Lithic Technology

The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, Puglia, southern Italy) is a Middle Palaeolithic site characterized by a significant stratigraphy made up by several anthropic levels. The stratigraphic unit 13, consisting of a sandy compact deposit mixed with pyroclastic sediment, is a short palimpsest situated on a layer of tephra, identified as Mt. Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar ~ 55 ka BP). From a technological point of view, the aims of the production were backed flakes, convergent flakes, and other flakes obtained by means of a Levallois debitage, plus (less represented) bladelets produced by an additional volumetric reduction system. Our aim in this research was to examine a selection of the above-mentioned target objects produced by debitage in order to understand the manufacture and life-cycle of each single tool from a dynamic perspective. We integrated techno-functional and use-wear analyses: the first was implemented to globally comprehend each tool, identifying each single techno-...

The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in the ravine of Ginosa (Taranto), is one of the key sites for the study of Neanderthal groups in Southern Italy. The rich stratigraphic sequence of the site, which is ascribable entirely to the Middle Palaeolithic, is rich in anthropic remains and combustion structures, attesting occupation by Neanderthals during MIS 3. This paper is focused on the study of Stratigraphic Unit (SU) 13, made up of a compact sandy sediment mixed with pyroclastic sediment derived from the underlying tephra level (SU 14). The latter has been identified as Monte Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar 55 ± 2 ka). The first stable human occupation of the shelter after tephra deposition is represented by unit 13. Our aim here is that of separating the Stratigraphic Unit into its main components so as to obtain a high temporal resolution on the activities which took place in this SU, and to reconstruct the individual events which formed the palimpsest. In order to fulfil these objectives, a multidisciplinary approach was needed through which data could be integrated from the microstratigraphy of the hearths; from the technological study of the lithic industries; from the individuation of the Raw Material Units (RMUs); from refitting and cojoining and from spatial analysis (GIS science/tool). The integration of these analytical methods reveals that SU 13 of the Oscurusciuto rock shelter was the product of a series of events ascribable to a short time span. This layer was formed by sediment aggradation and cementation (e.g., brecciation) processes. Human activities contributed to the sediment build up with the introduction of wood ash, lithic raw materials and bones. The results show the importance of using integrated research methods in order to identify short anthropic events within a palimpsest.

Machine learning algorithms have revolutionized data analysis by uncovering hidden patterns and structures. Clustering algorithms play a crucial role in organizing data into coherent groups. We focused on K-Means, hierarchical, and Self-Organizing Map (SOM) clustering algorithms for analyzing homogeneous datasets based on archaeological finds from the middle phase of Pre-Pottery B Neolithic in Southern Levant (10,500-9500 cal B.P.). We aimed to assess the repeatability of these algorithms in identifying patterns using quantitative and qualitative evaluation criteria. Thorough experimentation and statistical analysis revealed the pros and cons of each algorithm, enabling us to determine their appropriateness for various clustering scenarios and data types. Preliminary results showed that traditional K-Means may not capture datasets' intricate relationships and uncertainties. The hierarchical technique provided a more probabilistic approach, and SOM excelled at maintaining high-dimensional data structures. Our research provides valuable insights into balancing repeatability and interpretability for algorithm selection and allows professionals to identify ideal clustering solutions.

This preliminary study is based on the analysis of ceramic pastes recovered from two adjacent areas: Totolapa, in the Central Depression, and Cerro Ecatepec, in the Chiapas Highlands, Mexico. Through two complementary analyses, using X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and thin-section petrography, we intend to evaluate whether it is possible to determine compositional groups, areas of provenance, and possible exchanges or interactions from the Late Classic to the Late Postclassic (Project PAPIIT/UNAM IN402623). Based on the results, we propose a local origin of the “sandy” pastes of coarse appearance without discarding a greater interaction between both regions and the probable foreign origin of the fine paste pottery.

The Neolithic peopling of Arabia is a subject of increasing debate, as different scenarios are proposed to describe the relatively sudden appearance of seemingly homogeneous archaeological sites throughout the south of the Peninsula during the Early Holocene. Such sites are identified by the co-occurrence of a laminar core reduction strategy with its supposed fossile directeur, the “ Fasad point.” This techno-typological package has been used by some to link these sites with an expansion of pastoralists from the Levant. A recent study of blade technologies in Southern Arabia, however, demonstrates a large degree of internal variability within these reduction strategies, whilst an inter-regional study of Fasad points reveals this artifact category to be both time-transgressive and morpho-metrically variable across parts of Southern Arabia. Archaeological findings from al-Hatab Rockshelter in Dhofar, Oman go further to challenge the notion of an expansion originating in the Levant and...

The dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa has been extensively researched across several disciplines. Here we review the evidence for spatial and temporal variability in lithic (stone tool) technologies relative to the predictions of two major hypotheses: 1) that a single successful dispersal occurred 60e50 thousand years ago (ka), marked by a trail of geometric/microlithic technologies, and 2) that multiple dispersals occurred, beginning much earlier (probably in Marine Isotope Stage [MIS] 5), associated with Middle Palaeolithic technology in its early phase. Our results show that Late Pleistocene geometric/ microlithic technologies exhibit significant temporal and regional differences between each other. These differences suggest independent, convergent origins for these technologies, which are likely to have been repeatedly re-invented. In contrast, we identify similarities between East African lithic technologies from MIS 8 onwards and Middle Palaeolithic assemblages as far east as India by MIS 5. That this constellation of technological features e particularly an emphasis on centripetal Levallois reduction reflecting interchangeable preferential and recurrent methods, along with particular retouched forms such as points e transcends ecologies and raw material types suggests that it is unlikely to entirely reflect technological convergence (analogy). Our results indicate an early onset of multiple dispersals out of Africa. The hypothesis of an early onset to successful dispersal is entirely consistent with the possibility of further subsequent (post-MIS 5) dispersals out of Africa. Testing such hypotheses through quantified comparative lithic studies and interdisciplinary research is therefore likely to significantly advance understanding of the earliest H. sapiens dispersals.

The reconstruction of Pleistocene faunas and environments of the Arabian Peninsula is critical to understanding faunal exchange and dispersal between Africa and Eurasia. However, the documented Quaternary vertebrate record of the Peninsula is currently sparse and poorly understood. Small collections have provided a rare insight into the Pleistocene vertebrate communities of northern Arabia, but the chronostratigraphic context of these collections is not clear. Resolving the taxonomic and chronostratigraphic affinities of this fauna is critical to emerging Quaternary frameworks. Here, we summarise recent investigations of the fossiliferous locality of Ti's al Ghadah in the southwestern Nefud. Excavations yielded well-preserved fossil bones in a secure stratigraphic context, establishing the potential of this site to make a significant contribution to our understanding of vertebrate diversity and biogeography in the Pleistocene of Arabia. We describe the site and report our preliminary observations of newly-recovered stratified vertebrate remains, at present dated to the Middle Pleistocene, which include oryx (Oryx sp.), fox (Vulpes sp.), and notably stratified remains of the Elephantidae and a grebe (Tachybaptus sp.). Here, we give special attention to post-cranial evidence that confirms the presence of a jaguar-sized pantherine, which we refer to the Eurasian jaguar (Panthera cf. gombaszogensis). The occurrence of this taxon during the Middle Pleistocene has important implications for existing biostratigraphical and biogeographical models and for palaeoecological reconstructions of the southern Nefud at that time.

…………………………………………………… rOlAND irriBArriA, hArOlD leThrOSNe, Olivier COTTÉ La Groutte « le Camp de César » (Cher), un éperon barré chasséen dans la vallée du Cher entre Massif central et Bassin parisien : Relecture des niveaux du Néolithique moyen II d'une fouille ancienne à la lumière des connaissances actuelles ………………………………

Der Artikel beschreibt die Geschichte der Altsteinzeitforschung in Österreich von den Anfängen im 19. Jh. bis heute. Einen besonderen Schwerpunkt bildet die Feldforschung Josef Bayers bis zu seinem Tod im Jahr 1931. Die Publikation seines Erbes nach dem 2. Weltkrieg war begleitet von interdisziplinären Studien die zusammen mit Geologen und Paläontologen durchgeführt wurden. Nach einer Stagnation in den 60er Jahren waren es paläontologische Studien, die ein neuer Anstoss für die Paläolithforschung waren. Mit den Rettungsgrabungen in Stratzing lebten die Feldforschungen in den Lössgebieten Niederösterreichs wieder auf. Der letzte Abschnitt dieses Beitrags zeigt die aktuelle Situation der Paläolithforschung in Österreich.

