Micromorphological Investigations of Site Formation History between Layers XVII and XVIII at Middle Paleolithic Rockshelter Crvena Stijena, Montenegro

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Late Middle Paleolithic in the Western Balkans: Results from Recent Excavations at Crvena Stijena, Montenegro" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Rockshelters are subject to many geological processes driven by natural and human agents alike. The sedimentary context that surrounds artifactual data is a vital resource to the scientific exploration of human behavior in the Middle Paleolithic. To connect assemblages and help other specialists understand preservation potential and movement of artifacts throughout the site, geoarchaeological tools, such as soil micromorphology, provide a powerful resource for interpreting stratigraphy on a microscopic level and providing context that informs excavation and data collection strategies. The current investigation at Crvena Stijena rockshelter in Montenegro focuses on points of contact between the relatively less anthropogenic Layer XVII and the artifact-rich Layer XVIII, which exhibits many signatures of fire with the presence of abundant charcoal and charred bone constituents. Four micromorphology blocks were collected during the 2021 field season to assist in understanding site formation history as the field team approaches deposits of archaeological importance and documents “excavation surfaces” using photogrammetry. Facies observed in petrographic thin section were used to characterize several depositional and erosional episodes that have altered areas in which Neanderthals were active throughout the life history of the rockshelter.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Late Middle Paleolithic in the Western Balkans: Results from Recent Excavations at Crvena Stijena, Montenegro   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37502.0