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In southern Africa, heat treatment of silcrete is documented by ~ 164 ka and is considered an important technological innovation, allowing knappers to improve the flaking properties of rocks for lithic blank production. Previous research has explored structural, mechanical, and geochemical changes in silcrete during heat treatment, but most studies have not explored the implications of those transformations for the blanks produced. Experiments that have examined the effects of heat treatment on blank production tend to rely on replicative flintknapping, where small changes in the way a blank is removed can create “noise.” In this study, we provide quantitative data to understand the effects of silcrete source and heating temperature on blank production using a flaking machine to isolate the effects of heat treatment on blank morphology. Our results show changes in absolute blank dimensions, and in the frequency of abrupt terminations as a result of heat treatment. However, the benefits of heat treatment may only occur within a limited temperature range and are heavily source dependent. This suggests that we should reconsider broad generalizations about the role of heat treatment in lithic technology and its supposed benefits and focus more on silcrete source and source-based effects on blank production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bipolar technique has been widely used across a wide range of prehistoric contexts, from the Lower Pleistocene to the Metal Ages, and is a defining feature of the Uluzzian technocomplex, evident in the Early Upper Palaeolithic of Italy and Greece. The objective of this paper is to examine whether the use of the bipolar technique within the Uluzzian extends beyond its conventional definition as a mere technique. To address this question, we conducted goal-orientated experimental flaking, focusing on the industries found at key Uluzzian sites in Italy: Broion, La Fabbrica, and Castelcivita. A comprehensive review of archaeological and ethnographic evidence further supplemented our study on the application of the bipolar technique. While bipolar reduction typically involves less procedural control, resulting in a diverse range of blanks, our research shows that adhering to certain discernible principles can indeed exert control over specific morphological features of the resulting products. Factors such as blank selection and configuration, along with the management of volumes and edges, contribute to high productivity, the generation of elongated products, and miniaturization as distinctive characteristics. These findings collectively establish the bipolar reduction on an anvil in the Uluzzian as a systematic method of debitage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terminal Pleistocene witnessed significant paleoclimatic changes that influenced the adaptive behavior of human populations. Situated in the tropical-subtropical zone of Southwest China, a newly excavated cave site, Fodongdi, revealed evidence for substantive changes in technology between 18.37 to 13.85 cal ka BP. Here, we present the results of a technological analysis on lithic assemblage formation across three main sequential phases at Fodongdi Cave. Diachronic changes in lithic technology document the co-existence of diverse reduction techniques and toolkits, corresponding with climatic fluctuations over a five-thousand-year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological analysis is a critical component in the study of archaeological artefacts. Handaxes are some of the most iconic tools of the Palaeolithic era, and the study of their morphology can provide important insights into their creation, use, and development throughout early human evolution. While many studies exist for the study of handaxe morphology, little consensus exists as to what methods should be applied. Here the most reliable means of analysing handaxe morphology are explored; based on the use of simulated 2D toy datasets, we compare two widely used methods, geometric morphometrics, and elliptic Fourier analysis, and find that the latter is more reliable and powerful for differentiating between different handaxe groups. As a product of these analyses, a debate is proposed regarding the most reliable methods for studying handaxe morphology. In addition, the present study cautions against the use of certain statistical tests, such as canonical variates analysis, when sample sizes are too small. From this perspective, the research conducted highlights the importance of selecting the most appropriate methods for certain types of morphological analyses for lithic technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The onset of the Middle Pleistocene (780 ka) in the European continent is associated with significant environmental variations (Middle Pleistocene Revolution), innovative behavioural strategies (bifacial productions, land-use patterns, raw material management) and a global increase in the archaeological evidence from 600 ka onward. Whether these changes are related to the rise of the Acheulean, the informative potential carried by these contexts is currently being explored through multidisciplinary approaches, allowing us to infer the role of these sites and the type of activities conducted. From this perspective, the Italian peninsula is a hot spot to compare the different technical behaviours and strategies human groups employ, given its crucial geographic location and solid archaeological record, both culturally and functionally speaking (the presence of sites with and without bifaces and core-and-flake assemblages). The site of Isernia La Pineta (590 ka), offering a rich lithic and faunal record, is an excellent case to join together the lithic technological study (i.e. “cultural” and