DOCSLIB.ORG

An Analysis of Ground Stone Artifacts from Ghwair I, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Site in Southern Jordan

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An Analysis of Ground Stone Artifacts from Ghwair I, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Site in Southern Jordan UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2005 An analysis of ground stone artifacts from Ghwair I, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site in southern Jordan Claudia C Woodman University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Woodman, Claudia C, "An analysis of ground stone artifacts from Ghwair I, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site in southern Jordan" (2005). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1812. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/s8zq-tpew This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN ANALYSIS OF GROUND STONE ARTIFACTS FROM GHWAIR I, A PRE-POTTERY NEOLITHIC B SITE IN SOUTHERN JORDAN by Claudia C. Woodman Bachelor of Arts Oberlin College 1996 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology Department of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1428600 Copyright 2005 by Woodman, Claudia C. All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 1428600 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Claudia C. Woodman All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Thesis Approval The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas _, 20_ The Thesis prepared by Claudia C. Woodman Entitled An Analysis od Ground Stone Artifacts from Ghwair I , a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Site in Southern Jordan_______ is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology Examination Committee Chair Dean of the Graduate College Examination Committee Member Examination Com», Graiuate Colle^ Faculty Representative 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT An Analysis of Ground Stone Artifacts from Ghwair I, A Pre-pottery Neolithic B Site in Southern Jordan by Claudia C. Woodman Dr. Alan Simmons, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Anthropology University of Nevada, Las Vegas Ground stone artifacts indicating food preparation and other activities are well- represented among the assemblage resulting from three seasons of excavation at Ghwair I, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site in southern Jordan. Placement of Ghwair I in context of roughly contemporaneous Levantine sites indicates that its ground stone assemblage is typical of the period and that Ghwair I was a self-reliant community. The ground stone assemblage indicates that mobility of the site’s occupants was relatively low. Spatial analysis of distribution of ground stone across the site suggests specialized activity loci and, possibly, early social stratification. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................iii LIST OF FIG U RES........................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................................................................viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study .................................................................................................. 1 Ground Stone Technology and Early Agriculture.......................................2 Ground Stone Analysis: Definitions and Limitations ............................................. 5 Recent Innovations in Ground Stone Research 11 Ground Stone: Key to Prehistoric M obility?..............................................13 The Division of Labor..................................................................................15 The Utility of Ground Stone in Reconstructing Subsistence.....................16 Research Design for Analysis of the Ground Stone Assemblage from Ghwair I 17 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH BACKGROUND .................................................................. 22 Approaches to the Origins of Agriculture in the Near E a................................... st 22 Domestication as Inevitable.........................................................................24 Domestication Caused by Environment and/or Population Pressure.... 26 Human Agency and “Social” Theories ......................................................30 The Current State of the Evidence ........................................................35 Effects of Domestication..........................................................................................36 An Argument for Technology as a Focal Point 39 Ground Stone Technology in the Near East From the Natufian to the Pottery Neolithic........................................................................................................ 41 CHAPTER 3 GHWAIR I IN TEMPORAL AND REGIONAL CONTEXT.................. 50 ThePPNB ............ 50 Southern Levantine PPNB Sites ................................................................ 54 PPNB Ground Stone Technology.............................................................. 59 Chronology and Cultural History of the Study A re............................................. a 60 Ghwair I ........................................................................................................ 