This article explores the changes that occurred in harvesting technology during the dispersal of the Neolithic in the Mediterranean basin. It does so through technological and use-wear analysis of flaked stone tools from archaeological sites dated between ca. 7000 and 5000 cal BCE, from the Aegean Sea to the westernmost coasts of Portugal. The main goal is to analyse the transformations that occurred in the harvesting toolkit. Our study reveals dynamics of continuity and change in sickles at a Mediterranean scale, resulting from adaptations of the migrant groups to the newly occupied territories and from processes of technological innovation. Adaptations in the production system of the inserts and in their usepattern occurred in relation to lithic raw material availability and knappers' skills, but also in relation to the scale of production and farming techniques. A major shift took place in the northwestern Mediterranean arc with the diffusion of parallel-hafted inserts, probably as a result of heterogeneous phenomena including the diffusion of new groups, technical transfers, establishment of new interaction networks and new systems of lithic production.
Durant le VII e millénaire avant J.-C., des changements importants sont constatés dans les industries lithiques d'Europe occidentale. La production lithique est centrée sur des lamelles régulières, débitées par pression ou percussion indirecte. Ces lamelles sont souvent retouchées pour former une ou plusieurs coches, façonnant parfois des bords denticulés. Nous avons étudié un échantillon de lames à coches provenant de différents sites mésolithiques du VII e et du VI e millénaire av. J.
The lakeshore site of La Marmotta is one of the most important Early Neolithic sites of Mediterranean Europe. The site is famous for the exceptional preservation of organic materials, including numerous wooden artefacts related to navigation, agriculture, textile production, and basketry. This article presents interdisciplinary research on three of the most complete and well-preserved sickles recovered from the site, yet unpublished. All the components of the tools are analysed: the stone inserts, the wooden haft and the adhesive substances used to fix the stones inside the haft. Our innovative methodology combines use-wear and microtexture analysis of stone tools through confocal microscopy, taxonomical and technological analysis of wood, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of the adhesive substances, and pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, and phytolith analysis of the remains incorporated within the adhesive. This multiproxy approach provides a significant insight into the life of these tools, from their production to their use and abandonment, providing evidence of the species of harvested plants and the conditions of the field during the harvesting.
In the Near East " sickles" or " glossy pieces" occur for the first time during the Natufian period. These tools are either " sickle blades" or " sickle elements". " Sickle blades" are used hafted or hand-held as single cutting tools. " Sickle elements" are inserted in a haft in order to create a composite instrument. When sickles are made from flint, they are easily recognized since they usually bear a macroscopic gloss that covers a wide area on both sides of the tool. Experimental and microscopic studies have shown that the majority of these tools were used as sickles to harvest cereals or, less frequently, soft siliceous plants such as reeds and typha. Macroscopic glosses of different natures develop on various occasions, for example : on elements mounted on threshing sledges ; when limestone is worked with the addition of water ; when humid clay is scraped ; etc. When sickle elements are made from obsidian, no macroscopic gloss develops and use wear is rarely observed with the naked eye. In this case, the worn area on the tool presents a mat aspect and abrasion features. Such tools are rarely recognized as such. Sometimes, abrasion features are erroneously interpreted as harvesting marks. The frequency of harvesting instruments increased during the Neolithic period. According to several analysts, the use of sickles to harvest cereals was preferred to other harvesting techniques such as uprooting, the use of beaters and baskets, and mesoarias in order to maximize yields. Moreover, the evolution of the morphology of sickles has often been related to the gradual adoption and the spread of agriculture. Sickles found on archaeological sites may be complete or broken. The hafts were made from wood, antler, or horn and the sickle elements were inserted parallel or oblique to the haft and often glued with bitumen. If only sickle elements are discovered on the site, the distribution of the gloss and the bitumen and the size of the blanks provide information on the mode of hafting, the degree of curvature of the haft, and, in some cases, the number of lithic inserts. The aim of the present paper is to examine the relation between the morphology and efficiency of the sickles and the adoption of agriculture by the Neolithic communities in the Near East. Based on publications, we identify three major steps in the evolution of sickle manufacturing in this region : the appearance of composite sickles, increased curvature of the hafts, and the adoption of oblique inserts. An experimental programme was devised in order to evaluate the impact of the following factors on sickle productivity : the harvester ; the curvature of the haft ; the length of the cutting edge of the lithic blade ; the position of the blade in relation to the haft (parallel or oblique) ; the raw material used (flint or obsidian). Statistical analysis of the results allows the impact of each factor and of combinations of factors to be evaluated. Our research has shown that the harvester parameter is important. The knowledge, skill, and physical strength o...
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