Opis projektu
Nowe badania nad najstarszymi narzędziami kamiennymi
Skały wulkaniczne, powstające w wyniku stygnięcia magmy, były powszechnie używane przez prehistorycznych ludzi do wytwarzania narzędzi. Niewiele jednak wiadomo o tych bazaltowych narzędziach. Finansowany przez UE projekt BaTEx ma to zmienić i zakłada wykorzystanie szeregu technik makro- i mikroskopowych oraz eksperymentów, które pozwolą na analizę funkcjonalną narzędzi bazaltowych. Zbadane zostaną również dawne metody wykorzystania bazaltu, jego znaczenie funkcjonalne oraz jego interakcje z innymi surowcami na konkretnych stanowiskach archeologicznych. Wyniki tych prac rzucą światło na kwestie technologiczne, wzorce związane z utrzymaniem oraz behawioralne i poznawcze aspekty znalezisk bazaltowych.
Cel
Basalt is one of the most common raw materials used for tool manufacture in many prehistoric sites. As a result, it is often the most important-and sometimes the only- source of information about the life and behaviour of early hominins. While studies related to the other aspects (i.e. knapping processes, tool variability) of these assemblages progress, systematic studies on how and what basalt tools were used for remain inexistent. This seriously limits the behavioural, evolutionary and cognitive interpretations of basalt assemblages. BaTEx aims to fill in this existing void by providing the necessary methodological framework using multiple macro- and microscopic techniques and experimentation to permit the functional analysis of basalt tools, and by understanding past exploitation strategies of basalt, its functional significance and its interaction with other raw materials at specific archaeological sites where basalt is important.
To achieve this, the project will focus on: 1) Systematic experimentation for developing a reference collection; 2) Adaptation of standardized use-wear analytical methods to basalt; 3) Blind test to assess the robustness of the experimental corpus; 4) Evaluation of the impact of taphonomic processes on trace preservation; 5) Test the potential of use-wear quantification on basalt using surface morphometry and spatial analysis of rough surfaces; and 6) Use the experimental results in archaeological case-studies by means of a traceological study on a selection of archaeological tools hereby demonstrating the validity and the potential of the method. The expected impact of the project is that it will provide functional data on basalt tools allowing, for the first time, to fully study and interpret human activities at key archaeological sites and to properly address technological issues, subsistence patterns and even behavioural and cognitive aspects of basalt assemblages, which cannot yet be faced in the current stage of research.
Słowa kluczowe
Program(-y)
Temat(-y)
System finansowania
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Koordynator
4000 Liege
Belgia