<p>The aim of the thesis is to cast light on the earliest settlement of northern Sweden. The starting point is lithic artifacts, which have been studied from a technological as well as a more conventional typological perspective (Papers I, II, and IV). Paper III deals primarily with geological and palaeoecological methods and my contribution is mainly confined to the lithic artifacts. The main research objectives are concerned with early postglacial colonization and cultural affiliation mirrored through technological traditions. Another “main thread” is a source-critical discussion regarding dating problems, and the chronological integrity of find contexts. The chronological position of artifact types in the North Swedish Mesolithic is another related problem being discussed.</p><p>The geographical area under investigation comprises northern Sweden sensu largo: Norrland plus the provinces of Värmland and Dalarna. The time period studied is the Mesolithic, with an emphasis on the earliest part, ca. 8500–7500 BP.</p><p>Paper I discusses the Mesolithic in the province of Värmland. There are traits indicating both an affiliation with the Lihult/Nøstvet sphere (for example, Lihult axes and saws/knives of sandstone) as well as other features more common in an eastern/northern context (quartz use, bipolar reduction, and, at least for the final Mesolithic and Neolithic, slate artifacts).</p><p>Paper II aims at elucidating microblade technology in northern Sweden as regards chronological position and cultural context. It was found that microblade production from handle cores (also called wedge-shaped cores) was introduced at about the same time in northern Sweden as in other areas of Scandinavia where these artifacts occur, ca. 8000–7500 BP. The handle core tradition continued until ca. 5500/5000 BP.</p><p>Paper III deals with lake-tilting caused by non-uniform glacio-isostatic uplift. This phenomenon has been used to identify potential areas of Mesolithic occupation in the Arjeplog area, Lapland. Surveys and excavations within the research project "Man, Fire, and Landscape", have significantly increased the number of Mesolithic sites in the area. The investigations have resulted in the discovery of the oldest firmly dated archaeological site in northern Sweden, Dumpokjauratj, in Arjeplog parish, Lapland, with a maximum date of 8630 ± 85 BP.</p><p>Paper IV discusses the pioneering phase of occupation in northern Sweden, in the light of the above-mentioned site of Dumpokjauratj and a site at Garaselet in northern Västerbotten. These are further compared with contemporary sites in surrounding areas of Fennoscandia. The majority of the assemblages are dominated by platform reduction, even if bipolar reduction also occurs at the earliest sites. Slate artifacts found at Dumpokjauratj suggest connections with the Finnish Mesolithic, which is the only cultural context in our region with documented slate use at this early point in time. But there are also traits that do not specifically point towards Finland, e.g. frequent use of fine-grained flint-like materials and porphyry, and (at Dumpokjauratj) a lanceolate microlith made of a microblade of this fine-grained igneous rock. The latter suggests associations with the Scandinavian Mesolithic in general.</p><p>In any event, the early dates from Dumpokjauratj show that interior Lapland was occupied soon after deglaciation, probably within a few hundred years.</p>

The aim of the thesis is to cast light on the earliest settlement of northern Sweden. The starting point is lithic artifacts, which have been studied from a technological as well as a more conventional typological perspective (Papers I, II, and IV). Paper III deals primarily with geological and palaeoecological methods and my contribution is mainly confined to the lithic artifacts. The main research objectives are concerned with early postglacial colonization and cultural affiliation mirrored through technological traditions. Another “main thread” is a source-critical discussion regarding dating problems, and the chronological integrity of find contexts. The chronological position of artifact types in the North Swedish Mesolithic is another related problem being discussed. The geographical area under investigation comprises northern Sweden sensu largo: Norrland plus the provinces of Värmland and Dalarna. The time period studied is the Mesolithic, with an emphasis on the earliest part, ca. 8500–7500 BP. Paper I discusses the Mesolithic in the province of Värmland. There are traits indicating both an affiliation with the Lihult/Nøstvet sphere (for example, Lihult axes and saws/knives of sandstone) as well as other features more common in an eastern/northern context (quartz use, bipolar reduction, and, at least for the final Mesolithic and Neolithic, slate artifacts). Paper II aims at elucidating microblade technology in northern Sweden as regards chronological position and cultural context. It was found that microblade production from handle cores (also called wedge-shaped cores) was introduced at about the same time in northern Sweden as in other areas of Scandinavia where these artifacts occur, ca. 8000–7500 BP. The handle core tradition continued until ca. 5500/5000 BP. Paper III deals with lake-tilting caused by non-uniform glacio-isostatic uplift. This phenomenon has been used to identify potential areas of Mesolithic occupation in the Arjeplog area, Lapland. Surveys and excavations within the research project "Man, Fire, and Landscape", have significantly increased the number of Mesolithic sites in the area. The investigations have resulted in the discovery of the oldest firmly dated archaeological site in northern Sweden, Dumpokjauratj, in Arjeplog parish, Lapland, with a maximum date of 8630 ± 85 BP. Paper IV discusses the pioneering phase of occupation in northern Sweden, in the light of the above-mentioned site of Dumpokjauratj and a site at Garaselet in northern Västerbotten. These are further compared with contemporary sites in surrounding areas of Fennoscandia. The majority of the assemblages are dominated by platform reduction, even if bipolar reduction also occurs at the earliest sites. Slate artifacts found at Dumpokjauratj suggest connections with the Finnish Mesolithic, which is the only cultural context in our region with documented slate use at this early point in time. But there are also traits that do not specifically point towards Finland, e.g. frequent use of fine-grained flint-like materials and porphyry, and (at Dumpokjauratj) a lanceolate microlith made of a microblade of this fine-grained igneous rock. The latter suggests associations with the Scandinavian Mesolithic in general. In any event, the early dates from Dumpokjauratj show that interior Lapland was occupied soon after deglaciation, probably within a few hundred years.

