Potential siliceous sources during Prehistory: Results of prospecting in the East margin of the Ebro Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Abstract

Abstract:We present the results of prospecting in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula, with the aim of identifying the siliceous sources potentially used by the populations that occupied the marginal basins of the Ebro depression during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic.We intend to define the main characteristics of the cherts in the region studied, taking into account the palaeoenvironment in which silicifications are mainly formed, and the premise that siliceous rocks acquire the attributes of enclosing rocks.The cherts studied are the products of early diagenesis by replacement of carbonate and evaporite sediments. Petrological analyses show that they are made up of microquartz, with high proportion of fibrous forms silica, carbonates, ferric oxides and evaporite relicts. In the future, these characteristics will be useful for ascribing archaeological materials in both geological and geographical terms.Keywords: lithic raw materials; chert characterisation; Ebro Basin; depositional models Abstract:Presentamos los resultados de las prospecciones realizadas en el NE de la Península Ibérica, con el objetivo de localizar las áreas fuente silíceas potenciales para la captación de los paleo-pobladores que ocuparon las cuencas marginales de la depresión del Ebro durante el Paleolítico medio y superior.Definiremos los principales caracteres de los sílex de la región estudiada, teniendo en cuenta el paleoambiente de los afloramientos y con la premisa que los sílex adquieren los atributos de la roca encajante.Los sílex estudiados son producto de una diagénesis temprana por reemplazamiento de sedimentos carbonatados y evaporíticos. Los análisis petrológicos muestran que estos están formados por microcuarzo, con altas proporciones de sílice fibrosa, carbonatos, óxidos de hierro y relictos evaporíticos. Estos caracteres serán útiles para la posterior adscripción geológica y geográfica de los conjuntos arqueológicos.

The evolution and stability of stone tools: The effects of different mobility scenarios in tool reduction and shape features

“…The geographical framework chosen for this work is the coastal and pre-coastal geological region of Tarragona in southern Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula), which is known for its abundance of medium to good quality flint outcrops (Soto et al, 2014) (Image S1 and Text S1), which have been greatly exploited by human populations since the Lower Paleolithic . We selected this area based on the assumption that if the presence of raw material in the territory is high, either in primary formations or in secondary procurement areas, then a local/regional range procurement behavior and a lesser influence of remotely acquired materials would be expected, which might result in different raw material management and curation patterns.…”

Testing a hypothesis about the importance of the quality of raw material on technological changes at Abric Romaní (Capellades, Spain): Some considerations using a high-resolution techno-economic perspective

“…RMU were identified using both macroscopic and microscopic criteria and comparisons with geological samples. Macroscopic criteria included texture related to the roughness of the surface to touch, cortex, impurities as geodes and mineral inclusions, transparency, presence of fissures and joins, sedimentary structures as indicative of depositional environment, and colour, while microscopic analysis took into account texture of α-quartz, presence or absence of non-epigenetic relict minerals, and the identification of authigenic minerals (Gómez de Soler 2016: 114-168;Soto et al 2014).…”

“…Raw materials were mainly selected by Neanderthals for abundance, probably during the foraging transfer of the group (Gómez de Soler 2016: 299-313;Gómez de Soler et al in press). SMT chert is characterised by a large dimensional and morphological variability, as well as variable degree of homogeneity (Gómez de Soler 2009;Soto et al 2014). At present is not possible to exclude differences in mobility at short scale of analysis that could have affected the variability of the quality of the collected blocks.…”

La Balma de la Vall (Montblanc, Tarragona): ocupaciones de corta duración durante el Paleolítico superior final en las Montañas de Prades

“…La intensidad de la investigación durante los últimos 30 años ha proporcionado un importante corpus de datos y yacimientos para abordar cuestiones más allá de la mera caracterización y comparación tecno-tipológica de los conjuntos. Los trabajos desarrollados tanto en el valle del río Montsant (Vilaseca 1949;Fullola 1983Fullola -1984Domènech 1998;García-Argüelles, Adserias et al 1992;García-Argüelles 2004;Fullola y García-Argüelles 2006;García-Argüelles, Nadal y Fullola 2005;García-Argüelles, Fullola et al 2013;García-Argüelles, Nadal et al 2014) como en los valles de los ríos Francolí y Gaià (LAUT 1992;García et al 1996García et al , 1997Angelucci 2003;Vaquero, Allué et al 2005;García y Vaquero 2006;García Catalán 2007;García Catalán, Vaquero et al 2009;Fontanals et al 2009;Vaquero, Alonso et al 2012;García Catalán, Gómez de Soler et al 2013;Morales et al 2013;Soto et al 2014) ponen de manifiesto una intensa ocupación del territorio coincidiendo con la mejora climática del GI-1, entre 14 y 15 ka cal BP.…”