Lithic Technology

Dédié à Fernand Braudel.
Mercredi 18 février 2026 (14h-17h30) en présenciel, campus Esplanade, université de Stasbourg, salle Afrique 115 de la MISHA, et simultanément en distanciel via BBB : https://bbb.unistra.fr/b/pie-pzw-qrj-ohy

« Pierres sans frontière : la diffusion des roches en Europe occidentale durant la Protohistoire »
Conférence de Florent Jodry (archéologue à l’INRAP, responsable d’opération, spécialiste de la techno-typologie lithique, Centre archéologique d’Eckbolsheim-Eurométropole de Strasbourg, Equipe 4 Archéologie médio-européenne et rhénane, membre du laboratoire ARCHIMEDE, UMR 7044 CNRS & univ. de Strasbourg)

SÉMINAIRE D’ANTHROPOLOGIE DIACHRONIQUE (ETHNOLOGIE ET ARCHÉOLOGIE) commun université de Strasbourg et université Paul Valéry-Montpellier 3

Séminaire d’enseignement et de recherche de niveau doctorat et master (ouvert aux étudiants de licence et au public cultivé sur acceptation des organisateurs).

sous la direction de Pierre Le Roux et Luc Jallot (archéologue, maître de conférences e.r., HDR, à l’univ. Paul Valéry-Montpellier 3, laboratoire Archéologie des Sociétés Méditerranéennes-ASM, UMR 5140 CNRS & univ. Paul Valéry-Montpellier 3, Société languedocienne de préhistoire)

Thème de l’année 2025-26 : « FRONTIÈRES ET FRANCHISSEMENTS, MARGES ET IDENTITÉS... »

François Sigaut (1940-2012) aujourd'hui Héritages scientifique et intellectuel, Sophie A. de Beaune; Fabien Knittel; Clément Menbrivès; Christophe Petit, Oct 2025, Nanterre, France

La découverte d’outils agro-pastoraux gallo-romains est aussi ancienne que les premières excavations d’exploitations rurales, et leur présence ne manque d’ailleurs pas dans les catalogues de « quincaillerie » de l’époque (Reinach 1926). Il faut toutefois attendre la seconde moitié du XXe siècle pour voir se développer des travaux plus spécifiquement consacrés à certains équipements, les instruments aratoires et la question des pratiques de labours en tête (Jean-Brunhes Delamarre, Haudricourt 2000 (1955)). C’est autour des années 1980, et du développement de l’archéologie agraire que l’outillage va progressivement être convoqué pour discuter des pratiques agro-pastorales, donnant lieu à des monographies (Marbach 2004) et à des synthèses sur le sujet (Huitorel 2020). L’œuvre de François Sigaut joue ici un rôle central dans cette dynamique, en apportant, d’une part, des réflexions méthodologiques sur la manière d’aborder l’étude des objets (Sigaut 1991), et d’autre part, en s’interrogeant sur les systèmes agraires et les conditions dans lesquelles les équipements sont employés, de la préparation des terres jusqu’au stockage des denrées, en passant, entre autre, par les pratiques de récolte (Sigaut 1985). Sans se limiter dans le temps, ni dans l’espace, les travaux de François Sigaut rassemblent largement des données issues de l’agronomie, de l’histoire, de l’archéologie ou encore de l’ethnologie, et participent à construire une histoire globale des techniques agricoles, dépassant une analyse purement formelle dont les archéologues spécialistes du monde rural gallo-romain peuvent tirer profit. Cette communication s’attachera à présenter les principaux résultats des études récentes sur l’outillage agro-pastoral gallo-romain, en s’appuyant notamment sur des exemples issus du nord de la Gaule, et évoquera les apports et l’héritage des travaux de François Sigaut à cette recherche.
Bibliographie
Huitorel G. 2020 : Outils, bâtiments et structures d’exploitation des campagnes du nord de la Gaule. Essai de caractérisation des équipements et des activités des établissements ruraux (Ier-Ve s. apr. J.-C.), Dremil-Lafarge, Éditions Mergoil (coll. Monographies Instrumentum, 66), 556 p.

Jean-Brunhes Delamarre M., Haudricourt A. G. 2000 (1955) : L’Homme et la charrue à travers le monde, Tournai, La Renaissance du Livre (coll. L’Esprit des Choses), 617 p. (1ère édition 1955).

Marbach A. 2004 : Recherches sur les instruments aratoires et le travail du sol en Gaule Belgique, Oxford, Archaeopress (coll. BAR, 1235), 153 p.

Reinach S. 1926 : Catalogue illustré du Musée des Antiquités Nationales au Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Tome 1, Paris, Ernest Leroux, 296 p.

Sigaut F. 1985 : Moisson et fenaison, Nouvelles de l’archéologie, 19, p. 28-38.

Sigaut F. 1991 : Un couteau ne sert pas à couper, mais en coupant. Structure, fonctionnement et fonction dans l’analyse des objets, in 25 ans d’études technologiques en préhistoire. XIe rencontres internationales d’archéologie et d’histoire d’Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, APDCA, p. 21-34.

