Flint Procurement and Exploitation Strategies in the Late Lower Paleolithic Levant : A View from Acheulo-Yabrudian Qesem Cave (Israel).

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Agam, Aviad.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Flint mines and mining, Prehistoric--Israel.

Flint mines and mining, Prehistoric.

Stone implements--Israel--History--To 1500.

Stone implements.

Antiquities.

Qesem Cave (Israel)--Antiquities.

Qesem Cave (Israel).

Israel.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (216 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Archaeopress, 2021.

Summary:

This volume examines patterns of flint procurement and exploitation at the Acheulo-Yabrudian site Qesem Cave, Israel. The results show how flint had a major impact on early human decision-making and social and cultural lifeways during the Late Lower Paleolithic of the Levant.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents Page

List of Figures

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The archaeological contexts

The Acheulo-Yabrudian cultural complex

Figure 1.1: Qesem Cave and other relevant archaeological sites, divided into Acheulo-Yabrudian sites and Acheulian sites.

Amudian laminar production

The Quina technique

Handaxes in the Acheulo-Yabrudian cultural complex

Qesem Cave

The faunal remains at Qesem Cave

The lithic industries of Qesem Cave

The blades of Qesem Cave

The handaxes of Qesem Cave

Quina and demi-Quina scrapers at Qesem Cave

The human remains

Previous studies of lithic procurement and exploitation at Qesem Cave

Geological background

What is flint?

The formation of flint

The composition of flint

The mechanical traits of flint

The visual traits of flint

The geo‐settings of Qesem Cave

Flint-bearing outcrops around QC

Figure 1.2: Flint-bearing outcrops around QC.

Archaeological raw material studies

The reliability of macroscopic flint type classifications

Lithic procurement and exploitation strategies in the archaeological record of the levant

Lithic procurement and exploitation strategies in the ethnographic record

Lithic direct procurement versus embedded procurement

Research goals

Materials and Methods

Materials

The selected assemblages

Table 2.1: The assemblages analyzed, the sample size (number of items), sediment volume, and artifact density.

Table 2.2: A breakdown of the analyzed assemblages by technological categories.

Figure 2.1: Spatial distribution of the analyzed assemblages (and see details in Tables 2.1 and 2.2).

Figure 2.2: Spatial distribution of the assemblages of the Quina and demi-Quina assemblages (and see details in Table 2.3).

Table 2.3: The scrapers analyzed: scraper type, assemblage and the industry associated with the assemblage.

The Quina and demi-Quina scrapers sample

Table 2.4: The bifaces assemblage of Qesem Cave, with their stratigraphic origin, the assemblage to which they are assigned, and their sub-category.

The bifaces assemblage

Methods

Macroscopic classification

Figure 2.3: Spatial distribution of the QC bifaces (and see details in Table 2.4).

Criteria for macroscopic classification

Analysis of the bifaces

Geologic flint sources survey

Petrographic thin section analysis

Geochemical analysis

Table 2.5: The geologic samples for the geochemical analysis.

Table 2.6: The archaeological samples for the geochemical analysis.

The Blind Test Evaluation

Blind test evaluation of consistency in macroscopic lithic raw material sorting

The rationale behind the blind test

The blind test - materials and methods

The participants

The tutorial process

The test

Data analysis

Figure 3.1: Number of matches between LW and the rest of the participants on a groups of flint-type level.

Blind test results

Results by flint types

Results by groups of flint types

Table 3.1: Number of matches by participant, individual types, and group of flint types.

Table 3.2: Blind test results by groups of participants.

Figure 3.2: Number of matches between LW and the rest of the participants on a group-of-flint-types level.

Table 3.3: Blind test results by group of flint types, and percentage of success in identification for each group of participants.

Selected case studies

Type AF

Figure 3.3: Type AF: (a) test piece 37

(b) test piece 43

(c) test piece 48

(d) type specimen of AF, taken from the collection of flint types of Qesem Cave

Type AQ: (e) test piece number 15.

(f) test piece number 23

(g) test piece number 41

(h) test

Figure 3.4: (a) Test piece number 17

(b) type specimen of N, taken from the collection of flint types of Qesem Cave

(c) jupecimen of AK, taken from the collection of flint types of Qesem Cave

(d) test piece number 3

(e) type specimen of J, taken from

Type AQ

Test piece 17

Test piece 3

Groups with a low median number of matches

The significance of the blind test

Conclusions and implication of the blind test

Data Analysis

Results

The potential flint sources

Figure 4.1: Geologic map of the area, presenting all of the 42 identified flint sources.

Table 4.1: The identified potential sources.

Figure 4.2: Examples of flint samples from primary Turonian sources: A-B, KQE

C-D, KQS.

Figure 4.3: Examples of flint samples from secondary Turonian sources: A, S of QC

B, E of QC

C-E, UF

F, FR.