In Mesoamerica, metates and molcajetes are traditionally used for daily food preparation. These grinding tools are still made today by specialized craftsmen (metateros), who share their work between the quarries and their home workshops. In the Purépecha village of Turícuaro (Michoacán, Mexico), a systematic documentation of the work processes and techniques used to make these tools was carried out with the help of skilled metateros. By presenting the tools, processes, and know-how required for this activity, this study contributes to archaeological considerations on this millennial activity. The comparison of detailed production processes from different documented areas of Mesoamerica provides insights into the organization of the work, the individual variability, and the cultural characteristics that are reflected in this technical social activity.

En este trabajo, presentamos un análisis distribucional sobre el registro lítico de superficie procedente de un estudio ambiental de base llevado a cabo en la región de Tapi Aike (provincia de Santa Cruz, Argentina). La reconstrucción de unidades espaciales de análisis con propiedades ecológicas diferentes y sobre las que se depositan los artefactos líticos nos permitió realizar una comparación regional en términos de densidad artefactual y distribución de clases de hallazgos y artefactos. Nuestros resultados muestran que la intensidad ocupacional aumenta de oeste a este y que existen importantes variaciones en el empleo de la tecnología entre las geoformas (morenas y geoformas glaciares, planicies estructurales con cubierta de gravas, y planicies aluviales, terrazas y valles fluviales) y ambientes (matorral de mata negra, estepa magallánica húmeda y estepa magallánica seca), lo que sugiere un uso diferente y complementario de los espacios en una escala de tiempo amplio, desde la transición Pleistoceno-Holoceno hasta el Holoceno tardío. La utilización diferencial de los espacios probablemente se vincule con las más importantes variaciones ecológicas del área de estudio, las cuales parecen haber sido un factor principal en la toma de decisiones humanas sobre movilidad y asentamiento en el pasado.

As one likely route by which people initially spread from NE Asia into the Americas, the West coast of North and South America warrants archaeological focus. Here, we review the earliest known lithic technological complexes of the Pacific Coast and adjacent margins from Alaska to Chile and consider their relevance for understanding the initial occupation and Peopling of the Americas.

This article focuses on the Initial Neolithic (ca 6850–6500 cal. BC) lithic assemblages of Ulucak and Uğurlu in the Aegean region of Turkey. Ulucak and Uğurlu are among the earliest Aegean Neolithic sites, and their lithic industries were managed with specific traditions and skills, quite different from what we know of the industry for other regions such as central Anatolia, Cyprus and the Levant, and even some other areas of the Aegean. This article presents the results of the study of the chipped-stone assemblages of Ulucak and Uğurlu, and aims to demonstrate how they contribute to wider theories about the Neolithisation of the Aegean.

The Göllü Dağ complex is located in Cappadocia, in Central Anatolia. This volcanic massif, about 12 km wide with a maximum elevation of 2143 m, was first occupied in the Lower Paleolithic. The earliest archaeological levels of Kaletepe Deresi 3 have yielded the remains of an Acheulean occupation, the only one excavated in Anatolia so far (Slimak et al. 2008). Several find spots with Lower Paleolithic assemblages were identified during the Göllü Dağ survey (Balkan-Atlı et al. 2008-2009, this paper). Early cultural remains found both at ...

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

Le programme collectif de recherche reseau de lithotheques en Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes existe depuis 12 ans. Il est a l’initiative d’une synergie desormais reconnue sur l’origine des matieres premieres. Sa fonction est essentielle dans la consolidation d’une structure cooperative de recherche aux echelles regionale et nationale. Demarche necessaire, qui ouvre des perspectives nouvelles et irremplacables dans le domaine des comportements techno-economiques, des circulations et des rapports intersites. Le present rapport expose un etat de l’art des actions mis en place afin de poursuivre de facon efficace le but principal du programme : proposer aux prehistoriens un mode d’action pluridisciplinaire et evolutif qui une fois couple a la technologie lithique permet une meilleure connaissance de la provenance et de la circulation des silex. Cette annee le PCR a ete finance par la DRAC Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, les conseils generaux de l’Ain, de l’Isere, de la Savoie et la SARL Paleotime dans le c...

Kuhn and Stiner (2006) argued that an overlooked, but salient difference between Neanderthals and modern humans was their approaches to dividing labor. Kuhn and Stiner contend that modern humans were "diverse specialists" that may have aided in their ability to adapt to novel and changing environments and outcompete generalists. Here, we adopt a similar approach to examine how people responded to changes in resource structure from the Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene in the American Southeast. We argue that warming temperatures and the expansion of oak/hickory forests created the context for gendered task specialization which prefaced the emergence of the Eastern Agricultural Complex.

