Management of lithic raw materials in the “Mesolithic with geometrics” (Northern of Iberian Peninsula): chaînes opératoires and territory

Alonso, Diego Herrero; Fuertes-Prieto, Natividad; Neira-Campos, Ana

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.102093

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…The data reinforce a previous hypothesis that posited that the site was a quarry or a workshop where the initial stages of lithic reduction were carried out (Baena Preysler et al, 2012; Carrión & Baena Preysler, 2005; Manzano et al, 2005; Prieto, Yusta, & Arrizabalaga, 2019). The exploitation of raw material in conglomerates was also suggested in other research in the region (Castanedo, 2001; Herrero‐Alonso et al, 2020; Santamaría, 2012). Furthermore, current research demonstrates how these activities were performed through the analysis of an in situ workshop that intensively exploited and transformed the quartzite pebbles into a stock of suitable raw material.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

“…Mobility circuits that connect different areas were probably based on short‐ or medium‐range mobility; however, longer circuits also seem to be present, as proposed in other Cantabrian Middle Paleolithic sites (Rios‐Garaizar, 2020) or other parts of Europe (e.g., Daffara et al, 2019; Gómez de Soler et al, 2020; Turq et al, 2013, 2017). These longer mobility circuits were not quantitatively important for the dispersion of raw material, but they indicate relationships between the Cantabrian Coast and the northern limit of the Iberian Plateau, as also suggested in the region in other prehistoric frameworks (Herrero‐Alonso et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

“…Furthermore, this study proposes a dispersion of raw material by human groups, not only based on a dot and arrow map but also on more complex mobility (Prieto et al, 2016; Sánchez et al, 2016) and economic settings (García‐Rojas et al, 2017; Herrero‐Alonso et al, 2020; Rios‐Garaizar & García, 2015). The most relevant conclusion considering these terms is that mobility was used to articulate complex economic management of terrain, in which quartzite is one of the multiple resources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies, based on flint sourcing, also provide information connected with flint procurement strategies and mobility circuits. Moreover, together with other proxies of analysis such as Geographic Information System (GIS), technological characterization of the lithics, or use‐wear analysis, flint sourcing provides interesting data about prehistoric territoriality and technological management of resources (e.g., Arrizabalaga et al, 2014; Herrero‐Alonso et al, 2020; Prieto et al, 2016; Turq et al, 2013, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quartzite procurement in conglomerates and deposits: Geoarchaeological characterization of potential catchment areas in the central part of the Cantabrian Region, Spain

et al. 2021

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Raw material characterization in Paleolithic archaeology has widened our knowledge of Middle Paleolithic societies. Procurement of raw material, specifically flint, has allowed the tracing of the mobility of both stones and people, as well as selective processes to obtain specific types or even extraction activities. The analysis of quartzite has also developed in recent years, providing an opportunity to better understand prehistoric societies. This study characterizes the procurement strategies implemented by Middle Paleolithic people in the mountainous region of the Picos de Europa. To this end, we present a comprehensive characterization of potential catchment areas: massive outcrops, conglomerates, and river deposits. The exploitation of quartzite at the sites of El Habario and El Arteu allows us to understand the territorial management of this mountainous area through the combination of selective processes and mobility mechanisms in lower and middle altitudes. These perspectives enable us to view the mountainous region not as a barrier but as an environmental mosaic managed by Middle Paleolithic groups. This study shows strategies that bring together direct and embedded procurement based on both intensive and extensive searches. These discourses are more closely related to the daily life of people than those only considering the mobility of people and objects.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quartzite procurement in conglomerates and deposits: Geoarchaeological characterization of potential catchment areas in the central part of the Cantabrian Region, Spain

et al. 2021

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“…This has succeeded in determining the source areas of the flint brought to the sites by human groups and the establishment of regional lithic repositories (Herrero- Tarriño et al 2015;. Additionally, it has improved the understanding of physical characteristics of the material, its behaviour in reduction and use (e.g., Calvo 2019;García-Rojas 2014;Herrero-Alonso et al 2020;Perales 2015;Tarriño 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithic raw material in the Cantabrian region: Dialectical relationship between flint and quartzite in the Palaeolithic record