62 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 4 METHODOLOGY OF THE ANALYSIS ..................................................67 Ground Stone Artifact Types................................................................................... 69 Spatial A nalysis ............................................................................................73 Quantitative M ethods................................................................................... 73 CHAPTER 5 RESULTS.......................................................................................................74 Artifact Types ...........................................................................................................74 A Statistical Comparison of Ghwair I and Beidha..................................................89 Ambiguous Evidence for Craft Specialization........................................................ 93 Discussion .................................................................................................................97 CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................108 Assemblage Composition, Artifact Contexts, and Implications of the Analysis 108 Introduction ................................................................................................ 108 Subsistence Activities ............................................................................... 108 Non-Subsistence Activities .......................................................................109 Patterns of Mobility at Ghwair I ...............................................................I ll Placement of Ghwair I Within the PPNB Interaction Sphere .................112 Evidence Supporting MPPNB Social and Gender Stratification............ 113 Evaluation of Ghwair I in Regional and Temporal Context.................... 119 Hypothesis Evaluation............................................................................................ 119 Directions for Future Research............................................................................. 120 VITA ....................................................................................................................................148 APPENDIX..........................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Download The
    TOKENS Culture, Connections, Communities EDITED BY ANTONINO CRISÀ, MAIRI GKIKAKI and CLARE ROWAN ROYAL NUMISMATIC SOCIETY SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 57 LONDON 2019 © The authors Royal Numismatic Society Special Publication No. 57 ISBN 0 901405 35 3 All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopy- ing, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the authors. Typeset by New Leaf Design, Malton, Yorkshire Printed in Malta by Gutenberg Press Ltd, Tarxien, Malta CONTENTS 1 Introduction by ANTONINO CRISÀ, MAIRI GKIKAKI & CLARE ROWAN 1 2 The invention of tokens by DENISE SCHMANDT-BESSERAT 11 3 Some notes on Athenian bronze tokens and bronze coinage in the fifth and fourth centuries BC by KENNETH A. SHEEDY 19 4 Tokens inside and outside excavation contexts: seeking the origin. Examples of clay tokens from the collections of the Athens Numismatic Museum by STAMATOULA MAKRYPODI 27 5 The armour tokens from the Athenian Agora by MARTIN SCHÄFER 41 6 A rare clay token in context: a fortunate and recorded discovery from the necropolis of Tindari (Messina, 1896) by ANTONINO CRISÀ 63 7 Roman tesserae with numerals: some thoughts on iconography and purpose by ALEXA KÜTER 79 8 Lead token moulds from Rome and Ostia by CLARE ROWAN 95 9 Tokens of Antinous from the Roman province of Egypt by DENISE WILDING 111 10 Tokens in the Athenian Agora in the third century AD: Advertising prestige and civic identity in Roman Athens
    [Show full text]
  • FEBRUARY 2019 Co-Editors Linda Alderman ([email protected]) & Janice Freeman ([email protected])
    Herbs Make Scents THE HERB SOCIETY OF AMERICA SOUTH TEXAS UNIT VOLUME XLII, NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY 2019 Co-Editors Linda Alderman ([email protected]) & Janice Freeman ([email protected]) February 2019 Calendar Feb 12, Tues. at 10 a.m. Day Meeting is at the home of Tamara Gruber. The program, “Salvia greggii – Hot Lips,” is presented by Cathy Livingston. Members should bring a dish to share. Guests should RSVP to Tamara at 713-665-0675 Feb 20, Wed. at 6:30 p.m. Evening Meeting is at the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion in Hermann Park (1500 Hermann Drive, Houston, TX 77004). Hosts are Jenna Wallace, Mike Jensvold, and Virginia Camerlo. The program, “Molcajetes and Metates,” is presented by Jesus Medel, M.Ed., founder of Museo Guadalupe Aztlan. Bring your plate and napkin and a dish to share. March 2019 Calendar Mar 12, Tues. at 10 a.m. Day Meeting is at the home of Janice Stuff. The program, “Blue Blooming Salvias,” is presented by Janice Dana. Members should bring a dish to share. Guests should RSVP to Janice Stuff at [email protected] Mar 19, Tues. at 7 p.m. Board Meeting is at the home of Donna Yanowski Mar 20, Wed. at 6:30 p.m. Evening Meeting is at the Clubhouse in Hermann Park (6201 Hermann Park (Note: Change of Location) Drive, Houston, TX 77030). Parking Lot H. Hosts are Mary Sacilowski, Palma Sales. The program, “Healing Teas from the Wild Side,” is presented by Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen, PhD, author of Foraging and creator of “Foraging Texas”. Bring your plate and napkin and a dish to share.