By: Plug J.-H., Blevins K.E., Abbès, F., Akkermans P.M.M.G., Bach Gómez A.M., Chambrade M.-L., Chamel B., Coqueigniot E., Molist M., Orange M., van der Plicht J., Galata S., Nowell G., Montgomery J., Pearson J., & Fernández-Domínguez E.

The Neolithic of southwest Asia, 11,600-7500 years ago, charts the earliest establishment of permanent settlements and changes in food procurement and community structure that transformed human lifeways. Our understanding of the social behaviors that impacted these shifting connections to place and group membership can be improved by studying how people moved across landscapes. Parts of southwest Asia have shown contrasting evidence for mobility practices, but little is known from the Northern Levant, a region key to the development and transmission of agriculture and settled life, particularly for the latest Neolithic stages. We measured strontium and oxygen isotope values in 71 human teeth from five archeological sites in Syria, spanning the entire Neolithic period. A shift to broadly local communities following the establishment of village life suggests consolidation of group membership and deep connections to particular locales, perhaps aimed at social cohesion. Mobility then increases in the later Neolithic, explaining the high degree of cross-regional connectivity witnessed archeologically. A sex-bias towards female mobility during this period may point towards the formation of patrilocal traditions. At our sites both non-local and local individuals were afforded similar burial treatment, suggesting inclusivity in group membership and mobile individuals connecting to new places in the landscape.

Nuovi scavi sono stati svolti nel settembre 2022 presso il sito del Neolitico Medio di Molino Casarotto (Vicenza, Italia). Il sito era già stato scavato da L. Barfield e A. Broglio (1969-72), con l'individuazione di tre "aree di abitazione". I nuovi scavi hanno interessato una porzione mai scavata della c.d. II area di abitazione, ed hanno riaperto parte dei vecchi scavi per esporre un focolare. Sono state effettuate quindici nuove datazioni radiocarboniche. Le principali evidenze dei nuovi scavi sono (a) un allineamento di pali che costituisce il limite nord delle strutture e degli strati antropici della II area di abitazione, contemporaneo all'infissione di pali con probabile funzione di bonifica (4705-4613 cal a BCE); (b) un'area con residui di piastre scottate derivanti dallo smantellamento di focolari; (c) un nuovo focolare circolare con più rifacimenti (4670-4543 cal a BCE). La sezione del focolare della II area di abitazione, già esposta negli scavi 1969-72, ha permesso di vedere che esso è in realtà una sovrapposizione ripetuta di focolari strutturati e scarichi (4604-4371 cal a BCE). Vengono inoltre illustrati i materiali ceramici, la litica, le faune, ed un'ascia in eclogite a granati.

Nuovi scavi sono stati svolti nel settembre 2022 presso il sito del Neolitico Medio di Molino Casarotto (Vicenza, Italia). Il sito era già stato scavato da L. Barfield e A. Broglio (1969-72), con l’individuazione di tre “aree di abitazione”. I nuovi scavi hanno interessato una porzione mai scavata della c.d. II area di abitazione, ed hanno riaperto parte dei vecchi scavi per esporre un focolare. Sono state effettuate quindici nuove datazioni radiocarboniche. Le principali evidenze dei nuovi scavi sono (a) un allineamento di pali che costituisce il limite nord delle strutture e degli strati antropici della II area di abitazione, contemporaneo all’infissione di pali con probabile funzione di bonifica (4705-4613 cal a BCE); (b) un’area con residui di piastre scottate derivanti dallo smantellamento di focolari; (c) un nuovo focolare circolare con più rifacimenti (4670-4543 cal a BCE). La sezione del focolare della II area di abitazione, già esposta negli scavi 1969-72, ha permesso di vedere che esso è in realtà una sovrapposizione ripetuta di focolari strutturati e scarichi (4604-4371 cal a BCE). Vengono inoltre illustrati i materiali ceramici, la litica, le faune, ed un’ascia in eclogite a granati.

Traditionally, the appearance of the Fell V or "Ona" point in southernmost Patagonia, about 700 BP, was thought to mark the introduction of the bow and arrow. The older and larger Fell IV point was frequently considered a spear point. Here we use data from a previously reported firing experiment with Fell IV replicas to evaluate their possible use as arrowheads.. Landmark-based geometric morphometrics describes blade-shape variations along replicas' use-lives, which then are compared with Fell IV and V archaeological points. The main results showed the high performance of Fell IV replicas as arrowheads and the similarity in shape variation among experimental and archaeological points. This suggests a possible earlier introduction of bow and arrow in southernmost Patagonia than commonly assumed, since major innovations in point design would not have been needed in the initial adoption of this technology.

This study examines the organization of large-scale chert biface production in the Maya Lowlands, focusing on Took' Witz, an architectural group of El Palmar in Campeche, Mexico. Excavations and debitage analysis at three plazuelas and a major debitage deposit revealed a complex lithic industry. The results identified segmented production activities in households, from sourcing materials and early-stage reduction to late-stage biface production. The production scale far exceeded household consumption, probably supporting intensive agriculture in the region. The results provide insight into the variable settings and organization of the biface industry throughout the Maya Lowlands.