Prieto

Arrizabalaga

Yusta

2021

JLS

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The increase, in quantitative and qualitative terms, of research attending to the geological nature of rocks found in archaeological contexts is changing our perspectives about social and economic territories articulated by Palaeolithic societies in the Cantabrian Region. Practically the only raw material researched in a solid geoarchaeological approach in this area is flint. This paper addresses how the near absence of in-depth geoarchaeological research into raw materials other than flint is modifying our perception of the procurement and management mechanism of raw material in the Cantabrian Region during the Palaeolithic. To consider this matter in depth, we present the bibliographic and quantitative analysis of 30 representative archaeological sites from the Cantabrian Region whose assemblages were described lithologically using basic and primary categories. The state of play depicts a geographic distribution of raw material in the Cantabrian Region where quartzite is associated with the western sector and flint with the east. Interconnected with this axis, there is a chronological tendency that promotes standardisation in the use of flint by Palaeolithic societies following a chronological order, from the older to the more recent periods. This information, and its contextualisation with the new perspectives resulting from the application of the geoarchaeological proposal used to understand flint procurement, allows us to understand the general tendencies of raw material distribution of the region. Especially, we can detect how the absence of geoarchaeological methodologies of other raw materials than flint has modified the perception of the economic and social dynamics articulated around raw material by Palaeolithic people. This bias does not only affect the geographical and chronological axes, emphasising information from the regions and periods where flint is represented, but also promotes the over-interpretation of long-distance procurement, therefore, building up narratives exclusively based on human mobility. This situation has generated an incomplete and unbalanced picture of the procurement and management strategies followed by Palaeolithic societies because quartzite, the second most-often used lithic raw material, and other raw materials have only been studied using geoarchaeological methods within the last few years. This research finally points to the continuation of in-depth research of quartzite and other raw materials as the next steps to re-interpret the current paradigms about procurement and management of raw material by Palaeolithic societies, and, therefore, modify our perspectives of social and economic territories. The research presented here addresses this situation and proposes the in-depth research of quartzite as the next step to re-interpret the current paradigms about procurement and management of raw material by Palaeolithic societies, and, therefore, modify our perspectives of social and economic territories. To do so, we have proposed a general raw material framework in the Cantabrian Region based on the 30 most representative sites whose assemblages were described lithologically using basic and primary categories. The state of the art depicted a geographic distribution of raw material in the Cantabrian Region where quartzite is associated with the western sector and flint with the east. Interconnected with this axis, there is a chronological tendency that promotes standardisation in the use of flint by Palaeolithic societies following a chronological order, from the older to the more recent periods. This information, and its contextualisation with the new perspectives resulting from the application of the geoarchaeological proposal used to understand flint procurement, allows us to understand the bias derived by the absence of geoarchaeological methodologies of other raw materials than flint. These biases are not only related with the geographical and chronological axes, emphasising information from the regions and periods where flint is represented, but also with the overinterpretation of long-distance procurement, therefore, promoting narratives exclusively based on human mobility.

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Black chert and radiolarite: knappable lithic raw materials in the prehistory of the Cantabrian Mountains (North Spain)

Alonso

Tarriño-Vinagre

Fernández‐Martínez

et al. 2021

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Management of lithic raw materials in the “Mesolithic with geometrics” (Northern of Iberian Peninsula): chaînes opératoires and territory

Cited by 10 publications

References 5 publications

Quartzite procurement in conglomerates and deposits: Geoarchaeological characterization of potential catchment areas in the central part of the Cantabrian Region, Spain

Quartzite procurement in conglomerates and deposits: Geoarchaeological characterization of potential catchment areas in the central part of the Cantabrian Region, Spain

Lithic raw material in the Cantabrian region: Dialectical relationship between flint and quartzite in the Palaeolithic record

Black chert and radiolarite: knappable lithic raw materials in the prehistory of the Cantabrian Mountains (North Spain)

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