caño comparte el mismo estilo que la producida en las llanuras aluviales de la región en los siglos comprendidos entre el 700 y 1000 d.C. Los datos de los coeficientes de variabilidad de las diferentes formas analizadas evidencian distintos valores de estandarización en la producción de la vajilla polícroma y la no polícroma. Los contextos funerarios excavados recientemente en el Caño indican además que la producción de cerámica polícroma era controlada por una élite. Este control sobre la producción de ciertos bienes sugiere que estos fueron clave en el desarrollo de las jefaturas en el istmo de Panamá y marca la fase de esplendor de la cultura coclesana.

La civilisation de l’Indus marque les esprits par une apparente uniformité de la culture matérielle sur la totalité de son territoire (environ 1 million de km carré) durant sa période d’apogée (2600-1900 av. J.-C.). Cette étude cherche à tester deux hypothèses qui pourraient expliquer cette homogénéité : 1) Un pouvoir centralisateur contrôlant la production artisanale; et 2) Un vaste réseau d’échanges et de distribution de la production. Dans ce but, la grande majorité des publications accessibles portant sur la production artisanale d’objets en céramique, en pierres semi-précieuses, en coquillage et en métal ont été inventoriées et analysées. Axée sur la spécialisation du travail artisanal, l’étude a identifié quelques objets dits de prestige (perles classiques harappéennes, bracelets en grès cérame) très probablement liés à une élite. La nature de cette élite est ensuite examinée et un nouveau modèle d’organisation sociopolitique de cette civilisation est proposé., The Indus civilization puzzles archaeologists in that it shows a seeming uniformity in its material culture during the period from 2600 to 1900 BC and over its huge geographical extent (approximately 1 million square km). In this study two hypotheses are tested: 1) This uniformity in material culture is due to a central political force monitoring craft production; or 2) This uniformity results from an extensive trade and distribution network of craft production. In order to assess these, all available data concerning the craft production of ceramic, lapidary, shell-working and metal artefacts were inventoried and analyzed. A study of craft specialization identified a few wealth items (long carnelian beads, stoneware bangles), which were most probably related to an elite. After reassessing the nature of this elite, a new model of sociopolitical organization for this civilization is proposed.

This research is concerned with craft production and consumption. The analysis of these two aspects brings important information for understanding how ancient state economies worked and for reconstructing ancient life ways at Miguel Alemán, the Conquista Campesina Complex and the Piñuela Complex. I carried out a quantitative analysis of the number of pots consumed and produced in the overall area and also in each household cluster. The richness of these ceramic assemblages provided information about hierarchical differences between the social groups and how these groups were distributed within the area studied., En este ensayo me enfoco en la producción de cerámica y su consumo en el sitio Miguel Alemán y los complejos Conquista Campesina y Piñuela, en el Soconusco, Chiapas. El estudio de estas variables es una importante fuente de información para entender la organización de las economías antiguas y para la reconstrucción de formas de vida. Se realizó un estudio comparativo entre las vasijas consumidas y las producidas, tanto de manera global como en cada unidad doméstica. La riqueza de estos conjuntos cerámicos proveyó información sobre las diferencias jerárquicas entre grupos sociales y su distribución en el área estudiada.

