<p>This study presents new data on prehistoric occupation in the Karama River catchment, obtained during 2014 with the aid of a grant from the Granucci Fund for Archaeological Research in Indonesia and East Timor. The results are linked to those of previous research in the valley, with the intention of reconstructing prehistoric occupation patterns from early times until the Metal Age.</p><p>Keywords: Karama Valley, prehistoric settlements, migration</p>
Here we describe the excavation, chronology and assemblage from Gua Mo'o hono, a rockshelter in the Lake Towuti region in Southeast Sulawesi. The excavation produced glass, ceramics and pottery, dense faunal and lithic assemblages and a diversity of bone tools. The Gua Mo'o hono sequence demonstrates that humans were active in and around the rockshelter from at least 6500 cal BP, and informs on early to late Holocene subsistence and technology in this region. Although the occupants of Gua Mo'o hono exploited a diverse range of fauna from a variety of habitats around the site, there appears to have been a particular focus on suids, both the babirusa and the Sulawesi warty pig.
Since the recent discovery of Late Pleistocene rock art in Island Southeast Asia was announced, evidence for symbolic behaviour in the region has become a focus of international archaeological interest. South Sulawesi is one region that hold much evidence for this important human activity. In addition to the cave paintings, several engraved stone artefacts have also been recovered in the same area, nearly all of which date back to the Late Pleistocene. However, while cave use by ‘hunter-gatherer’ societies continued into the Holocene period, archaeological evidence for symbolic expression during this Toalean period is extremely rare. Here, we report for the first time on engraved stone artefacts from the Middle Holocene period, associated with six human burials. Of ten incised artefacts recovered, eight are stone flakes and two are stone plaquettes, all made of hematite material. Our study suggests that unlike comparative Pleistocene engraved stones, the incisions on the Cappalombo artefacts are more likely the result of use-wear that occurs from producing red pigment powder than portable artworks. As no Toalean-age cave art has yet been identified, it is suspected that pigment powder was applied to the corpses as part of a burial practice or perhaps smeared on the body of the person/s performing the ceremony itself as part of a symbolic ritualistic activity. Sejak penemuan gambar cadas Pleistosen Akhir terbaru diumumkan di Pulau Asia Tenggara, bukti perilaku simbolis di wilayah tersebut telah menjadi fokus kajian arkeologis internasional. Sulawesi Selatan adalah salah satu wilayah yang menyimpan banyak bukti aktivitas manusia yang penting ini. Selain lukisan gua, beberapa artefak batu berukir juga telah ditemukan di daerah yang sama, hampir semuanya berasal dari Pleistosen Akhir. Namun, ketika penggunaan gua oleh masyarakat 'pemburu-pengumpul' berlanjut hingga periode Holosen, bukti arkeologis untuk ekspresi simbolis selama periode Toalean ini sangat langka. Di sini, kami melaporkan untuk pertama kalinya tentang artefak batu berukir dari periode Holosen Tengah, yang terkait dengan enam penguburan manusia. Dari sepuluh artefak gores yang ditemukan, delapan berupa serpihan batu dan dua berupa plakat batu, semuanya terbuat dari bahan hematit. Studi kami menunjukkan bahwa tidak seperti batu terukir Pleistosen, sayatan pada artefak Cappalombo lebih mungkin hasil dari penggunaan yang terjadi dari memproduksi bubuk pigmen merah daripada karya seni portabel. Karena seni gua periode Toalean belum dapat diidentifikasi, diduga bubuk pigmen dioleskan pada mayat sebagai bagian dari praktik penguburan atau mungkin dioleskan pada tubuh orang yang melakukan upacara itu sendiri sebagai bagian dari aktifitas ritual simbolis.
Serrated stone points have been documented in a variety of archaeological settings worldwide. In Indonesia, serrated points known as Maros point began to appear during the mid-Holocene as part of the Toalean techno-complex in southern South Sulawesi. Researchers have speculated functional and cultural reason behind the emergence of these distinctive artefact as projectile points, an assumption that has yet to be verified by archaeological data. In particular, the edge serration has been suggested to allow for deeper penetration and/or act as barbs to prevent the easy withdrawal of the points from the target. In this study, we experimentally test these functional hypotheses regarding the effect of edge serration on stone arrowheads resembling Maros points when fired using different bow draw weights. We also investigate variation in breakage and impact fracture pattern between serrated and non-serrated points. Our result show that, compared to the non-serrated points, the serrated arrows not only deliver deeper penetrations, but also require less force to withdraw from the ballistic gel target. However, these relationships are complicated by the inclusion of skin and bone in the ballistic target. The findings demonstrate that the effect of serrated stone points on projectile performance depends on factors such as the projectile delivery system and prey type. Moreover, under identical firing settings, the serrated points develop more variable macrofracture patterns than the non-serrated points, likely owing the irregular edge morphologies. Taking these results together, we discuss the implications of our experimental study on the appearance of Maros points and the Toalean techno-complex in South Sulawesi during the mid-Holocene.
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