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[EN] La Esparragosa is a Neolithic site located in the Bay of Cádiz. Its corresponds to a settlement with silos. It was excavated a few years ago by our team. We present an analysis of the lithic industry from this site of the IV th millennium B.C. We provide data on the documented siliceous raw materials, verifying the variety of flint and its possible origins. The technological study is carried out within the framework of the Analytical Logical System (SLA) and with Laplace’s classification. An important laminar registry is verified, with retouched tools of predominance of the abrupt mode. In the typologies, domestic tools and those linked to various productive activities are well represented. The functional analysis tests the link of artifacts associated with agricultural activities, but also with projectile functions and, above all, highlights the use of knives for the work and processing of fish., [ES] La Esparragosa es un yacimiento neolítico situado en la bahía de Cádiz. Corresponde a un poblado con campos de silos. Excavado hace unos años por nuestro equipo, presentamos un análisis de la industria lítica tallada del poblado del IV milenio a.C. Aportamos datos de las materias primas silíceas documentadas, comprobando la variedad de sílex y sus posibles procedencias. El estudio tecnológico se realiza con el Sistema Lógico Analítico (SLA) y con la clasificación de Laplace. Se comprueba un importante registro laminar, con utillajes retocados de predominio del modo abrupto. En tipología están bien representados los utillajes domésticos y los vinculados con diversas actividades productivas. El análisis funcional prueba la relación de artefactos asociados a actividades agrícolas, pero también con funciones de proyectiles y sobre todo destaca el uso de cuchillos para el trabajo y procesamiento del pescado.

Although new to our discipline, the archaeology of high mountain areas is steadily growing, generating empirical studies and procedures that often define it. Aside from the diversity of research teams and programs, certain aspects tend to recur. One is a certain interest in long-term sequences. Another is a wide spatial perspective, extending far beyond the limits of the settlement. This interest in the territory or landscape, which is sometimes the real object of study, results in changes in the methodological design of the research. In this paper we intend to bring together almost 20 years of experience of the High Mountain Archaeology Group (GAAM) of the UAB and CSIC to present a brief theoretical reflection on an area that we believe is central to our discipline. Archaeology as a social science deals with a collective human existence that occurs both in time and space. For various reasons, archaeology in high moun-tain areas has been especially open to incorporating methodological elements to deal with space as a social instance too. Perhaps the time has come to begin to evaluate the strengths of these proposals and to try to identify those issues that deserve more attention. In the final part of the article, we use an empirical example to briefly illustrate the relevance of the theoretical reflec-tion proposed., [ES] Aunque reciente en nuestra disciplina, la arqueología de las zonas de alta montaña poco a poco va consolidándose, generando corpus empíricos y procedimientos que en muchas ocasiones constituyen sus señas de identidad. Por encima de la diversidad de equipos y programas de investigación, algunos aspectos tienden a presentarse de forma recurrente. Uno es un cierto interés por las secuencias de larga duración. Otro lo constituye la mirada hacia un espacio amplio, que va mucho más allá del asentamiento. Este interés por el territorio o el paisaje, que en ocasiones se prefigura como un verdadero objeto de estudio, conlleva cambios en el diseño metodológico de la investigación. En este trabajo pretendemos recoger los ya casi 20 años de experiencia del Grupo de Arqueología de la Alta Montaña (GAAM) de la UAB y el CSIC para presentar una breve reflexión teórica sobre un aspecto que, a nuestro entender, es central en nuestra disciplina. La arqueología, en cuanto ciencia social, aborda una existencia humana colectiva que ocurre tanto en el tiempo como en el espacio. Por diversos motivos, la arqueolo-gía en áreas de alta montaña ha sido especialmente proclive a incorporar elementos metodológi-cos para tratar con el espacio también como instancia social. Quizás está llegando el momento para empezar a evaluar los puntos fuertes de estas propuestas y tratar de identificar aquellas cuestiones que merecen mayor atención. En la parte final del artículo ilustramos, con un caso empírico, la pertinencia de la reflexión teórica planteada.

