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Annali dellUniversit degli Studi di FerraraMuseologia Scientifica e Naturalistica

ISSN 1824-2707volume speciale 2008

Variability of the levallois and discoid methods at the middle Paleolithic of north-east Catalonia:

Puig Mar (Maanet de la Selva) and Can Planiol (Santa Coloma de Farners)

Amlia Bargall Ferrerons *

Directed by: J oan Garcia Garriga*, Kenneth Martnez Molina*, Xos Pedro Rodrguez lvarez*.

* Institut de Paleoecologia Humana i Evoluci Social. rea de Prehistria de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili, PlaaImperial Trraco, 1, 43005 Tarragona (Espaa).

amelia@prehistoria.urv.cat__________________________________________________________________________

Abstract

The research project that we present is a study of two sites Puig Mar (Maanet de la Selva)and Can Planiol (Santa Coloma de Farners). Both Puig Mar and Can Planiol sites are located in theSelva depression (north-east Catalonia) and it is framed within the research projectThe paleosettlersof the middle Plistocene: its technological evolution in the Selva depression and Puig Mar volcano.Both sites are located in the middle Paleolithic, which introduce us in the technological variability ofthis period. The following point is analysis and interpretation of morphotechnical characters are themain points of the tecnocomplex study. Of middle Paleolithic since they contribute to understand thevariability of the technical systems of this period adaptation. The methodology used in this report isLogic-Analytic System with our new contribution. This change we better understand all the possibleaspects of lithic technology of middle Paleolithic. The results that we can obtain of this study show usthe different knapping strategies. But we think that the different knapping they must be understanding

in site the operative systems. This variability in the core are the result of different knapping times ofthe core.

Keywords: Middle Paleolithic, levallois, discoid, Puig Mar, Can Planiol.__________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction

The main goal was to perform a technologicalanalysis in order to characterise the exploitationmethods of the Puig Mar site and its comparisonwith the exploitation methods of the Can Planiol

site. The following goal was to try to identifywhich morphotechnical characters of levalloismethod are different from discoid method.

On the other side, we also contrasted thevalidity of the different levallois methodsidentified by Boda, and we integrated them inour methodology to compare the obtained results.

Methodology

The analysis method used in this research isbased in the Logic-Analytic System (Carbonell,et al., 1992). The LAS is an open system and,thanks to this fact, we were able to make some

variations to adapt it and better understand all thepossible aspects of lithic technology of middlePaleolithic. Briefly, the variables used are thefollowing:

- Study of core symmetry from twodifferent points of view: symmetry of

sagital edge, variable already present inLAS, and volumentrical symmetry(Carrion, 2006) from the interventionplan (Terrades, et al., 1993), variabletaken from the methodology developedin the study by Boda (Boda, 1993,1995; Boda, 1994).

- Identify the location of flakes in the core(Rodrguez, 1997)

- Note if there is hierarchical surface in thecore or not.

- Note if there are negatives ofpredetermined flakes or not.

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- Identify the exploitation status in whicheach core would be (Vaquero, 1991-92).

- Identify the different exploitationmethods defined by Boda (Boda et al.,1990), in the case that cores wereexploited with levallois method.

These new variables were a key fact tointerpret and understand the exploiation methodsand their variability in Puig Mar and Can Planiolsite.

Results

Both Puig Mar and Can Planiol sites arelocated in the Selva depression (north-eastCatalonia). In Puig Mar site (Bargall, 2007;Bargall et al., 2003; Garcia et al., 2005;

Martnez et al., 2006; Sala et al., 2002), thehegemonic raw material used to obtain flakes isbasalt; meanwhile in Can Planiol site (Soler etal., 1998), the hegemonic raw material is quartz.

The sourcing of these raw materials its rightin the centre of sites. On the other hand, in PuigMar we identified sporadic inclusions of aloctonraw materials like quartz (mainly), and flint,porphyry, granite, hyaline quartz and chert(occasionally).

Fig. 1. Location of Puig Mar and Can Planiol.

From the technological study performed inPuig Mar site, we documented all operativesystems. The exploitation methods identified arelevallois and discoid methods. As for thelevallois method, we identified all exploitationstrategies developed throughout all productionphases. On the contrary, the discoid method wasonly documented on the last exploitation phasewith a biconical morphology of the core.

