Mapping stone: using GIS spatial modelling to predict lithic source zones

Abstract

We present a new approach to predicting the location of sources of flakeable stone using GIS modelling of raw material proportions obtained from site assemblage data.This approach offers a valuable tool for locating potential source areas and investigating past lithic provisioning and landuse when abundant site assemblage data is available but precise source locations are unknown. Using published and grey literature on raw material composition for 84 sites, we generate a model of varying raw material concentrations for the Moreton Region of Southeast Queensland, Australia, and test our predicted source locations against known prehistoric quarries, geology maps and ground trothing of two key predicted areas with distinctive raw materials. Our results suggest distinct source areas are identifiable, suggesting that primary outcrops are more important sources of stone in this region than large streams and rivers.

La identificación del uso de fuentes secundarias de materiales líticos asistida por SIG: el Arroyo Chasicó (Argentina) como caso de estudio

“…En el caso particular de artefactos líticos -y en una escala superior a la local-, pueden mencionarse dentro de esta línea de trabajo las contribuciones de Ericson (1977), Biró & Regenye (1991), Biró (1998), Ebert (2004), Pouncett (2010), Clarkson & Bellas (2014) y Barrientos et al (2015Barrientos et al ( , 2016. Las variables empleadas para construir los modelos (i.e.…”

“…gradientes), en función de la distancia a las fuentes Clarkson & Bellas, 2014). Si bien las diferentes curvas de falloff describen situaciones generadas por, potencialmente, infinitos modelos mecanísticos (i.e.…”

“…En este sentido, los modelos espaciales continuos generados mediante interpolación poseen la virtud de integrar, en un marco coherente, información espacialmente dispersa. Al mismo tiempo, se constituyen en un recurso a partir del cual resulta posible realizar un conjunto de análisis orientados a diversos fines, entre ellos la localización de fuentes Clarkson & Bellas, 2014). Debido a la incapacidad de las técnicas petrográficas y geoquímicas de discriminar entre fuentes de igual composición, tal como son las fuentes primarias y secundarias de una misma materia prima, métodos como el aquí descripto tienen el potencial de proveer un medio independiente de generación de hipótesis tanto acerca de la probable proveniencia de los materiales líticos recuperados en un sitio, como de la importancia relativa de los diferentes tipos de fuentes dentro de un contexto regional.…”

Going the distance: Mapping mobility in the Kalahari Desert during the Middle Stone Age through multi-site geochemical provenancing of silcrete artefacts

“…In these models, the use of raw material from local or nearby sources is assumed to incur a lower transport cost and would, therefore, be expected to be more habitual than the exploitation of distant raw materials, regardless of whether the import is direct or via exchange between groups. In order to reduce the volume (and hence weight) of stone transported, lithic raw materials from more distant sources would also be expected to be smaller and/or at a later stage in the production process when compared to more locally derived materials (e.g., Newman, 1994;Clarkson and Bellas, 2014 Blumenschine et al, 2008;Brown, 2011;Clarkson and Bellas, 2014;Ekshtain et al, 2014). This behavioural pattern has been identified, for example, in the MSA of East Africa (Ambrose, 2012), where the plotting of obsidian frequencies on distance-decay curves has revealed mobiliary and socioterritorial organisation strategies.…”

“…The majority of models (e.g., see Brantingham, 2006 for summaries;Browne and Wilson, 2013;Clarkson and Bellas, 2014) are founded upon two key assumptions, namely that (i) the closest raw material source would have been exploited for tool manufacture first, and (ii) all available sources would have been utilised. However, these assumptions have yet to be tested rigorously.…”