[EN] This paper aims to shed light on the process of excavation and analysis of lithic materials from limestone contexts such as those in the southern Pyrenees. The knowledge acquired from excavation of Coro Trasito (Tella-Sin, Huesca) enables us to distinguish between clasts and natural fragments of the cave itself, a series of limestone flakes and fragments that show traces of having been used as working tools. This group represents 33.3% of the lithic remains recovered at the site, with a percentage similar to that of flint (33.1%). This count does not include the limestone cobbles that have been recorded at other Early Neolithic sites in the central Pyrenees. The absence of this record in other sites does not allow comparisons to be made regarding the technological development of the Neolithic groups that inhabited this territory., [ES] Con este trabajo queremos llamar la atención sobre el proceso de excavación y análisis de materiales líticos provenientes de contextos calizos, como son los correspondientes a la vertiente sur de los Pirineos. La experiencia adquirida durante la excavación de Coro Trasito (Tella-Sin, Huesca) nos ha permitido distinguir entre los clastos y los fragmentos naturales de la propia cueva, una serie de lascas y fragmentos de caliza que presentan rastros de haber sido utilizados como instrumentos de trabajo. Este conjunto supone el 33,3% de los restos líticos recuperados en el sitio, porcentaje similar al del sílex (un 33,1%). En este conteo no se contemplan los cantos en caliza, que sí se han registrado en otros sitios del Neolítico antiguo del Pirineo central. La ausencia de este registro en otros yacimientos no permite realizar comparaciones en cuanto al desarrollo tecnológico de los grupos neolíticos que habitaron ese territorio. [CAT] Amb aquest treball volem cridar l’atenció sobre el procés d’excavació i anàlisi de materials lítics provinents de contextos calcaris, com són els corresponents al vessant sud dels Pirineus. L’experiència adquirida durant l’excavació de Coro Trasito (Tella-Sin, Osca) ens ha permès distingir entre els clastos i els fragments naturals de la mateixa cova, una sèrie d’ascles i fragments de calcària que presenten rastres d’haver estat utilitzats com a instruments de treball. Aquest conjunt representa el 33,3% de les restes lítiques recuperades en el lloc, percentatge similar al del sílex (un 33,1%). En aquest comptatge no es consideren els còdols de calcària, que sí que s’han registrat en altres llocs del Neolític antic del Pirineu central. L’absència d’aquest registre en altres jaciments no permet fer comparacions quant al desenvolupament tecnològic dels grups neolítics que van habitar aquest territori.

[EN] Archaeological investigations of the Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene human occupation of the nearly 3 million square kilometres that make up the vast and diverse landscapes of the Arabian Peninsula are hampered by a series of shortcomings.Some of the problems when trying to reconstruct human occupation and behaviour based on material culture are imposed by the state of preservation of archaeological finds. The shift from dry to wet and back to dry conditions at the end of the Holocene climate optimum has obliterated all prehistoric organic remains, leaving archaeologists with nothing but dust and rocks. In order to reconstruct how humans have adapted to these, at times, challenging environments, archaeologists have turned to the most durable of human cultural expressions: Lithics. While technology and typology are used to classify lithic artefacts, traceology, i.e., the study of tool use, provides insights into the kinetics of stone tools as well as tasks accomplished and materials transformed with the help of these. This article reports on traceological data from the prehistory of Arabia from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Late Palaeolithic and the Neolithic.We address shifting technological and functional paradigms and discuss the limitations of their interpretation, mostly imposed by taphonomic alterations on the lithic assemblages., [FR] Les recherches archéologiques portant sur l’occupation humaine au cours du Pléistocène final et de l’Holocène des près de trois millions de kilomètres carrés que constituent les paysages divers de la péninsule Arabique sont entravées par une série de lacunes. Lorsqu’on essaie de reconstituer l’occupation et le comportement humains, certains des problèmes majeurs sont induits par les oscillations environnementales qui ont marqué les paysages régionaux au cours des trente derniers millénaires. Les variations entre phases arides et humides, puis dernièrement le retour à l’aridité à la fin de l’optimum climatique de l’Holocène ont pratiquement effacé tous les vestiges organiques préhistoriques, ne laissant aux archéologues que poussière et pierres. Afin de reconstituer la façon dont les humains se sont adaptés à ces environnements parfois difficiles, les archéologues se sont tournés vers l’une des expressions culturelles humaines les plus durables: les industries lithiques. Alors que la technologie et la typologie offrent quelques informations sur la façon dont les outils ont été fabriqués et comment les classer, la tracéologie, l’étude de l’utilisation des outils, fournit des informations sur la cinétique des outils en pierre, les tâches accomplies et les matériaux transformés. Cet article se concentre sur les données tracéologiques de la Préhistoire de l’Arabie, du Paléolithique supérieur, au Paléolithique récent et au Néolithique. Nous aborderons les changements de paradigmes technologiques et fonctionnels et discuterons des limites de l’approche, principalement imposées par les altérations taphonomiques sévères sur les assemblages lithiques.