Este estudio examina la organización sobre la producción de bifaciales de pedernal a gran escala en las tierras bajas mayas, particularmente Took' Witz, un grupo arquitectónico de El Palmar ubicado en Campeche, México. Las excavaciones y el análisis de lascas en tres plazuelas y un gran depósito revelaron una compleja industria lítica. Los resultados identificaron actividades de producción segmentadas en las plazuelas, desde la obtención y decortezamiento de materia prima hasta la producción final de bifaciales. La escala de producción superaba el consumo doméstico que probablemente soportaba la agricultura intensiva de la región. El resultado proporciona información sobre las variables de configuración y organización industrial de bifaciales en las tierras bajas mayas.

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

Las técnicas de documentación y análisis arqueológico han ido evolucionando junto a las necesidades de investigación, para ello se han desarrollado diferentes metodologías que permiten el registro de los datos arqueológicos para su interpretación. Desde el dibujo arqueológico y las fotografías en campo o laboratorio, tanto de los contextos como de los artefactos. Las representaciones gráficas de elementos reales han sido algunas de las herramientas clave para el análisis arqueológico.

En los últimos años ha habido un crecimiento exponencial de los métodos y técnicas computarizados aplicados a los trabajos de investigación, no solo para modernizar y adaptar las técnicas ya establecidas a los tiempos digitales; por ejemplo, el cambio entre el entintado de dibujos arqueológicos por la digitalización en softwares vectoriales sino también se han incluido nuevas herramientas informáticas que han ayudado a mejorar la labor arqueológica. Dentro de estas innovaciones se encuentra la digitalización de artefactos culturales en tres dimensiones, lo que permite a los investigadores observar, mediante medios digitales, los datos arqueológicos y también da pie a la aplicación de diversas metodologías de investigación.

Esta tesis nace como una iniciativa de digitalización de una pequeña parte de las colecciones arqueológicas resguardadas en los laboratorios de Arqueología, Zooarqueología y Bioarqueología de la Facultad de Ciencias Antropológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, artefactos de las colecciones del Centro INAH Yucatán y del Centro histórico de Campeche. Dicha propuesta fue acreedora en 2018 de una beca del Programa de Fortalecimiento de la investigación para el Desarrollo de la Educación y la Sociedad (PROFIDES-SEP).

En el presente trabajo se expondrá el análisis de la metodología utilizada para la digitalización en 3D de diversas piezas arqueológicas empleando la fotogrametría de corto alcance; evaluando los equipos y resultados obtenidos, demostrando la versatilidad y aplicabilidad de la técnica en la arqueología, y proponiendo soluciones específicas a las problemáticas que presenta la digitalización de cada material arqueológico.

Exploitation of the quartzite at the Middle Palaeolithic settlement in Érd (Hungary) Excavated by Veronika Gábori-Csánk in 1963 and 1964, Érd is a particular site of the Middle Palaeolithic in Hungary. Six occupation levels in two habitation zones have been identified. Their archaeological material have been attributed to the Charentian of South-east Europe. The main feature of this Mousterian facies is the dominant use of quartzite pebbles as raw material of tool production. The technology was compared to the Pontinian of Italy. Recent technological study of the lithic assemblage of Érd demonstrated that Prehistoric men applied several debitage methods for the exploitation of quartzite pebbles. The methods have been chosen according to pebble forms and to parameters of needed products.

AbsztraktA hazai ősrégészetben a kőnyersanyagok rendszeres kutatása csak az 1970-es években indult el. Ezt a kutatást kezdettől fogva a proveniencia szemlélet jellemezte. Az 1990-es évektől a hangsúly az archeometriai vizsgálatokra helyeződött. A nemzetközi kutatásban viszont a technikai viselkedés rekonstruálása került a középpontba. A paleoetnológiai szemlélet felhasználásával komplexen vizsgálható az őskori embercsoportok viselkedése a nyersanyagok beszerzése és felhasználása terén. A cikk az elemzések elméleti és módszertani alapjait mutatja be.The systematic research of lithic raw materials in Hungarian archaeology only started in the 1970s. From the beginning, this research was characterized by the provenance approach. From the 1990s, the focus shifted to archaeometric studies. In international research, on the other hand, the reconstruction of technical behavior also came into focus. By using the palaeoethnological approach, the behavior of prehistoric human groups in the pro...

Recent archaeological excavations at the early urban settlement of Tell es-Safi/Gath, Israel present the opportunity to reconstruct the life-history of basalt ground stone artefacts of an early urban domestic neighbourhood. Tell es-Safi/Gath is a multi-period site located on the border between the Judean foothills and the southern coastal plain of central Israel. Survey and excavations over the last two decades demonstrated that it was a major urban centre for the region during the Early Bronze Age (EBA) III. At the eastern end of the site, a neighbourhood of commoner residences (some perhaps associated with mercantile activities) have been exposed. This paper describes and analyses the basalt ground stone tools found in association with this domestic neighbourhood. It seeks to establish the nature of production, distribution, consumption, and discard associated with ground stone tools within a domestic context. The study involved several forms of analysis including typology, macros...