Flint knappers were at risk of silicosis, and died on average in their mid-forties, thirty years younger than would be expected. Similar high mortality has been found in the masons who worked the sandstone for Edinburgh New Town, and there was probably an epidemic amongst those who built Norfolk's famous flint churches in the later Middle Ages.

Le Roc de Marcamps (Prignac-et-Marcamps, Gironde) est un site du Magdalénien moyen connu notamment par la découverte de nombreuses navettes dans les fouilles anciennes du secteur 1. Les travaux menés par Michel Lenoir dans le secteur 2 durant les années 1980 n’ont pas livré ce type de marqueur osseux mais un ensemble de vestiges attribués également à cette période. Plusieurs dates radiocarbone raisonnées placent ce gisement autour de 18900-18600 cal. BP, soit lors des premiers temps du Magdalénien moyen. Cette phase de transition apparaît synchrone de l’événement climatique d’Heinrich 1 marquant une péjoration climatique avec des conditions froides et steppiques. Elle se caractérise en outre par d’importants changements techno-économiques ou symboliques. À l’interface des «faciès » à navettes, à pointes de Lussac-Angles ou à lamelles scalènes, le Roc de Marcamps 2, et plus largement la Gironde, occupe une place privilégiée pour la compréhension de la mosaïque géoculturelle structura...

rEsumEn: El abrigo de Benzú se encuentra situado próximo a la ciudad de Ceuta, en el (norte) de África. Trabajamos en estos momentos en una fase final de la memoria científica de las actividades realizadas los últimos años. Por ello damos un balance, que todavía no es definitivo, de los datos geológicos, estratigráficos, cronológicos, ecológicos y de los recursos utilizados por las sociedades prehistóricas. Incidimos en datos tecnológicos de los productos arqueológicos y en los modos de vida. Las bases geológicas y paleoecológicas de la región histórica del Estrecho de Gibraltar ofrecen grandes semejanzas entre la orilla norteafricana y la europea. abrigo de Benzú cuenta con una secuencia de 7 estratos con tecnología muy definida en el concepto de Modo III. Las similitudes con los conjuntos del sur de la Península Ibérica son manifiestas. Destacamos también la explotación de recursos marinos por sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras desde el inicio de la secuencia en el Pleistoceno Medio. Con estas bases arqueológicas y el contexto de estudios recientes en la región norteafricana valoramos las posibles relaciones y contactos entre las sociedades de las dos orillas de la región histórica del Estrecho de Gibraltar.

Shaft ST6, exploited during the Middle Neolithic II (4200-3600 BCE), is the last extraction feature of flint excavated according to the most recent planned research at Petit-Spiennes. The objectives of this study are to determine the criteria used by Neolithic miners to select blocks in shaft ST6. It also aims to estimate the impact of flaws in raw material on the selection process (in particular extensional fractures), as well as any variability between the beds mined. Furthermore, the presence of hammerstones, flakes and some roughouts in the underground mining works raises the question as to whether any knapping was carried out in these levels.

We should build with the stones we have': An assessment of the Al Ain Oasis during the Iron Age based on the soft-stone vessels from the Oman Border Fence Eric Olijdam Iron Age copper production and the 'ritual economy' of Saruq al-Hadid (Dubai, UAE

A community-based Aboriginal earth oven recreation experiment, endorsed by the Barengi Gadjin Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BGLC), was carried out on the banks of the Wimmera River, immediately north of the ‘Dreamtime’ place Wopert Bungundilar, at Haven, near Horsham, Victoria, in October 2015. The recreation has been the point of departure for an ongoing study on experimentally cooked edible roots of the native Microseris, also known as Murnong, acknowledged as one of Aboriginal Victoria’s most important traditional staple foods. Following the preliminary results of a PhD research investigation of one structure’s archaeological remains, the experiment was conceived as a practice of cultural revival, open to the public. Experimental archaeology reveals its socio-cultural potential, being used for restoring an intangible Aboriginal heritage resource. An experimental and ethnohistorical approach was employed, taking into account previous attempts and analogous studies.

atlántica. Tiene forma semicircular con dimensiones de unos 55 km de N a S y de unos 40 de E a W; el rango mareal oscila entre 3,2 y 10,5 m. Existen dos áreas de sedimentación características muy diferentes: la Península del Parámo, formada por playas de gravas y la bahía, propiamente dicha, cuya zona intermareal tiene una anchura de 7 a 10 km durante la marea baja equinoccial, en la que se pueden diferenciar las siguientes áreas de sedimentación: llanuras mareales fangosas; llanura de cheniers con llanura fangosa; playa de arenagrava y llanura mareal mixta; costa acantilada sin sedimentación apreciable y complejo playa-lagoon. El viento del W, que supera los 60 km más de 200 días al año es otro factor dominante en los procesos de sedimentación del área, sobre todo en su parte más alta.

