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- Convenors:
-
Vincenzo Celiberti
(UMR 7194 CNRS - UPVD Université de Perpignan Via Domitia)
Rasmi Shoocongdej (Silpakorn University)
- Location:
- Salle du conseil 4th floor MAE
- Start time:
- 9 July, 2015 at
Time zone: Europe/Paris
- Session slots:
- 2
Short Abstract:
Current research on Lithic Technologies in Southeast Asia has provided new interpretations and data on the stone knapping and tool use. The exhaustive studies and the further investigations in other potential areas will shed light on our understanding of the lithic technologies in this region.
Long Abstract:
The stone tools and techniques used to produce them are the indicators of material cultures and they play an important role in our understanding of the technological strategies and behaviours of prehistoric hunter-gatherers. Considerable progress has been achieved in recent years such as the systematic technological analysis that allows us to understand the stone knapping processes, façonnage, débitage and to approach the cognitive abilities of hominids and early modern humans.
The typological approach was increasingly combined or replaced by the study of techno-economic behaviour and the concept of "chaîne opératoire" that enabled a better understanding of lithic assemblages in their complexities and diversities.
Recent studies and new observations on the lithic industries in Southeast Asia have contributed to decode the human behaviours in this region and to support the existence of several techno-economic systems, which shows the diversity of technical strategies, the variability in lithic assemblages, the relative longevity and the complexity of the tools and material cultures that produced them.
The aim of this session will be to compare the similarities and differences of lithic technologies between mainland and island Southeast Asia during the Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene. The topics cover theoretical and methodological approaches including raw materials, the use of the strategies and choice between mineral and vegetal landscape, mobility organization, and transferred knowledge in the production of tools.
Accepted papers:
Session 1Paper short abstract:
Characterisation of the lithic assemblage found in layers dated between 7000 BP and 13,000B.P.
Paper long abstract:
Tam Hang rock shelter is located in the Annamitic Chain at an altitude of 1120 m in Hua Pan Province, in Laos. During the 1930’s, the French geologist, Jacques Fromaget excavated three localities along the rock shelter wall of the rockshelter and discovered skeletons and a lot of stone tools which have been lost since 1945. In 2003 and then between 2007 and 2013, new excavations were made in opening four new squares laterally behind the historical trench and the backfill excavation left by Fromaget to check stratigraphy and human occupation extension. More than 9000 stone implements were discovered in layers dated between 7080 ± 25 BP to 13,215 ± 45 BP. The technical analysis of lithic remains gives a new characterization of the assemblage with specific tools and two kinds of knapping processes.
Paper short abstract:
Tham Lod Rockshelter has yielded a rich archaeological sequence spanning from 35 ka to the Holocene.
Paper long abstract:
Tham Lod Rockshelter has yielded a rich archaeological sequence spanning from 35 ka to the Holocene. Analysis of the lithic material from the area 2 showed that most of it (2/3) is comprised of imported rock fragments artificially (perhaps thermally) broken. Tools proper (i.e. shaped or retouched) represent 10% of the lithic assemblage. Half of them are heavy-duty tools (>10cm) among which the sumatraliths are the signature of the Hoabinhian tradition. These are more frequent in the upper part of the Pleistocene sequence at Tham Lod, while choppers are more in the lower part. Besides these typical tool types, there is a full range of intermediate types. Detailed analysis of their variability helps in tracing how and when the typical Hoabinhian tool kit emerges and what are its main technical features.
Paper short abstract:
This paper discusses the potential for high-resolution and long-term modelling of lithic assemblages of the Tham Lod rockshelter in Mae Hong Son province, northwest Thailand, with particular emphasis to the link between the morphology and technology.
Paper long abstract:
The Tham Lod rock shelter is a small overhang of a limestone cliff, 30 m long by 5 m wide by 20 high in Tham Lod Natural and Wildlife Education Center, Tham Lod village. With a total excavated area of 34 sq m. the site was excavated between 2001 and 2003 by a Thai research team lead by Rasmi Shoocongdej of Silpakorn University of Bangkok. Tham Lod excavations have involved three different excavation areas, materialized by contiguous deep trenches. The present analysis will be specially based on artefact assemblages from Area 3.
The stratigraphic fill of the rockshelter contains a large amount of faunal remains and lithic artifacts, indicating human occupation between about 40,000 and about 10,000 BP, according to the dating done by the thermoluminescence and radiocarbon methods.
The lithic assemblage accounts a large number of manuports and broken cobble, a rich pebble-tools component and a small percentage of retouched flakes. More abundant than products of débitage are shaped tools and especially the sumatraliths, a diagnostic type of "Hoabinhian" culture.
The focus of this approach focuses on the degree of raw material selection, the morphology and quality of blanks, the relationship between débitage and façonnage, in order to understand the determining factors in the operational schema of heavy duty tools shaping. The technological approach through the diacritic analysis and the identification of the techno-functional units allow us to understand its contribution of the "Hoabinhian" toolkit of Tham Lod rockshelter.
Paper short abstract:
Stone tools are generally assumed to be related to human activities and site function. The study of raw materials and its relationthips to typology and technological organization providing insight into the interaction between humans and environments.
Paper long abstract:
Most of "Hoabinhian" settlement, cave and rockshelter sites have been the major focus of research. We still lack data for temporary open-air camp sites, field sites, workshop, raw material sources, etc., which will help understand the entire settlement systems. In northwest Thailand, only one workshop site has been systematically excavated and documented at Tham Lod rockshelter in Pang Mapha district as found greater variation in sizes, reflecting more casual choice of raw materials.
