Lithic economy and prehistoric human behavioral ecology viewed from southern Jordan

Henry, Donald O.; Mraz, Veronica

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.102089

Cited by 5 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The limestones underlie the Neogene conglomerate, and all rocks are covered by the Quaternary deposits. Chert outcrops are very limited in the vicinity of the study sites in the Jebel Qalkha area (Henry, 1995;Henry & Mraz, 2020;Kadowaki et al, 2022). Within the dominant exposure of the Cambrian sandstone, only a few chert outcrops occur in small pockets of Cretaceous-Paleogene limestone sequences (Figures 1, 2, and S1), particularly in the Amman Silicified Limestone (ASL) and the Umm Rijam Chert-Limestone (URC) formations, which are sparsely distributed within 15 km from the sites (Rabb'a, 1987).…”

Section: Geological Outline and The Availability Of Chert In The Stud...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, we observed visual variations of chert within the primary ASL outcrops at Humayma and Abbasiyah. Such variations in total include the chert visual varieties 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9 defined by Henry and Mraz (2020).…”

Section: Geological Outline and The Availability Of Chert In The Stud...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This paper presents the results of petrographic and geochemical analyses of chert artifacts from three Paleolithic sites in the western Hisma Basin, southern Jordan (Figure 1 and Supporting Information Figure S1 and Text S1), and discusses how they correlate to visually defined chert variations. In the study area, previous studies classified chert raw materials represented in artifacts from two Middle Paleolithic sites (Tor Faraj and Tor Sabiha) and one Neolithic site (Ayn Abu Nukhayla) according to macroscopic attributes, such as color, texture, luster, and translucence (Henry, 1995; Henry et al, 2014; Henry & Mraz, 2020). Subsequently, Suga et al (2022) examined the variability of chert raw material in the lithic assemblages from one Middle Paleolithic site (Tor Faraj) and three Upper Paleolithic sites (Wadi Aghar, Tor Fawaz, and Tor Hamar) by combining macroscopic and microscopic attributes provided from the measurement of surface roughness, the microscopic observation of fossil inclusions, and the preliminary analyses of major chemical compositions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Subsequently, Suga et al (2022) examined the variability of chert raw material in the lithic assemblages from one Middle Paleolithic site (Tor Faraj) and three Upper Paleolithic sites (Wadi Aghar, Tor Fawaz, and Tor Hamar) by combining macroscopic and microscopic attributes provided from the measurement of surface roughness, the microscopic observation of fossil inclusions, and the preliminary analyses of major chemical compositions. The frequencies of the lithic raw material types in the lithic assemblages were then interpreted as evidence for behavioral variability in the raw material procurement and selection that were further discussed in relation to the site location, mobility, and core reduction technology (Henry & Mraz, 2020; Suga et al, 2022). In these previous studies, the various chert types were broadly correlated to the sources located locally (a few kilometers from the sites) and far in the Ma'an Plateau and the Rift Valley (Figure S1) (Henry, 1995; Henry et al, 2014; Henry & Mraz, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The frequencies of the lithic raw material types in the lithic assemblages were then interpreted as evidence for behavioral variability in the raw material procurement and selection that were further discussed in relation to the site location, mobility, and core reduction technology (Henry & Mraz, 2020; Suga et al, 2022). In these previous studies, the various chert types were broadly correlated to the sources located locally (a few kilometers from the sites) and far in the Ma'an Plateau and the Rift Valley (Figure S1) (Henry, 1995; Henry et al, 2014; Henry & Mraz, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Petrographic and geochemical characterization of chert artifacts from Middle, Upper, and Epi‐Paleolithic assemblages in the Jebel Qalkha area, southern Jordan

et al. 2022

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This study conducted petrographic and geochemical analyses of chert artifacts from the Late Middle Paleolithic, the Initial Upper Paleolithic, the Early Upper Paleolithic, and the Epi-Paleolithic assemblages in the Jebel Qalkha area, southern Jordan, to examine their correlations with the visual attributes and diachronic variability. The results revealed two different aspects of the petrographic and geochemical signatures. The first aspect showed some correlations with the visual chert types that were characterized by the abundance/ preservation of fossils, the enrichment of several elements (i.e., Ca, Sr, and Ba), and the quartz crystallite size. The second aspect of geochemical signatures, such as Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr, and Co, showed no correlation with the visual types but was correlated with the chronocultural groups. Given the chert occurrences and variability in and around the study area, the first aspect of the chert variability likely represents the variations of different chert outcrops as well as the internal variations within the same sources. Whether the second aspect represents chrono-cultural changes in the use of chert sources needs to be clarified in future by our ongoing examination of geological chert samples in the study area.

