Late Neolithic lithic assemblage from Alsónyék: the significance of the local supply zone’s lithic raw material (original) (raw)
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Archaeologia Polona, 2018
This article summarizes the current state of research on the flaked stone assemblages from the Late Neolithic site Alsónyék‒Bátaszék, Tolna district. The raw material distribution of the nearly 6100 pieces that make up the stone tool assemblage is the focus of this paper, with a particular emphasis placed on the dominance of the local raw material. The research addresses the question of the method of procurement of the lithic raw material in the case of this enormous, extended Neolithic site. To supply an answer, basic geoarchaeological research was necessary. To that end, a field survey aimed at detecting those geological formations and lithic variations convenient for knapping was undertaken. The results of the survey reported in the second part of this paper help in our understanding of the selection strategy of the ancient knapping specialists. From these strategies, it is possible to recognize the cultural tradition and raw material manipulation of this Late Neolithic community and, in a wider sense, the southeastern group of the Lengyel culture.
Archeometriai Műhely/Archaeometry Workshop, 2019
This article summarizes the dissertation which was defended in 2019. The basis of this doctoral thesis is the nearly 6200 pieces of chipped stone material from the site Alsónyék-Bátaszék, Hungary, and compares them with a similar quantity of lithic materials from the assemblages of the other published Late Neolithic sites from southeastern Transdanubia. The first topic presented is a characterization of the local lithic raw materials usage in the different lithic assemblages. This has been assessed through field surveys to locate the primary raw material sources and reconstruct the method of the procurement activity. The second topic is an analysis of the stone tool making procedure and artefacts usage patterns. Upon this basis, a view at the entire chaîne opératoire of the lithic assemblages is taken focusing on the operational sequence of lithics production involving processes beginning from the finding of the original lithic raw material sources in their specific environmental setting, the selection of preparing and tool making procedure taking place within the settlement, and it lasts until it is deposited in the graves. This gives us a better understanding of the significance of the environmental surroundings, the knowledge of the raw material and the lithic procurement methods based on the raw material selection strategy of the particular communities, in this case the Southeastern Transdanubian Late Neolithic Lengyel culture. In the settlement, the technological system of the community, the possible activity zones and patterns of tool-use can be reconstructed by studying the lithic artefacts. In the case of those stone tools deposited in burials, a transformation from an average utilitarian/everyday stone tool into a definite symbol with in the burial context takes place, which can again be related back to the environmental surroundings ("the physical world"). Kivonat A cikk a 2019-ben megvédett doktori disszertációm összefoglalása. A doktori dolgozat alapját az Alsónyék-Bátaszék lelőhelyről előkerült közel 6200 darabos pattintott kőeszköz leletegyüttes képezi, amely eddig publikált délkelet-dunántúli késő neolitikus lelőhelyek közel azonos mennyiségű kőeszköz leletanyagával került összehasonlításra. A kőanyagokra elsősorban a helyi nyersanyag felhasználása jellemző, így a nyersanyagforrások felkutatása mellett, a begyűjtés módja jelenti az egyik elsődleges kutatási témát. Emellett a kőeszközkészítő tevékenység és az eszközhasználat képezte a vizsgálat tárgyát,-jelen esetben a délkelet-dunántúli késő újkőkori közösség-nyersanyag-kiválasztási stratégiáján keresztül a környezettel történő kapcsolat, a nyersanyagismeret és a kőzet beszerzésének módja ismerhető meg, a környezet-közösség relációjában. A településen belül a kőeszközkészítési tevékenység rekonstrukciójával a közösség technológiai rendszere, esetlegesen a tevékenységi zónák és a használati mód válik megismerhetővé. Amennyiben a sírba helyezték a kőeszközöket, fény derülhet arra, hogyan válik az egyszerű használati/hétköznapi kőeszköz jelentésen túl a sír kontextusában egy határozott jellé, amely a környezetet szimbolizálja (a "fizikai" világot).
Open Archaeology, 2022
The excavation of Crno Vrilo site (Zadar, Dalmatia, Croatia), carried out by B. Marijanović, has unearthed the vestiges of an Early Neolithic village dating back to ca. 5800-5600 cal BC. The lithic assemblage, with more than 4000 pieces, represents the biggest Impressed Ware assemblage of littoral Croatia. Lithic production at Crno Vrilo is characterised by the pressure Blade flaking on high-quality exogenous cherts (Gargano, southern Italy) reflecting important socioeconomic and technical aspects that are specific to the Neolithic. The presence of some débitage elements such as flakes, debris, cortical and technological pieces indicates that standard pressure flaking occured at the site, while the presence of large Blades (with widths exceeding 20 mm) suggests production by lever pressure, a technique that required specialized knowledge and equipment. This article questions whether the lever pressure technique was used in the production of large Blades and examines the status of these Blades in the Crno Vrilo lithic assemblage by examining their technological and functional aspects.
Romanian Journal of MINERAL DEPOSITS , 2016
The natural resources of a geographical area start to be systematically exploited from the immigration of the first populations in a region. In time, this type of activity leads to the specialization of some settlements in the exploitation and transmission of raw materials to the other human communities. Our approach takes into account the first concerns about exploiting of the mineral resources by the prehistoric communities, more exactly by the Early Neolithic ones, in south-western Transylvania. One activity less common is the manufacture of polished stone tools. The first farming communities from the above mentioned area, also known as Starčevo-Criş populations, inhabited these region eight millennia ago, and they started exploiting gradually the local rocks for the needs of the new type of the Neolithic economy, based on the agriculture and livestock. Thus, after recent or past petro-graphic determinations results, we have a clearer picture on acquiring different types of raw materials which were used for the production of specific tools for Neolithic communities, such as: grinders, querns, hammers, axes, chisels etc. After the analyzing of the petrographical results, we can conclude that the first Neolithic communities from southwestern Transylvania exploited different types of rocks for the ground stone industry, most often sandstones, quartzites and andesites, the majority with occurrences in South of Apuseni Mountains or in North of Poiana Ruscă Mountains, other ones coming from the riverbeds of Mureş, Sebeş, Orăştie, Strei and Cerna rivers.
“Archäologie in Eurasien" 31, Berlin, pp. 105-128.