Les débitages de lamelles obtenues par pression apparaissent il y a environ 20 000 ans en Asie du nord-est et leur diffusion est attestée aussi bien vers l’Asie centrale que vers l’Alaska et la Colombie-Britannique en passant par la Sibérie. Cette recherche analyse ainsi la progression de ces industries depuis l’Extrême-Orient vers l’Amérique du Nord : de nombreuses séries en provenance du Primorye, de la Sibérie et du nord-ouest de l’Amérique du Nord font l’objet d’une étude typo-technologique rigoureuse. La facile reconnaissance des industries à composante lamellaire permet d’étudier l’évolution, à une large échelle géographique et chronologique, du système techno-économique du peuplement initial du Nouveau Monde, tout en restant sur des contextes technologiquement comparables. La singularité de ce travail repose non seulement dans le choix du sujet mais aussi dans la méthodologie employée, c’est-à-dire l’application de la technologie lithique développée par l’école française à l’étude des industries paléolithiques à composante lamellaire et à certaines problématiques concernant le premier peuplement du Nouveau Monde. De nombreuses questions seront abordées : quelle est l’origine géographique et chronologique des premiers débitages lamellaires par pression ? Pouvons-nous mettre en évidence certains facteurs déclencheurs ? Comment sont employées les lamelles ? Quels éléments expliquent la variabilité des méthodes de débitages ? Sommes-nous face à un phénomène de diffusion d’une idée ou de migration de population ? Observe-t-on certaines voies migratoires préférentielles ? L’outillage associé est-il constant ou très variable ? Comment la technologie lithique permet-elle de mettre en évidence certaines zones d’interaction ? L’approche inédite développée ici permet d’aborder ces thématiques sous un angle parti culier et d’abouti r à des résultats, à des visions et à des propositions sensiblement différents de ce qui a été avancé à ce jour. / Débitage of pressure microblades appeared in the archaeological record about 20,000 years ago in Northeast Asia, followed by their diffusion toward Central Asia as well as toward Siberia, Alaska, and British Columbia. This research analyzes the spread of these microblade industries from the Asian Far East to North America, utilizing many archaeological collections from Primorye, Siberia, and northwest North America as the basis of a meticulous typo-technological study. The easy recognition of microblade-bearing sites allows studying the evolution, on a wide geographical and chronological scale, of the technoeconomic system during the initial peopling of the New World, while retaining technologically comparable backgrounds. The singularity of this work lies not only in the chosen subject but also in the chosen methodology, i.e., the application of lithic technology as developed by the French school to the study of Palaeolithic industries with microblade components, as well as to some issues concerning the first peopling of the New World. Many questions will be discussed, including: What is the geographical and chronological origin of the first pressure microblade industries? Can we highlight some factors that stimulated such an invention? How were microblades used? What elements can explain the variability of the débitage-producing methods? Is the progression of microblade industries the result of a technological diffusion or a human migration? Can any preferential migratory routes be identified? Is the associated toolkit highly variable or is it relatively constant? How does the analysis of lithic technology allow the assessment of interactions between groups? The new approach developed here addresses the issues from a different angle and leads to new visions, proposals, and results that are noticeably different from those that have been suggested to date.