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This paper further challenges the understanding of St Kilda as an ultima Thule, a distant place beyond the borders of the known world. It does this by comparing the World Heritage site and iconic emblem of Scottish culture with the uninhabited island of Pabbay in the Sound of Harris. In the historical period these islands were owned by the Macleods of Dunvegan, Skye, and farmed as a single unit; the famous stories of St Kilda involve Pabbay and its people. As the Macleod estate waned under financial strain, the stories of the islands dramatically diverged in the 19th century, St Kilda becoming a community of crofter-fowlers and Pabbay a lonely sheep farm cleared of 300 occupants. While St Kilda was lauded for its past and present from the 1860s onwards, Pabbay was cleared before tourism, photography and archaeology took hold and never attracted the same attention. The result, a sense that St Kilda is culturally and even archaeologically isolated, is an unwitting echo of the upheaval in the Outer Hebrides from the late 18th century. It should not be seen as the historical norm. This paper outlines the breadth and depth of the historical links before exploring the post-medieval archaeological landscapes, providing a description of Pabbay based on recent surveys. After exploring the way in which the two islands were alienated, the reasons behind this are explored, as are its effects. It is argued here that an understanding of the 'wider world' of St Kilda, at least in the post-medieval period, could begin with its closest and most important neighbour, Pabbay.

This chapter aims to study rock art superimpositions in Cerro de los Indios 1, in order to evaluate changes in the way groups interacted with pre-existing representations. CI1 was recurrently occupied by hunter-gatherers during the last c. 4000 years BP, and has an important concentration of rock art involved in superimpositions. The application of digital technologies for processing photographs and tracing rock art, enabled the identification of a larger number and diversity of motifs as well as the sequencing of tonal series. The research also exposed a change around c. 2500 years BP in the interaction with pre-existing rock art.

Entre Boucher de Perthes, qui projette les haches antédiluviennes d’Abbeville dans un passé sans date, et Bordes, qui dissèque avec la pré- cision d’un anatomiste les couches du Paléolithique ancien et moyen, les préhistoriens n’ont cessé de vouloir donner une matérialité aux témoi- gnages les plus anciens. Se représenter l’épaisseur temporelle entre les industries extraites des gisements est à ce point difficile que les cher- cheurs privilégieront longtemps la constitution d’une histoire des progrès humains, sans se préoccuper des millénaires qu’il a fallu à l’homme pour sortir de son état de « sauvagerie ».

Newly discovered archaeological sites in the Uribe Kosta region of northern Spain are illuminating the establishment of late prehistoric coastal farming settlements and specialised tool-production activities. The modification of settlement patterns and habitats in permanent open-air villages is traditionally linked to the Neolithic expansion in Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Archaeological research allows for the identification and study of these sites in order to understand the socioeconomic and cultural development of the earliest farmer communities. A dearth of archaeological evidence, however, hampers our interpretation of the Neolithisation of some regions, such as northern Spain. Here, research has been traditionally focused on archaeological contexts associated with caves and megalithic structures, with some limited references to Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age open-air sites (e.g.

More than a century ago, a collection of flint artefacts dating to the early 4th millennium BC was discovered in Kihliä, SE Finland. In this paper, we revisit the Kihliä assemblage by reconstructing the original findspot and examining its environmental context during the suggested time of deposition. As a result, we suggest that the Kihliä artefacts were deposited in a wetland area situated in a forested hinterland, distant from known Stone Age settlement sites in the region. By placing the Kihliä assemblage within the broader context of early 4th millennium BC ritual depositional practices in northeastern Europe and by comparing these practices to those from preceding periods in the surrounding regions of Finland, we propose that the Kihliä deposit was likely a ritually marked deposit. Remarkably, landscape-wise, the Kihliä deposit differs from other ritual deposits or sites from the same period in Finland, which are typically found in shore-bound locations. Consequently, this study suggests that small inland water bodies or wetlands, as well as water routes leading into the hinterland, could also serve as significant locations for ritual activities.