[EN] The purpose of this paper is to present the preliminary results obtained from the techno-morphological analysis of lithic materials recovered of the lithic materials recovered in 6 sites of the Catalan Western plains, which have been related to the Ancient Neolithic. There is a lack of lithic reduction studies based on that zone, which makes this work become the first in extensive study carried out. Such a work is achieved thanks to the analysis of the lithic material following a concrete methodology, within a well-defined theoretical framework, which then leads to a profound documentation through morphotechnical and metric variables. The analysis of the lithic material allows to explain the technological strategies involved in the site under study and the existence of different trajectories of production of the raw materials present in the archaeological record. This same analysis aims to characterize the lithic technology of the place and approach the lithic productions of the Catalan Western plain, [ES] El presente trabajo tiene por objeto exponer los resultados preliminares obtenidos a partir del análisis tecno-morfológico de los materiales líticos recuperados en 6 yacimientos de la llanura occidental catalana, que han sido relacionados con el Neolítico Antiguo. La zona carece de estudios sobre el lítico tallado, siendo este trabajo el primer estudio in extenso realizado. Esta labor se lleva a cabo a partir del análisis del material lítico siguiendo una metodología concreta, dentro de un marco teórico bien definido, empleando una documentación exhaustiva a través de variables morfotécnicas y métricas. El análisis del material lítico permite explicitar las estrategias tecnológicas involucradas en el sitio bajo estudio y deslindar la existencia de diferentes trayectorias de producción de las materias primas presentes en el registro arqueológico. Con él se pretende caracterizar la tecnología lítica del lugar y aproximarse a las producciones líticas de la llanura occidental catalana.

[EN] The Mousterian level of the Doline of Cantalouette 2, with a mean age of 60,000 years, is remarkable for its richness, composition and recurrent structuring of activities in space (Bourguignon et al., 2008). It also delivers a range of lithic tools used in percussion tasks. In addition to a large range of knapping hammers (on quartz pebbles, flakes or flint cores), massive flint flakes have also been used with percussion gestures for working perishable materials such as animal carcasses and plants. We will focus our present article exclusively on this last type of use. The lithic production activities of this Late Mousterian mainly involved an algorithmic knapping system, based on recurrent unidirectional series and obtained according to sub-parallel fracture planes following one or more surfaces. Thick flakes, often with lateral asymmetry, were obtained from one or more circumscribed percussion planes (opposite or perpendicular), which are very rarely prepared. More rarely, a preferential Levallois knapping system, oriented towards export of the products, was also implemented. At some distance from the knapping station the main production was made almost exclusively for immediate use with or without a preparation of the active and handling parts by retouching, (Bourguignon et al., 2008). From this lithic production, it was made a selection of massive flakes easily handled with bare hands. These blanks often came from the first stages of the operating chain (cortical) and were used in percussion tasks. On the basis of a macroscopic selection of the -often unretouched- cutting edges with stigmas of crushing, micro-flaking or scarring, a functional analysis was carried out according to the analytical methodology developed by S. A. Semenov (1964). As the tools were very large items, we produced replicas of the working edges on acetate for additional analysis with microscope. Two types of percussion activities were registered, one focused on butchering tasks and th, [FR] Le niveau moustérien de la Doline de Cantalouette 2, d’âge moyen de 60.000 ans est remarquable par sa richesse, sa composition et sa structuration récurrente des activités dans l’espace (Bourguignon et al. 2008). Il livre également une gamme d’instruments lithiques utilisés en percussion lancée. Outre une panoplie importante des percuteurs de taille (sur galets de quartz, éclats ou nucléus en silex), des éclats massifs en silex ont également été utilisés selon ce mode d’action pour des opérations de traitement de matériaux périssables tels les carcasses animales ou les végétaux. C’est exclusivement sur ces derniers modes de fonctionnement que nous orientons notre article. Les activités de production de ce Moustérien Récent participent essentiellement d’un débitage algorithmique mettant en oeuvre des séries unipolaires récurrentes obtenues selon des plans de fracturation subparallèles aux dépens d’une ou de plusieurs surfaces. Des éclats épais, présentant souvent une asymétrie latérale sont obtenus à partir d’un ou plusieurs plans de frappe circonscrits (opposés ou perpendiculaires) et très rarement aménagés. Plus rarement, un débitage Levallois à éclat préférentiel, orienté vers une exportation des produits est également mis en oeuvre. La production principale est quasi exclusivement réalisée pour une utilisation immédiate des éclats, distante du poste de taille, avec ou sans aménagement des parties actives et préhensives par la retouche (Bourguignon et al. 2008). C’est parmi cette production qu’une sélection d’éclats massifs aisément préhensibles à mains nues, souvent issus des premières étapes de la chaîne opératoire (corticaux), s’opère pour leur utilisation en percussion lancée. Sur la base d’une sélection macroscopique de tranchants (souvent bruts) présentant des stigmates d’écrasement, d’arrachement ou d’esquillement, une lecture fonctionnelle a été réalisée selon la méthodologie analytique développée par S.A. Semenov (1964). S’agissant d’objets de grande