Recent zooarchaeological and isotope analyses have largely settled the debate surrounding Neanderthal hunting capacities, repeatedly demonstrating their successful acquisition of large ungulates. Nevertheless, the functional identification of individual tools as hunting weapons remains a methodological challenge. In-depth studies have focussed mainly on small subsets of lithic artefacts from selected assemblages assessing features of breakage patterns, retouch, shape and use wear. Studies focussing on associated hunting lesions are rarer and often focus on reconstructing very specific bone surface marks encountered in the archaeological record. This study aims to add to our understanding of the formation and characteristics of projectile impact marks (PIMs) on bone through a series of highly monitored, replicative experiments, using thrusting and throwing spears with replica Levallois points into two wild pig carcasses. In total, 152 shots were made, and for each a series of attribu...

The Emireh point is a triangular point, which distinctive bulb of percussion was eliminated with bifacial thinning applied to proximal part of the artefact. This point is a characteristic tool for the Emiran industries and up to yet reported from Levantine sites only. Recently, an isolated Emireh point was excavated at Bohunician site Ořechov IV in South Moravia, ca 3,000 km as the crow flies from Levantine sites.

This article illuminates the transformative contributions of Khasan Alpysbayev to archaeological science in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, particularly through his pioneering research on Paleolithic sites. His systematic excavations and integration of key locations such as Borykazgan and Suleymensay redefined regional prehistory and anchored Kazakhstan within the broader archaeological narrative. Utilizing multidisciplinary methods-stratigraphy, morphological analysis, and topographic mapping-Alpysbayev advanced scientific rigor and methodological innovation in Paleolithic studies. The discussion highlights his foundational role in shifting archaeology from a peripheral pursuit to a central scholarly discipline in Kazakhstan. Through discoveries like the Karatau detachment and Ak-Chunkur cave, he significantly enriched understanding of early human history in Central Asia. The results and conclusion affirm his enduring legacy: the establishment of a national archaeological school, mentorship of emerging scholars, and elevation of Kazakhstan's global archaeological stature. Alpysbayev remains a monumental figure, whose intellectual vision continues to shape contemporary research and heritage preservation.

Meeting Registration Palais de Congrès (Esplanade de l'Europe 2) 08:30 Official Meeting Opening 08:45 Welcome Address by the "Agence wallonne du Patrimoine" 9:00 Mateja Hajdinjak -Doubling the number of high-coverage Neandertal genomes. 9:20 Stéphane Peyrégne -Analysis of Nuclear DNA Sequences from the Neandertals of Hohlenstein-Stadel and Scladina Caves. Benjamin Peter -gene flow between hominins was common.

Beefsteak Cave is located towards the southern end of the Rock of Gibraltar, along the cliff line between the wave-eroded platforms of Europa and Windmill Hill Flats. Set within the grey dolomites of the early Jurassic Europa Member, the Cave is almost certainly of marine origin. It was probably formed during a sea-level highstand earlier than 250 ky. The exposed brecciated deposits form part of an earlier gallery within a larger cave system that has since been eroded away. The Cave still contains almost 5m of brecchiated ...

No Paraná, as pesquisas arqueológicas frequentemente estiveram atreladas ao licenciamento ambiental e ao contexto acadêmico. O projeto arqueológico da Usina Hidrelétrica Tijuco Alto se insere na primeira perspectiva e propiciou a escavação do sítio Morro dos Anjos em Adrianópolis. Esse sítio foi inicialmente descrito como sítio-habitação
da Tradição Itararé (Chmyz et. al. 1999) (denominada nesta pesquisa como Jê Meridional) e, posteriormente, como um sambaqui fluvial com cerâmica (Alencar, 2019). Tendo isso em vista, propôs-se identificar como a pesquisa arqueológica desse projeto foi estabelecida. Para tal fim, analisou-se o relatório supracitado, a bibliografia relacionada à aplicação de teorias arqueológicas no Brasil, abrangendo as teorias histórico-culturalistas, processual, pósprocessual e as da Missão Francesa no Brasil. Incluíram-se também teorias aplicadas contemporaneamente, como a ecologia histórica e a teoria da construção dos nichos. Realizaram-se comparações entre as descrições dos materiais líticos de Laming-Emperaire (2017 [1967]), Chmyz (1976) e Chmyz, Sganzerla e Volcov (1999) para estabelecer correlações entre elas e verificar a sua variação no tempo. Além disso, uma nova análise por meio do método tecnotipólogico proposto por Parenti (2016) foi executada, no material  lítico do sítio Morro dos Anjos, a fim de aumentar o nível de detalhamento da análise dos artefatos líticos em contextos com cerâmica para possíveis comparações futuras.