technical tradition) with the functional analysis (i.e. activities conducted and exploited materials). Here, we present the result of the combined approach of these two disciplines on flint assemblages from layers t.3a and t.3coll. The new data will be discussed within the chrono-cultural framework of the Middle Pleistocene Revolution, linking the degree of complexity of the lithic production of Isernia with its function as a butchery site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Quina Mousterian is one of the well-defined Middle Paleolithic techno-complexes. Despite the pivotal research carried out in south-western France, the presence of this techno-complex across the rest of Europe is still poorly documented. Here we apply a techno-functional approach, combining technological and use-wear analyses, for reconstructing lithic core-reduction, tool-reduction, and tool use at De Nadale Cave, a single-layered Mousterian site with Quina features located in northern Italy and dated to the early MIS 4. Our results indicate that the flexible core reduction strategies identified at De Nadale show some similarities with the Quina knapping method, in addition to the adoption of centripetal methods on single surfaces. Variations of this scheme identified at De Nadale are the exploitation of lateral and narrow fronts which are aimed to the production of elongated, small blanks. A parallel, ramified reduction is applied to limace cores and Quina or demi-Quina scrapers having diversified purpose (mixed matrix). These blanks are exploited as tools and cores-on-flakes from which thinner, usable flakes or bladelets are detached. The use-wear identified on both scrapers and reaffutage flakes further confirm this behavior, demonstrating the use of both tools, albeit for different tasks (i.e., scraping and cutting). We discuss the ecological implications of this behavior within the Quina Mousterian. The high frequency of retouched tools and Quina or demi-Quina scrapers seems to accompany the highly mobile human groups associated with this techno complex and their seasonally organized subsistence strategies. Finally, by combining available multidisciplinary data on paleoenvironment, subsistence, and chronology, we were able to embed the neanderthal settlement of De Nadale in a regional and Western European frame, underlining the importance of the Quina Mousterian in Western Eurasia between MIS 4 and early MIS 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of lithic morphological variability during the Acheulean is a much-debated topic, especially in the late Acheulean of the Levant. To explore this issue, we present a 3D analysis of 260 handaxes from Jaljulia, a recently discovered late Acheulean site dated to ca. 500–300/200 ka. We employ a comprehensive suite of 3D methods aimed at reconstructing the technological and morphological choices enacted by the Jaljulia knappers. These methods include the precise calculation of orthogonal measurements, center of mass, surface area, edge length, and geometric morphometrics, as well as new metrics for quantifying handaxe outlines and distribution of mass. Scar density was used to reconstruct the handaxe reduction strategies employed at the site. Our analyses reveal that the Jaljulia handaxes are diverse in shape suggesting that they were made following a flexible reduction sequence involving an expedient selection of initial nodules of varying sizes. This reduction strategy was geared toward improving the refinement and outline quality of the handaxes, but not imposing any shape constraints. The expediency and relative crudeness of the handaxes from such a late Acheulean site belie the commonly held perception that handaxes improve through time during the Acheulean. This is true on an intra-site scale also, with the oldest excavation area containing the most refined and smooth-edged handaxes. Finally, we consider how this newfound morphological flexibility and expediency of nodule selection fit within the complex lithic variability occurring in the terminal phase of the Acheulean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Upper Palaeolithic Solutrean culture that coincided with the last glacial maximum has become famous for documenting an increasing investment of time and effort in the production of tools. However, Solutrean lithic assemblages predominantly document local procurement of flint and only in rare cases, stones were transported over distances above 100 km. The perhaps most remarkable Solutrean artefacts are the large bifacial laurel-leaf points of Volgu. Some studies on the points suggested long-distance transport, proposing multiple raw material locations in the > 170 km distant Paris Basin. These findings were not based on physical or chemical measurements but rather on evaluations of macro- and microscopically visible features at the surface of the flint. In this study, we aim to verify previously made propositions on the Volgu points’ origin with an archaeometric technique. For this, we apply reflectance infrared spectroscopy, a method that relies on identifying differences in the crystallographic properties of flint. We compare eight of the Volgu laurel-leaf points with five regions of Upper Cretaceous flint deposits in France and Belgium. We found that the Volgu points’ flint is most similar to flint from the south-eastern Paris Basin in terms of its crystallography (identifying a region between 170 and 250 km from Volgu). Our findings provide a reproducible line of evidence for the long-distance procurement of flint to produce exceptional artefacts in the Solutrean. Our study is the first application of this method to flint sourcing in a European context. It has therefore also implications for future provenance studies on other archaeological sites in France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of