Using lithic assemblage formation to approach Middle Palaeolithic settlement dynamics: El Salt Stratigraphic Unit X (Alicante, Spain)

Machado, Jorge; Molina, J.M.; Hernández, Constantino Criado; Tarriño, Antonio; Galván, Bertila

doi:10.1007/s12520-016-0318-z

Cited by 42 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…All anthropogenic remains were recorded according to natural slope and microtopographical features while combustion features were excavated according to the available thin microstratigraphic layers: namely, the white ash layer and the black layer (Mallol et al, 2013b;Machado et al, 2016). Excavation of SU Xb has allowed the identification of an initial division of the palimpsest deposit into several fine-grained analytical units designated Archaeosedimentary Facies Associations (AFAs).…”

Section: Site Context and Stratigraphic Unit Xb Excavationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Excavation of SU Xb has allowed the identification of an initial division of the palimpsest deposit into several fine-grained analytical units designated Archaeosedimentary Facies Associations (AFAs). These units correspond to the highest possible temporal resolution achievable within the context studied (Machado and P erez, 2015;Machado et al, 2016). This research is focused on the anthracological remains recovered from the entire excavation surface of AFA 2 (30 m 2 ), an archaeostratigraphic unit of 7 cm mean thickness defined using a geoarchaeological analysis of sedimentary facies, and a spatial analysis of lithics and faunal refits.…”

Section: Site Context and Stratigraphic Unit Xb Excavationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The incorporation of lithic and faunal refits is a key element for the identification of synchronic and diachronic relationships between artifacts deposited during the development of successive occupation events (Gabucio et al, 2014;Polo-Díaz et al, 2015;Modolo and Rosell, 2016). In the Iberian Peninsula, research on current Middle Palaeolithic sites have focused on the study of archaeostratigraphic units from a spatiotemporal perspective, identifying abundant lithic recycling processes such as at El Cañaveral (Ortiz and Baena, 2015) and spatial connections between lithic refits and combustions structures in Abric del Pastor (Machado et al, 2013) and El Salt (Machado et al, 2016). For instance, a comparative study of faunal refits between units Ja and H from Abric Romaní has identified unexpected differences in occupations of the rock shelter, thus allowing the determination of synchronous relationships between activity and non-activity areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Notwithstanding, spatial approaches to settlement analysis highlighting the time-averaged nature of the formation of material assemblages are increasingly abundant. Three-dimensional plotting of faunal and lithics using GIS software has become an essential tool to isolate anthropogenic assemblages stratigraphically synchronic within a single archaeological deposit (Vaquero et al, 2004Marín Arroyo, 2009;Rosell et al, 2012;Vallverdú et al, 2012, 2005, Bargall o et al, 2015Geiling and Marín-Arroyo, 2015;Machado and P erez, 2015;Martínez-Moreno et al, 2015;Machado et al, 2016;Modolo and Rosell, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Firewood and hearths: Middle Palaeolithic woody taxa distribution from El Salt, stratigraphic unit Xb (Eastern Iberia)

Vidal-Matutano

2017

Quaternary International

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a b s t r a c tSpatial analyses of Palaeolithic sites typically defined by hearth-related assemblages have been mostly based on lithic and faunal remains. By using spatial analysis methods in conjunction with analytical units with higher temporal resolution than typical stratigraphic units, synchronic and diachronic relationships between artifacts deposited during successive occupation events have been elucidated. Spatial analyses applied to archaeobotanical remains are scarce, and when available, are typically focused on carpological remains (seeds and fruits). The lack of spatial indicators among anthracological remains hampers obtaining significant data linked to the relationships established between the combustion features and scattered charcoal fragments recovered from excavated occupation surfaces. To address this problem, the charcoal assemblage from El Salt Stratigraphic Unit (SU) Xb (Archaeosedimentary Facies Association 2 [AFA 2]) is analyzed using spatial analysis methods. Results suggest that the integration of anthracological remains into a palimpsest dissection analyses is vital to better understand the relationship between combustion structures and activity areas. These results highlight the utility of spatial and statistical methods as important tools for future anthracological analyses to provide meaningful information related to taxa distribution and the last firewood used in combustion structures.

