Lithic Analysis of Paleolithic Surface Scatters from Pleistocene River Terraces in the Republic of Serbia

Summary

During the past two decades Paleolithic research in Serbia has rapidly expanded with numerous cave sites currently under excavation. However, this focus on caves in largely upland terrain may create a biased understanding of the Paleolithic record. Typically, open-air sites are integrated into research projects to correct for this bias. Unfortunately, Serbia has very few open-air sites, requiring us to use other sources of evidence as proxies for understanding the Paleolithic record in lowland areas. One underutilized source of data is Lithic Surface Scatters.

This presentation describes the Paleolithic surface material gathered from Pleistocene river terraces in Serbia and how researchers are using it to understand the Paleolithic record in the country outside of cave contexts. In addition to identifying the typological and technological affinities of these artifacts, I will also assess whether the presence (or absence) of surface material in different regions of Serbia is the result of taphonomic factors, differential landform preservation or survey selection bias.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21918