experience during the exploration of lithic artefacts can be been investigated through multiple approaches. Knowledge can influence visual perception of the environment, whilst action “affordances” can be processed at the first sight of an object. In this study, we used eye tracking to analyse whether and to what extent archaeological knowledge can influence visuospatial attention whilst interacting with stone tools. Archaeologists were found to pay more visual attention to the middle region and the knapped surface. Differences between the visual exploration of choppers and handaxes were also found. Although the general pattern of distribution of the visual attention was similar to naïve subjects, participants with archaeological experience paid more attention to functionally relevant regions. Individuals with archaeological experience directed more attention to the upper region and the knapped surface of the tools, whilst naïve participants spent more time viewing the middle region. We conclude that although both groups could direct their attention to action relevant features in stone tools, functional affordances had a greater effect in subjects with previous experience. Affordances related to manipulation triggered lower attention and showed no differences between participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The late Holocene was a period of cultural change along the west coast of South Africa, with widespread archaeological evidence for shifts in settlement patterns and economic activity. With these changes, we expect variability in the movement patterns of resident populations. In this proof-of-concept paper, we use lithic assemblages from Spring Cave near Verlorenvlei to evaluate changes in mobility during the late Holocene. These assemblages are dominated by bipolar-reduced quartz, which is notoriously difficult to assess using geometric approaches given high levels of fragmentation and variability in product dimensions. We use measures of curvature on cortical pieces to estimate original nodule size, and then use this to calculate the cortex ratio, a measure of mobility. Ratios indicate differences in mobility and place use through time that mirror earlier observations about shifts in land use. These observations warrant more extended analysis of other late Holocene contexts throughout the west coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the limestone reduction sequences documented in levels M and Ob at Abric Romaní from a technological point of view. At level M, a recurrent knapping system has been identified, resulting in the frequency of pseudo-Levallois blanks. At archaeolevel Ob, the presence of Levallois methods are observed in association with this knapping system. In both cases, retouched tools are rare and dominated by notches and denticulates. Although it is not well-known the degree of similarity and difference between the two levels in relation to occupational patterns is not well understood, Neanderthals employed more opportunistic knapping strategies, investing less time and energy in the procurement of raw materials including for chert. In level Ob, although limestone is still collected in the local fluvial deposits, differences in raw material procurement have been identified for chert. Results show the plasticity and versality that Neanderthals had and how they took advantage of the different abiotic resources they had around them. In this paper, we discuss the limestone technology at Abric Romaní in the context of the Iberian Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this manuscript, we present the first systematic refitting results of the small-scale Middle Pleistocene (MIS11) rock shelter site of La Cansaladeta. The lithic materials that have been recovered from the archaeological levels E and J were the main study materials. These levels were investigated regarding spatial pattern analysis and analyzed with auxiliary methods such as quantitative density mapping demonstration and technological analysis of the lithic clusters. Thus, the spatial patterns of the two levels were compared and discussed, in terms of connections, clusters, and movement of the lithic elements. Undoubtedly, the well preservation of the archaeological levels offered a great opportunity for the interpretation of the spatial patterns in a high-resolution perspective. La Cansaladeta has not been paid attention adequately so far may be due to the small dimension of the excavation surface or to the scarcity of faunal record. Our results show that small-scale sites without long-distance refit/conjoin connections can provide significant spatial information. Indeed, if the sites have very well-preserved archaeological levels, the absence of long connections can be supported by the auxiliary methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Early Dabban industry was discovered in the Cyrenaica region (Northeast of Libya), considered to be representative of the early stages of the Later Stone Age in this region. This industry was defined based on the lithic assemblages recovered from Hagfet ed Dabba and the nearby Haua Fteah site. We studied the lithic material from Level VI of the Hagfet ed Dabba site, which was excavated by Prof. McBurney in 1949. The aim of the lithic production was to obtain blade/bladelets through bidirectional and unidirectional prismatic methods. Blanks are of two types: wide, non-curved and straight blade/bladelets and narrow and pointed blades/bladelets. The blanks were modified mostly into backed pieces/points and Chamfered pieces. We discuss the role and possible contacts of the Dabban in understanding the Later Stone Age in northern Africa and the Initial Upper Palaeolithic and Upper Palaeolithic in the Near East. Following the technological analysis of Level VI, we consider