The need to widely document thetechnological complex of discoid method forcedus to look for another site. This is the reason whywe included Can Planiol site, where discoidmethod was the

Fig. 2. Puig Mar lithic industry.

only one documented. From the results obtainedin both morphotechnical analyses oftechnological complexes, we reached thefollowing conclusions:

- Facial character: it does not showdifferent exploitation methods, butinforms us about the appropriateexploitation according to volumetryand/or morphology of the natural base.

This character informs us about theexploitation time of the core.

-Obliquity character: in levallois methodis SP/S. The SP angle corresponds to theexploited surface and the S angle is theresult of the negative flakes performed toprepare striking platforms to correct theexploited face angle. On the other hand,in discoid method, this character is S/S,which shows us that both faces areexploited with the same angle andintensity.

- The negative flakes orientation characterin the core shows us the method used. At

the same time, it gives us informationabout the order of the differentexploitation strategies according to eachexploitation status.

Fig. 3. Can Planiol lithic industry.

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Discussion and conclusion

The study of lithic industry understood withinthe operative field (Guilbaud, 1995) enabled us todocument the internal variability of the studiedtechnological complexes. We identified that theybelong to different knapping time. In this wayand from the study performed, we documentedthat the different levallois types identified byBoda are better represented in the middle andlast exploitation stages. To us, these types did notcorrespond to different levallois modalities, butto different phases of levallois methods(Bargall, 2007). We supported this hypothesiswith the results obtained from the identifiedmorphotechnical characters in the levallois coresfrom Puig Mar site, since no morphotechnical

difference was observed. This fact proves that itis the same exploitation method. The diachronicallocation of exploitation strategies in eachknapping method enabled us to contrast thehypothesis stated by Boda. This hypothesis isbased in different levallois types. We reached theconclusion that these types can not be identifiedas exploitation entities on their own. These typesare the result of different knapping times of thecore.

Fig. 4. Interpretation the variability of levallois and discoidmethod.

As far as the middle Paleolithic hominidcognition is concerned, there are manyresearchers that believe that they had a clearmental image of the exploitation procedures ofraw material (Barton, 1988; Boda, 1994;Mithen, 1996; Schlanger, 2002; Wynn andCoolidge, 2004). This means that hominids

followed mental patterns when executing acertain knapping. The conclusion that we reached

is that the lithic material analysed does not followthis hypothesis. We believe that hominidsobviously knew the object that they wanted toobtain. What they did not know were themanufacturing process because they adapted it tothe specific needs of each moment. Weinterpreted that hominids had a technologicalbackground acquired from learning andexperience. This background enabled them toadequate knapping to the different unforeseenevents that could arise (Stout, 2002). This is oneof the factors that produced technologicalvariability.

As for the different management of rawmaterials (Lenoir and Turq, 1995; Peresani, 1998,2003), we observed that the cores exploitedthough discoid method (knapping documented

both in quartz and basalt) show a high control ofthis method, which is not determined by the rawmaterial quality. On the contrary, levalloismethod can somehow be determined by adifferent stone type management, since it was

just documented in basalt and chert but not inquartz. This fact gives us information about adifferent raw material management, indicatingthe complexity of the conceptual and operativeoutline (Garcia, 2005; Marks et al., 2001;Rodrguez, 2004). As technique controlincreased, it could not produce a different stone

management. This hypothesis is supported on thedocumentation found in Avellaners site, in theSelva depression, where levallois knapped quartzwere documented.

In conclusion, we identified the followingfacts that have an influence on the choice of onemethod or the other:

- Pebble volumetry, since it can initiallydetermine the obliquity character of theexploitation.

- Raw material crystalline construction.- Obliquity angle of the negative flakes in

the core.- Volumetric conception during core

exploitation.- Hierarchy of faces.Furthermore, we widely documented the

internal variability of both methods, being able toidentify the different knapping strategies that canbe used during the exploitation. Thisinterpretation was done thanks to operativesystems, which enabled us to understand lithicsartefacts through an interconnections network. Inthis way, we have been able to identify thedifferent hominid decision phases when usingone exploitation method.

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