Zdeňka Nerudová Moravský Krumlov, Site IV : the Reconstruction of the Szeletian Reduction Strategy on the Basis of Refittings
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Zdeňka Nerudová Moravský Krumlov, Site IV : the Reconstruction of the Szeletian Reduction Strategy on the Basis of Refittings Światowit : rocznik poświęcony archeologii przeddziejowej i badaniom pierwotnej kultury polskiej i słowiańskiej 9 (50)/B, 215-222 2011 Św ia t o w it · IX (L)/B · 2011 Z d e ñ k a N e r u d o v á M o r a v s k ÿ K r u m l o v , S i t e I V . T h e R econstruction o f t h e S z e l e t i a n R e d u c t i o n S t r a t e g y o n t h e B a s i s o f R e f i t t i n g s A new Palaeolithic open-air site Moravskÿ sitting and processing the raw stone material. A border Krumlov IV, situated in the Krumlov forest region, 40 km around the concentration in Square Metres I I /О с and south-west of Brno (South Moravia, the Czech Republic) 11/Ra (N er u d o v á 2009; fig. 18) suggests that there had to was discovered in 1999 and was excavated in 2000-2004, be some kind of barrier, for example a leg or a block, where (Fig, 1). Archaeological excavations uncovered three Mid the knapper was sitting on and which prevented the arte dle Palaeolithic layers (Krumlovian and Micoquian) and facts from scattering spatially. As performed eXperiments one Early Upper Palaeolithic layer associated with the indicate, the spatial distribution of removals deeply Szeletian on the basis of typology and technology of the depends on the knappers position (G a m Ble 1986). Sitting lithic industry. This paper represents a short overview of on a bench, which is approXimately 45 cm high, produces a a previously published synthesis (N e r u d a , N e r u d o v á low artefact scattering, around 20 to 50 cm2, while stand 2009; 2010). ing shows a distribution up to 6 m2 (G a m Ble 1986: 252). The artefact position also helps to presume the location of the bench. The eXperiments also demonstrated differences Character of the lithic industry in the concentration appearance depending on the used The assemblage of chipped stone industry from technology and the chipping target: a closed round con the Szeletian layer at Moravskÿ Krumlov, Site IV has centration is left after a hatchet processing, while a blade a distinctly “workshop” character. The spatial distribution reduction strategy results in a concentration split in half of artefacts shows the diversification of the archaeological (the obstacle is the knapper s leg) and supports for further layer into spots with the low number of debitage but with use are piled on one side (G a m B l e 1986: fig. 6:1). the deposition of big cores, and places of production with Generally, the lithic industry has been markedly the high presence of debitage and splinters (N er u d ov á damaged by cryogenic processes, as is attested by the large 2009; fig. 18). The space with the highest concentration of number of refittings of frost-damaged artefacts. In spite of chipped stone industry was located in Square Metre 11/R, those fractures, one scheme of a refitted core attracts ones where more than 200 objects were found, including attention: its components were dispersed across 5 m2 as if fragments of leaf points. It is just this place where most of someone was eXploiting this core while walking. A part of the refittings come from. Broken primary pebbles of raw another refitting, distributed in a similar way, is connected material appear here, along with corteX debitage and cores. with one industry accumulation located in Square Metre During the excavation of the archaeological layer two, 11/R and its surroundings. respectively three places were registered where the chipped The composition of the lithic industry cor industry of small and bigger size was concentrated. Those responds to the site character, where the majority of the places indicate a spot where a prehistoric knapper was debitage is represented by preparation flakes, often also Dolni Kounice 'Ś f r r ,Rokytná 415 W\ 'W * Hol}’ kofiec TNPRKnmlmsko· * Va* -rotylenkó slepence P P V o tik h ^ TrtXXÉany à -Moravskÿ ' i tefe A Krum lov Jezełany-« -MarSovice Rakáice Vedruvice· Fig. 1. Location of the site on the map of the Czech LesKoml Republic (Digitalisation Z. Nerudová). Rye. 1. Lokalizacja stanowiska na mapie Republiki Kutéice Czeskiej. 