Arqueología 30(3), 13037 / septiembre-diciembre (2024) 1 "…En el lugar donde está el lago Musters había un gran mallín con abundante pasto y animales para cazar". Antiguos niveles del lago Musters y sus implicancias arqueológicas en el bajo de Sarmiento (provincia del Chubut, Argentina) ARTÍCULO

El arte rupestre en zonas costeras marítimas es un hecho ampliamente registrado en diferentes regiones del mundo. La Patagonia argentina constituye una excepción dado que la gran mayoría de los sitios está ubicada en ambientes mesetarios y cordilleranos. En este trabajo se describe detalladamente un hallazgo que podría revestir un hito en los estudios

The Aïn Beni Mathar -Guefaït basin provides a long stratigraphic sequence and a faunal record that covers the Early and Middle Pleistocene. During the Pliocene and Early During the Middle Pleistocene the lacustrine basin was captured by the Moulouya River and the current Oued Haï-Za began dissecting the previous Plio-Pleistocene represented by Lower Paleolithic (Acheulean) assemblages in the upper terraces and Middle Paleolithic assemblages in the lower ones. The Aïn Beni Mathar basin records the passage from the Lower to the Middle Paleolithic 3 industries in the lower terraces. This transitional stage bearing a non-standardized industry is related to the passage from the Middle to the Upper Pleistocene.

Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar overlooking the Río Quípar, a Río Segura tributary, is an upland rock-shelter 75 km north of the Mediterranean coast and 110 km west of the Segura river-mouth. It contains undisturbed sediment 5 m deep assigned by magnetostratigraphy to >0.78 Ma (Matuyama magnetochron). Optically stimulated sediment luminescence dating implies ≥0.5 Ma and mammalian biochronology (notably, of Arvicolid rodents) indicates >0.7-<1 Ma. Remains include an "Acheulian" limestone "hand-axe," and small chert, limestone or quartzite artifacts, knapped on site, often by bipolar reduction or repetitive centripetal flaking of small discoidal cores. Secondarily-flaked ("retouched") artifacts include small irregular chert fragments, resembling chert at an adjacent conglomerate outcrop according to laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass-spectrometry of 19 lanthanide elements, though some chert may have been obtained from up to 30 km away. Faunal remains and pollen are compatible with mild (plausibly MIS-21), damp, fluvio-lacustrine environments. Evidence of fire in a deep, sealed layer includes thermally-altered, lustreless and shattered chert, and both charred and white calcined fragments of bone. Taphonomical analysis and electron microscopy of bone fragments attribute discolouration to burning, not to post-depositional mineral staining. Sediment geochemistry and thin-section micromorphology have been undertaken. FTIRS, TL and ESR analysis of chert and bone imply firing temperatures of about 500ºC at least. Drawing on findings from Cueva Negra, the purpose of this paper is to offer an interpretation of Palaeolithic activity from the perspective of hominin cognitive versatility, techno-manual dexterity, and palaeoeconomic extractive behaviour in long-vanished Western European pal-2 AA.VV. 2

We presented a Paleo through Middle Archaic point sequence for the southeastern Ozarks based on a private collection of points recovered from a rock shelter in Independence County. We documented over 40 morphometric attributes including completeness, blade edge treatments, use wear patterns, lithic material type, presence or absence of heat treatment and burning, fracture type, and weight. These data will be used to interpret patterns of landscape use/mobility/trade from the Paleoindian to the  Mississippian period at the 2026 SAA in San Francisco.

Detection of new evidence of early Stone Age human presence in Ukraine significantly advances the understanding of the initial settlement period in the northwestern part of Eurasia. Ancient migration routes are marked by Lower Palaeolithic sites located in the foothills of Crimea and the Carpathians, along major lowland river valleys, and coastal zones. The Carpathian region, including sites such as Velykyi Sholes and Korolevo, signals hominin presence in Central Europe. Initial reports also mention ancient sites in the eastern European part of the region (Skhidnytsia). This article presents preliminary results of a geoarchaeological survey conducted near Drohobych in western Ukraine. The survey identified two stratified sites, Solne 1 and Solne 2, containing in situ stone artefacts with signs of anthropogenic modification. These findings are preliminarily dated to between 1.5 and 0.9 million years ago, corresponding to the Kryzhanivka (Waalian) and Shyrokyne (Bavelian) stages of the Ukrainian Quaternary subdivision. The technological characteristics of the artefacts align with those from other Early Palaeolithic sites in Eastern Europe, indicating early hominin occupation in the Carpathian foothills.

The objective of this research was to characterize, from a techno-functional perspective, the knapped lithic artifacts from AQN preserved in the Silvia Maranca collection at MAE-USP, in order to assess which raw materials, methods, and knapping techniques were preferred by the AQN ceramic population during the Late Holocene, as well as the potential functions of these tools.

Crescents are flaked stone tools found throughout western North America that are often associated with waterbodies and projectile points diagnostic of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, such as the Western Stemmed Tradition. Archaeologists continue to debate the function of crescents and they remain poorly dated outside of the Channel Islands. Here we report a crescent from recent excavations at Connley Cave 6 in central Oregon and provide a first look at associated stratigraphy, radiocarbon ages, and tools. The crescent's age (ca. 9715-9245 cal BP) and associated projectile points are remarkably like the crescent from Little Steamboat Point-1 Rockshelter in Oregon and suggest that people who used Cascade points during the early Holocene also made crescents. This work helps refine the age of crescents and our understanding of their associated toolkits.