    [Show full text]
  • Hassuna Samarra Halaf
    arch 1600. archaeologies of the near east joukowsky institute for archaeology and the ancient world spring 2008 Emerging social complexities in Mesopotamia: the Chalcolithic in the Near East. February 20, 2008 Neolithic in the Near East: early sites of socialization “neolithic revolution”: domestication of wheat, barley, sheep, goat: early settled communities (ca 10,000 to 6000 BC) Mudding the world: Clay, mud and the technologies of everyday life in the prehistoric Near East • Pottery: associated with settled life: storage, serving, prestige pots, decorated and undecorated. • Figurines: objects of everyday, magical and cultic use. Ubiquitous for prehistoric societies especially. In clay and in stone. • Mud-brick as architectural material: Leads to more structured architectural constructions, perhaps more rectilinear spaces. • Tokens, hallow clay balls, tablets and early writing technologies: related to development o trade, tools of urban administration, increasing social complexity. • Architectural models: whose function is not quite obvious to us. Maybe apotropaic, maybe for sale purposes? “All objects of pottery… figments of potter’s will, fictions of his memory and imagination.” J. L. Myres 1923, quoted in Wengrow 1998: 783. What is culture in “culture history” (1920s-1960s) ? Archaeological culture = a bounded and binding ethnic/cultural unit within a defined geography and temporal/spatial “horizons”, uniformly and unambigously represented in the material culture, manifested by artifactual assemblage. pots=people? • “Do cultures actually
    [Show full text]
  • FEATURE TYPES Revised 2/2001 Alcove
    THE CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER FEATURE TYPES Revised 2/2001 alcove. A small auxiliary chamber in a wall, usually found in pit structures; they often adjoin the east wall of the main chamber and are substantially larger than apertures and niches. aperture. A generic term for a wall opening that cannot be defined more specifically. architectural petroglyph (not on bedrock). A petroglyph in a standing masonry wall.A piece of wall fall with a petroglyph on it should be sent in as an artifact if size permits. ashpit. A pit used primarily as a receptacle for ash removed from a hearth or firepit. In a pit structure, the ash pit is commonly oval or rectangular and is located south of the hearth or firepit. bedrock feature. A feature constructed into bedrock that does not fit any of the other feature types listed here. bell-shaped cist. A large pit whose greatest diameter is substantially larger than the diameter of its opening.A storage function is implied, but the feature may not contain any stored materials, in which case the shape of the pit is sufficient for assigning this feature type. bench surface. The surface of a wide ledge in a pit structure or kiva that usually extends around at least three-fourths of the circumference of the structure and is often divided by pilasters.The southern recess surface is also considered a bench surface segment; each bench surface segment must be recorded as a separate feature. bin: not further specified. An above-ground compartment formed by walling off a portion of a structure or courtyard other than a corner.
