Experimental protocols for the study of battered stone anvils from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)

Percussive activities are highly relevant in the economy of modern hunter-gatherer societies and other primates, and are likely to have been equally important during the Palaeolithic. Despite the potential relevance of percussive activities in the Early Stone Age, attempts to study battered artefacts are still rare. In order to establish protocols of analysis of battered tools, this paper pursues an interdisciplinary approach combining techno-typological, refit, use-wear and GIS studies of experimental anvils from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania). The main aim is to classify types of damage on battered artefacts according to the percussive task performed, and hence identify patterns that can be used to interpret the Oldowan and Acheulean evidence. Our results indicate that abrasion marks on anvil surfaces are typical of nut cracking, while bone breaking leaves characteristic scars and abrasion marks on the edges of anvils. Pounding of soft materials such as meat and plants also causes battering of anvils, producing morphological and spatial patterns that can be discerned from the heavy breakage of anvils during bipolar flaking. By integrating macroscopic, microscopic and spatial analyses of experimental stone tools, this paper contributes to create a referential framework in which Early Stone Age battered artefacts can be interpreted.     

Quantifying 3D Micro‐Surface Changes on Experimental Stones Used to Break Bones and Their Implications for the Analysis of Early Stone Age Pounding Tools

We present a new method to assess use‐wear formation processes of pounding tools used to break bones based on a combination of conventional microscopy, optical 3D surface measurements obtained with a confocal microscope and GIS analysis. The method involves 3D alignment and 3D surface change inspection techniques along with a surface morphometric characterization and 2D spatial pattern analysis, to measure the spatital distribution of significant changes in surface topography of pounding tools. Our results show that microscopic changes can be detected in the surfaces of hammers and anvils after bone breakage activities are performed. Use‐wear on the active elements (hammers made on basalt and quartzite) occurred over a larger area than was observed on the passive element (quartzite anvil), but the latter often exhibited deeper modifications. Tool surfaces generally developed smoother topography with increased use, but grain microfracture also appeared with greater frequency over time. This methodology offers highly accurate and statistically robust analyses of microscopic use‐wear traces that can be applied to the analysis of archaeological pounding tools.     

Stone Tool Production of the Longshan Culture at the Liangchengzhen Site in Rizhao of Shandong

The manufacture of stone tools was one of the most important craft production activities in prehistoric human society. Previously, lack of sound evidence had made it too early to confirm whether or not stone tool production during the Longshan cultural period had already transformed from a primitive self-sufficient household mode of production to a specialized mode of production. Excavation of the site of the Longshan cultural site at Liangchengzhen in Rizhao, Shandong from 1998–2001 through meticulous field methods such as sieving and floatation yielded a large number of lithic reduction tools, ranging from grinding stones, stone hammers, and polishing stones to raw materials, semi-finished products, and lithic debitage of various sizes, resulting from the lithic reduction process. This excavation suggests that the Liangchenzhen site was a settlement site where the complete process of lithic reduction was practiced. Through comparison with contemporary large-scale excavated sites of the Longshan culture, it is suggested that the Area 1 at the Liangchengzhen site was a lithic reduction locality with a relatively high degree of specialization which was used for hundreds of years. It is possible that stone tool production had already advanced to a stage of relatively high specialization during the Longshan cultural period in the Haidai region.     

湖北郧县人遗址石器的第二步加工

郧县人遗址中发现的石器第二步加工的特点是大部分用石锤来直接进行加工;打击方向垂直或接近于垂直;修整痕迹多浅、平;加工方向大部分为单向加工,少数为交互加工、转向加工的;在两刃或两刃以上的石器中,不同边缘的加工方向相同的多,不同的少。郧县人遗址中的石器特征与国内外的旧石器时代早期石器进行对比,在石器的第二步加工技术方面,有着自己鲜明的特点,从而构成了独具特色的“郧县人文化”。     

中国中东部新石器中晚期玉文化遗址分布的时空特征

新石器中晚期(8000～3000a B.P.)玉器从石器中分出形成相对独立的玉文化.玉文化遗址是玉文化保留至今的载体,本文通过田野考古资料结合陆地卫星遥感图像分析技术探讨我国中东部各流域玉文化遗址的时空分布特征,得出如下结论:(1)玉文化扩散包括扩展扩散和迁移扩散两种形式;(2)玉文化扩散具有纬度扩散性、经度扩散性和垂...     