Between 2010-2012, I conducted a regional survey in Muang Pang valley in Pai, a nearby district of Pang Mapha. Data from survey explains the distribution and availability of lithic raw materials as the sites produce a large amount of stone debris. Later, in 2013, I excavated an open-air hot spring of Muang Pang site in the same valley. Lithic tools and debitages were recovered from the site and less variation in sizes. The site was used as a contemporary camp.
This paper will examine the lithic assemblages from survey and excavation in Muang Pang Valley using an organization of technology approach.
Paper short abstract:
This paper aims to light the diversity of the Hoabinhian stone artifacts of Laang Spean archaeological sequence by the determination of the lithic reduction sequences observed in the archaeological material recently excavated by the French-Cambodian Prehistoric Mission.
Paper long abstract:
The Hoabinhian toolkit is known as a classical Southeast Asian technocomplex with massive tools made on pebbles including specifically unifacial tools for the late to terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene period. The unifacial pebble or Sumatralith was considered for a long time as the unique "director fossil" for the Hoabinhian types of lithic artefacts in a large number of sites.
In this paper we suggest investigating various strategies of production of these types of Hoabinhian tools illustrated on the basis of some examples given by recent discoveries made at Laang Spean cave site (Cambodia). Re-excavated since 2009 by the French-Cambodian Prehistoric Mission, the Hoabinhian sequence at Laang Spean cave was redated between 11 ka to 5 ka B.P. and established a new database in a reliable chrono-stratigraphical context.
We propose to discuss the intensity of pebble tool reduction sequence with the different way of shaping and sharping to product various cutting pebble i.e. a new perspective of typo-technological analysis on this kind of raw material (hornfels).
This paper aims to light the technical factors determining the different way to shape the pebble matrix to obtain a tool with at least three chaînes opératoires observed in the archaeological material with the properties inherent of pebble selected in the environment for their volumetric specificity.
Paper short abstract:
Characters of stone artefact technology of Tronbon Lei Rockshelter back from c. 9,000 BP are examined. Specific purpose is to interpret technological aspects such as mode and sequence of stone reduction in relation with the use of three different raw materials.
Paper long abstract:
Tronbon Lei rockshelter complex, occupied since c.9,000 BP, is located on the southern coast of Alor Island, Nusa Tenggara. On some of the rockshelter walls , rock paintings can be found in red and white colour. Stone artefact was found from the surface to nearly the bed rock where human skulls were found.
There are three different materials modified as stone tools. Obsidian was the earliest material used since the earliest period of occupancy, while basalt was used later. Both of there material were used continuously while chert, was used only occasionally. Geologically those three raw materials is possible to obtain from Alor itself, but the location of obsidian and chert sources were not identified yet in the field during the research.
Examination of stone assemblage recovered from three pits excavated is directed to obtain data about some technological aspect of stone artefact production, i.e: mode and sequences of stone reduction and secondary working. Multi directional core reduction were both applied to obsidian and basalt material, and small obsidian raw material was reduced in bipolar reduction technique. The latter technique was not applied to basalt raw material, in which the average size of flakes is bigger than those of obsidian. Cherts only occur in small quantity and they are mostly of small thin debris, suggesting that the chert recovered were part of secondary process of stone tool production. Current examination of the stone assemblage suggests that different techniques of stone tools production were applied by people occupied Tronbon Lei in the past.
Paper short abstract:
Lithic remains from prehistoric sites in East Kalimantan (Indonesia) provide new insights on Late Plesitocene-Holocene lithic industries from this region. Raw materials, knapping technics, and typo-technological description of the material will be discussed within Island South East Asia framework.
Paper long abstract:
Lack of data and studies on lithic remains from Kalimantan (Borneo) result in a limited understanding of human prehistory in this region. Current collaborative research by a French-Indonesian team is trying to reduce this lack of data by conducting field research and a multidisciplinary scientific project in the karstic region of Mangkalihat (East Kalimantan, Indonesia). A series of analyses related to typo-technological studies on the lithic materials from this project have brought new data and consecutive developments for a better understanding of the prehistory of Kalimantan in the regional context.
This paper will present and discuss some data from Liang Jon (2007-2008); Liang Abu (2009-2012); and Liang Pemalawan (2013). Our observations on the type of raw materials and knapping technics used, show some distinctive characteristics among these sites. However, homogeneity from a typo-technological point of view tend to appear in long chronological periods within this region. Hence, the lithic industry in Kalimantan seems to have some similar features (ie. homogeneity in long chronology) with several Indonesian prehistoric sites from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods.
Paper short abstract:
Same
Paper long abstract:
The recent discovery of human remains from Callao Cave, northern Luzon, Philippines dates the migration of hominins into the Philippines to at least c. 70 ka BP. The most direct route to reach Luzon from the Asian mainland is via Borneo, Palawan, through Mindoro and into Luzon. While Palawan and Luzon have already produced early evidence for human occupation, no systematic research on the prehistory of Mindoro had been conducted until very recently. This paper will present the obsidian materials that were recovered from the ongoing archaeological investigations at the Bubog 1 rockshelter on Ilin Island just off the coast of SW-Mindoro and Ille Cave in El Nido, Northern Palawan. In both sites, obsidian artefacts were found in Terminal Pleistocene layers. Using portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (pXRF), analysis of the obsidian samples from Mindoro and Palawan shows that they were coming from the same, yet unknown source. They clearly indicate that the two distinct palaeogeographical regions were linked to each other, suggesting maritime interaction as early as ca. 12ka BP. The result of this trace-element analysis contribute substantially to our understanding of the mobility of early islanders during the Terminal Pleistocene and the processes of human island adaptation and enhance our current knowledge of subsistence strategies across the region