La partie inférieure de la rivière Colorado constitue une frontière naturelle entre les régions argentines de la Pampa et de la Patagonie. Dans cette zone géographique, carrefour entre diverses provinces et régions, les études phytogeographiques et zoogéographiques ont montré l’existence de caractéristiques environnementales particulières. Le projet « Investigations archéologiques dans la partie inférieure de la rivière Colorado », au sein duquel s’inscrit ce travail, a pour objectif principal d’étudier la culture matérielle des chasseurs-cueilleurs de cette zone géographique afin de comprendre leur adaptation et leur évolution durant l’Holocène entre 3 000 et 250 ans BP. Les dynamiques de peuplement de la Pampa et de la Patagonie à la fin de l’Holocène (environ 1000-250 ans BP) ont été décrites par plusieurs chercheurs comme une mosaïque de groupes qui témoigne de contacts inter-ethniques et d’échanges à différentes échelles (locale, extra-régionale, trans-andine). L’objectif de cette thèse est de définir l’organisation technologique des groupes de chasseurs-cueilleurs qui occupent la zone géographique concernée durant la fin de l’Holocène. Pour y répondre, les matières premières exploitées sont caractérisées. De plus, les méthodes de débitage et l’analyse économique des assemblages lithiques sont identifiées par le biais de l’approche théorique et méthodologique de la chaîne opératoire. Les résultats de cette thèse montrent une constance des savoir-faire technologiques tout au long de la fin de l’Holocène. Les changements technologiques perçus dans les comportements à la fin de l’Holocène tardif (environ 1000-250 ans BP) sont dus aux choix parmi les méthodes, les matières premières et les types d’outils connus ou disponibles de ceux les plus efficaces pour lesquels la production s’intensifie à partir de 1000 BP. Les changements comportementaux discernés dans le système de la technologie lithique sont accompagnés voire résultent d’une réorganisation du système social dans son ensemble. Plus généralement, cette situation est également observée dans les sociétés de chasseurs-cueilleurs des zones ou régions voisines (Pampa et Nord Patagonie) à la fin de l’Holocène tardif. / The lower Colorado River is considered the geographical boundary between [the Argentinean regions of Pampa and Patagonia]. In this area converges various provinces and regions, as well as phytogeographical and zoogeographical sub-domains that give to the environment ecotonal characteristics. The project Archaeological Investigations in the Lower Colorado River, which is part of this work, has as its central objective the study of the material culture, adaptation and evolution of hunter-gatherer peoples who occupied the area during the Holocene-3000-250 years BP. The population’s dynamics of the Pampas and Patagonia regions in the final late Holocene (ca. 1000-250 years BP) was described by several researchers as a complex map of inter-ethnic contacts and networks between groups at local, extra-regional and transandean range scale. The aim of this thesis is to define the technological patterns of hunter-gatherer groups who inhabited the studied area during the late Holocene. In order to do so, the nature and presentation of raw materials exploited is stated, and the different methods of debitage and economic analysis of the lithic assemblages are identified, within the theoretical and methodological approach of chaîne opératoires. The results of this thesis allow concluding that during the late Holocene the basis of technological knowledge is kept constant. The technological changes experienced in behavior toward the final late Holocene (ca. 1000-250 years BP) are due to the choice among methods, materials, and types of instruments known and available, of those with proven efficacy, whose production was intensified in the last 1000 years B.P. The behavioral changes linked to lithic technological system are accompanied by -or produced as a result of- reorganization of the social system as a whole. In general terms, this situation is also observed in hunters gathered societies in neighboring areas and regions (Pampean and Northen Patagonic regions) towards final late Holocene.