Hasta los años 90 del siglo pasado, la historiografía arqueológica del Suroeste de la Península Ibérica estuvo dominada por la tradición Histórico-Cultural, basada en el concepto normativo de Cultura, en explicaciones apoyadas en fósiles-directores, en derivaciones difusionistas, en inventarios descriptivos de objetos descontextualizados y en un discurso pautado por un normativismo de corte decimonónico. En este sentido, la cerámica, de lejos el registro arqueológico con mayor presencia, fue presentada en la literatura arqueográfíca como el fósil director más verosímil y como el principal referente arqueológico para la caracterización de horizontes culturales y cronológicos que desde el VI al II Milenio A.N.E. definían arqueográficamente lo que se denominaba Neolítico, Calcolítico y Edad del Bronce. Así pues, se desarrolló una línea de investigación alternativa mediante una propuesta teórica y metodológica que permitiese evaluar el ciclo económico de la cerámica, desde el aprovisionamiento hasta su desecho, en tres formaciones sociales coetáneas del III Milenio A.N.E.: Cabezo Juré (Alosno, Huelva), La Junta (Puebla de Guzmán, Huelva) y Valencina de la Concepción (Valencina de la Concepción, Sevilla). En términos generales, los resultados de la investigación han puesto de manifiesto la existencia de dos modelos autónomos de organización económica y social de la actividad productiva alfarera en el Suroeste de la Península Ibérica durante el III Milenio A.N.E. En Cabezo Juré y La Junta, los datos apuntan a la existencia de un modelo alfarero realizado en el ámbito local, con una producción autosuficiente destinada a cubrir las necesidades básicas, y donde la dedicación al trabajo nunca sobrepasó la esfera del tiempo parcial. La producción alfarera en estos asentamientos debió ser una actividad al alcance de todos los miembros de la comunidad y el acceso a las materias primas no debió estar restringido, formando parte de unos recursos del entorno que serían apropiados de forma colectiva. Ello supone que esta actividad nunca alcanzó niveles de especialización e intensificación y que jamás se organizó bajo una división técnica y social del trabajo. No obstante, por el contrario, en Valencina de la Concepción, el estudio de las diferentes etapas del proceso productivo ha permitido plantear la posibilidad de la existencia de un modelo económico y social alternativo, organizado alrededor de unidades supradomésticas que evidencian ya un cierto grado de especialización económica. El análisis de la cerámica de Valencina de la Concepción muestra una lenta y paulatina tendencia hacia una mayor estandarización y especialización de sus procesos de producción, consecuencia de una mayor inversión de tiempo, trabajo y recursos en las tareas productivas, lo que provocó la homogeneización de los procedimientos técnicos, principalmente en los recipientes de mayor demanda. Asimismo, el surgimiento de la cerámica campaniforme en el repertorio ceramológico del poblado no presenta una ruptura completa en relación a la cerámica común, aunque muestra innovaciones en la tecnología (decoraciones con relleno de pasta blanca) y en el repertorio formal de los recipientes. Su valor social hace pensar que su producción ha obedecido a mecanismos de control político e ideológico, ya que surge asociada a contextos de consolidación y exhibición del poder de las elites que vivieron en Valencina de la Concepción. La existencia de varias tendencias productivas está asociada a la consolidación de un modelo de progresiva complejidad social y económica que adquiere su máxima expresión a partir de mediados del III Milenios A.N.E., caracterizado por el incremento de la producción y consecuente especialización de varios sectores artesanales., In order to evaluate the relationship between two complementary economic activities, pottery and metallurgy, we developed a theoretical and methodological approach for assessing the entire economic cycle of ceramic, from their procurement to consumption/use/discard, in three archaeological sites: Cabezo Juré (Alosno, Huelva), La Junta (Puebla de Guzmán, Huelva) and Valencina de la Concepción (Seville). . Methodologically, three complementary techniques from materials science were used: compositional analysis by ICP-MS and ICP-OES, petrographic analysis of ceramic thin-sections and mineralogical analysis by X-ray Diffraction (XRD). In specific cases, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with system of X-ray Energy Dispersive Microanalysis (EDS-SEM), electron microprobe analyser (EPMA) and porosity analysis were performed. The results of the investigation have revealed the existence of two autonomous models of economic and social organization of the pottery production in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula during the third millennium B.C.E. Specific data provided by Cabezo Juré and La Junta shows that the whole technological process was done at the local level, with a self-sufficient and expeditious production to meet the basic needs and where labour force never surpassed part-time intensity. The information available seems to indicate that pottery production would be an activity open to all community members and the access to raw materials would not be restricted, as part of the resources of the territory would be appropriated collectively. This means that this activity never reached levels of specialization and intensification and wasn’t organized under a technical and social division of labour. This economic and social model of pottery production seems to have been widespread in the Iberian Peninsula from the beginning of the production economy. In Valencina de la Concepción the analysis of the different operational sequences of pottery production have allowed to raise the possibility of the existence of an alternative economic and social model. Apparently, during the first half of the third millennium B.C.E. a technological tradition was consolidated in Valencina de la Concepción that involved the incorporation of new technical innovations. In response to increased consumption demand, the production units had adopted uniform production processes that are reflected in the preferential selection of raw materials, standardization profiles, standardized manufacturing process, surface treatment and firing. The analysis of pottery shows a slow and gradual trend towards greater standardization and specialization of production processes, due to greater investment of time, labour and resources in productive tasks, which caused homogenization of technical recipes, mainly in vessels of greater demand. The emergence of bell beaker pottery in ceramic assemblage doesn’t show a complete breakdown in relation to the utilitarian pottery since for its production the same areas of supply are used. However, the minor presence of bell beaker around Valencina de la Concepción leads us to consider that there was not such an intensive and full-time production but rather should be thought of as an extraordinary production, oriented exclusively for use in ceremonial moments. Its social value suggests that production has resulted from political and ideological mechanisms of control sponsored and managed by elites.