A review of Plains ethnographies indicates that children were invariably supplied with small-scale bows and arrows to practice archery skills at an early age. If small arrowheads tipped these toys, toy arrowheads should appear in the archaeological record. An examination of Late Prehistoric projectile points from the processing area at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in southwestern Alberta, Canada, was undertaken to determine whether toys could be distinguished in this assemblage. This paper argues that numerous tiny, poorly made arrowheads from this site could not function as adult weapons and are better explained as toys. The comparative workmanship and neck widths of projectile points are evaluated as indices useful to distinguish toys from adult weapons. The results of this study may have important ramifications beyond Head-Smashed-In. The occurrence of toys in an assemblage may affect considerations of social organization and site function at Plains sites. Also, the inappropriate classification of toys may hamper interpretations of culture history based on point typology.

Se presentan los resultados de los trabajos conducidos en un asentamiento bajo reparo rocoso en el sector de estepa de la Región de Aisén, Chile. Las ocupaciones identificadas cubren el lapso entre 11.400 y 2.700 años calendarios AP, lo que hace del sitio una interesante contribución para entender la temporalidad de la presencia humana, ya sea la cronología del poblamiento inicial, como la recurrencia en el uso del espacio a lo largo del Holoceno. En el trabajo se presenta la metodología desarrollada, se describen las características del asentamiento, haciendo hincapié sobre los procesos de formación de sitios, y se expone la cronología de las ocupaciones humanas y su relación con los materiales culturales recuperados, principalmente líticos. Los resultados se discuten a la luz

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

Ostriches are a remarkable resource in the fauna of the southern Levantine deserts, and the use of ostrich eggs (both contents and shells) was a widespread practice in the southern Levantine deserts throughout prehistory. This study highlights two distinct ways in which ostrich eggs were utilized in the Protohistoric Levant. One involves direct use, with rare evidence of live eggs being collected and baked. The other presents indirect evidence of bead production, a practice that was likely much more common but has been underrepresented in current scholarship.

Recent archaeological excavations that were carried out in advance of building work for a new school to be called Frindsbury Academy have uncovered Palaeolithic artefacts that were recovered from fluvial deposits that are thought to date from the Marine Isotope Stage 9 interglacial about 300 000 years ago.  This important new Palaeolithic site is presented here in the context of the other known Earlier Palaeolithic sites of the Lower Medway Valley and further consideration is given to the technology of giant handaxes.

This study explores the prehistoric landscape of Mato Miranda and Golegã, Portugal, focusing on the Pleistocene and Holocene periods. Systematic archaeological surveys and stratigraphic analyses, conducted as part of preventive archaeology efforts linked to infrastructure development, have facilitated the identification of hidden prehistoric evidence, uncovering significant lithic assemblages culturally extending from the Upper Pleistocene to the Holocene. These findings shed light on the dynamic changes in human adaptation and environmental interactions across critical climatic and cultural transitions.

The research adopts a multidisciplinary methodological approach to reconstruct spatial distributions and settlement patterns within these landscapes. By analysing overlapping cultural horizons in Quaternary terraces, it explores how environmental and cultural factors shaped human activity in these marginal zones. Historically perceived as peripheral or underutilised, these areas emerge as dynamic spaces rich in resources and integral to prehistoric mobility and subsistence strategies. Evidence from these marginal landscapes demonstrates their function as resource-rich areas that played a pivotal role in prehistoric strategies for survival and adaptation.

The archaeological record provides initial insights that may inform broader discussions on human interactions with marginal landscapes and their role in shaping prehistoric settlement dynamics.

Se presentan los resultados de las prospecciones arqueológicas
realizadas en las áreas costeras insulares y continentales al sur de
península de Taitao y golfo de Penas (~46°-48°S) en la región de Aysén,
Patagonia occidental. En ellas se reveló una importante evidencia de
registros materiales de tiempos coloniales y republicanos producto de
actividades originadas tanto por grupos canoeros (cazadores-recolectores pescadores marinos) como por europeo/criollos, en momentos en que se desarticulan y transforman los modos de vida de los primeros luego del contacto europeo en el siglo XVI. Esta extensa área comenzó a ser visitada y ocupada bajo nuevos términos geopolíticos, económicos extractivistas y estratégicos, reconfigurando aquel espacio. A través del registro cronológico y material de 17 sitios arqueológicos, discutimos variables como la diversidad de sitios representados, la subsistencia, dieta y cronologías de ocupación en relación al uso del borde costero durante tiempos históricos en este espacio archipelágico.