Diachronic Evolution of Raw Material Management and Technological Innovations along the Gran Dolina TD10 Sequence (Burgos, Spain)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Local and/or Exotic Interactions: Symbols, Materials, and Societies" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

During the second half of Middle Pleistocene in Europe significant changes occurred, including the emergence of Neanderthal anatomical features and behavioral shifts documented in the archaeological record, such as fire use, Levallois technology, and development of complex hunting strategies. These changes could reflect distinct economic and technological organization. However, prior studies have not quantified the diachronic evolution in raw material management through reduction intensity. This paper investigates core reduction intensity in the Gran Dolina (Spain) TD10 unit, covering a time span from approximately 450 to 220 ka. Results reveal distinct patterns of reduction intensity in which the oldest subunits (TD10.4–TD10.3) show a prevailing trend of low reduction, while the youngest TD10.2 and TD10.1 exhibit increased core reduction intensity. These changes in reduction intensity correspond to several technological shifts. TD10.4 and TD10.3, associated with the Acheulean, emphasize optimizing knapping sequences through specific blank morphologies, while TD10.2 and TD10.1 are considered transitional between Acheulean and Mousterian technocomplexes, showcasing greater core exhaustion, multipolar knapping strategies, and the use of small flakes to produce retouched tools, suggesting more intense management of lithological resources. The study’s combination of technological analysis with quantitative reduction studies demonstrates its potential in understanding the dynamics of raw materials management.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Local and/or Exotic Interactions: Symbols, Materials, and Societies   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38074.0