Ležišta rožnjaka u Istri, Hrvatska. Izvori kamene sirovine prapovijesnih zajednica na poluotoku / Chert deposits in Istria, Croatia. Raw material sources for prehistoric communities on the peninsula (original) (raw)
Istarski poluotok bogat je mineralnim sirovinama, ponajprije karbonatnim i silicijskim sedimentnim stijenama koje su na ovom području neraskidivo povezane procesom koji se naziva silicifikacija. Silicijske sedimentne stijene (rožnjaci) zbog svoje su tvrdoće i školjkastog loma vrlo pogodne za izradu oruđa lomljenjem ili cijepanjem, stoga je znanje o ležištima ove vrste stijena bilo vrlo važno za prapovijesne zajednice u Istri. U ovom radu iznijet ćemo osnovne podatke o primarnim i sekundarnim ležištima rožnjaka na području hrvatskog dijela Istarskog poluotoka, vizualne i mehaničke karakteristike sakupljenih uzoraka, kao i mikropetrografske karakteristike određene pomoću binokularnog polarizacijskog mikroskopa. Iznijet ćemo podatke o geološkoj starosti stijene domaćina u kojima su zabilježeni rožnjaci. Spomenut ćemo terminološku problematiku u arheološkoj literaturi te postaviti pitanje istraživanja provenijencije istarskog rožnjaka, odnosno mogućnost raspoznavanja sirovine s različitih ležišta na poluotoku. Spomenut ćemo i arheološka nalazišta na kojima je zabilježena prisutnost istarske sirovine. Na nekim ležištima rožnjaka pronađene su i izrađevine, odnosno jezgre koje su služile za proizvodnju odbojaka ili sječiva, a koje su također dokumentirane. The Istrian Peninsula is rich in mineral resources, primarily carbonate and siliceous sedimentary rocks, which are inextricably linked by a process called silicification. Due to their hardness and conchoidal fracture, siliceous sedimentary rocks (cherts) are very suitable for knapping tools, therefore the knowledge about the location of chert deposits was very important for prehistoric communities in Istria. In this paper, we will present basic data on primary and secondary chert deposits in the Croatian part of the Istrian Peninsula, visual and mechanical characteristics of the collected samples, as well as micropetrographic characteristics determined using a binocular polarizing microscope. We will present dana on the geological age of the host rock in which cherts were recorded. We will mention the terminological issues in the archaeological literature and raise the issue of research into the provenance of Istrian chert, that is, the possibility of identifying the raw material from different deposits on the Peninsula. We will also mention the archaeological sites where the presence of Istrian raw materials was recorded. Artifacts and cores used to knap flakes and blades were also found and recorded on some of the surveyed chert deposits.
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Študijné zvesti Archeologického ústavu SAV – Supplementum 2, 2021
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Documenta Praehistorica LI, 2024
This article contains the results of the lithic analysis of assemblages from the Neolithic sites of Kargadur and Vižula in southern Istria, Croatia. The assemblages have been analysed in terms of reduction strategies and typology, with a special focus on raw material analysis and petrographic analysis. During the Early Neolithic, and especially the Middle Neolithic, raw materials circulated the Istrian peninsula, as evidenced by the presence of obsidian and other non-local (exogenous) chert at several sites. Obsidian is certainly an exotic material in this region, and items found at Kargadur come from the Aeolian islands. With these results we have tried to gain a better understanding of lithic production of the period, the approach of the Neolithic people to raw materials and the scope of the distribution network of high-quality chert.
Raw material as fossile directeur? A case study of the use of Stránská skála-type chert
Študijné zvesti Archeologického ústavu SAV, 2021
The Stránská skála-type chert is a local Moravian chert of Jurassic age, which is available only within a limited area restricted to the Stránská skála rock outcrop and secondary sources in nearby gravels. As this raw material has been well-studied petrographically, its distribution is easy to trace. Its use and proportions within individual archaeological assemblages in particular vary over time-ranging from the dominant raw material during several chrono-cultural periods to a complete absence of this raw material in other periods. Periods of significant use include the Initial and Early Upper Palaeolithic, Late Neolithic and Early Eneolithic. Less pronounced evidence of distribution is also known from the Late/ Final Eneolithic and from the Early Bronze Age. Periods of no use include the Middle to Late Upper Palaeolithic, Early-Middle Neolithic and Middle Eneolithic. This raw material was mostly used locally with a limited distribution-the maximum extent of its occurrence is a few tens of kilometres from the source outcrop. The Stránská skála-type chert should be accepted as a fossile directeur sensu lato thanks to its easy determination and the isolation of the outcrop in combination with the techno-typological analysis. INT RODUCTION Stránská skála (Fig. 1) is an isolated raw material (the Stránská skála-type chert) outcrop on the eastern edge of the Brno Basin has been well-studied petrographically (Přichystal 2009; 2019), so its distribution is easy to trace (cf. Bartík et al. 2019; Škrdla 2017). Although there are other occurrences of limestones of Jurassic age with petrographically almost identical cherts (e.g. Bílá hora, Hády, or Švédské šance) and similar cherts appear in gravels in the vicinity of Stránská skála (with characteristic pebble cortex), the prevailing volume of cherts of that type in the Palaeolithic assemblages unequivocally came directly from the Stránská skála outcrop. The Stránská skála-type chert represents a local raw material that was utilized during the entire Stone Age with peaks at the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic (Přichystal/Svoboda/Škrdla 2003) and during the Late Neolithic-Early Eneolithic periods (Bartík et al. 2019). In contrast, its marginal use was documented during the Late Upper Palaeolithic (Přichystal 2002; Svoboda et al. 2020), Late Eneolithic (Kopacz ed. 2019) and Early Bronze Age (Kopacz/Šebela 2006). This raw material (and the Brno Basin itself) went almost completely unnoticed during the Mid Upper Palaeolithic (Gravettian), Late Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Early/Middle Neolithic (LBK, STK; Fig. 2).
Quartär, 2022
In recent decades, the body of evidence from Croatian sites contributing to the understanding of Middle Palaeolithic behaviours has been significant. However, the data has been biased towards cave sites. Until recently open-air sites have exclusively been identified on the basis of surface finds, which often raise questions regarding assemblage integrity. Rescue excavations in the Istrian peninsula have recently brought to light the open-air site of Campanož and a substantial amount of new data. The site is a large and densely packed lithic scatter found stratified between two horizons of typical Mediterranean terra rossa soil. Among the lithic finds there is a large presence of nodular chert fragments and a smaller proportion of classifiable chert artefacts, which have been recognized as Middle Palaeolithic based on both typological and technological characteristics. A preliminary analysis shows that the blank production methods are coherent at the site. There are few flaking methods in the sample, with most being related to different modes of discoid reduction. Middle Palaeolithic toolmakers repeatedly procured raw materials and produced blanks on-site. Evidence points to the production of small tools, and also indicates recycling of previously discarded artefacts. Although these data are preliminary, the evidence seems to suggest an expedient and flexible technology may have been present in the Middle Palaeolithic of the Northeastern Adriatic. Despite the limited data on age and site formation processes, the site represents a valuable source of information in our understanding of Middle Palaeolithic technological behaviour and land use in the region.
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