the Early Dabban as representing an independent and local industry of the Early Later Stone Age with possible influences from the Levantine IUP and Ahmarian industries. Nevertheless, there is no evidence of direct affiliation with any of them, and the industry indeed portrays its own specific characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present an updated technological analysis of the lithic collection excavated in the 1980s in a high-altitude site in the Ebro Basin, Peña Miel level e. This level represents one of the latest occurrences of Middle Palaeolithic technology in the Iberian Peninsula, so it is of special interest for understanding the trajectories of late Neandertals in this region. The results show the use of local lithic resources combined with few quantities of medium–long distance–transported raw materials. The technological choices in level e include a majority discoid production in quartzite and limestone, less abundant Levallois production in quartzite, limestone, lydite and flint, all of this combined with the production of macro-tools in limestone and quartzite. The objective of these productions is to obtain functional blanks, fundamentally outrepassing or pseudolevallois flakes, ready for direct use or for use after light edge configuration. These technological features are consistent with a short occupation in a remote and high-altitude area by groups that occasionally, and probably seasonally, roamed through the mountainous region where the site is located. Also, the technological features show links with the late Middle Palaeolithic of the Franco-Cantabrian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shovakh cave is a late Middle Paleolithic cave site in Northern Israel, situated ca. 8 km from the Sea of Galilee. The Cave was originally was excavated by Sally Binford in 1962, and results of the analyses of its lithic assemblages played a major role in the then-raging Bordes-Binford debate, as well as in the initiation of the field of inquires known as “technological organization.” A renewed excavation in 2016 led to a better understanding of site formation at the cave and to a refined chrono-stratigraphic framework of the Middle Paleolithic occupations at the site. Here we present the results of the analyses of lithic and faunal assemblages combining material from both the original and renewed excavations at the site. Together with the results of the geoarcheological work, we are able to offer a refined reconstruction of the modes of occupation in the site as well as of its role within late MP settlement systems in the Levant. We show that during three periods of site occupation, settlements in Shovakh were mostly ephemeral, a rare phenomenon among the late MP cave sites. At the same time, the lithic and faunal assemblages suggest that the nature of these ephemeral occupations differed temporally and spatially. In each of these cases, the fitting scenario for Shovakh’s occupations is as a “transient camp,” used over short-term occupations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a long history of hunter-gatherer occupation in the Pampas region starting at the end of the Pleistocene, the known archaeological record is still sparse for some periods, such as the Middle Holocene. Here, we present new archaeological data from Las Toscas shallow lake, located in the inland plains of the southern Pampas, where systematic fieldwork revealed an abundant and diverse archaeological record resulting from hunter-gatherer occupation. The aims of this study were to establish the chronology of the occupations; to evaluate the use of faunal and lithic resources; and to contribute to the understanding of hunter-gatherer land use patterns. Archaeological evidence indicates that procurement, domestic, and ritual activities were conducted around the shallow lake during the Middle and Late Holocene, including hunting of terrestrial game; tool manufacture and repair; storing and use of mineral pigments; and likely human burial practices. Evidence also suggests that the use of this locality was not continuous but redundant and that this shallow lake was a persistent place for hunter-gatherers. Faunal data agrees with regional models that propose that Lama guanicoe was the main food resource during the second half of the Middle Holocene, although a taphonomic bias in favor of larger vertebrates cannot be ruled out. The lithic assemblages suggest that artifacts entered the locality mostly as part of individual toolkits and indicate a strong preference for orthoquartzite. Finally, bone remains of extinct fauna were recovered at the locality; however, a functional association between these remains and cultural material could not be demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing to what extent lithic cores have been reduced through knapping is an important step toward understanding the technological variability of lithic assemblages and disentangling the formation processes of archaeological sites. In addition, it is a good complement to more developed studies of reduction intensity in retouched tools and provides information on raw material management or site occupation dynamics. This paper presents a new methodology for estimating the intensity of reduction in cores and tools on cobbles, the Volumetric Reconstruction Method (VRM). It is based on a correction of the dimensions (length, width, and thickness) of each core from an assemblage. The median values of thickness and platform thickness of the assemblage’s flakes are used as corrections for the cores’ original dimensions, after its diacritic analysis. Then, based on these new dimensions, the volume or mass of the original blank are reconstructed using the ellipsoid volume formula. The accuracy of this method was experimentally tested, reproducing a variety of