The paper reviews the status of the Mesolithic/Neolitihc interface in Greece. It is argued that the old dichotomy between “indigenists” and “diffusionists” concerning the neolithization of Greece is simplistic. Instead it is proposed that the discussion should be focused on two separate issues: one factual, emphasizing the form of phenomena and their archaeological description and one interpretive focusing more on content. Concerning the first issue, the hypothesis is made that the discontinuity in the Mesolithic/Neolithic interface is probably the result of the incomplete archaeological record and the biased research on long-term Neolithic sites in Thessaly. As for the second issue, the shift to the Neolithic can be better understood as an effort to control society and its conflicts by manipulating physical and conceptual resources and by constructing new identities.

/pdf/mesolithic-to-neolithic-in-greece-continuity-discontinuity-4wwh13qvgj.pdf

Mesolithic to Neolithic in Greece. Continuity, discontinuity or change of course?

Sedimentology and Soil Micromorphology of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Deposits of Grotta dell'Edera (Trieste Karst, NE Italy)

— Prehistoric polished stone tools are now fairly well-known from a petrographic point of view in Northern Italy. Many more than one thousand implements sampled from the most important sites and collections (axes, adzes, chisels, some ornaments and various tools fragments), have been analysed. These artefacts were commonly employed from the Neolithic period onwards for working wood and cutting the forest trees. Surface optical observations, density, thin sections, XRD, microprobe analyses and bulk chemistry have been employed, alone or in combination, for petrographic study oriented to archaeometric interpretation. Alpine eclogites, jades (Na-pyroxenites) and other minor HP (High Pressure) metaophiolites dominate the polished stone lithology of Northern Italy, being at least 70% and often surpassing 90% of stone materials in single sites. Petrographic, geochemical, minerochemical, textural data of the studied rocks are described and discussed in some detail. A number of new definitions are introduced. The provenance of the raw material is identified as being NW Italy, essentially Piedmont and Liguria. These regions represent one of the few geological zones in the world where alpine eclogites and jades occur, both as primary outcrops in the High Alps, alluvial and morainic deposits along the valleys, and Oligocene conglomerates in the Northwestern Apennines. The dominance of eclogites and jades among the prehistoric polished stone tools represents a lithic selection of cultural significance. This selection seems to be justified by litho-technological (best mix of hardness, toughness and density) and aesthetic (fine green colours, translucency) reasons, which caused the exclusion of other, elsewhere common, lithologies. The remarkable presence of jade and alpine eclogite lithologies among the Western and rarely Central European axe blades (mostly status symbol or ceremonial axes) gives evidence of a relevant long distance exportation of HP metaophiolite materials from NW Italy to France, Germany, Benelux, Great Britain, etc., up to1000-1500 km far from the source areas. The still unsystematic petrographic knowledge of the HP-metaophiolitic stones of the axe blades in Europe, as well as in the Italian Peninsula, allows only a preliminary comparison with the better known Northern Italian implements. RIASSUNTO. — La pietra preistorica dell’Italia settentrionale e ora abbastanza ben conosciuta da un punto di vista petrografico. Ben oltre mille strumenti sono stati campionati e analizzati da raccolte di molti siti importanti (lame di asce e accette, scalpelli, ornamenti e vari frammenti). I piu comuni manufatti sono asce/accette che furono comunemente utilizzate dal Neolitico per lavorare il legno e tagliare gli alberi. Osservazioni ottiche delle superfici, densita, sezioni sottili, XRD, analisi di Per. Mineral. (2003), 73, 17-42 http://go.to/permin SPECIAL ISSUE 3: A showcase of the Italian research in applied petrology Eclogites, jades and other HP-metaophiolites employed for prehistoric polished stone implements in Italy and Europe CLAUDIO D’AMICO1*, ELISABETTA STARNINI2, GIORGIO GASPAROTTO1 and MASSIMO GHEDINI3 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita di Bologna, P.za Porta S. Donato, 1, 40126 Bologna, Italy 2 Dipartimento di Archeologia e Filologia Classica, Universita di Genova, C.so Europa, 26, 16132 Genova, Italy 3 GeaDue, v.le Oriani 9, 40137 Bologna, Italy * Corresponding author, E-mail: damico@geomn.unibo.it An International Journal of MINERALOGY, CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, GEOCHEMISTRY, ORE DEPOSITS, PETROLOGY, VOLCANOLOGY and applied topics on Environment, Archaeometry and Cultural Heritage microsonda e chimica totale sono state usate, da sole o in combinazione, per studi petrografici orientati all’interpretazione archeometrica. Eclogiti alpine, giade (Na-pirosseniti), e minori HP-metaofioliti dominano la litologia della pietra levigata dell’Italia del Nord, essendo almeno il 70% e spesso superando il 90% dei materiali in pietra nei singoli siti. Dati petrografici, geochimici, minerochimici e tessiturali sono presentati e discussi con qualche dettaglio. Qualche nuova definizione e stata introdotta. La provenienza della materia prima e identificata con il NW Italiano, essenzialmente Liguria e Piemonte. Queste regioni rappresentano una delle poche aree geologiche al mondo dove affiorano eclogiti alpine e giade, sia come masse geologiche primarie nella Alte Alpi, sia come depositi morenici ed alluvionali lungo le valli, sia come conglomerati oligocenici nell’Appennino di NW. La dominanza di eclogiti e giade nella pietra levigata preistorica rappresenta una selezione litica di significato culturale. Tale selezione sembra giustificata da ragioni litotecnologiche (la migliore associazione di durezza, tenacita e peso specifico) ed estetiche (bel colore verde, tranlucidita), che provocarono l’esclusione d’uso di altre litologie, che pure sono comuni in altre aree. La rimarchevole presenza di giade ed eclogiti alpine nella litologia di lame d’ascia nell’Europa occidentale (spesso in forma di oggetti di status symbol e asce cerimoniali) e, in minor misura, centrale mette in evidenza una rilevante esportazione su lunga distanza di materiali HPmetaofiolitici dall’Italia di NW verso la Francia, la Germania, Il Benelux, la Gran Bretagna ecc. fino a 1000-1500 km dalle aree di provenienza. La conoscenza petrografica non ancora sistematica delle lame d’ascia modellate in HP-metaofioliti in Europa, come pure nella penisola italiana, permette per ora solo un confronto preliminare con i meglio conosciuti manufatti nord-italiani.