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Section: Site Context and Stratigraphic Unit Xb Excavationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Site Context and Stratigraphic Unit Xb Excavationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Firewood and hearths: Middle Palaeolithic woody taxa distribution from El Salt, stratigraphic unit Xb (Eastern Iberia)

Vidal-Matutano

2017

Quaternary International

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“…Analysing the assemblage as a whole, we obtained an "average behaviour" (Vaquero 2008). Several works have shown that archaeological assemblages were the result of a series of independent import, export, use, and discard events, and knowledge of the fragmented characteristics of production in the landscape is needed to understand and interpret site function, occupation length, planned behaviour, handling costs, and more in general techno-economic strategies (Machado et al 2016;Turq et al 2013;Vallverdú et al 2005;Vaquero 2008). …”

Section: Geological Context and Time Resolution Set Of Problemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing a hypothesis about the importance of the quality of raw material on technological changes at Abric Romaní (Capellades, Spain): Some considerations using a high-resolution techno-economic perspective

Romagnoli

Bargalló

Chacón

et al. 2016

JLS

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Abstract:Technological changes have been identified in several European Middle Palaeolithic sites. Specifically, the turnover in discoid and Levallois knapping methods has traditionally been explained by raw material constraints that are usually related to foraging areas and mobility strategies of Neanderthal groups. While Levallois production requires high homogeneous blocks, predominant discoid techno-complexes have generally been interpreted as better adapted to the scarcity of high quality raw material, not only for the lowest degree of control in products morphology, but also for their multitask characteristics. Nevertheless, the impact of the quality of raw material has never been systematically studied. Furthermore, technological analyses usually consider the lithic assemblage as a whole and do not dissect assemblages to identify single events, which are units that are needed to interpret relationships between technological organisation, human mobility, economic strategies, and settlement patterns. Here, we present an application of technological analysis with a high-resolution approach to investigate, in detail, how raw material quality affected production and how Neanderthals managed the low quality of Sant Martí de Tous chert within Levallois and discoid concepts. We used Raw Material Units and refits as units of analysis with a diacritical approach. The results suggested that the Levallois organisation of the reduction sequence in layer O included a phase of selection of the block and its systematic cutting-down, as well as quite standardised productive procedures and a high fragmentation of the productive sequence within the landscape. In layer M discoid sequences showed a high internal variability as a response to raw material constraints, and most of the production was usually manufactured at the site. Data implied that factors others than the quality of raw material determined the technological turnover at Abric Romaní, suggesting that social organisation and settlement patterns have most probably played a more significant role than foraging area.

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Bone retouchers from the Middle Palaeolithic site of El Salt, Stratigraphic Unit Xa (Alicante, Spain): First data and comparison with the Middle to Upper Pleistocene European record

Pérez

Hernández

Galván

2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Middle Palaeolithic sites frequently present bones with a double function, linked to subsistence and technology, which are generally referred to as “retouchers” or “bone retouchers.” These have been identified in several European sites from the Middle Pleistocene to Holocene, but different explanations of their origin and functionality have been cited. Although bone retouchers were made using various animal parts, they were usually produced from diaphyseal fragments of medium to large hoofed mammals. We present a small assemblage of six bone retouchers recovered from Stratigraphic Unit Xa (52.3 ± 4.6 ka), in the Middle Palaeolithic site of El Salt (Alicante, Spain), and compare our data with previous studies from several sites in south‐western France, northern Italy, and north‐eastern Spain. These tools were generated using diaphyseal fragments from red deer, horses, and other large mammals previously exploited by humans for meat and marrow. Our findings add to the existing knowledge on the behaviour and faunal resource management of the last Neanderthal groups on the western Iberian Peninsula before they disappeared from the region around 45–40 ka.

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Using lithic assemblage formation to approach Middle Palaeolithic settlement dynamics: El Salt Stratigraphic Unit X (Alicante, Spain)

Cited by 42 publications

References 31 publications

Firewood and hearths: Middle Palaeolithic woody taxa distribution from El Salt, stratigraphic unit Xb (Eastern Iberia)

Firewood and hearths: Middle Palaeolithic woody taxa distribution from El Salt, stratigraphic unit Xb (Eastern Iberia)

Testing a hypothesis about the importance of the quality of raw material on technological changes at Abric Romaní (Capellades, Spain): Some considerations using a high-resolution techno-economic perspective

Bone retouchers from the Middle Palaeolithic site of El Salt, Stratigraphic Unit Xa (Alicante, Spain): First data and comparison with the Middle to Upper Pleistocene European record

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