possible archaeological scenarios. The experimental results demonstrate a high inferential potential of the VRM, both in estimating the original volume or mass of the original blanks and in inferring the individual percentage of reduction for each core. The results of random resampling demonstrate the applicability of VRM to not size-biased archaeological contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endscrapers, the most abundant tool class at Eastern North American Paleoindian sites, are flaked stone specimens predominately used for scraping hides. They are found broken in high frequencies at these sites, a pattern that has been attributed to use. However, previous experimental and ethnographic research on endscrapers suggests that they are difficult to break. We present a series of replication experiments assessing the amount of force required for endscraper breakage, as well as the amount of force generated during human use. We also analyze which morphometric variable best predicts the breakage force. Our results demonstrate that the force humans can generate is far below the breakage force, which is best predicted by endscraper thickness. Finally, we examine an actual Paleoindian endscraper assemblage, concluding that human use was not the cause for breakage. Taphonomic factors such as plowing, or trampling, are a much better potential explanation for the high breakage frequencies present at Paleoindian sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (southern Italy) is crucial for the understanding of Neanderthals’ subsistence and settlement strategies as it contains a ~ 6-m-thick reliable deposit made up of several Middle Palaeolithic levels. This paper focuses on level SU 14, a 60-cm-thick deposit of volcanic tephra containing traces of human occupation only in the few upper centimetres. Geochemical and mineralogical features of SU 14 deposits allowed their correlation to the ‘Mount Epomeo Green Tuff’ eruption, which came from Ischia volcano and dated to ~ 55,000 years bp. The pyroclastic materials injected into the atmosphere caused an ash fall-out over a large part of southern Italy, resulting in the alteration of ecosystems. Sedimentological data demonstrate that the formation of SU 14 is attributable to a short-term event. Moreover, the lithic behaviour indicates that Neanderthals used the shelter mainly to perform specific activities related to the first phases of the reduction sequence (i.e. selection and import of pebbles into the site, initialisation and production of the first generation of debitage objectives, and introduction of already finished tools). Consequently, the layer SU 14 raises questions regarding the impact of deposition of volcanic ash on human communities, offering the opportunity to investigate the settlement and technological choices made by Neanderthals who were constrained by such an adverse environmental event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beginning of the Middle Palaeolithic in Western Europe is traditionally associated with the emergence of new, more complex and standardised debitage technologies, such as Levallois technology. These changes occurred in the archaeological record between MIS 9 and MIS 6. This paper aims to evaluate the processes of technical change at work in Southern France, tracking innovations and persistent behaviours and potential shifts, to describe the process of transition and compare the Southeast and Southwest of France. We revised several major sites from Ardèche and Dordogne through the technological analysis of seven lithic assemblages in areas rich in good-quality raw materials, mostly flint. Technological analysis shows common features in lithic strategies and industries that can all be attributed to the Early Middle Palaeolithic. The features are a diversity of debitage methods and spatiotemporal management of the chaînes opératoires (ramification and artefact mobility). At the same time, algorithmic methods (Système par Surface de Débitage Alternées: SSDA) continue to be used, in the same way as large cutting tools (LCTs), although they are rare (pebble tools, bifaces and ‘mixed matrices’). These LCTs are persistent technologies from the Acheulean technocomplex. Gradual mosaic-type changes in the lithic record are particularly well demonstrated through the sequence of Orgnac 3, where a local onset of Levallois technologies appears to occur. Both in the Southeast and Southwest of France, the Lower to Middle Palaeolithic transition records gradual and asynchronous behavioural changes as early as MIS 9 to MIS 6. These shifts are not only due to increased hominin cognition. Abilities of human groups to adapt to diversified environments and regional cultural processes may also have played a key role. Several lithic technocomplexes coexisted between MIS 9 and 6 in these two areas and although differences in local strategies are obvious, similar trajectories towards MP behaviour can be detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mousterian site of Grotta Reali (Rocchetta a Volturno, Molise, southern Italy), dated from between 50,940 and 40,370 cal BP, provides detailed information on the depositional dynamic and human occupation in southern Italy, and contributes to the international debate on technical behaviour at the end of the Mousterian. The site was discovered in 2001 and it was located in a small cave/shelter now partially quarried, on the backside of a tufa waterfall, at the edge of a large alluvial terrace, in correspondence of the major spring of the Volturno River. Pollen and faunal assemblages record the persistence of wooded environments with large open areas as indicated by the presence of horse, aurochs and spotted hyena. Humans settled occasionally for hunting, processing game and performing related activities. Anthropic occupation