The intensification of archaeological investigation across South Arabia has brought forth countless new Prehistoric sites. The majority of the reported occurrences are lithic surface sites found near raw material outcrops, which is nearly everywhere in some parts of Arabia. Site preservation plays an essential role for surface scatters as it influences the quantity and quality of data acquired. Here we present the results of traceological and refitting analysis conducted on a sample from a surface scatter located in southern Oman, where a specific wood-working kit was used and abandoned. Different burins, mostly single burins on concave truncations, their manufacturing and resharpening waste were collected and subjected to analysis. The results of the traceological and technological study indicate that the burins have been used in carpentry activities and the configuration of the burins changed during their use cycle.

Current archaeological paradigm proposes that the first peopling of the Americas does not exceed the Last Glacial Maximum period. In this context, the acceptance of the anthropogenic character of the earliest stone artefacts generally rests on the presence of projectile points considered no more as typocentric but as typognomonic, since it allows, by itself, to certify the human character of the other associated artefacts. In other words, without this presence, nothing is certain. Archaeological research at Piauí (Brazil) attests to a Pleistocene human presence between 41 and 14 cal kyr BP, without any record of lithic projectile points. Here, we report the discovery and interpretation of an unusual stone artefact in the Vale da Pedra Furada site, in a context dating back to 24 cal kyr BP. The knapping stigmata and macroscopic use-wear traces reveal a conception centred on the configuration of double bevels and the production in the same specimen of at least two successive artefacts with probably different functions. This piece unambiguously presents an anthropic character and reveals a technical novelty during the Pleistocene occupation of South America.

[EN] Experimental programs focused on various techno-functional issues have been carried out for more than a decade around the research project of the La Draga lacustrine neolithic site (Banyoles-Girona).The extraordinary conservation of archaeological materials made from both inorganic and organic materials has allowed the development of programs that have replicated technical processes of production and use of different tools and artifacts of bone, wood, and stone, used in different activities, such as woodworking and textile production. The Draga experimental project is proposed as a holistic tool for archaeological research, academic training, and dissemination for all audiences., [ES] En torno al proyecto de investigación del yacimiento neolítico lacustre de la Draga (Banyoles-Girona) se lleva a cabo desde hace más de una década programas experimentales centrados en diversas cuestiones tecno funcionales. La extraordinaria conservación de los materiales arqueológicos realizados tanto en materias inorgánicas como orgánicas han permitido desarrollar experimentos que han replicado procesos técnicos de producción y utilización de diferentes herramientas y artefactos de hueso, madera y piedra, utilizados en diferentes actividades, como el trabajo de la madera y la producción textil. El proyecto experimental de la Draga se plantea como una herramienta holística de investigación arqueológica, de formación académica y de divulgación para todos los públicos.

After years of intense fieldwork, our knowledge about the Neolithisation of the Pyrenees has considerably increased. In the southern central Pyrenees, some previously unknown Neolithic sites have been discovered at subalpine and alpine altitudes (1,000–1,500 m a.s.l.). One of them is Cueva Lóbrica, 1,170 m a.s.l., which has an occupation phase with impressed pottery dated ca. 5400 cal BCE. Another is Coro Trasito, 1,558 m a.s.l., a large rock shelter that preserves evidence of continuous occupations in the Early Neolithic, 5300–4600 cal BCE. Evidence of human occupation at higher altitudes has also been documented. In the Axial Pyrenees, at the Obagues de Ratera rock shelter, 2,345 m a.s.l., an occupation has been dated to around 5730–5600 cal BCE. At Cova del Sardo, in the Sant Nicolau Valley, at 1,780 m a.s.l., a series of occupations have been excavated, dated to ca. 5600–4500 cal BCE. These sites allow us to discuss patterns of occupation of the mountainous areas between the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic. Recent data suggest that the last hunter–gatherer occupied all altitudinal stages of the Pyrenees, both in the outer and inner ranges. A change in the settlement pattern seems to have occurred in the Early Neolithic, which consisted of a concentration of occupations in the valley bottom and mid-slopes, in biotopes favourable to both herding and agriculture.