The industry of metatuff axes and adzes on the western coast of Onega Lake (Eneolithic period, ca. 3500 – 1500 cal. BC) allows assuming some sort of craft specialization. Excavations of a workshop site Fofanovo XIII, conducted in 2010-2011, provided an extremely large assemblage of artefacts (over 350000 finds from just 30 m2, mostly production debitage). An attempt to estimate the output of production within the excavated area is based on experimental data from a series of replication experiments. Mass-analysis with the aid of image recognition software was used to obtain raw data from flakes from excavations and experiments. Statistical evaluation assures that the experimental results can be used as a basement for calculations. According to the proposed estimation, some 500 – 1000 tools could have been produced here, and this can be qualified as an evidence of “mass-production”.

Red hot deposits were uncovered on the western edge of a Middle Neolithic settlement. With the extension of the excavation, a wide space of about 10m2, confined between two clay walls, very much affected by high temperatures, was uncovered. A number of vases almost totally complete after their preservation and a clay model of a kiln were unearthed. Additionally, clay remains of constructions were uncovered. The whole context suggests an area where pottery firing activities took place. The possibility that these kilns could have worked as a specialized craft workshop for other settlements in the area is discussed.

Results of large-scale excavations conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., personnel in 2000, at the Julian Wash site, AZ BB:13:17 (ASM), are reported in two volumes. Data recovery focused on portions of the site that were to be directly impacted by construction of the new highway interchange, while portions of the site not impacted were set aside as preserves later incorporated into a regional park. Excavations focused on four areas with concentrations of prehistoric cultural features. The investigations resulted in the partial or complete excavation of 244 features: 90 pit structures or possible structures, 35 human burial features from a single cemetery, and 119 extramural features. Over 59,000 artifacts were collected in addition to hundreds of soil, mineral, pollen, radiocarbon, and archaeomagnetic samples. Most of the features were prehistoric, ranging in age from the Late Cienega phase (400 B.C.-A.D. 50) to the Late Rincon phase (A.D. 1100-1150), although a small Historic era ditch and single modern dog and modern cat burials were also uncovered. Long term residential stability of up to several hundred years was documented for some multigenerational households at Julian Wash represented by overbuilt courtyard groups. Some level of larger macrosocial unit was indicated by a cemetery that was clearly linked to a larger-than-household social unit. Data were synthesized for all the various excavations at the site, and the most likely location of the central plaza is identified. The single most significant discovery of the project was demonstrable proof that Sedentary period (A.D. 950-1150) inhabitants were acquiring sand, and presumably clay, from the western side of the Santa Cruz River for the production of pottery on site and that the village-level specialization in pottery production previously documented at the West Branch site, AZ AA:16:3 (ASM), was occurring at a cluster of settlements in the southern Tucson Basin, Julian Wash included, all of which shared the same resources. Other important findings included the documentation of specific ritual behavior involving the use of palettes and evidence of varied craft and food production activities.

Results of large-scale excavations conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., personnel in 2000, at the Julian Wash site, AZ BB:13:17 (ASM), are reported in two volumes. Data recovery focused on portions of the site that were to be directly impacted by construction of the new highway interchange, while portions of the site not impacted were set aside as preserves later incorporated into a regional park. Excavations focused on four areas with concentrations of prehistoric cultural features. The investigations resulted in the partial or complete excavation of 244 features: 90 pit structures or possible structures, 35 human burial features from a single cemetery, and 119 extramural features. Over 59,000 artifacts were collected in addition to hundreds of soil, mineral, pollen, radiocarbon, and archaeomagnetic samples. Most of the features were prehistoric, ranging in age from the Late Cienega phase (400 B.C.-A.D. 50) to the Late Rincon phase (A.D. 1100-1150), although a small Historic era ditch and single modern dog and modern cat burials were also uncovered. Long term residential stability of up to several hundred years was documented for some multigenerational households at Julian Wash represented by overbuilt courtyard groups. Some level of larger macrosocial unit was indicated by a cemetery that was clearly linked to a larger-than-household social unit. Data were synthesized for all the various excavations at the site, and the most likely location of the central plaza is identified. The single most significant discovery of the project was demonstrable proof that Sedentary period (A.D. 950-1150) inhabitants were acquiring sand, and presumably clay, from the western side of the Santa Cruz River for the production of pottery on site and that the village-level specialization in pottery production previously documented at the West Branch site, AZ AA:16:3 (ASM), was occurring at a cluster of settlements in the southern Tucson Basin, Julian Wash included, all of which shared the same resources. Other important findings included the documentation of specific ritual behavior involving the use of palettes and evidence of varied craft and food production activities.