A new study of materials recovered from the British Museum excavations at Khirbet Um al-Ghozlan in Jordan offers new insights into the production and use of Canaanean blades during the Early Bronze Age IV (EB IV) period in the southern Levant. The specialized purpose of the site, which was probably occupied seasonally for the annual production and temporary storage of olive oil, presents a unique window to observe changes in the Canaanean blade system in the 3rd millennium B.C. The assemblage suggests a significant continuity in Canaanean blade production and circulation despite the abandonment of the region's proto-urban centers and the reconfiguration of economic, political, and social systems that defined the period of ruralization that followed. These blades, produced by a small number of flint specialists, were easily acquirable, never completely exploited, rarely recycled as ad hoc tools, and probably used for activities other than cereal harvesting. The examples at Khirbet Um al-Ghozlan suggest that some EB IV communities had a versatile tool kit, adaptable to other roles than as curved and composite sickles, which enabled them to exploit different environmental zones between the Jordan Valley floor and the uplands of the adjacent escarpment above.

This article investigates on the prehistoric period of the Americas by
examining the Clovis and Folsom cultures. The Clovis culture represents one of the earliest and most widespread hunter-gatherer groups on the continent, known for their advanced stone tools used in hunting large game such as mammoths and mastodons. The Folsom culture, emerging after Clovis, specialized in hunting small to medium-sized animals (particularly bison) with finely crafted stone projectile points. Both cultures provide critical insights into the environmental and societal contexts of early human settlements in the Americas. The article analyzes their archaeological findings, geographical distribution, and adaptations to environmental changes.-(Bu çalışma, Amerika kıtasının tarihöncesi dönemini ele alarak Clovis ve Folsom kültürlerini incelemektedir. Clovis kültürü, kıtanın en eski ve en yaygın avcı-toplayıcı topluluklarından biri olup, mamut ve mastodon gibi büyük av hayvanlarını avlamak amacıyla gelişmiş taş aletler üretmiştir. Folsom kültürü ise Clovis’ten sonra ortaya çıkmış, daha ince işlenmiş mızrak uçlarıyla özellikle bizon avcılığında uzmanlaşmıştır. Her iki kültür de Amerika’daki ilk insan yerleşimlerinin çevresel ve toplumsal bağlamını anlamak açısından önemli veriler sunmaktadır. Makalede, bu kültürlerin arkeolojik buluntuları, coğrafi dağılımları ve çevresel değişimlere verdikleri tepkiler analiz edilmektedir.)

Spheroids are Lower Paleolithic stone tools documented in African and Eurasian archeological sites ascribed to the later Oldowan and Acheulian cultural complexes. While reported since the 1960s, there is disagreement about how they were made, or whether their morphology resulted from non-intentional processes related to flake production or percussive activities. Recently, attention has turned towards resolving the issue of intentionality in spheroid production. Based on our observations of the large collection of limestone spheroids from the Early Acheulian site of 'Ubeidiya (Levant), dated to ca. 1.4 Ma, we test the hypothesis that these were intentionally produced by attempting possible operative schemes for their manufacture. In addition to experimental knapping, we also provide a morphotechnological analysis of the products from each experiment, identifying typical flake morphologies and breakage patterns within each lithic set. In addition, refitting of each experimental lithic set provides a clear picture of the sequencing of gestures used by expert, experienced, and novice knappers, shedding new light on the decision-making processes leading up to the production of these enigmatic tool types.

Przeździecki M. and Szymczak K. 2022. Technological study of the lithic materials from the site Wołkusz 3 in NE Poland. The concept of the preferential blades' production. Sprawozdania Archeologiczne 74/1, 299-323. The article aims to present the results of the technological analysis of the lithic artefacts from the site Wołkusz 3. This comprises a detailed characterisation of one of the two reconstructed flint knapping strategies described as the concept of preferential blades. The Wolkushian culture inventory consisting of almost 3000 pieces was subjected to the analyses. The collection includes the debitage products -cores, flakes and blades, as well as the products of debitage modification -retouched tools and the spalls connected with the process of their production and repairing. The conclusions are based on refitting studies supported by the analyses of the relief of negatives and the morphological attributes.

This contribution presents an overview of chert outcrops in Middle Dalmatia. It is a result of outcrop prospection and macroscopic
analysis of cherts from the region, in the course of which a comparative collection of geological samples and a respective data base
were formed. Middle Dalmatia is a part of the outer Dinaric Range, finally shaped by orogenesis during the Neogene, and acquiring
maritime character since the end of Pleistocene. Lithologically, the region is built of carbonate rocks that were deposited continuously
from Jurassic until Paleogene. Primary chert outcrops that appear within those rocks throughout the region are from Triassic, Jurassic,
Cretaceous, and (most often) Paleogene, with secondary accumulations formed during the Quaternary Period. This overview presents
results of the first phase of long-term research, aimed at correlating archaeological lithic inventories to regional sources of lithic raw
material.