Les modèles de diffusion de l’Homme hors d’Afrique considèrent que les premiers groupes humains ont peuplés l’Europe selon deux vagues correspondant chacune à une culture technique différente. Les premiers peuplements, qui remonte au million d’année et se caractérisent par des productions d’éclats, associée à des outils sur galet. La deuxième vague serait porteuse de l’Acheuléen, puisque les premières industries comprenant des bifaces en Europe sont datées à 0,6 millions d’année. Mais les données présentes en Europe centrale ont bien du mal à entrer dans ce cadre théorique. Pourtant sur le chemin des premiers peuplements hors d’Afrique, cette région n’a pas livré les données archéologiques auxquelles ont aurait pu s’attendre. Les premiers indices d’occupation humaines antérieures à 0,5 Ma sont rarissimes, les bifaces sont absents durant toute la durée du paléolithique inférieur et les industries présentes sont originales. L’Europe centrale est-elle une aire culturelle spécifique au Paléolithique inférieur ? Ou est-ce nos propre outils méthodologiques qui doivent être interrogés pour répondre à cet apparent paradoxe ? C’est à travers l’étude de l’industrie lithique de quatre sites que nous avons tenté de répondre à ces questions. Le deux premiers assemblage (Korolevo VI en Ukraine et Kärlich-Seeufer en Allemagne) sont datés aux environs de 0,5 Ma et ont livré une industrie basée sur la production d’éclats variés. Les deux autres collections (Vértesszölös en Hongrie et Bilzingsleben en Allemagne) se caractérisent au contraire par une industrie basée sur la confection de petits supports sélectionnés. Les résultats de l’étude des premières industries en Europe centrale, nous invite donc à reconsidérer la question du peuplement de l’Europe et à s’interroger sur les critères pris en compte dans la définition des entités culturelles et des systèmes techniques au Paléolithique inférieur. / Out of Africa diffusion models stipulate that the earliest humans reached Europe in two waves, each correlating with a different techno-cultural entity. The earliest occupation, dating back to over a million years ago, is characterised by the production of flakes and pebble tools. The second wave is related to the Acheulean, since the first handaxe industries in Europe date back to 0.6 million years ago. However, the Central European data are difficult to incorporate into this theoretical framework. Despite being located on the Out of Africa route towards Europe, this region has not yielded the archaeological evidence that could have been expected. Evidence of humans occupations before 0.5 million years ago is sparse and handaxes are absent during the entire duration of the Lower Palaeolithic with the assemblages present being more unique. Does Central Europe represent a specific techno-cultural unit during the Lower Palaeolithic? Or do we need to question our methodological tools to be able to find an answer to this apparent paradox? This study aims to answer these questions through the analyses of four lithic assemblages. The first two collections (Korolevo VI in Ukraine and Kärlich-Seeufer in Germany) are dated around 0.5 Ma and contain industries that are characterised by the production of various types of flakes. Conversely, the other two assemblages (Vértesszölös in Hungary and Bilzingsleben in Germany) are typified by the selective production of small blanks. The results of this study of the first lithic industries from Central Europe, allow a reconsideration of the question of the earliest occupation of Europe and the criteria taken into account in the definition of the different Lower Palaeolithic cultural entities and technological systems.

O presente trabalho é referente ao estudo das indústrias líticas do sítio Brito, localizado na margem direita do rio Paranapanema, no Estado de São Paulo. Os materiais estudados estão associados a datações recuadas a transição Holoceno Inicial/Médio, entre, aproximadamente, 8.000 BP e 6.500 BP. O nosso primeiro objetivo concerne à caracterização tecnológica das indústrias líticas a partir de uma abordagem centrada no conceito de cadeia operatória visando reconstituir os processos técnicos e as estratégias de uso das matérias primas que geraram a variabilidade artefatual observada. O segundo objetivo trata da verificação, por meio da análise da distribuição vertical e horizontal dos vestígios, da integridade de solos de ocupação identificados durante a escavação. Propomos que as indústrias líticas mais antigas do sítio Brito estão distribuídas em um nível arqueológico caracterizado por um palimpsesto de ocupações. / The present dissertation refers to the study of the lithic assemblages from the Brito site, located at the right bank of the Paranapanema river, in the state of São Paulo. The materials that were studied are associated to dates that go back to the transition between the initial and the middle Holocene, approximately 8,000 to 6,500 BP. Our first objective concerns the technological characterization of the lithic assemblages from an approach based on the concept of operation sequence (chaîne opératoire), with the aim of reconstituting the technical processes and the strategies of usage of raw material that generated the observed artifact variability. The second objective was to verify, by means of analyzing the vertical and horizontal distribution of the lithic materials, the integrity of the occupational floors identified during the fieldwork. We suggest that the oldest lithic assemblages of the Brito site are distributed over an archeological level characterized by a palimpsest of occupations.