215 Zdeñka N erudová Fig. 2. Typ es of platform remnants (in %). Rye. 2. Rodzaje pięt szczątkowych (w %). coming from the fassonage of bifacial flakes. Minimally point. The tool group is completed with notch and den there are preserved cores and their fragments, pebbles used ticulate ones, where use-wear was found by the use-wear as hammerstones and a retoucher with use-wear marks analysis, indicating that there might have been done some (N e r u d a , N er u d o v á 2010: table l). household activities (Sa jn e r o v á -D u sk o vá 2009: 174). The majority of the classified pieces are small, We also have to mention flakes with local marks of use- sized up to 4 cm of length, followed by artefacts no longer wear, where retouch is rather a result of their use than an than 6 cm. Besides those two abundantly present size cate intention to modify them to a certain tool. As far as it was gories, there were also several items of abnormal dimen possible to determine, most flakes, one piece of a pebble sions in the collection. A 16 cm long bifacial thinning flake, and a core were used as a support for the retouched tools. It which misses its distal part, clearly shows an exceptional was impossible to find out the original support in one third size of the original raw material. Cores were in the size of all cases. range between 6 and 14 cm. Platform remnant types corre spond to the core preparation; almost one quarter is repre sented by platform remnant supports with corteX (15.6%) Table 1. The overview of all tool types (in pcs.). or with a flat glacial surface (8.9%) (Fig. 2). Another abun Tabela 1. Rodzaje odkrytych narzędzi. dant group is formed by a punctiform platform remnant end scraper on retouched piece 2 (14.8%) which is related to the fassonage of leaf points as well as the supports category of facetted platform remnants retouched flake 1 ( 1.7%). Almost a half of all artefacts did not allow to deter leaf point 33 mine a platform remnant type (Fig. 2). The tool group, which makes 5.7% of the set, is side scraper 3 dominated by leaf points (Table 1 ). They are preserved in side scraper with bifacial retouch 3 various forms; initial stages of shaping may resemble the side scraper on ventral face preparation of Middle Palaeolithic elongated cores and 2 sometimes it is difficult to distinguish strictly those two side scraper déjete 1 categories. The final stages of fassonage are represented by notch dorsal 11 fine prepared bifacial tools. End scrapers are more rare type of tools with just denticulate dorsal 3 two pieces present. The side scraper group shows not only local use-wear 17 straight side scrapers but also side scrapers with bifacial re touch, which could originally be, in one or two cases, a leaf Total 76 216 M oravskÿ Krumlov, Site IV. T he Reconstruction of the Szeletian Reduction Strategy on the Basis... Fig. 3. Scheme of the direct forming of artefacts (Drawing Z. Nemdová and P. Neruda). Rye. 3. Schemat bezpośredniego formowania artefaków. The Szeletian artefacts are made of a local type of recently observed in the vicinity of the site. Apart from chert - the Krumlovsky Les type. The chert is mineralo- those pebble sources, at least in one case, the Palaeolithic gically classified as local silicite originating from the hunters and gatherers eXtraordinarily acquired chert brec Bohemian Massif. Raw materials were secondarily trans cia, which represented a quality variety and an interesting ported to Miocene marine sediments from waste of Jurassic colour option. Sources of chert breccia, especially those of and probably Cretaceous rocks, which were located by the light violescent or yellowish shades, are not known, though eastern edge of the Bohemian Massif (P r ic h y st a l 2009: they sporadically appear in different sets of chipped arte 72). There were described three basic forms of silicite in facts in the region of Krumlovsky Les. the classical territory of Krumlovsky Les which differ by their colour, quality and primary form (nodules, pebbles, fragments). Reduction strategy Based on the character of stone raw material found In addition to frost fractures, it has been possible in all archaeological layers at Moravsky Krumlov IV, it to put together the entire chaîne opératoire, whether of seems that humans used chert of different quality. The con individual flakes or in relation to residual cores. crete place of its eXploitation is not known, although it is Three approaches to manufacture may be distingu abundantly present in a form of pebbles in the Miocene ished from the refittings of chipped stone artefacts carried sand in the site vicinity. Due to the repeated erosion activi out: ty, the sand was exposed in some spots and the raw material - the direct forming of artefacts (fassonage of leaf points) was thus commonly available. Such situation has been (Fig. 3); 2 1 7 Zdeñka N erudová - the “discoid” method (Fig.