Micropaleontology and biostratigraphy efficient tools in archaeological research. Raw material provenance in the upper Palaeolithic Kasthtsa cave, loannina region (Greece)

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Publiée : Jan 1, 2007
DOI : https://doi.org/10.12681/bgsg.17180
A. Zambetakis-Lekkas
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, Department of Hist. Geology - Paleontology
P. Elefanti
Department of Geography, Royal Holloway
Résumé

The present paper discusses the contribution of Micropaleontology and Biostratigraphy to the archaeological research using as a case study the Upper Palaeolithic cave of Kastritsa in the Ioannina basin, north-west Greece. Thin section analysis applied to a selected number of stone tools from the site suggested that raw materials employed in their manufacture could originate from the Ioannina basin or even from outcrops in the proximity of the cave. This suggest that once Palaeolithic groups arrived at the cave, they practised low mobility which in turn suggests that a range of subsistence opportunities were available in the area allowing to its inhabitants extensive stays. This hypothesis is well supported by the archaeological record of the site. Micropaleontology and Biostratigraphy can be a useful method in the investigation of raw material provenance, especially when sedimentary rocks are studied, and it can provide significant insights into huntergatherer mobility strategies.

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  • Rubrique
  • Geosciences and Culture
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Références
Church, T., 1994. Lithic resource studies: A Sourcebook for Archaeologists. Lithic Technology Special. Publication 3. Tulsa, OK: University of Tulsa Press.
Elefanti, P., 2003. Hunter-gatherer specialised subsistence strategies in Greece during the Upper Palaeolithic from the perspective of lithic technology, Oxford: International Series of British Archaeological Reports (BAR 1130).
Elefanti, P., and Zabetakis-Lekkas, Α., in prep. Raw material geological and biostratigraphic analysis from the Upper Palaeolithic Kastritsa cave (n-w Greece) and its contribution to regional mobility strategies.
Henderson, J., 2000. The science and archaeology of materials. An investigation of inorganic materials, London and New York: Routledge.
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Zambetakis-Lekkas, Α., Provia, C., Stamatakis, M.G., and Adamopoulou, V., 2001. The contribution of biostratigraphy to the identification of the origin of building stones used in the past. An example of the Delphi quarries, Proceedings of the 8th Euroseminar on Microscopy Applied to Buildings Materials September 4-7 2001, Athens Greece, 35-42pp. Ann. Géol. des Pays Hell. Edition spéciale, 35-42pp.
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