Preliminary Analysis of the Ground Stone from Shubayqa 1, Jordan
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Preliminary Analysis of the Ground Stone from Shubayqa 1, Jordan. / Pedersen, Patrick Nørskov; Richter, Tobias; Otaegui, Amaia Arranz.
In: Journal of Lithic Studies, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2016, p. 379-402.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Preliminary Analysis of the Ground Stone from Shubayqa 1, Jordan
AU - Pedersen, Patrick Nørskov
AU - Richter, Tobias
AU - Otaegui, Amaia Arranz
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Shubayqa 1 is a newly identified early and late Natufian site in the harra desert of northeastern Jordan. In addition to buildings, and rich chipped stone, faunal, and botanical assemblages, the site has produced a large collection of ground stone tools. This paper presents the result of a preliminary study of the ground stone artefacts associated with the late Natufian phase. Results indicate that while the assemblage is overall very similar to other Natufian sites in the Mediterranean zone, there are also some notable differences. Although grinding rather than pounding tools appear to be more important at the site, many tools were seemingly involved in both grinding and pounding activities. We hypothesize that this dual function could be explained by the processing of rhizome tubers, which were found in abundance at the site, and which may have represented an important food source for the inhabitants. In addition, we argue that the relationship between ground stone tools and cereal processing has been overemphasized and the processing of other plant food resources, in this case tubers could have been equally significant. While the processing of plant foods was one function, many tools are also associated with pigment stains, suggesting that they were involved in the processing of non-vegetal matter.
AB - Shubayqa 1 is a newly identified early and late Natufian site in the harra desert of northeastern Jordan. In addition to buildings, and rich chipped stone, faunal, and botanical assemblages, the site has produced a large collection of ground stone tools. This paper presents the result of a preliminary study of the ground stone artefacts associated with the late Natufian phase. Results indicate that while the assemblage is overall very similar to other Natufian sites in the Mediterranean zone, there are also some notable differences. Although grinding rather than pounding tools appear to be more important at the site, many tools were seemingly involved in both grinding and pounding activities. We hypothesize that this dual function could be explained by the processing of rhizome tubers, which were found in abundance at the site, and which may have represented an important food source for the inhabitants. In addition, we argue that the relationship between ground stone tools and cereal processing has been overemphasized and the processing of other plant food resources, in this case tubers could have been equally significant. While the processing of plant foods was one function, many tools are also associated with pigment stains, suggesting that they were involved in the processing of non-vegetal matter.
KW - Faculty of Humanities
KW - Natufian
KW - Ground stone
KW - Epipalaeolithic
KW - southwest Asia
UR - http://journals.ed.ac.uk/lithicstudies/article/view/1647
U2 - http://dx.doi.org/10.2218/jls.v3i3.1647
DO - http://dx.doi.org/10.2218/jls.v3i3.1647
M3 - Journal article
VL - 3
SP - 379
EP - 402
JO - Journal of Lithic Studies
JF - Journal of Lithic Studies
SN - 2055-0472
IS - 3
ER -
ID: 165532707