    [Show full text]
  • Prehistoric Grinding Tools As Metaphorical Traces of the Past Cecilia Lidström Holmberg
    123 Prehistoric Grinding Tools as Metaphorical Traces of the Past Cecilia Lidström Holmberg The predominant interpretation of reciprocating grinding tools is generally couched in terms of low archaeological value, anonymity, simplicity, functionality and daily life of women. It is argued that biased opinions and a low form-variability have conspired to deny grinding tools all but superficial attention. Saddle-shaped grinding tools appear in the archaeological record in middle Sweden at the time of the Mesolithic — Neolithic transition. It is argued that Neolithic grinding tools are products of intentional design. Deliberate depositions in various ritual contexts reinforce the idea of grinding tools as prehistoric metaphors, with functional and symbolic meanings interlinked. Cecilia Lidström Hobnbert&, Department of Arcbaeology and Ancient Histo~; S:tEriks torg 5, Uppsala Universirv, SE-753 lO Uppsala, Swedett. THE OBSERVABLE, BUT INVISIBLE the past. Many grinding tools have probably GRINDING TOOLS not even been recognised as tools. The hand- Grinding tools of stone are common archaeo- ling of grinding and pounding tools found logical finds at nearly every prehistoric site. during excavations depends on the excavation The presence and recognition of these arte- policy, or rather on the excavators' sphere of facts have a long tradition within archaeology interest (see e.g. Kaliff 1997). (e.g. Bennet k Elton 1898;Hermelin 1912:67— As grinding tools of stone often are bulky 71; Miiller 1907:137,141; Rydbeck 1912:86- and heavy objects, they are rarely retained in 87). It is appropriate to acknowledge that large numbers (Hersch 1981:608).By tradi- previous generations of archaeologists to some tion, reciprocating grinding tools are archaeo- extent have raised questions related to the logically understood and treated as an anony- meaning and role of grinding tools, including mous category of objects.
    [Show full text]
  • Late Neolithic Agriculture in Temperate Europe—A Long-Term Experimental Approach
    land Article Late Neolithic Agriculture in Temperate Europe—A Long-Term Experimental Approach Manfred Rösch 1,*, Harald Biester 2, Arno Bogenrieder 3, Eileen Eckmeier 4, Otto Ehrmann 5, Renate Gerlach 6, Mathias Hall 7, Christoph Hartkopf-Fröder 8, Ludger Herrmann 9, Birgit Kury 5, Jutta Lechterbeck 10, Wolfram Schier 11 and Erhard Schulz 12 1 Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Fischersteig 9, 78343 Gaienhofen-Hemmenhofen, Germany 2 TU Braunschweig, Abt. Umweltgeochemie, Institut für Geoökologie, Langer Kamp 19c, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany; [email protected] 3 Institut für Biologie/Geobotanik, Universität Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg i. Br., Germany; [email protected] 4 Department für Geographie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Luisenstraße 37, 80333 Munich, Germany; [email protected] 5 Büro für Bodenmikromorphologie und Bodenbiologie, Münster 12, 97993 Creglingen, Germany; [email protected] (O.E.); [email protected] (B.K.) 6 Geographisches Institut Universität Köln, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, D-50923 Köln, Germany; [email protected] 7 Forstamt Hohenlohekreis, Stuttgarter Str. 21, 74653 Künzelsau, Germany; [email protected] 8 Geologischer Dienst Nordrhein-Westfalen, Postfach 100763, 47707 Krefeld, Germany; [email protected] 9 Institut für Bodenkunde und Standortslehre, Universität Hohenheim, Emil-Wolff-Str. 27, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany; [email protected] 10 Arkeologisk Museum i Stavanger, Peder Klows gate 30A, 4010 Stavanger, Norway; [email protected] 11 Institut für prähistorische Archäologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstr. 23-25, 14195 Berlin, Germany; [email protected] 12 Institut für Geographie und Geologie, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +49-7735-93777-154 Academic Editors: Erle C.
