The origin of chert in the Aurignacian of Vogelherd Cave investigated by infrared spectroscopy

Schürch, Benjamin; Wettengl, Stefan; Fröhle, Simon; Conard, Nicholas J.; Schmidt, Patrick

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0272988

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Where good-to high-quality knapping material is required, the task becomes the identification of consistent sources of such flints or cherts and access to these sources. In our case, silica precipitates can be found across Germany (Schürch et al 2022), including our general region in Baden-Württemberg, but local sources were judged to be generally low and/or inconsistent in quality and occur in such quantities to make material collection inefficient.…”

Section: Hand-knapped Flintmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Background and overview Flints and cherts have been used extensively throughout human history and prehistory, being one of the primary raw material components of European Middle and Upper Paleolithic assemblages (e.g., Schürch et al 2022), while even being used (though very infrequently) at some points during the Oldowan (e.g., at Bed II, Olduvai Gorge; Hay 1976). Largely owing to their widespread abundance across the globe (Keller 1981;Schmid 2011) and sharp, resistant edges that can be worked with greater ease than other materials (such as basalts and similar rock types; Luedtke 1992), flints and cherts have also been a staple of experimental archaeology since its very origins as a practice (e.g., Johnson 1978).…”

Section: Hand-knapped Flintmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An overview of standardizable raw materials for controlled knapping experiments

Snyder¹,

Boysen²,

Figueroa³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Experimental replication of stone tools is an important method for understanding the context and production of prehistoric technologies. In scientific undertakings, experimental control is a valuable and necessary means of ensuring that confounding variables are not influencing the outcomes of the study. One way that researchers can exert control in knapping experiments is to standardize the type, form, and size of raw materials that are provided to the knappers. Though measures to standardize materials are already part of archaeological practice, specific protocols, let alone comparisons between standardization techniques, are rarely openly reported. Consequently, independent laboratories often repeat the same trial-and-error process for selecting the ‘right’ material for testing. We investigate a variety of techniques and raw materials (e.g., hand-knapped flint, machine-cut basalt, manufactured glass, and porcelain). Each material was evaluated for their validity, reliability, and ease of standardization. Here, we have outlined the raw material tests we performed, providing information on the individual approaches, as well as comparisons between the techniques and materials according to both validity and reliability, along with their costs and our own recommendations. This text is intended as a serviceable guide on raw material standardization for knapping experiments, including previously pursued avenues and means that are as-of-yet undescribed in the experimental archaeology literature. We include additional considerations for techniques that were not included in this study or which are presently not widely available and/or affordable. Future potential in this field would benefit from advances in the relevant technologies and in methodological approaches.

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Section: Hand-knapped Flintmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Hand-knapped Flintmentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of standardizable raw materials for controlled knapping experiments

Snyder¹,

Boysen²,

Figueroa³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…He reported archaeological horizons spanning from the Neolithic to the Middle Paleolithic (AH I-IX) (Riek 1932(Riek , 1934). Riek's team completely excavated the site in just three months (Riek 1934;Burkert 1991;Conard and Malina 2006;Schürch et al 2020Schürch et al , 2022Schürch and Conard 2022). In his monograph from 1934 Riek presents twelve profiles with a total of nine cultural layers, or archaeological horizons (AH).…”

Section: Vogelherdmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Status of the Boar Tooth Artifact from the Backdirt of Vogelherd

Conard,

Schürch,

Haack

et al. 2023

MGfU

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During the course of the excavations in the backdirt of Vogelherd in 2008, the crew recovered a tusk of a boar preserving clear signs of anthropogenic modification. In addition to the polishing that regularly occurs on tusks during the life of the animal, this specimen, showed signs of cut- ting, scraping and polish subsequent to the animal’s death. This artifact superficially resembles a Magdalenian female figurine with a triangular buttock and a stick-like torso, which led to the hypothesis that the find may be of Paleolithic origin and may be an artwork. Alternatively, the find was hypothesized to be an artifact of unknown function from the Holocene, based on the rarity of faunal remains of boar from the Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura. While the excavator always stressed the uncertainty related to the interpretation of the find, some colleagues ac- cepted the hypothesis that the find represented a Magdalenian female figurine. Thirteen years after its recovery, we have reexamined this artifact and conducted comparative studies that support the hypothesis that the find is of Holocene age. Based on similar finds, we conclude that, although the function of this class of artifact is not yet certain, this artifact is a Neolithic or Mesolithic tool with clear parallels in Germany, France and Switzerland. This class of artifact is rare in Central Europe, but our survey of Neolithic and Mesolithic publications allows us to reject the hypothesis, that this find represents a Magdalenian female figurine. This artifact, however, enriches the record of Holocene organic technology in southwestern Germany.

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The stone artifacts of the National Archaeological Museum of Adria (Rovigo, Italy): a noteworthy example of heterogeneity

Dilaria,

Bonetto,

Germinario

et al. 2023

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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This paper reports on the results of the analyses of 56 stone samples from Roman and pre-Roman artifacts from the ancient town of Atria, currently preserved at the National Archaeological Museum of Adria. The city is located in the eastern Veneto lowlands, close to the Po River delta, and far from the main rock outcrops of the region. The objective of this research is to determine the provenance of the stones used in ancient Atria and their trade networks. The analytical techniques adopted include polarized-light optical microscopy (PLM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and quantitative phase analysis by X-ray powder diffraction (QPA-XRPD). The results reveal a widespread use of imported stones from the central-western territories of Veneto, primarily comprising trachyte from the Euganean Hills and the soft limestone Vicenza Stone from the Berici Hills/eastern Lessini Mounts. Rosso Ammonitico, Maiolica (Biancone) and Scaglia Rossa limestones are also documented. From neighbouring regions, the imported stone types include Aurisina limestone from the Trieste Karst and Istrian Stone. Sandstone was uniquely recognized in G. Popillius’s milestone. Moreover, advanced geochemical and mineralogical analyses performed on the Euganean trachytes allow tracking accurately the quarry sites, revealing an extensive exploitation of the main historical quarries of M. Oliveto, Monselice and M. Merlo, although some provenances from outcrops less systematically exploited were also detected. Notably, the use of rhyolite for manufacturing a pre-Roman gravestone provides new insights regarding the exploitation of Euganean stone resources before the Roman era.

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The origin of chert in the Aurignacian of Vogelherd Cave investigated by infrared spectroscopy

Cited by 3 publications

References 21 publications

An overview of standardizable raw materials for controlled knapping experiments

An overview of standardizable raw materials for controlled knapping experiments

On the Status of the Boar Tooth Artifact from the Backdirt of Vogelherd

The stone artifacts of the National Archaeological Museum of Adria (Rovigo, Italy): a noteworthy example of heterogeneity

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