Continuities and discontinuities during the late middle palaeolithic at the oscurusciuto rock shelter (southern italy). An integrated study of lithic manufacture in the strata su 15, su 14, su 13 and su 11
- Autores: Giulia Marciani
- Directores de la Tesis: Robert Sala Ramos (dir. tes.), Marta Arzarello (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Rovira i Virgili ( España ) en 2018
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Manuel Vaquero Rodríguez (presid.), Joseba Rios Garaizar (secret.), Eric Boëda (voc.)
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Tesis en acceso abierto en: TDX
- Resumen
The period of the last Middle Palaeolithic (between 60,000 and 40,000 years BP) is crucial in prehistory, as it encompasses the period of the demise of Homo neanderthalensis and of the diffusion of groups of Homo sapiens in Eurasia. In order to understand this decisive period it is necessary to comprehend the real identity or identities of the last Neanderthals, which could be done studying their material culture. Incidentally the most abundant cache available to archaeological assessment is lithic material. Indeed, due to their durability, flaked lithic artefacts are the most abundant traces of past behaviour; they are preserved not only as tools but they also preserve upon them traces of the actions that have been carried out on them. Understanding technical objects means not seeing them only as simple utilitarian objects, a means through which an aim is realized, but also considering the object as a depositary of a human reality a bearer and custodian of deeper knowledge regarding social dynamics, behavioural decisions, and cognitive meaning.
This research seeks to interpret the variations in the Neanderthal production and functionality of stone tools through analyses of lithic assemblages referable the last Middle Palaeolithic of southern Italy. A key site in Southern Italy is the Oscurusciuto rock shelter, which is essential to the understanding of the Neanderthals subsistence and settlement strategies, as it offers a long, reliable deposit, about 6 m in depth, made up of several levels of Middle Palaeolithic occupation. The series so far investigated (from SU 1 to SU 15) range between 42,724±716 cal BP (Beta 181165 AMS) (SU 1) and 55 ± 2 kyrs (40Ar/39Ar) (SU 14 – tephra identified as the Mount Epomeo Ischia green tuff).
The explicit purpose of this research comprises the integrated study of the lithic manufacture of the lower section of the series so far investigated in the Oscurusciuto rock shelter: SU 15, SU 14, SU 13 and SU 11. At Oscurusciuto we have the opportunity of studying Neanderthal occupation over time in one unified location, within a well-defined time scale and encompassing four structurally different level in terms of archaeological evidence and occupation. Within this circumscribed limits, we want to individuate, from a diachronic point of view, the continuities and discontinuities of these lithic techno-complexes. To be precise: what role does the lithic manufacture play? Do the lithic complexes show recurring elements in the four levels taken into consideration? Why are they constant? Do the lithic complexes show divergent features? What is the meaning of these divergences? What intentions and\or necessities caused the variability of these lithic complexes? We intend to achieve this purpose through an integrated study of the lithic material comprising the description of the economic behaviour involved in the identification, acquisition and exploitation of the sources of lithic raw material and followed by a description of the phases of the reduction sequence, the definition of concepts, methods, dynamics and objectives of the debitage. This basic technological analysis was applied to all the four levels: SU 15, SU 14, SU 13, and SU 11 (a total number of 48,382 items have been studied). Based on the characteristics of the collected material, further studies have been undertaken, such as Raw Material Units and refitting studies for SU 13 and SU 14, in order to better understand the fragmentation of the operative chain, the mobility pattern, and the use and functionality of the spaces. Moreover, a techno-functional protocol was developed on a selected group of pieces from SU 13 in order to deepen our comprehension of productional vs. functional tools.
The results indicated that these stratigraphic units show peculiarities in terms of lithic production systems, structural elements, spatial management, and type of occupation. SU 15 is a living floor in which a phase of abandonment has been recorded and it was sealed by the deposition of the SU 14 tephra. This surface is characterized by stone alignments defining two structures. SU 14 is an almost sterile layer about 60 cm thick, consisting of volcanic ashes. Traces of a brief frequentation can be seen only a few centimetres below the top of the layer. SU 13 is a short palimpsest, which represents the first stable re-colonization of the site after the environmental impact caused by the volcanic ash deposition. In this layer 10 aligned hearths were found, which divide the site into areas devoted to different activities. The overlying SU 11 is a palimpsest about 30 cm thick, characterized by the superimposition of tens of hearths.
Further characteristics regarding the lithic behavior of the Oscurusciuto rock shelter: the most utilized raw materials were siliceous limestone, jasper and chert in their fine granulometry The starting blocks of raw material were oblong pebbles coming from secondary local sources. The main reduction sequence was the recurrent levallois, unipolar and convergent, aimed at producing elongated and convergent tools. We also encountered additional debitage, aimed at producing flakes, blades and bladelets. The fragmentation of the reduction sequence, in several instances into import and/or export, demonstrates a certain mobility of the population within the surrounding territory. Finally, the techno-functional analysis allowed us to determine the great diversity regarding the structure and the potential function of the tools in SU 13. Thanks to the application of this combined method we were able to understand and describe not only the production of the lithic objects in question, but also the human reality out of which they were created.
Key words: Lithic technology, RMU, Neanderthal, Middle Palaeolithic, Southern Europe.
