Comparing lower and middle Palaeolithic lithic procurement behaviors within the Hrazdan basin of central Armenia. (August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Frahm, Ellery; Owen Jones, Caderyn; Corolla, Michael; Wilkinson, Keith N.; Sherriff, Jenni E.; Gasparyan, Boris; Adler, Daniel S.
• Is Part Of: Journal of archaeological science. Volume 32(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-08
• Subjects: Palaeolithic archaeology -- Lithic raw material procurement -- Provisioning strategies -- Armenian highlands -- Obsidian sourcing -- Rock magnetic characterization; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Research -- Periodicals; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102389
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-409X

Abstract

Highlights: The Hrazdan valley has Palaeolithic sites and the obsidian-rich Gutansar volcanic complex. This inspired the development of rock magnetism for intra-source characterization. This novel approach was first applied to the Middle Palaeolithic site of Lusakert Cave 1. Our new study applies this approach to the nearby Lower Palaeolithic site of Nor Geghi 1. Magnetic data show, like at Lusakert Cave 1, obsidian acquisition occurred within the valley. Abstract: The Hrazdan River valley in Armenia contains Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic archaeological sites and offers access to the Gutansar Volcanic Complex, a large and important source of obsidian. The sites' occupants primarily acquired lithic material from this obsidian source, which is manifested throughout the local landscape, but its obsidian exposures, produced during a single eruptive phase, exhibit the same geochemical signature. This situation inspired the development of rock magnetic characterization as a means to recognize obsidian from different spots across the volcanic complex (i.e., intra-source, not inter-source, characterization). This intra-source approach was first applied to the Middle Palaeolithic site of Lusakert Cave 1, where the data revealed that the occupants collected obsidian throughout the river valley, rather than a preferred outcrop, quarrying area, or secondary deposit. Such a finding implied that the toolstone procurement spatially coincided with the valley and was embedded in subsistence activities. In this new study, the same approach to intra-source magnetic characterization is applied to the Lower Palaeolithic site of Nor Geghi 1 – specifically, to obsidian debris dated between 440 and 335 millennia ago. The magnetic measurements show that, like at Lusakert Cave 1, toolstone acquisition occurred within the valley. If, as we propose, obsidian procurement reflects the spatial distribution of subsistence activities, it attests that archaic hominins at both sites and in both periods were able to effectively exploit a resource-rich riparian ecosystem. Consequently, this study provides an example of behaviors shared by Middle and Lower Palaeolithic hominins whereby, placed within the same landscape, their resource exploitation behaviors appear indistinguishable.