The shining piece of the puzzle: evidence of plant use in the Late Palaeolithic

Sobkowiak‐Tabaka, Iwona; Kufel-Diakowska, Bernadeta

doi:10.1007/s12520-018-0604-z

“…The identification of soft plant processing at Lommel-Maatheide contributes to the growing body of evidence for soft plant processing tools (mainly unmodified blanks, but also burins and a retouched blade) from the Late Glacial period (including from Federmessergruppen sites) (Barton et al 2009;Jacquier 2014;Sobkowiak-Tabaka and Kufel-Diakowska 2019), which suggests that plant processing is probably a more common activity during the end of the Late Glacial period than previously assumed. Here, wear from a transversal use on plants was observed on two endscrapers, which is highly suggestive for the processing of bast fibres such as flax, nettle or hemp (Caspar et al 2005;Van Gijn and Mazzucco 2013).…”

Section: Activities Tool Use and Hafted Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 75%

A closer look at an eroded dune landscape: first functional insights into the Federmessergruppen site of Lommel-Maatheide

Tomasso¹,

Cnuts²,

Coppe³

et al. 2021

Peer Community Journal

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The vast Federmessergruppen site of Lommel-Maatheide, which is located in the Campine region (Northern Belgium), revealed the presence of numerous Final Palaeolithic concentrations situated on a large Late Glacial sand ridge on the northern edge of a contemporary lake. This situation offers a unique possibility for a large-scale functional analysis in order to understand the occupation of such a Late Glacial dune landscape. The variable preservation state of the lithic artefacts permitted to evaluate in detail the impact of post-depositional processes on the potential of functional studies. Also, the impact of excavation protocols on the preservation of wear traces and residues was evaluated, in particular the impact of mechanical sieving. The integrated functional research that included the microscopic examination of wear traces, fractures and residues, next to experimentation, permitted the identification of a range of crafting and hunting activities, thereby demonstrating the potential of such assemblages for obtaining innovative insights into Late Glacial site dynamics in spite of a varying preservation state.

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“…The identification of soft plant processing at Lommel-Maatheide contributes to the growing body of evidence for soft plant processing tools (mainly unmodified blanks, but also burins and a retouched blade) from the Late Glacial period (including from Federmessergruppen sites) (Barton et al 2009;Jacquier 2014;Sobkowiak-Tabaka and Kufel-Diakowska 2019), which suggests that plant processing is probably a more common activity during the end of the Late Glacial period than previously assumed. Here, wear from a transversal use on plants was observed on two endscrapers, which is highly suggestive for the processing of bast fibres such as flax, nettle or hemp (Caspar et al 2005;Van Gijn and Mazzucco 2013).…”

Section: Activities Tool Use and Hafted Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 83%

A closer look at an eroded dune landscape: first functional insights into the Federmessergruppen site of Lommel-Maatheide

Tomasso

¹

,

Cnuts

²

,

Coppe

³

et al. 2021

Preprint

1

0

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The vast Federmessergruppen site of Lommel-Maatheide, which is located in the Campine region (Northern Belgium), revealed the presence of numerous Final Palaeolithic concentrations situated on a large Late Glacial sand ridge on the northern edge of a contemporary lake. This situation offers a unique possibility for a large-scale functional analysis in order to understand the occupation of such a Late Glacial dune landscape. The variable preservation state of the lithic artefacts permitted to evaluate in detail the impact of post-depositional processes on the potential of functional studies. Also, the impact of excavation protocols on the preservation of wear traces and residues was evaluated, in particular the impact of mechanical sieving. The integrated functional research that included the microscopic examination of wear traces, fractures and residues, next to experimentation, permitted the identification of a range of crafting and hunting activities, thereby demonstrating the potential of such assemblages for obtaining innovative insights into Late Glacial site dynamics in spite of a varying preservation state.

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“…The intense use of this area was also detected during the Younger Dryas, when hunter-gatherers associated with the Swiderian culture occupied various places in the area, now referred to as sites 10, 11, 37 and 42. Swiderian groups altered the local environment by burning local marsh vegetation and using wood and herbaceous plants as raw materials for construction and tools (Sobkowiak-Tabaka et al 2018;Sobkowiak-Tabaka and Kufel-Diakowska 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The persistent place at Lubrza: a small paradise for hunter-gatherers? Multi-disciplinary studies of Late Palaeolithic environment and human activity in the Łagów lake district (western Poland)

Sobkowiak‐Tabaka

¹

,

Milecka

²

,

Kubiak-Martens³

et al. 2021

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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This paper summarises the results of multidisciplinary research, including pollen, plant macroremains, diatoms, Cladocera, molluscs and geochemistry from a 14C dated core and geomorphological records, which reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions faced by Late Palaeolithic hunter-gathers in western Poland. Particular attention was paid to evidence for both human activity and the degree to which Late Palaeolithic groups may have affected the local environment, as recorded by the biogenic sediments in lakes located close to their campsites. Vegetation first appears locally in the Oldest Dryas, and consisted of subarctic tundra vegetation. During the Bølling period the landscape was generally open, with dwarf shrubs and scattered patches of Juniperus and Hippophaë shrubs. Betula (tree birch) expanded locally in the area only in the later Allerød; during the second part of the Allerød period, Pinus and Populus joined birch as a sparse woodland developed. During the Younger Dryas, the landscape changed significantly in comparison to the preceding warm period, as result of cooling and drying of the climate. The presence of microscopic charcoal and charred herbaceous plant particles made it possible to detect human activity. These analyses allowed us to reconstruct fire events near the site during its occupation by Hamburg and Federmesser cultural groups. An increase in the proportion of biogenic elements such as Na, K and Mg in the sediments indicate soil erosion, reflecting the activity of Hamburg groups. A relative increase in the frequency of Cladocera which favour eutrophic and turbid water was recorded in the period linked to Federmesser group activities. The intense use of this area was also indicated during the Younger Dryas.

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The shining piece of the puzzle: evidence of plant use in the Late Palaeolithic

Cited by 16 publications

References 32 publications

A closer look at an eroded dune landscape: first functional insights into the Federmessergruppen site of Lommel-Maatheide

A closer look at an eroded dune landscape: first functional insights into the Federmessergruppen site of Lommel-Maatheide

A closer look at an eroded dune landscape: first functional insights into the Federmessergruppen site of Lommel-Maatheide

The persistent place at Lubrza: a small paradise for hunter-gatherers? Multi-disciplinary studies of Late Palaeolithic environment and human activity in the Łagów lake district (western Poland)

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