De l’efficacité des faucilles néolithiques au Proche-Orient : approche expérimentale

Abstract

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...

Migration, adaptation, innovation: The spread of Neolithic harvesting technologies in the Mediterranean

“…Another is through recurrent edgeretouching. Retouch removes material from-and reshapes-the cutting bevel and edge of a blade; in addition, retouch often produces a more or less pronounced denticulation on the edge that is particularly suitable for the 'friction cutting' of cereal crops [51,61].…”

“…Chert was generally preferred over obsidian for sickle blade production, even in regions where obsidian is dominant, for example Central Anatolia, at least in certain periods [49,50]. This might be related to the greater fragility of obsidian, which quickly causes the loss of the cutting edge and therefore reduction in the sickle's efficiency, as also experimentally tested [51].…”

Use-wear analyses and provenance determination of pitchstone artefacts: a pilot study from western Scotland

“…We attempted to compensate for this by reference to the numerous published experimental use-wear studies of obsidian artefacts (e.g. Astruc et al, 2012;Beyin, 2010;Hurcombe, 1992;Lewenstain, 1981;Kononenko, 2007Kononenko, , 2011Kononenko et al, 2015Kononenko et al, , 2016Nesbitt et al, 2019;Schousboe, 1977). However, pitchstone typically has a less regular fracture and duller lustre than most obsidians which, along with the common presence of phenocrysts and microcrystallites, may affect how use-wear develops and appears on pitchstone.…”

Dientes de hoz, hoces y Edad del Bronce: la contribución de un programa experimental de siega

“…Por el momento, no contamos con evidencias de otro tipo de hoces para la Edad del Bronce en el ámbito peninsular, aunque sí se constatan en el Neolítico (Gibaja et al 2010;Gibaja et al 2012b). d. El número de elementos enmangados en cada hoz pudo ser variable, según la longitud de arco del soporte, lo que a su vez obedece a la elaboración de hoces de diferentes tamaños, adaptadas seguramente a las capacidades de cada segador o segadora (Astruc et al 2012). No obstante, son varios los ejemplos en los que las hoces, por término general, llevarían insertados entre 7 y 11 elementos, aunque su número podría oscilar en función de distintas variables -longitud de filo, tamaño de los dientes de hoz, etc-.…”

“…Los programas experimentales relacionados con las prácticas agrícolas tienen ya una gran tradición y se han aplicado en muchos contextos diferentes. Con ello se ha pretendido obtener resultados que permitan reconocer aquellos aspectos más directamente ligados a las características ambientales de cada lugar, la variabilidad de especies cultivadas o las diferencias culturales o cronológicas de cada contexto arqueológico analizado (Steenberg 1979;Korobkova 1981;Skakun 1992;1993;Reynolds 1992;Anderson et al 1991;Gibaja 1994;Ibáñez et al 2014;Astruc et al 2012;López-Rodríguez 2013). Esa variabilidad justifica el desarrollo de lo que aquí se presenta, ajustada a las peculiaridades del Levante de la península Ibérica, con unas características climatológicas dominadas por la aridez.…”