http://tetide.geo.uniroma1.it/riviste/permin/testi/V73/33.pdf

Eclogites, jades and other HP-metaophiolites employed for prehistoric polished stone implements in Italy and Europe

The possible role of climatic and environmental factors upon the spread and subsequent development of early farming techniques across Europe has long been discussed. We explore the spatial and temporal changes in both animal domestic management techniques and hunting strategies using a meta-analysis of zooarchaeological data from the Neolithic period of the Adriatic Sea (8000–6000 cal. BP). Through a comparison of these patterns with available palaeoenvironmental archives, we conclude that both climatic and environmental factors explain little of the encountered variation and seek for alternative interpretations.

/pdf/farming-data-testing-climatic-and-palaeoenvironmental-effect-1024swkw7g.pdf

Farming data: Testing climatic and palaeoenvironmental effect on Neolithic Adriatic stockbreeding and hunting through zooarchaeological meta-analysis:

Personal ornaments are often used to display information about the person wearing them – identity, group or individual, status, current role. In this paper, I analyse ornaments from osseous raw materials from Early and Middle Neolithic sites in Serbia. The exotic origin and labour and skill invested in their production may have conferred value on them or added to it and their animal origin was considered of special significance. Specific forms conveyed information on status and/or social identity (membership of kin or social group, etc.) and their white colour probably had more than mere aesthetic significance.

/pdf/personal-ornaments-neolithic-groups-and-social-identities-2sngpmtbw7.pdf

Personal ornaments, Neolithic groups and social identities: some insights into Northern Italy

The Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic Settlement of Northern Italy: Recent Considerations

L'industria litica di Briganano Frascata (AL): dati paleoeconomici di un insediamento del Neolitico Antico attraverso l'analisi tipologica, funzionale e lo studio della provenienza delle materie prime

The Trieste Karst is a limestone ellipsoid whose Italian territory, following World War Two, has been reduced to some 850 square kilometres. It is bordered to the north-west by the alluvial deposits of the river Isonzo, to the north-east by the synclinal of the Vipacco, to the south-east by the Val Rosandra and to the south-west by the Adriatic Sea (POLDINI 1971.). The Karstic upland, which rises gradually from the north-west to the south-east, is a hilly landscape whose highest peak is Mt. Concusso (m 672 asl). The coast which borders it to the south-west is generally high. It drops vertically into the Trieste Gulf and is interrupted by two alluvial plains, namely those of Grignano and of Trieste. The Trieste Karst is characterized by its climate, which distinguishes it from the surrounding regions. In fact this is a transitional zone between the Venetian and the Danubian Plains, characterized by the Bora, a cold, dry, strong katabatic wind that blows from east-north-east. The annual mean temperature of Trieste is 14.6° centigrades and that of Basovizza, an inland village, is 10.8°. According to the classical sources, the Karst was covered with a mixed-oak woodland mainly composed of Qtierais robur (oak), Carpinus (hornbeam) and Fmximis (ash). The forest clearance which started during the 14th century AD and continued for some four centuries, almost completely destroyed the original tree cover (CHERSI 1984.).

/pdf/the-neolithisation-of-the-trieste-karst-in-north-eastern-3d0l6910rs.pdf

The Neolithisation of the Trieste Karst in North-Eastern Italy and its neighbouring countries

Excavations at Pestera Ungureasca (Caprelor) (Cheile Turzii, Petresti de Jos, Transylvania) 2003-2004: A Preliminary Report on the Chipped Stone Assemblages from the Chalcolithic Toarte Pastilate (Bodrogkeresztur) Layers

The chipped stone assemblage from the excavations carried out by C. Richard at Arma dell’Aquila consists of a small number of artefacts retrieved from both the Neolithic and Upper Palaeolithic (Early Epigravettian and Aurignacian) layers. The artefacts were obtained from several raw material sources, which varied according to the different occupation periods. The industry has been studied from both typological and traceological points of view, in order to interpret the local or non-local manufacture of the chipped stone tools, and understand the activities carried out throughout the different periods during which the site was settled. Parole chiave – Industrie litiche scheggiate, Provenienza della materia prima, Tipologia, Tracce d’uso, Funzione

P. Biagi, B.A. Voytek 2018 - THE CHIPPED STONE ASSEMBLAGES FROM ARMA DELL’AQUILA (FINALE LIGURE, SAVONA)

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