Common Cultural Markers in the Bone and Lithic Production of the Upper Capsian: A Comparative Approach
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Common Cultural Markers in the Bone and Lithic Production of the Upper Capsian: A Comparative Approach Giacoma Petrullo & Amandine Delaplace
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract This article discusses two major types of the Upper Capsian cultural materials in the Eastern Maghreb (ca. 8.2–6.0 cal BP): worked bones and knapped stones. These materials represent the main “toolset” of Capsian groups. The comparative observation of the two systems of production—bone and lithic—has allowed the recognition of certain analogies in their methods of exploitation and fabrication. These similarities, which represent a significant cultural marker of the Upper Capsian period, have not previously been explored. In this paper, two particular aspects of the system of production will be considered: multi-structured matrix partition in the bone industry and pressure knapping in the lithic industry. Résumé Cet article s’intéresse aux deux éléments principaux de la production matérielle du Capsien supérieur, dans le Maghreb orientale (ca. 8.2-6.0 cal BP): l’os travaillé et la pierre taillée. Ces matières sont à la base de l’équipement habituel des groupes capsiens. La comparaison des deux systèmes de production – G. Petrullo (*) ISMEO (International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies), Rome, Italy e-mail: [email protected] G. Petrullo : A. Delaplace UMR 7055 Préhistoire et Technologie (CNRS), Université Paris Nanterre, Nanterre, France
A. Delaplace e-mail: [email protected]
osseux et lithique – a permis l’identification de certaines analogies dans les modalités de production et de fabrication des outils. Ces analogies, qui représentent un important marqueur culturel du Capsien supérieur, n’ont encore jamais été confrontées, et doivent donc être analysées et discutées en détail. Dans cet article, deux aspects du système de production seront ainsi traités: le débitage multi-structuré pour l’industrie osseuse et le débitage par pression pour l’industrie lithique, ainsi que la morphologie des supports qui en résulte. Keywords Eastern Maghreb . Epipaleolithic . Upper Capsian bone and lithic production
Introduction During the Holocene, the establishment of a more humid climate afforded favorable environmental conditions that enabled human groups to populate the Maghreb and the Sahara (Linstädter 2008). Several Epipalaeolithic cultural groups with different industrial complexes appeared at this time (Cadenat 1948; Dachy et al. 2018). Among these, the Capsian tradition is recognized across the Eastern Maghreb between 10 and 6 ka cal BP (De Morgan 1909). The Capsian has long been divided into two cultural facies, typique and supérieur (Typical and Upper, respectively), on the basis of lithic production (Fig. 1). The climatic phenomenon of 8.2 ka cal BP, hailed an “Abrupt Arid Event,” marks the transition between these two facies of Capsian
Afr Archaeol Rev
Fig. 1 Geographical distribution of the Typical and Upper Capsian (A. Delaplace)
culture (Jackes an
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