Lithic industries and plant processing in the Epipalaeolithic Maghreb: Evidence from use-wear analyses

Gassin, Bernard; Guéret, Colas; Dachy, Tiphaine; Gibaja, Juan Francisco; Lubell, David; Perrin, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.03.004

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Previous to this study, esparto has been hypothesised to have served as basketry material in the North African Palaeolithic, and at Taforalt specifically (Humphrey et al 2014;Morales et al 2015;Carrión et al 2018;Desmond et al 2018;Morales 2018;Barton et al 2019c;Gassin et al 2020). Traditional Moroccan esparto crafting has a known history dating back to the late Pleistocene and continues into the ethnographic present (Barton et al 2019c;Gassin et al 2020). Esparto also has a long history as a crafting material elsewhere in the Mediterranean.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…At Taforalt, the coils were likely constructed from Stipa teccanisima (esparto grass, Arabic '(h)alfa(h)' and Amazighe 'awri/ari/iwri' [Barton et al 2019c]), as inedible esparto stalks were uprooted with the root systems intact and transported into the cave in great numbers (Humphrey et al 2014;Morales 2019). Previous to this study, esparto has been hypothesised to have served as basketry material in the North African Palaeolithic, and at Taforalt specifically (Humphrey et al 2014;Morales et al 2015;Carrión et al 2018;Desmond et al 2018;Morales 2018;Barton et al 2019c;Gassin et al 2020). Traditional Moroccan esparto crafting has a known history dating back to the late Pleistocene and continues into the ethnographic present (Barton et al 2019c;Gassin et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Bone Tool Proxy Evidence for Coiled Basketry Production in the North African Palaeolithic

Desmond

2022

J. African Arch.

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Bone tools from Taforalt Cave constitute the largest North African Later Stone Age (LSA) bone tool technocomplex recovered to-date. Use-trace analyses show that the small, pointed forms which dominate the assemblage show microtopographic patterning consistent with ethnographic bone tools used to make coiled basketry. The presence of coiled basketry likely scaffolded emergent cultural forms reflected in increased sedentism, resource intensification, and greater population density at Taforalt. This study explores the relationship between coiled basketry and archaeologically co-occurring technologies. Ethnographic analogies derived from Indigenous Californian groups provide a model for how resource-specific collection, processing, storage, and preparation requirements may have been supported technologically.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Bone Tool Proxy Evidence for Coiled Basketry Production in the North African Palaeolithic

Desmond

2022

J. African Arch.

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“…For instance, the association of notched tools with a variety of plant working has been identified within several late Pleistocene assemblages in ISEA like Tabon Cave [72], Leang Sarru and Topogaro [32,38,39]. The presence of tools with notched edges, both those caused by intentional retouching or by wear and tear, is a phenomenon also observed in other geographic regions and occurs in the prehistoric cultures in northern Africa and Europe, where they have been identified as being used for transversal activities (scraping, raking, splitting) of various plants, for example in the epipalaeolithic Capsian of the Maghreb region [73] and in the Mesolithic of western Europe [74,75].…”

Section: Resource Use and Island Adaptation By Early Modern Humans Inmentioning

confidence: 96%

Island Migration, Resource Use, and Lithic Technology by Anatomically Modern Humans in Wallacea

Ono¹,

Pawlik²,

Fuentes³

2020

Pleistocene Archaeology - Migration, Technology, and Adaptation

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Island migration and adaptation including both marine and terrestrial resource use and technological development by anatomically modern humans (AMH) are among the most significant issues for Pleistocene archaeology in Southeast Asia and Oceania, and directly related to the behavioral and technological advancements by AMH. This paper discusses such cases in the Wallacean islands, located between the past Sundaland and the Sahul continent during the Pleistocene. The Pleistocene open sea gaps between the Wallacean islands and both landmasses are very likely the major factor for the relative scarcity of animal species originating from Asia and Oceania and the high diversity of endemic species in Wallacea. They were also a barrier for hominin migration into the Wallacean islands and Sahul continent. We summarize three recent excavation results on the Talaud Islands, Sulawesi Island and Mindoro Island in Wallacea region and discuss the evidence and timeline for migrations of early modern humans into the Wallacean islands and their adaptation to island environments during the Pleistocene.

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“…The analysis of a larger sample of the lithic material from La Marmotta will allow us to assess more fully the importance of plant fibre processing activities at the site. Data from other Neolithic sites in the Western Mediterranean suggest that up to 20 to 30 per cent of the tools used were for wood- and plant-working activities; for example, at La Draga, 51 used edges from 467 tools show evidence of wood and plant processing (Mazzucco & Gibaja 2018; Gassin et al 2020).…”

Section: Weaving Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Textiles, basketry and cordage from the Early Neolithic settlement of La Marmotta, Lazio

Mineo¹,

Mazzucco

Rottoli

et al. 2023

Antiquity

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Archaeological investigation of Circum-Alpine lake, or pile, dwellings has afforded unprecedented insight into Neolithic and Bronze Age societies. The discovery in 1989 of a submerged settlement near Rome added an early (eighth millennium BP) geographical outlier to this distribution. Two decades of excavation at La Marmotta have identified more than a dozen dwellings and an enormous assemblage of organic remains. Here, the authors present an overview of the textiles, basketry and cordage recovered, and the tools used to manufacture them. The assemblage paints a more complete picture of the technological expertise of Neolithic societies and their ability to exploit and process plant materials to produce a wide range of crafts.

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Lithic industries and plant processing in the Epipalaeolithic Maghreb: Evidence from use-wear analyses

Cited by 9 publications

References 17 publications

Bone Tool Proxy Evidence for Coiled Basketry Production in the North African Palaeolithic

Bone Tool Proxy Evidence for Coiled Basketry Production in the North African Palaeolithic

Island Migration, Resource Use, and Lithic Technology by Anatomically Modern Humans in Wallacea

Textiles, basketry and cordage from the Early Neolithic settlement of La Marmotta, Lazio

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