    [Show full text]
  • Recent Advances in the Prehistoric Archaeology of Formosa* by Kwang-Chih Chang and Minze Stuiver
    RECENT ADVANCES IN THE PREHISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGY OF FORMOSA* BY KWANG-CHIH CHANG AND MINZE STUIVER DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND PEABODY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, AND DEPARTMENTS OF GEOLOGY AND BIOLOGY AND RADIOCARBON LABORATORY, YALE UNIVERSITY Communicated by Irving Rouse, January 26, 1966 The importance of Formosa (Taiwan) as a first steppingstone for the movement of peoples and cultures from mainland Asia into the Pacific islands has long been recognized. The past 70 years have witnessed considerable high-quality study of both the island's archaeology' and its ethnology,2 but it has become increasingly evident that to explore fully Formosa's position in the culture history of the Far East it is imperative also to enlist the disciplines of linguistics, ethnobiology, and the environmental sciences.3 It is with this aim that preliminary and exploratory in- vestigations were carried out in Formosa under the auspices of the Department of Anthropology of Yale University, in collaboration with the Departments of Biology at Yale, and of Archaeology-Anthropology and Geology at National Taiwan Uni- versity (Taipei, Taiwan), during 1964-65. As a result of these investigations, pre- historic cultures can now be formulated on the basis of excavated material, and be placed in a firm chronology, grounded on stratigraphic and carbon-14 evidence. This prehistoric chronology, moreover, can be related to environmental changes during the postglacial period, established by geological and palaeobiological data. Comparison of the new information with prehistoric culture histories in the ad- joining areas in Southeast China, the Ryukyus, and Southeast Asia throws light on problems of cultural origins and contacts in the Western Pacific region, and suggests ways in which to utilize Dyen's recent linguistic work,4 as well as current ethnologi- cal research.
    [Show full text]
  • Ch. 4. NEOLITHIC PERIOD in JORDAN 25 4.1
    Borsa di studio finanziata da: Ministero degli Affari Esteri di Italia Thanks all …………. I will be glad to give my theses with all my love to my father and mother, all my brothers for their helps since I came to Italy until I got this degree. I am glad because I am one of Dr. Ursula Thun Hohenstein students. I would like to thanks her to her help and support during my research. I would like to thanks Dr.. Maysoon AlNahar and the Museum of the University of Jordan stuff for their help during my work in Jordan. I would like to thank all of Prof. Perreto Carlo and Prof. Benedetto Sala, Dr. Arzarello Marta and all my professors in the University of Ferrara for their support and help during my Phd Research. During my study in Italy I met a lot of friends and specially my colleges in the University of Ferrara. I would like to thanks all for their help and support during these years. Finally I would like to thanks the Minister of Fournier of Italy, Embassy of Italy in Jordan and the University of Ferrara institute for higher studies (IUSS) to fund my PhD research. CONTENTS Ch. 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Ch. 2. AIMS OF THE RESEARCH 3 Ch. 3. NEOLITHIC PERIOD IN NEAR EAST 5 3.1. Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) in Near east 5 3.2. Pre-pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) in Near east 10 3.2.A. Early PPNB 10 3.2.B. Middle PPNB 13 3.2.C. Late PPNB 15 3.3.
    [Show full text]
  • The Macrobotanical Evidence for Vegetation in the Near East, C. 18 000/16 000 B.C to 4 000 B.C
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons University of Pennsylvania Museum of University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Papers Archaeology and Anthropology 1997 The Macrobotanical Evidence for Vegetation in the Near East, c. 18 000/16 000 B.C to 4 000 B.C. Naomi F. Miller University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/penn_museum_papers Part of the Near Eastern Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Miller, N. F. (1997). The Macrobotanical Evidence for Vegetation in the Near East, c. 18 000/16 000 B.C to 4 000 B.C.. Paléorient, 23 (2), 197-207. http://dx.doi.org/10.3406/paleo.1997.4661 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/penn_museum_papers/36 For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Macrobotanical Evidence for Vegetation in the Near East, c. 18 000/16 000 B.C to 4 000 B.C. Abstract Vegetation during the glacial period, post-glacial warming and the Younger Dryas does not seem to have been affected by human activities to any appreciable extent. Forest expansion at the beginning of the Holocene occurred independently of human agency, though early Neolithic farmers were able to take advantage of improved climatic conditions. Absence of macrobotanical remains precludes discussion of possible drought from 6,000 to 5,500 ВС. By farming, herding, and fuel-cutting, human populations began to have an impact on the landscape at different times and places. Deleterious effects of these activities became evident in the Tigris-Euphrates drainage during the third millennium ВС based on macrobotanical evidence from archaeological sites.