Were Olduvai Hominins making butchering tools or battering tools? Analysis of a recently excavated lithic assemblage from BK (Bed II,Olduvai Gorge,Tanzania)

A new interpretation of early stone-tool use by hominins at Olduvai depicts them as involved in battering activities (using pounding tools) rather than making cutting butchering tools as is commonly inferred in most other Plio-Pleistocene sites where lithics appear associated to faunal remains. The bulk of this interpretation is based on the recognition of the stigma of percussion activities in anvils and detached by-products. Renewed excavations at BK after more than half a century of the beginning of the digging at the site by M. Leakey have produced a new and unbiased lithic assemblage. The taphonomic study of the faunal assemblage has shown that BK is an anthropogenic site where carcass butchery practices were repeatedly performed over a vast amount of time. The present analysis of the lithic artefacts supports this interpretation by showing that the obtainment of flakes was the principal aim in stone knapping. We argue that a number of technical traits observed in the lithic collection of BK can be best interpreted as the result of bipolar loading rather than the by-products of battering activities. Since BK has provided the second largest collection of hominid-modified bones from Olduvai, it is concluded that detached pieces produced in the course of bipolar reduction might have played an active role in bone modification and that active rather than passive percussion behaviors might have been responsible for the formation of the lithic assemblage. The functionality of the Oldowan stone tools are discussed under the light of the new study.     

Technical microwear and residues in identifying bipolar knapping on an anvil: experimental data

The functional study of the stone tool artefacts from the Middle Pleistocene site of Isernia la Pineta (Molise, central Italy) revealed microtraces that display certain features that did not fit in with what we know as use-wear traces. The suspicion that these microtraces may be technical traces derived from bipolar flaking, which is prevalent at this site, led us to initiate an experimental programme to check our hypothesis. The experiments conducted allowed us to identify residues associated with bipolar flaking on an anvil and to characterise the microscopic traces derived from this production technique. Our results proved very useful in identifying the artefacts produced by bipolar flaking, as well as in determining the basic lithological features of the anvil. Moreover, these experiments allowed us to assess the possible interferences that these kinds of technical traces can cause when performing the functional analyses of lithic assemblages produced by the bipolar technique.     

江苏邳州山头遗址发掘简报

山头遗址位于江苏省邳州市戴庄镇山头村西北,是中运河沿线一处重要的史前聚落遗址。2008年2—5月,由江苏徐州博物馆和邳州博物馆组成的考古队对山头遗址进行了考古发掘,共发现房址2座、灰坑51个,出土了大量的陶、石、骨、角器等遗物,主要为大汶口文化和汉代文化遗存。     

Preliminary geology, paleontology and paleoecology of a sangoan site at Andalee, Middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia

A rich stone tool assemblage is described of the Sangoan-type from a potentially semi-primary site, in association with a well-preserved fauna, and in paleo-environmental context. The site appears to be late Middle Pleistocene and contains a high proportion of small to medium-sized mammals (e.g. rodents, monkeys) deposited in low energy conditions. The environment is suggestive of a fringing woodland or riverine forest contained in a subarid climate.     