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Section: Geological Outline and The Availability Of Chert In The Stud...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geological Outline and The Availability Of Chert In The Stud...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Petrographic and geochemical characterization of chert artifacts from Middle, Upper, and Epi‐Paleolithic assemblages in the Jebel Qalkha area, southern Jordan

et al. 2022

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Explaining the Increase in “High-quality Chert” in the Early Upper Paleolithic Artifacts in Southern Jordan: Quantitative Examination of Chert Mechanical Properties and Fracture Predictability

Suga,

Tsukada,

Tarawneh

et al. 2023

J Paleo Arch

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In the studies of aked stone tools, the "quality" of lithic raw material has often been assessed from a viewpoint of its suitability to lithic production, and several studies quanti ed such raw material qualities by measuring mechanical properties of several different rocks like obsidian, chert, and basalt. To advance this approach, this study aims to quantify variations in the quality of chert, which is usually based on the difference in grain-size, e.g., ne-grained chert as "high-quality". For this purpose, we measured two types of hardness, i.e., the rebound hardness by Schmidt Hammer and the Rockwell Hardness (HRC), by using chert samples from southern Jordan, where the use of ne-grained chert increased in the Early Upper Paleolithic (Ahmarian) in association with the development of bladelet technology. The results indicate that ne-grained chert has greater fracture predictability and particularly suitable for the production of bladelets. However, ne-grained chert in southern Jordan suffer from abundant internal fractures and was not used as often as medium-grained chert for Levallois products and robust blades in the Late Middle and Initial Upper Paleolithic. Thus, explaining the prehistoric selectivity of lithic raw materials need to consider fracture predictability as well as other factors, such as actual conditions of occurrences and lithic production technology.

show abstract

Explaining the increase in “high-quality chert” in the Early Upper Paleolithic artifacts in southern Jordan: Quantitative examination of chert mechanical properties and fracture predictability

Suga,

Tsukada,

Tarawneh

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the studies of flaked stone tools, the “quality” of lithic raw material has often been assessed from a viewpoint of its suitability to lithic production, and several studies quantified such raw material qualities by measuring mechanical properties of several different rocks like obsidian, chert, and basalt. To advance this approach, this study aims to quantify variations in the quality of chert, which is usually based on the difference in grain-size, e.g., fine-grained chert as “high-quality”. For this purpose, we measured two types of hardness, i.e., the rebound hardness by Schmidt Hammer and the Rockwell Hardness (HRC), by using chert samples from southern Jordan, where the use of fine-grained chert increased in the Early Upper Paleolithic (Ahmarian) in association with the development of bladelet technology. The results indicate that fine-grained chert has greater fracture predictability and particularly suitable for the production of bladelets. However, fine-grained chert in southern Jordan suffer from abundant internal fractures and was not used as often as medium-grained chert for Levallois products and robust blades in the Late Middle and Initial Upper Paleolithic. Thus, explaining the prehistoric selectivity of lithic raw materials need to consider fracture predictability as well as other factors, such as actual conditions of occurrences and lithic production technology.

show abstract

Lithic economy and prehistoric human behavioral ecology viewed from southern Jordan

Cited by 5 publications

References 21 publications

Petrographic and geochemical characterization of chert artifacts from Middle, Upper, and Epi‐Paleolithic assemblages in the Jebel Qalkha area, southern Jordan

Petrographic and geochemical characterization of chert artifacts from Middle, Upper, and Epi‐Paleolithic assemblages in the Jebel Qalkha area, southern Jordan

Explaining the Increase in “High-quality Chert” in the Early Upper Paleolithic Artifacts in Southern Jordan: Quantitative Examination of Chert Mechanical Properties and Fracture Predictability

Explaining the increase in “high-quality chert” in the Early Upper Paleolithic artifacts in southern Jordan: Quantitative examination of chert mechanical properties and fracture predictability

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