Figure 4.4: Examples of flint samples from Campanian sources: A, BSW

B, MP

C, BSC

D-F, ZM.

Figure 4.5: Examples of flint samples from Upper Cenomanian - Turonian sources: A-C, EFIS

D-F, EFSC.

Figure 4.6: Examples of flint samples from Upper Cenomanian - Turonian sources: A-B, SF

C, SF2

D, SF3

E, ZNIS

F, ZNSC.

Figure 4.7: Examples of flint samples from Eocene sources: A-B, Lod

C, TG1

D, TGN

E-F, TGE.

The QC flint types and groups of flint types

Figure 4.8: A general view of the area of Qesem Cave and the potential flint bearing areas, based on geologic age and distance. Note Wadi Qana (marked by a blue line) which passes 3 km north of QC, as well as the potential flint sources east of QC, which

Figure 4.9: A, Flint types by degree of homogeneity

B, QC-AW - an example of a homogenous flint type

C, QC-BT - an example of a heterogenous flint type.

Figure 4.10: A, Flint types by texture. 1: Fine-textured

2: Medium-textured

3: Coarse-textured. 1-2: Vary between fine-textured and medium-textured

2-3: Vary between medium-textured and coarse-textured.

B, QC-C - an example of a fine-textured flint ty

The QC flint types

Figure 4.11: A, Flint types by degree of translucency. 1: Translucent

2: Slightly translucent

3: Opaque

2-3: Vary between slightly translucent and opaque

B, QC-K - an example of a slightly translucent flint type

C, QC-AH - an example of a translucent

Figure 4.12: A, QC-M - an example of a striped flint type

B, QC-BC - an example of a densely spotted flint type.

Figure 4.13: QC-BO - a close-up view of the net-like, cross-hatched shapes.

Figure 4.14: QC-BB - close-up view of macroscopically visible nummulites.

The groups of flint types

Petrographic data

Figure 4.15: A nummulite, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-BB.

Figure 4.16: A miliolid foraminifer, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in a geologic sample from MT.

A review of the major components

The micro-fossils

Figure 4.17: A globigerinid foraminifer, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-BB.

Figure 4.18: A bulimina foraminifera, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in a sample from the Campanian source BS2.

Figure 4.19: A nodosarid, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in a sample from the secondary Eocene source Lod.

Figure 4.20: Sponge spicules, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-E.

Figure 4.21: An ostracod, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-S.

Figure 4.22: Two large fragments of crushed mollusks, in QC-AD, in PP (A) and in XP (B).

Figure 4.23: A gastropod, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-AB.

Figure 4.24: A cephalopod, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-AB.

Figure 4.25: A radiolarian (a), in PP (A) and in XP (B), in an Eocene sample from Lod.

Figure 4.26: A bryozoan (a), in PP (A) and in XP (B), in TG1.

Figure 4.27: A charophyte, in PP (A) and in XP (B), found in flint type QC-AL.

Figure 4.28: A rhomb of dolomite, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-C.

The main minerals and textures

Figure 4.29: A concentration of sparry calcite (a), in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-D.

Figure 4.30: A pattern of slightly irregular but continuous stripes, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-B.

Figure 4.31: Former pellets, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-BM.

Figure 4.32: A brecciated texture, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-AF.

Figure 4.33: A spherulitic texture, in PP (A) and in XP (B), in QC-AG.

Table 4.2: Summary of the common traits of Turonian flint from primary sources.

Petrographic analysis results

The geologic sources

Figure 4.34: WQ3 - cross-section of a partially-preserved nodosarid foraminifer (a), a bulimina foraminifer (b), and a possible spore or pollen grain (c), in PP (A) and in XP (B).

Table 4.3: Traits appearing at least twice in the thin sections from the sources Horashim Forest, Wadi Qana and Jaljulia Wadi.

Figure 4.35: The brecciated textures in the Campanian and Turonian thin sections: (A) BS1

(B) BS2

(C) ZM

(D) E of QC 2

(E) HF2

(F) WQ1

(G) JW1

(H) JW2

(I) JW3.

Figure 4.36: Sponge spicules in thin sections from Sapir Forest. (A) SF (88), in XP

(B) SF2 (89), in PP

(C) SF2-1 (91), in PP.

Table 4.4: Traits which appear at least twice in primary Cenomanian / Turonian thin sections.

Figure 4.37: A bulimina foraminifera (a), in BS2 - in PP (A) and in XP (B).

Table 4.5: Traits which appear at least twice in secondary Cenomanian / Turonian thin sections.

Table 4.6: The brecciated textures observed in Campanian and Turonian samples.

Figure 4.38: Nodosarid foraminifera (a) in: (A) Lod (18), in PP, and (B) in TGE (97), in PP.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Other Format:

Print version: Agam, Aviad Flint Procurement and Exploitation Strategies in the Late Lower Paleolithic Levant

ISBN:

9781789699357

OCLC:

1309012995