Expedient behaviour and predetermination at the Ciota Ciara cave (north-western Italy) during Middle Palaeolithic

Abstract

The Ciota Ciara cave is a Middle Palaeolithic site located in Piedmont (north-western Italy) and it is the only one systematically investigated in the region. It opens at 670 m a.s.l. on the west side of Monte Fenera and its archaeological deposit has a stratigraphic sequence documenting several and repeated human frequentations. Four archaeological layers have been identified (13, 14, 15 and 103) and are characterized by lithic assemblages where vein quartz is the main exploited raw material. The upper level (13), was already subject to technological and functional studies but the enlargement of the excavated area made necessary a completion of the technological data. The aim of this work is to deal with a complete technological and functional study of the lithic assemblage of the four archaeological layers of the Ciota Ciara cave to face the issues of predetermination and adaptation of the reduction sequences to the raw materials features. The technological analysis is based on the concept of chaîne opératoire and refers to the classical definitions of the S.S.D.A., discoid and Levallois methods for the identification of the different exploitation strategies. The concepts of curated and expedient technology are also applied to the present study. We finally refer to the huge debate concerning the concept of predetermination related to cores that show reduced or none phases of core configuration for the analysis and interpretation of the considered lithic assemblage. The results obtained show that the general behaviour can be interpreted as expedient, both from a technological and a functional point of view. The Middle Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers of the Ciota Ciara cave adapted their "technological background" to the resources available and put into action flexible adaptation strategies. Even in the shortness or absence of phases of core configuration, predetermination can be observed in the adaptation of Levallois and discoid concepts to the natural constraints of the pebbles chosen as cores. The natural convexities are exploited to obtain Levallois and discoid flakes after an intentional choice made by the knappers. In order to deeply investigate the characteristics of the technological behaviour of the hunter-gatherers that inhabited the site, the use-wear analysis is a fundamental additional source of information and it is here aimed to understand if there is or not a differential use of the lithic artefacts according to their typology and/or to the knapping method. KeywordsCiota Ciara, Levallois, vein quartz, use-wear analysis, technological behaviour. the production of low-predetermined flakes, scarce presence of simple retouched tools. On the other hand, the concept of predetermination, i.e. the production of flakes with specific characteristics, in Middle Palaeolithic lithic technology is traditionally linked to Levallois exploitation strategies and to the specific core configuration proper of this method, where the preparation of the lateral and distal convexities gives the knapper a good degree of c...

Technology and use of a Middle Palaeolithic toolkit. The example of the Ciota Ciara cave (NW Italy)

“…5) can be divided, according to their technological features, in the following groups: unretouched akes, retouched tools and akes issued from the reshaping of the tools' edges (Table 3). Unretouched akes are issued from opportunistic, recurrent centripetal Levallois and discoid reduction strategies; as already pointed out (Daffara et al 2021), this data shows that these rocks were exploited in the same way as the local rocks (vein quartz, spongolite, grey int), according to a technological behaviour that can be considered as repetitive during all the phases of human frequentation of the site during Middle Palaeolithic.…”

“…In the analyzed archaeological record, four artefacts show traces referable to different processed materials (three unretouched akes in radiolarite and one unretouched ake in rhyolite). The presence of this type of "complex" traces corresponds to a repeated use of the object, characteristic suggested also by the technological data that underline a more intense exploitation of lithic products in allochthonous raw material if compared to vein quartz or spongolite artefacts (Arzarello et al 2012;Daffara et al 2021).…”

“…The knapping activities took place in the site for the most represented raw materials, as indicated by the important presence of vein quartz and spongolite cores and debris (Table 2), while the other local rocks were probably knapped out of the site or in an area not documented by excavation activities. According to the technological analysis conducted, rhyolite and radiolarite can be interpreted as complementary lithic resources, as they are present in the considered lithic assemblage mainly as tools, which edges have been intensively rejuvenated, and as akes issued from the re-shaping of the tools' edges (Daffara et al 2021). Opportunistic reduction strategies are clearly predominant in all the archaeological levels for all the raw materials.…”

“…Levallois and discoid cores are chosen among blanks with suitable natural convexities and their morphology strongly in uences the dimensions of the nal products. For other raw materials like radiolarite and grey int, Levallois reduction sequences have been hypothesized as more articulated, even if incomplete (Daffara et al 2021).…”

“…13 and 14 show that there was no difference in the use of the lithic artefacts according to the method they were issued from. Even between Levallois and discoid blanks there are not clear differences in terms of type of actions and activities carried out (Daffara et al 2021). Some differences have however been noticed between these two levels concerning the types and the varieties of activities carried out.…”