    [Show full text]
  • British Neolithic Axehead Distributions and Their Implications
    Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-019-09438-6 British Neolithic Axehead Distributions and Their Implications Peter Schauer 1 & Andrew Bevan1 & Stephen Shennan1 & Kevan Edinborough2 & Tim Kerig 3 & Mike Parker Pearson1 # The Author(s) 2019, corrected publication 2020 Abstract Neolithic stone axeheads from Britain provide an unusually rich, well-provenanced set of evidence with which to consider patterns of prehistoric production and exchange. It is no surprise then that these objects have often been subject to spatial analysis in terms of the relationship between particular stone source areas and the distribution of axeheads made from those stones. At stake in such analysis are important interpretative issues to do with how we view the role of material value, supply, exchange, and demand in prehistoric societies. This paper returns to some of these well-established debates in the light of accumulating British Neolithic evidence and via the greater analytical power and flexibility afforded by recent computational methods. Our anal- yses make a case that spatial distributions of prehistoric axeheads cannot be explained merely as the result of uneven resource availability in the landscape, but instead reflect the active favouring of particular sources over known alternatives. Above and beyond these patterns, we also demonstrate that more populated parts of Early Neolithic Britain were an increased pull factor affecting the longer-range distribution of these objects. Keywords Neolithic . Britain . Radiocarbon . Stone axeheads . Spatial analysis . Cluster analysis Introduction Prehistoric edge-ground stone tools are a key form of human material culture, found across a vast range of cultural settings and interpreted with more or less regard to their potential roles as socially charged emblems, proto-currencies, and/or functional tools.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Nature of Transitions: the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution
    On the Nature of Transitions: the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Bar-Yosef, Ofer. 1998. “On the Nature of Transitions: The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution.” Cam. Arch. Jnl 8 (02) (October): 141. Published Version doi:10.1017/S0959774300000986 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:12211496 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Cambridge Archaeological Journal 8:2 (1998), 141-63 On the Nature of Transitions: the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution Ofer Bar-Yosef This article discusses two major revolutions in the history of humankind, namely, the Neolithic and the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic revolutions. The course of the first one is used as a general analogy to study the second, and the older one. This approach puts aside the issue of biological differences among the human fossils, and concentrates solely on the cultural and technological innovations. It also demonstrates that issues that are common- place to the study of the trajisition from foraging to cultivation and animal husbandry can be employed as an overarching model for the study of the transition from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic. The advantage of this approach is that it focuses on the core areas where each of these revolutions began, the ensuing dispersals and their geographic contexts.
    [Show full text]
  • Morphological Changes in Starch Grains After Dehusking and Grinding
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Morphological changes in starch grains after dehusking and grinding with stone tools Received: 1 June 2018 Zhikun Ma1,2, Linda Perry3,4, Quan Li2 & Xiaoyan Yang2,5 Accepted: 8 November 2018 Research on the manufacture, use, and use-wear of grinding stones (including slabs and mullers) can Published: xx xx xxxx provide a wealth of information on ancient subsistence strategy and plant food utilization. Ancient residues extracted from stone tools frequently exhibit damage from processing methods, and modern experiments can replicate these morphological changes so that they can be better understood. Here, experiments have been undertaken to dehusk and grind grass grain using stone artifacts. To replicate ancient activities in northern China, we used modern stone tools to dehusk and grind twelve cultivars of foxtail millet (Setaria italica), two cultivars of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) and three varieties of green bristlegrass (Setaira viridis). The residues from both used and unused facets of the stone tools were then extracted, and the starch grains studied for morphological features and changes from the native states. The results show that (1) Dehusking did not signifcantly change the size and morphology of millet starch grains; (2) After grinding, the size of millet starch grains increases up to 1.2 times larger than native grains, and a quarter of the ground millet starch grains bore surface damage and also exhibited distortion of the extinction cross. This indicator will be of signifcance in improving the application of starch grains to research in the functional inference of grinding stone tools, but we are unable to yet distinguish dehusked forms from native.
    [Show full text]