The PalaeoEnvironments and ARchaeological Landscapes (PEARL) project: Recent findings from Neolithic sites in Northern Oman

The PalaeoEnvironments and ARchaeological Landscapes (PEARL) research project is a joint German–British project with the principal objective of developing a framework of past human occupation and landscape change in south-eastern Arabia. Fieldwork during 2018 and 2019 involved the systematic survey and excavation of sites in the Rustaq and Ibri regions of Northern Oman, with the aim of establishing the nature and timing of human occupation and landscape change during the Early Holocene period (c. 10,000–7,000 years BP). Further to the findings previously reported, results from recent excavations of the site Hayy al-Sarh in Rustaq revealed the presence of animal remains, stone and shell beads and stone structures, indicating a large Neolithic settlement with burial areas. In addition, preliminary excavations at a rock shelter site near Ibri have revealed stratified archaeological remains, including a Fasad-type assemblage. Future fieldwork will further develop archaeological and palaeoenvironmental records to help build a framework for studying cultural and natural developments in Northern Oman.     

湖北郧县刘湾旧石器时代遗址发掘简报

刘湾旧石器时代遗址位于湖北省十堰市郧县杨溪铺镇刘湾村4组,埋藏于汉水左岸第Ⅲ级阶地上。其文化面貌有以下一些特点:石制品的岩性大类中以火成岩为多,种类以沉积岩为多;岩性多样,以脉石英为主;素材以河床中磨圆度较高的河卵石为主,石器的素材以砾石(石核)为主,以石片为素材的石器处于可忽略的地位;石制品的剥片和加工方式均为硬锤锤击法,没有发现砸击法等其它方法的产品;剥片时对石核的台面不进行预先修理;石器类型以砍砸器为主,其次为手斧、手镐,刮削器最少;石器的加工方式以单向加工的为多,但双向加工的石器也有相当的比例。刘湾旧石器时代遗址的发掘证明在汉水流域不仅有距今100万年的旧石器时代早期的"郧县人"文化,也有距今10～5万年的文化,汉水流域的远古文化是土生土长的文化。     

Evaluation of Structure from Motion Software to Create 3D Models of Late Nineteenth Century Great Lakes Shipwrecks Using Archived Diver-Acquired Video Surveys

Here we demonstrate the ability to use archived video surveys to create photorealistic 3D models of submerged archeological sites. We created 3D models of two nineteenth century Great Lakes shipwrecks using diver-acquired video surveys and Structure from Motion (SfM) software. Models were georeferenced using archived hand survey data. Comparison of hand survey measurements and digital measurements made using the models demonstrate that spatial analysis produces results with reasonable accuracy when wreck maps are available. Error associated with digital measurements displayed an inverse relationship to object size. Measurement error ranged from a maximum of 18 % (on 0.37 m object) and a minimum of 0.56 % (on a 4.21 m object). Our results demonstrate SfM can generate models of large maritime archaeological sites that for research, education and outreach purposes. Where site maps are available, these 3D models can be georeferenced to allow additional spatial analysis long after on-site data collection.     

香港佛头洲遗址2004年考古调查简报

佛头洲原位于香港维多利亚港东面入口的一个小岛。文献记述该岛尚存古代税关遗址,1964年和1979年的调查发现"德怀交趾国遥通贡赋"石碑和建筑构件,但其具体年代难作定论。2004年的田野调查发现多座建筑遗迹,遗物则有瓦当和篆刻石柱等,可以确定该遗址保存清末时期的佛头洲税厂遗存,对于研究香港开埠初期猖獗的鸦片贸易、清末九龙关的沿革和新界拓展等问题提供重要的实物资料。     

Unraveling a Neanderthal palimpsest from a zooarcheological and taphonomic perspective

Practically all archeological assemblages are palimpsests. In spite of the high temporal resolution of Abric Romaní site, level O, dated to around 55 ka, is not an exception. This paper focuses on a zooarcheological and taphonomic analysis of this level, paying special attention to spatial and temporal approaches. The main goal is to unravel the palimpsest at the finest possible level by using different methods and techniques, such as archeostratigraphy, anatomical and taxonomical identification, taphonomic analysis, faunal refits and tooth wear analysis. The results obtained are compared to ethnoarcheological data so as to interpret site structure. In addition, activities carried out over different time spans (from individual episodes to long-term behaviors) are detected, and their spatial extent is explored, allowing to do inferences on settlement dynamics. This leads us to discuss the temporal and spatial scales over which Neanderthals carried out different activities within the site, and how they can be studied through the archeological record.     