This contribution presents an overview of chert outcrops in Middle Dalmatia. It is a result of outcrop prospection and macroscopic analysis of cherts from the region, in the course of which a comparative collection of geological samples and a respective data base were formed. Middle Dalmatia is a part of the outer Dinaric Range, finally shaped by orogenesis during the Neogene, and acquiring maritime character since the end of Pleistocene. Lithologically, the region is built of carbonate rocks that were deposited continuously from Jurassic until Paleogene. Primary chert outcrops that appear within those rocks throughout the region are from Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, and (most often) Paleogene, with secondary accumulations formed during the Quaternary Period. This overview presents results of the first phase of long-term research, aimed at correlating archaeological lithic inventories to regional sources of lithic raw material.

U ovom su radu predstavljeni rezultati analize litičkog skupa nalaza iz špilje Zale koji je otkriven tijekom sustavnih istraživanja. Litički skup nalaza pripada kasnom gornjem paleolitiku i mezolitiku. Nekoliko artefakata pronađeno je u brončanodobnim slojevima, ali vjerojatno pripadaju mezolitiku. Između kasnoga gornjeg paleolitika i mezolitika vidljive su očite i značajne razlike u tehnologiji i tipologiji kamenih izrađevina kao i u iskorištavanju sirovine. Korištena sirovina ukazuje na razgranatu mrežu kontakata lovaca skupljača iz Zale s bližim i daljim područjima. Uočene razlike mogle bi biti rezultat promijenjene uloge Zale u sustavu naseljavanja ili tehnološke prilagodbe na iskorištavanje sirovine lošije kvalitete tijekom mezolitika. Tehno–tipološka obilježja litičkih skupova nalaza iz Zale pokazuju brojne sličnosti s kasnoglacijalnim i ranim postglacijalnim industrijama s drugih nalazišta na istočnom Jadranu i u njegovu zaleđu. Kasnogornjopaleolitički boravak, prema dosada raspoloživim podacima, predstavljao bi inicijalnu fazu gornjopaleolitičkog naseljavanja jadranskog zaleđa u kojem je smještena Zala.

The topic of this dissertation is lithic raw material procurement strategy during the Dalmatian Stone Age. It is based on analyses of lithic artefact assemblages from Late Middle Palaeolithic (Mousterian), Late Upper Palaeolithic (Epigravettian), Mesolithic, and Neolithic sites. Its primary
focus is the deeply stratified multicomponent cave site of Vela spila on the island of Korčula. This central Dalmatian site yielded Epigravettian, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Aeneolithic and Bronze Age finds. Analyses of lithic artefacts from this site provided the groundwork for investigation of finds
belonging to older, contemporary or younger periods in the region. Lithic assemblages from several other sites located within and outside the region, ranging from Mousterian to the Bronze Age, were used for comparison.
Analysis of flaked stone artefacts involves determination of the raw material source, as well as the mode of raw material acquisition. In this research, archaeological methods, as well as macroscopic
geological and microscopic optical methods were applied. Correlation of artefacts with geological raw material sources was based on extensive fieldwork, a pioneering undertaking in the Adriatic
area. For that purpose, a collection of archaeological and geological samples was created, characteristics of each sample were established by macroanalyses and microanalyses, and recorded in a database. This work resulted in development of a basic methodology and a practical perspective that can be applied to future research within and beyond the region.
Comparative analyses of sites of different ages and geographic locations have provided informa-
tion about the change of lithic raw material procurement strategy. Two basic models of procurement were proposed in order to compare territorial organization and consequences of geomorphological changes on hunter-gatherers and farmers in the research area: the model of eastern Adriatic resources, and the model of western Adriatic resources. These models were applied to prehistoric sites on the eastern Adriatic, and were assigned to specific cultural stages of the analysed sites.
All Mousterian assemblages corresponded to the local model, while Epigravettian and Mesolithic assemblages corresponded to the model of local, local-regional, as well as more distant eastern
Adriatic resources. The model of western Adriatic resources largely corresponded to Neolithic, as well as Aeneolithic and early Bronze Age assemblages.
While some of the assemblages deviated from the assigned models, a general correlation exists between the two major resource zones and the major Stone Age periods. The eastern Adriatic resources model corresponds to pre-Neolithic periods, while the western Adriatic model corresponds post-Mesolithic periods. This fundamental change in procurement strategy is not just a consequence of the transition from hunting to agriculture, but is also related to changes in social context.
Since the beginning of the 6th millennium BC, the social element of the trans-Adriatic neolithisation was expressed by transfer, continuing over a period of several millennia, of technological innovations from the west to the east coast of central Adriatic. This included organized procurement
of raw materials through collection of allochthonous sources and the extraction of autochthonous sources, specialized production of prismatic blades, and overseas distribution. These processes were initiated by the pioneers, taken over by the colonists, and dispersed further through interaction between the incoming farmers and the local hunter-gatherers.

Kaštel Štafilić – Resnik is the first underwater Paleolithic site in Croatia to be systematically investigated. The site is located in the Kaštela Bay in central Dalmatia which, like the rest of the Adriatic Basin, has undergone geomorphological changes caused, among other factors, by marine transgression. Sea level rise at the Pleistocene to Holocene transition destructively affected the Pleistocene strata and caused the submergence of the site. The lithic finds are typologically placed in the Mousterian culture, with the exception of a few finds belonging to the Upper Paleolithic. The paper presents the results of technological and typological analysis of findings collected by I. Svilan in Kaštela Bay and, for the first time, raw material analysis of lithic finds from systematic research but also from the collection of I. Svilan, which confirm that Neanderthals occupied Kaštela Bay during the Middle Paleolithic.

