Debitage as Raw Material Resource: Understanding Olival Grande as a Paleolithic Place

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Debitage Analysis: Case Studies, Successes, and Cautionary Tales" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Lithic debitage attributes are critical for interpreting the open-air Upper Paleolithic archaeological site of Olival Grande in central Portugal. Fabric analysis, intrasite spatial patterning, and weathered surface features of artifacts indicate manifold site burial mechanisms and significant postdepositional processes at the hillslope location. Extraordinarily different reduction strategies are evident in the very large debitage assemblage suggesting long-term palimpsest formation. Yet the technological organization and decision-making evident in patterns of fracture types and edge damage can only be explained by the extensive reworking of discarded debitage by subsequent site visitors. This case study illustrates the interpretive limitations of the palimpsest concept and develops anthropological considerations of place for raw material procurement activities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Debitage Analysis: Case Studies, Successes, and Cautionary Tales   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36871.0