A presente dissertação apresenta o estudo realizado sobre as cadeias operatórias da cultura material lítica coletada nos sítios Silva Serrote (Guimarânia) e Menezes (Perdizes), e a cerâmica coletada no segundo sítio. O objetivo é caracterizar aspectos culturais de populações pré-coloniais do vale do Paranaíba-MG, por meio da análise tecnológica dos vestígios materiais deixados no registro arqueológico, com o processamento de datações absolutas por Carbono 14 e Termoluminescência; Silva Serrote: 790± 190 AP (TL-FATEC-SP) e 760±50( C14-Gif-sur-Yvette) e Menezes 572±80 AP(TL-FATEC-SP). A análise tecnológica do material lítico do Silva Serrote (campanha 1985) versou sobre o estudo de 703 peças e 28 do Menezes (campanha 1991) e foram analisados 1939 elementos cerâmicos do sítio Menezes, coletados no âmbito do projeto arqueológico regional Quebra-Anzol. Por meio desta análise, foi possível a caracterização de alguns aspectos sócio-culturais sobre o modo de vida, assim como sobre o proceder e a escolha tecnológica destas populações. / This research presents a study about operational chains of lithic culture collected in the sites Silva Serrote and Menezes, and the pottery collected in the Menezes site. The goal is to establish some cultural aspects of the pre-colonial population that lived in the Paranaíba Valley (Minas Gerais State) using lithic and pottery technological analysis of this material, abandoned in the archaeological record. The material was dated by termoluminescence and Carbon 14. The lithic analysis of the Silva Serrote site was composed by 703(collected in 1985) pieces and Menezes 28 pieces(collected in 1991). The pottery analysis of the Menezes site embraced altogether 1939 pieces. This master thesis is related to a major sectional archaeological project named Quebra-Anzol. Through this work, it was possible to characterize some social and cultural aspects about the way of life, operational sequences and technological choices made by these groups.

Négligées ces vingt dernières années, les séries attribuées aux phases récentes de l’Aurignacien ont trop rarement bénéficié d’études modernes, tournées inexorablement vers la recherche du plus ancien Aurignacien et de ses éventuels points de contact avec les dernières sociétés néandertaliennes. De plus, les dernières synthèses et propositions de classification de l’Aurignacien sont fondées sur des données typologiques issues de séries dont l’homogénéité n’a pas toujours été critiquée. La révision taphonomique et techno-économique de séries classiques du Sud-Ouest de la France (Caminade-Est, l’abri Pataud, Roc-de-Combe, Le Flageolet I, La Ferrassie et Combemenue) nous a permis d’entrevoir et d’identifier des variations diachroniques au sein de ce techno-complexe. Sur la base notamment des productions lamellaires, sept phases ont pu être reconnues, renouvelant ainsi notre perception des premières sociétés du Paléolithique supérieur portées par l’Homme moderne. / Neglected past twenty years, the series attributed to recent phases of the Aurignacian have rarely received modern studies, touring relentlessly researching the earliest Aurignacian and its possible contact points with the last Neanderthal societies. In addition, recent proposals for classification and synthesis of the Aurignacian are based on data from typological series whose homogeneity has not always been criticized. Taphonomic and techno-economic revision of classic series from Southwestern France (Caminade-Est, l’abri Pataud, Roc-de-Combe, Le Flageolet I, La Ferrassie et Combemenue) allowed us to foresee and identify diachronic variations in this techno-complex. Based on such bladelets productions, seven phases have been recognized, renewing our perception of the first society of Upper Paleolithic made by modern humans.

Polished-edge discoidal knives are part of the lithic material culture from the British Isles with an approximate Late Neolithic date. These artefacts are manufactured in three basic shapes: circular to D-shaped, triangular, and broad leaf to lozenge (Clark 1929). The aim of this project was to explore the function of polished-edge discoidal knives. To achieve this aim, the following objectives were completed: Objective 1: Develop a broad understanding of the literature surrounding polished-edge discoidal knives; Objective 2: Develop a database containing all the available information regarding the known knives for study in this project and as a tool to help further research and select archaeological samples for study based on type, condition, find location, and current location; Objective 3: Understand how these tools were used; and Objective 4: Review all data and produce a narrative about polished-edge discoidal knives’ function in Late British Neolithic Society. This project has revealed that these knives were possibility used for activities involving birch bark, clay, or other wood types. This research has also produced a database of knives, a modern distribution map, a revised typology, an archaeological date and possible contexts, and an object itinerary.

No description available.