Our study focuses on the management of Bedoulian flint productions in the Chassey Culture, on importer and consumer sites in Languedoc, which are in the zone of mass diffusion and relatively close to each other, but far from workshop producer site. These sites are Le Pirou in Valros (Hérault), Armissan in Langel (Aude) and Auriac in Carcassonne (Aude). Management differences were observed between the different productions (with or without heat treatment ; between blades/ bladelets/ flakes and between different rhythms of knapping) and between different sites. The sous-systèmes techniques of plant cutting, skin, bone and ceramic working are discussed by addressing the issue of craft specialization. Different site statuses are identified through the representation of different functional classes. The strong representation of plant cutting at Le Pirou and Langel shows them to be related to agriculture, while the functional spectrum of Auriac reveals a very different status from the two others. The functional analysis introduced some ideas supporting the hypothesis of bladelets (knapped by pressure after heat treatment) redistribution site. Finally, the complexity of the diffusion of Bedoulian flint is approached through a demonstration of supply ease variability, revealing different levels of integration in exchanges systems., Notre étude porte sur la gestion des productions lithiques en silex bédoulien sur des sites chasséens languedociens importateurs et consommateurs compris dans l’aire de diffusion massive et relativement proches les uns des autres, mais éloignés des ateliers producteurs. Il s’agit des sites du Pirou à Valros (Hérault), de Langel à Armissan (Aude) et du fossé St2 d’Auriac à Carcassonne (Aude). Des différences de gestion ont été observées entre les différentes productions (avec ou sans traitement thermique ; entre lames/ lamelles/ éclats ; entre différents rythmes de débitage), mais aussi entre les différents sites. Les sous-systèmes techniques de la coupe des végétaux, du travail de la peau, de l’os et de la céramique ont pu être discutés en abordant la question de la spécialisation artisanale. Différents statuts de sites ont pu être mis en évidence grâce à la représentation des différentes classes fonctionnelles. La forte représentation de la coupe de végétaux sur les sites du Pirou et de Langel leur confère une vocation agricole, tandis que le spectre fonctionnel d’Auriac révèle un statut bien différent des deux autres. L’analyse fonctionnelle a introduit quelques pistes de réflexion confortant l’hypothèse d’un site redistributeur de lamelles débitées par pression après traitement thermique. Enfin, la complexité des réseaux de diffusion des silex bédouliens a été abordée par la mise en évidence d’une variabilité d’aisance d’approvisionnement révélant différents degrés d’intégration dans ces réseaux., Torchy Loïc, Gassin Bernard. Le silex bédoulien sur les sites chasséens du Languedoc : étude fonctionnelle, statut des sites et réseaux de diffusion. In: Gallia préhistoire, tome 53, 2011. pp. 59-84.

The obsidian prismatic blade is one of the sharpest cutting implements ever produced in the prehistoric world. This volume explores the social and economic processes involved in its manufacture in ancient Mesoamerica. Contributors examine the variation in the way obsidian prismatic blades were manufactured across Mesoamerica and the causes behind this variation. The volume contributes to a broader understanding of prehistoric stone tool production and craft specialization in the ancient world.

The ability to identify craft specialization in the archaeological record has wider ramifications for the study of prehistoric society, since it is apparent that there is a certain relationship between the organization of craft specialization and social complexity. It is fruitful to distinguish among 3 categories here: household production on the one hand, and attached and independent craft specialists on the other. We should expect a lack of craft specialization in egalitarian societies, attached specialist production of hypertrophic (i.e., not practically useful) goods in ranked societies, and independent specialist production of labor-cheap (mainly utilitarian) goods in state-level societies. The paper presents the author’s attempts to explore craft specialization in the Swedish Neolithic. Artifact types which are studied include flint axes and flint daggers as well as several groundstone artifact types. Studies of the ease and speed of manufacture, possible manufacturing loci, and standardization are among the means used to identify possible specialization in the Swedish Neolithic.

A review of Levantine prehistory from the Epipaleolithic through the Pottery Neolithic demonstrates that naviform core-and-blade technology developed as a specialized craft in the context of the flourishing Pre-Pottery Neolithic village economy. A technological analysis reveals that the craft permitted the systematic production of standardized blade blanks to meet the specific tool needs of the Neolithic communities. The demise of the technology is linked to the socioeconomic collapse that occurred at the end of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic., Un examen de la préhistoire levantine, de l'Epipaléolithique au Néolithique avec céramique a permis de démontrer que la technologie du nucleus naviforme s'est développée en un artisanat spécialisé dans le contexte de l'économie florissante des villages du Néolithique pré-céramique. Une analyse technologique révèle que cet artisanat a permis la production systématique de supports laminaires standardisés pour répondre aux besoins d'outils spécifiques des communautés néolithiques. La disparition de cette technologie est liée à l'effondrement socio-économique de la fin du Néolithique pré-céramique., Quintero L. A., Wilke Philip J. Evolution and Economic Significance of Naviform Core-and-Blade Technology in the Southern Levant. In: Paléorient, 1995, vol. 21, n°1. pp. 17-33.