Quartzite pebble technology in the final Middle Pleistocene of the Ribeira da Ponte da Pedra site (High Ribatejo, Central Portugal)

Abstract

Abstract:The lithic assemblage of Ribeira da Ponte da Pedra site (OIS8-9) was produced, almost exclusively, through the exploitation of good quality quartzite fluvial pebbles with a regular morphology. Quartzite fluvial pebbles are the most common raw material found in the Middle Pleistocene occupation sites in Portugal. Such feature results from the easy availability of these pebbles in the valleys where the great majority of the archaeological sites within this chronology are located, and also because of the quartzite's physical properties and suitability for knapping.In a techno-typological point of view, its lithic assemblage is characterized by the application of two main reduction sequences that result in abundant worked pebbles, retouched pebbles, cortical and semi-cortical flakes, retouched flakes, a few cores and rare bifacial artefacts. Some artefacts present irregular and variable edge modifications described as 'atypical' edge modifications that could edge damage resultant from their utilization. From a strictly technical point of view the assemblage can be described as quite simple, however we can envisage an inherent complexity starting in an accurate selection and exploitation of the quartzite pebbles, whose regular morphology allows a 'predetermined' production of regular blanks through simple actions.In order to better understand patterns of raw material selection and technical schemes adopted in the exploitation of the quartzite pebbles we compared a sample of pebbles collected in the same deposits identified in the site (t4 fluvial terrace deposits) with worked pebbles that have 1 or 2 removals that had not altered significantly the original morpho-volumetry of the pebbles. The goal of this comparison was to verify if there was a selection of the fluvial pebbles based on texture and morpho-volumetry and if so, relate such selection with the technical schemes identified by technological study of the assemblage.

Revisiting the Palaeolithic Site of Cabeço Da Mina (Muge, Portu-Gal): Techno-Typological Study of the Large Cutting Tools From the Geological Museum Collection

“…Em relação às jazidas de ar livre, apesar de os importantes achados em Vila Velha de Ródão, Vila Nova da Barquinha e Alpiarça (Raposo, 1985;Raposo et al 1985;Raposo, 1987;Raposo et al 1993;Raposo, 1996;Mozzi et al 2000;Salvador, 2002;Cura, 2014;Cunha, Cura, et al 2017;Raposo, 2023) serem os mais recorrentemente destacados quando se aborda o Acheulense do Baixo Tejo, a identificação de ocorrências deste tecno-complexo foi, ao longo das décadas, sendo assinalada noutros setores do rio. Neste âmbito, a região de Muge, integrada no chamado troço IV (sensu Cunha, Cura, et al 2017), é uma das áreas na qual a presença de indústrias acheulenses se encontra também documentada (Corrêa, 1940;Breuil & Zbyszewski, 1942, 1945Penalva, 1987;Neves, 1988;Pereira, 2004Pereira, , 2006Moral del Hoyo et al 2008;Varanda & Andrade, 2017), pese embora o seu estudo não ter conhecido desenvolvimentos significativos posteriores ao trabalhos aí realizados no final da primeira metade do século XX (Corrêa, 1940;Breuil & Zbyszewski, 1942, 1945, como assinalam Varanda & Andrade (2017: 6).…”