was followed by carnivores, particularly in the upper part of the stratigraphy where the evidences of their activities prevail decisively rather than those left by humans. The chronological attribution of Grotta Reali to the MIS 3 allows placing the settlement in the last phase of Neanderthals presence in Europe. The technology of knapping stone does not deviate from the range of methods used during the Mousterian. However, the large presence of a laminar volumetric method may attest a new necessity related to activities differentiation. This paper offers for the first time a comprehensive and detailed illustration of this site with a unique set of environmental data and human occupation layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oscurusciuto Rockshelter (Ginosa, Southern Italy) is a perfect sample-site for the reconstruction of multiple aspects of the last Neanderthals life. Different settlement strategies are attested in the excavated portion of the stratigraphic sequence, dated between ~ 55 and 43 ka BP. As a first goal, the reconstruction of the site spatial organization across the palimpsest SU 11 was achieved by a high-temporal-resolution approach (assisted by sedimentological analysis), integrating lithic technology, zooarchaeology and spatial analysis (by means of the GIS technology). As a second goal, a diachronic perspective was adopted by comparing results from SU 11 with the previously studied evidence from the underlying SU 13. Results were processed at a diachronic scale, highlighting similarities and differences related both to the type of activities carried out at the site and to their spatial management. This allowed us to recognize discontinuities and, especially, continuities of settlement dynamics, which can be related to phenomena of cultural transmission hinting to a “memory of places”. Such results stimulate the debate not only on the necessity to study Middle Palaeolithic contexts at different temporal scales but also on the necessity to develop more refined multidisciplinary analytical protocols. The study of settlement dynamics at high-resolution scales allows to take advantage of the potentialities of contextual analysis i.e. the integration of results from different disciplines and data from the whole range of archaeological evidence in order to reconstruct solid behavioural models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The edge angle of lithic tools is an important source of information on the intended function and the manufacturing technology of these artifacts. Yet, previously proposed procedures, both traditional and computer-based, can be flawed by ambiguity in the artifact positioning and in the choice of the points or surfaces defining the angle. A novel method, based on digital 3-D models of the artifact, calculates the measure of the edge angle based on its complete shape, providing an accurate and repeatable measurement of this feature. The procedure includes the automatic, univocal determination of the area that best represents the angle between the two surfaces, further increasing the objectivity of the result. To test its power in providing novel archaeological insight, the method is tested on a series of assemblages of Epipalaeolithic microliths. The combination of the obtained quantitative data with the typology-based cultural attribution of the assemblages highlights possible connections between different areas in the Southern Levant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several isolated studies have tried to understand quartzite from an archaeological perspective by applying two different methodological approaches. The first one is based on non-destructive characterisation, aiming to understand human procurement and management of quartzite, without solid geoarchaeological criteria. The second characterised the material from archaeological sites using only petrographic or geochemical perspectives of a limited sample. Currently, both perspectives are unconnected, creating a methodological gap that needs to be solved to study the procurement and management of quartzite in greater depth. The present study, mainly methodological, will explore the gap between petrographic analysis and non-destructive characterisation. Doing so, we could fill this vacuum of information and generate a solid geoarchaeological basis to characterise not only a sample but complete assemblages. To this end, we analyse the lithic assemblages at El Arteu and El Habario, two Middle-Palaeolithic sites in the Cantabrian Region, northern Spain. We summarise the main results derived from petrographic analysis, but especially we will focus on non-destructive criteria to characterise the lithic surfaces of archaeological quartzite using stereoscope microscopy. This process allows us to understand the complete assemblage but also, through technological characterisation, understand the management of different quartzite petrogenetic types in both sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeologists recognize countless styles of flaked stone projectile points in the archaeological record, but few are as well recognized as the Clovis fluted projectile point. This specimen has a number of interesting morphological and technological features, but one prominent question of its functional morphology involves the lateral edges of the proximal (basal) portion of the point, where it was attached (hafted) to a handle or shaft. These edges are usually ground (or abraded) dull, presumably to prevent cutting of the lashings binding the point in place. However, while logical, this presumption has never been experimentally tested. Do ground proximal-lateral edges prevent damage to haft lashing at a level significantly greater than that of sharp edges? We tested this question via experimental ballistics using standardized