This paper presents the results from an archaeological excavation at the Neolithic site of Rašinovac, near Ždrapanj in the Piramatovci Valley (in the hinterland of the town of Skradin in Northern Dalmatia). This previously unknown site was test excavated in 2013 when a 2x2-metre trench was opened to determine the site’s stratigraphy and chronology. Excavations suggested that Rašinovac was a single-layer open-air settlement and subsequent analyses of the material culture (mostly pottery and chert)
confirmed that it was an Impressed Ware site. Two radiocarbon dates also reveal that Rašinovac is among the earliest known Early Neolithic sites in the region (first century of the 6th millennium BC).

A large and complex lithic collection from Pelješac, a peninsula on the eastern Adriatic seaboard of southern Croatia, provides extensive information about raw materials, formal typology, and technology of flaked stone artifacts from the Early Neolithic up to the Iron Age. Most of the evidence comes from two stratified sites: a cave named Spila and the hillfort of Grad, both located on the Nakovana Plateau. The most conspicuous characteristic of the Nakovana lithic collection is continuity, both in production technology and in the choice of raw material. Changes are manifest in frequencies of lithic artifact classes, rather than in kinds of lithic artifacts. Virtually all the lithics are made of cherts imported from the Gargano Peninsula, which testifies to persistent trans-Adriatic connections throughout post-Mesolithic prehistory. Prismatic blades were brought to Nakovana as finished products. They are present from the Early Neolithic, their frequencies peak during the Copper Age, and they disappear from the record soon after the transition to the Bronze Age. An ad hoc flake-production technology is present throughout the sequence, but its importance diminishes as the prismatic blade technology takes over. After the disappearance of prismatic blades, Bronze Age lithic assemblages consist mainly of flakes and expedient flake-based tools. While the Nakovana sites did not yield any Mesolithic finds, comparison with other eastern Adriatic sites indicates that raw material procurement patterns changed radically at the time of the transition from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic, which also coincided with the introduction of prismatic blade technology.

This paper considers lithic raw material procurement of Epigravettian hunter-gatherers from Kopa cina Cave on the island of Bra c (Dalmatia, Croatia). The most significant group among the determined petrographic categories are different cherts, and a significantly smaller group of radiolarites. Cherts are both locally and regionally available, while radiolarites originate from more distant areas. Use of raw material that could have been procured within 20 km radius (local) and in the range of 20e50 km (regional) is predominant and very similar in all phases. Raw material that could have been procured from distances ranging from 20 to 50 km shows a gradual trend of increase in frequency from the earliest to the latest phase, while the raw material procured from distances greater than 50 km (extra-regional) has an obvious drop in frequency from the eldest to the youngest phase. Temporal trends in lithic raw material use suggest certain continuity during the whole Epigravettian sequence as well as change which shows itself in larger exploitation areas or more intensive long-distance contacts in earlier Epigravettian phases in Kopa cina than in the later ones, and possibly a higher degree of hunter-gatherers' mobility. Presence of radiolarites in Kopa cina's Late Upper Paleolithic layers, as well as their potential outcrops suggest movements of hunter-gatherers deeper in east Adriatic continental hinterland where for now only a few traces of human settlements from Late Glacial have been found. Raw material of several found artifacts indicates possible contacts with the west Adriatic coast.

The Zadar region is exceptionally rich in Middle Palaeolithic materials discovered in the area from Ra zanac and Nin to the Zadar islands (Dugi otok, Silba and Pag). Sites correspond closely to raw material choice, as well as typological and technological characteristics of tools. Distinct microlithization is the main factor by which industries such as the Micro-Mousterian are classified. These kinds of materials are also characterized by preserved cortex on the core and tools made on primary and secondary flakes. The abundance and accessibility of smaller sized raw materials led Neanderthal groups to develop techniques that maximized tool size in as efficient manner as possible.

This paper presents results of raw material, typological, and technological analyses of a large and complex lithic collection from Pelješac Peninsula in southern Dalmatia. Most of the evidence comes from two stratified sites, a cave named Spila and the hillfort of Grad that cover the time span from the Early Neolithic until the Iron Age. There is a pronounced continuity in the choice of raw material and in production technology. Virtually all lithics are made of cherts that were imported from Gargano Peninsula. Changes are manifest in frequencies of lithic artifact classes, rather than in kinds of lithic artifacts. Prismatic blades were brought to Nakovana as finished products. They are present since the Early Neolithic, gradually they become more common, their frequencies culminate during the Copper Age, and they disappear from the record after the Copper Age to Early Bronze Age transition. A simple flake tool production technology is present throughout the sequence. Its importance diminishes as the prismatic blade technology takes over, but after the disappearance of prismatic blades, Bronze Age lithic assemblages contain almost nothing else but products of flake technology.