Identifying stone tools used in mining,smelting, and casting in Middle Bronze Age Cyprus

Abstract

Metallurgical production sites are often difficult to identify in the archaeological record because ore beneficiation and slag processing in the past involved the use of ground stone tools that were similar to those used in other contexts to prepare cereals and foods. Analysis of the ground stone assemblage from a Middle Bronze Age copper mining and production site at Ambelikou Aletri in Cyprus provided an opportunity to distinguish industrial and domestic ground stone tools and to identify the types of tools used in different stages of metal production. A comparison of tool morphologies, raw materials, and wear and breakage patterns from Ambelikou Aletri with those from contemporary domestic contexts, suggests that distinctions in the nature and structure of industrial and domestic tool kits do exist and those distinctions have an important role to play in identifying mining, smelting, and casting sites in the future.     

香港新石器时代斧、锛生产系统的重建:以西贡沙下遗址为例

本文以近年发现的香港西贡沙下遗址出土物为例,借助于新几内亚民族志中有关石斧锛制造的记录,运用"操作链"的分析路径对沙下遗址新石器时代石斧锛作坊的生产系统进行了初步重建。将石斧锛的制造过程分为原料采备与毛坯预制、粗坯整形、研磨成器三个阶段,对各生产阶段产品的变化以及香港新石器时代石器专业作坊的兴衰做了讨论,认为在香港新石器时代晚期,石斧锛生产已趋于专业化。     

Geophysical investigations in the service of Mount Carmel (Israel) prehistoric research

Geophysical investigations in el-Wad Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel, enabled the mapping of the surface of the bedrock and a reconstruction of the depth of the archeological deposits. Seismic refraction and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) provided similar results, indicating the potential value of geophysical studies when one seeks to reconstruct site features and establish future excavation strategies. Results of a GPR survey later conducted in the adjacent Jamal Cave were supported, to a high degree, by subsequent archeological excavations in the course of which Lower and Middle Paleolithic layers were unearthed.A Continuous Vertical Electrical Sounding (CVES) geoelectric survey in the (collapsed) Misliya Cave indicates a low resistivity layer at the upper, central part of the cave, suggesting that lithified archeological deposits, of ca. 4 m, are preserved at the site. This has been supported by a test excavation recently conducted at the site.More intriguing is the case of what, on the basis of the outer morphology of the cliff, seemed to be another collapsed cave just to the north of el-Wad. The CVES survey, at the bottom of the cliff and across the hypothesized cave (or chamber), shows a two-layer model, with a low resistivity (100–200 ohm-m) layer, overlying a layer of high resistivity (8000–10,000 ohm-m). A trial trench indicates that here the bedrock is covered by shallow, recent, surface material, with no archeological value.All three methods of geophysical investigation proved applicable and resulted in the successful evaluation of sites' location, depth and spatial extension, thus forming essential tools in future prehistoric research.     

湖北丹江口杜店旧石器时代遗址发现的遗迹现象初探

位于湖北省丹江口库区的杜店旧石器时代遗址于2008年由吉林大学边疆考古研究中心进行发掘,获得了一批重要材料。极为难得的是,在该遗址发现了一处旧石器时代晚期的遗迹现象(编号08DDIYJ1)。本文从遗迹的形态、埋藏学以及砾石和石制品的原料、大小、类型等方面进行了分析和探讨,初步推断这是一处属于原地埋藏的石器加工场所。该遗迹的发现与研究为探讨杜店遗址以至汉江流域旧石器时代晚期古代居民的文化面貌、工业技术特点以及生业模式提供了强有力的佐证。