specimens possessing ground or sharp proximal-lateral edges. Our results showed that there was virtually no damage to lashings or presence of point wiggle within the haft, regardless of whether points possessed ground or sharp edges. Moreover, when negligible damage (fraying) did occur, it was restricted to the lashings on the point face, not the lashings on the proximal-lateral edges. While it is plausible, and remains to be tested, that the motions involved in cutting, sawing, and butchery cause more interaction between a point's lateral edges and lashings, our results suggest that with respect to the actions experienced during projectile impact, ground proximal-lateral edges do not function to protect the haft lashings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we look at a situation of long-term continuity to understand the circumstances that mediate against behavioural change. Using newly excavated material from Asitau Kuru, Timor-Leste, we assess continuity in stone tool technology, as well as pigment and bead use over a span of 44,000 years. The sequence is divided into three occupation phases: a Pleistocene occupation from ~ 44,000 to 15,000 years ago, an early to middle Holocene occupation from ~ 10,000 to 5000 years ago and a Neolithic occupation from ~ 3800 years ago to the recent past. Across these three phases, there are distinct continuities in the way stone tools are made, and the use of red ochre and Oliva beads. We suggest that the unusually high relief topography of the Wallacean Archipelago ensured continuity in several parameters of potential behavioural change, including available environments, proximity to the sea and island size. Given the long-term continuity, the similarities with stone artefacts elsewhere in Wallacea and the early dates for human occupation in Wallacea from this excavation, we suggest that the stone tool technology documented here was introduced by an early dispersing population of Homo sapiens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Swabian Gravettian, which is often equated with the Middle Upper Palaeolithic in the German research tradition (e.g. Bosinski, 2008), is limited to a small number of cave sites in a restricted area of the Middle and Eastern Swabian Jura, namely in the Ach and—possibly—Lone valleys. These caves, however, are an important part of Central European prehistory, since the sites yielded early radiocarbon ages covering the timespan from 35 to 31 ka cal. BP (Conard and Bolus 2003; Moreau, 2009a; Higham et al. 2012; Taller and Conard 2016). Technologically and typologically, the lithic assemblages also reflect an early Gravettian. Refits of lithic artefacts are known from Brillenhöhle (Lauxmann and Scheer 1986) and Geißenklösterle (Moreau 2009a), as well as Hohle Fels (Floss and Kieselbach 2004). These refits are vital for our understanding of the taphonomy and stratigraphy of the sites as well as for the technological analysis of lithic blank production. Here, the main focus on intra-site refits will be on Hohle Fels. Thus far no refits are known from the Gravettian of the Lone Valley. Moreover, the question is, whether the supposed Gravettian remains from the sites of Vogelherd and Bockstein-Törle do actually reflect Middle Upper Palaeolthic occupations. A remarkable feature of the Ach Valley Gravettian are refits between the sites of Brillenhöhle, Geißenklösterle, Hohle Fels and possibly also Sirgenstein (Scheer 1990; Moreau 2009a), which inform us on land use and settlement patterns in the Middle Upper Palaeolithic of Central Europe. Refits from the Ach Valley document a contemporaneous use of at least three of the four caves with Gravettian deposits, while intra-site refits facilitate the study of site formation processes and the spatial use of these important caves. With this paper, we aim to contribute to a better understanding of Gravettian lithic technology, hunter-gatherer mobility and land-use patterns in Swabia as well as the taphonomy of the sites discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lagoon environments were places recurrently visited and inhabited by hunter-gatherer groups throughout different areas of North Patagonia. These places were very important in the life of these mobile groups; they were part of their itineraries and they regularly returned to their shores. The Somuncurá plateau's lagoons (Rio Negro province, Argentina) represent one of these spaces, where, in addition to a vital resource such as water, it can be found a greater variety and biological abundance, facilitating a certain shelter during mobility. The Laguna Azul site is one of these places, where the hunting blinds (known as "parapetos") are the most outstanding anthropic modification of the landscape. In this paper, we present the results obtained from the lithic material recovered from one of these structures, which is the most abundant material in the record. The knowledge about the specific uses of these stone tools, obtained through the functional analysis, is deepened to determine trends in the manufacturing process and designs chosen. The studies developed in this paper will expand the understanding about the technological decisions implemented by the hunter-gatherers that inhabited the Somuncurá plateau during the Late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how coastal mobility and a community's place within regional trade networks intersect with technological organisation. To do this, we identified different types of lithic production and exchange during the late pre-colonial period at three coastal sites around Madang in northeast New Guinea. The study is the first major technological and sourcing study in this area. Consistent with terrestrial models, lithic technological analysis crucially shows that groups with higher levels of coastal mobility (1) were reducing a wider range of lithic materials and (2) reduced material less intensively than groups with indirect access. Conversely, groups with lower coastal mobility levels (1) were flaking a restricted range of lithic materials and (2) reduced material more intensively. Geochemical analysis, using X-ray fluorescence, shows that at all three sites obsidian artefacts exclusively derived from Kutau/Bao (Talasea) in West New Britain. This indicates that, by about 600 years ago through to the late nineteenth century, the Kutau/Bao source had become a specialised export product, being fed into major distribution conduits operational along the northeast coast. Importantly, there is no evidence for exchange with other sources such as Admiralties or Fergusson Island obsidian. This is contrastive to the Sepik coast, where obsidian from the Admiralties Islands featured prominently alongside West New Britain obsidian, and suggests the emergence of different coastal supply lines feeding the northeast Madang coast and the north Sepik coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dali hominid site is well known as it contains a human cranium associated with stone artefacts and animal bones. Dating efforts have provided an age range of ~ 300–247 ka for these remains. Renewed study of the cranium in recent years has revealed a mix of archaic traits in the neurocranium and derived features in the face, and thus, this specimen may provide insight into our understanding of modern human evolution in China. However, the technological behaviour possessed by these people has remained unclear due to a lack of new and detailed research. In this paper, we re-examine the lithic assemblages from Dali, originally excavated in 1978 and 1980, and for the first time, we now provide a sound assemblage by removing those geofacts that have been used in past archaeological reports. Although the total number of artefacts is now smaller, our results show that core reduction strategies at Dali are primarily expedient, dominated by simple unifacial unidirectional flaking. In contrast, the formal tools exhibit relatively advanced technology, with artefacts that are diverse in type and characterized by a relatively standardized production strategy. In contrast to the widely accepted model for slow and conservative technological development in Chinese Palaeolithic technology, pre 40 ka, here, we suggest that there is evidence for gradual technological changes from the Early to Middle and early Late Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on the important work of Lyn Wadley at Sibudu, archeologists from the University of Tübingen have excavated the upper stratigraphic units of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) sequence down to the Howiesons Poort (HP). Here, we present the main results from lithic analyses of the lowest part of the Sibudan sequence to assess its overall variability and taxonomic status. Based on the new findings, we also discuss the implications for archeological systematics and the cultural evolution of modern humans in MIS 3 from a more general perspective. The Sibudan deposits encompass over 20 archeological horizons that span a 1.2-m-thick, well-stratified sequence whose base and top have been dated to ∼58 ka (MIS 3). In contrast to the upper stratigraphic units, the lower Sibudan assemblages that we analyzed here show much higher use of local sandstone, quartz, and quartzite. These older units are characterized by frequent use of expedient core reduction methods, bipolar reduction of locally available quartz and quartzite, less retouch of blanks, and lower find densities. Tongati and Ndwedwe tools, which feature abundantly in the upper part of the Sibudan sequence, are entirely absent, as are unifacial points. Instead, notched and denticulated tools are common. Surprisingly, knappers manufactured small bifacial points, mainly made from quartz, by means of alternating shaping in the course of the oldest occupations. The results highlight the great diversity of human technological behavior over even short periods during the MSA, raising important questions about the mechanisms of behavioral change, cultural taxonomy, appropriate scales of lithic analyses, and the relationship between the HP and the Sibudan. Our findings further erode the old idea that bifacial technology in southern Africa is limited to the Still Bay. Research is increasingly showing that bifacial points come and go in different forms and contexts of African Late Pleistocene technology, impeding their use as chrono-cultural markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat treatment of stone for tool making has important implications for our understanding of the early human history of the Australian continent. New data on the antiquity of Australian heat treatment and its evolution through time in different regions have posed questions about the origin and temporal stability of technical practices. In this paper, we present the first evolutionary sequence of the use of heat treatment in Central Australia, with a trend to lower levels of heat treatment over time. Different trends are found in other regions across Australia: on the eastern seaboard, heat treatment became more prevalent over time, while in the inland, semi-arid Willandra lakes region heat treatment gradually disappeared over time. In central Australia, the long-term trend is towards fewer heat-affected specimens over time, but this happens in a single transition from stable high levels in the Pleistocene to stable moderate levels in the Mid- to Late Holocene. These evolutionary trends are consistent with regional diversification, reflecting adaptations to local conditions, and are not consistent with technological uniformity across the continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]