LegioLit: Knappable material lithotheque in the Prehistory Laboratory at the University of León, Spain
Keywords:
chert; radiolarite; database; lithotheque; lithic raw materials; Cantabrian Mountains; Iberian Peninsula
Abstract
This work introduces a comparative collection located in the Prehistory Laboratory at the University of León (Spain) specialised in knappable raw materials, mainly comprising radiolarite and black chert (micro-crypto crystalline quartz), from the western Cantabrian Mountains (north of Iberian Peninsula). A standardised protocol of sample collection and data organisation was developed, which includes the use of several methodologies. First, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for referencing lithic sources. Second, direct observation of the sample for the macroscopic characterization, both de visu and stereomicroscope. Third, petrographic microscopy for a description of main petrological, and palaeontological features, complemented with the identification of the different minerals that make up the samples by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Forth, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) and Thermogravimetry – Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TG-DSC) for geochemical and thermal features of the samples. Finally, the results of these analyses were entered in a database. All this information is contributing towards the creation of a physical reference collection specialised in local Palaeozoic formations (mostly from Devonian to Carboniferous) that outcrop in the western Cantabrian Mountains, a region whose potential resource base was previously not very well known. This collection would allow to compare archaeological lithic remains from different sites inside and outside the Cantabrian Mountains.
References
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Fuertes-Prieto, M. N., Fernández-Martínez, E., Gómez-Fernández, F., Alonso-Herrero, E., Herrero Alonso, D., & Neira-Campos, A. 2016, The Escalada Formation: Characterization of a potential chert supply source in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain) during prehistory. Journal of Lithic Studies, 3(2): 18 p. doi:10.2218/jls.v3i2.1421
Herrero, D. 2014, El nivel III de la cueva de La Uña (Acebedo, León): Análisis tecnológico de la industria retocada y aprovisionamiento de materias primas. CKQ Estudios de Cuaternario / Kuaternario Ikasketak / Quaternary Studies, 4:15-26. (in Spanish) (“The layer III of La Uña cave (Acebedo, León): technology analysis of retouched industry and supply of raw materials”)
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Herrero-Alonso, D. 2018: La gestión de las materias primas y cadenas operativas líticas en el Mesolítico de la vertiente sur de los Picos de Europa: La cueva de La Uña (León). PhD, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, 1078 p. (in Spanish) (“Raw material management and lithic “chaînes operatoires” in the Mesolithic of southern slope of the Picos de Europa: La Uña cave (León)”)
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Munsell Color, 2013, Munsell soil-color charts: with genuine Munsell color chips. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 50 p.
Neira Campos, A.; Fuertes Prieto, N.; Fernández Rodríguez, C. & Bernaldo de Quirós, F. 2004, Le gisement mésolithique de la «cueva del Espertín», León, Espagne. In: Actes du XIV Congrès de l’UISPP, Liège, Belgique,2-8 septembre 2001. Section 7: Le Mésolithique (Crombé, P., Ed.), BAR International Series Vol. 1302, Archaeopress, Oxford: p. 129-136. (in French) (“The Mesolithic site of El Espertín cave, León, Spain”)
Neira, A., Fuertes, N. & Herrero, D. 2016, The Mesolithic with geometrics south of the ‘Picos de Europa’ (Northern Iberian Peninsula): The main characteristics of the lithic industry and raw material procurement. Quaternary International, 402: 90-99. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.10.065
Ortega, D., Roqué, C., Terradas, X., 2016, Disponibilidad de rocas silíceas en el noreste peninsular: resultados del proyecto LITOcat. Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad de Granada, 26: 245-282. doi:10.30827/cpag.v26i0.7402 (in Spanish) (“Availability of siliceous rocks in the North-Eastern of Iberia: Results from the Litocat Project”)
PePeEfe 2018, Pasado Presente Futuro: Iberian Peninsula geological map. WikimediaCommons. Retrieved 15 november 2018. (in Spanish) (“Past Present Future: Iberian Peninsula geological map”) URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:PePeEfe#People
Pereira, T., Farias, A., & Paixão, E., 2016, Presenting LusoLit: A lithotheque of knappable raw materials from central and southern Portugal. Journal of Lithic Studies, 3(2): 15 p. doi:10.2218/jls.v3i2.1455
Sánchez, M., Rey, M., Rodríguez, N., Casado, A., Medina, B., & Mangado, X. 2014, The LithicUB project: A virtual lithotheque of siliceous rocks at the University of Barcelona. Journal of Lithic Studies, 1(1): 281-292. doi:10.2218/jls.v1i1.756
Tarriño, A. 2006, El sílex en la Cuenca Vasco-Cantábrica y Pirineo Navarro. Caracterización y su aprovechamiento en la Prehistoria. Monografías nº 21, Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira, Madrid, 264 p. (in Spanish) (“Flint in the Vasco-Cantabrian Basin and Navarran Pyrenees. Characterisation and procurement in the Prehistory”)
Tarrino Vinagre, A., Duarte Matías, E., Santamaría Álvarez, D., Martínez Fernández, L., Fernández de la Vega, J., Suárez Ferruelo, P., Rodríguez Otero, V., Forcelledo Arena, E., Rasilla, M de la, 2013, El sílex de Pilona: caracterización de una nueva fuente de materia prima lítica en la Prehistoria de Asturias. In: Javier Fortea Pérez: Universitatis Ovetensis Magíster: Estudios en Homenaje Rasilla (de la Rasilla, M., Ed.), Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo: p. 115-132. (in Spanish) (“Piloña flint: characterization of a new source of lithic raw material in the Prehistory of Asturias”)
Tarriño, A., Elorrieta, I., García-Rojas, M., Orue, I., & Sánchez, A., 2014, Neolithic flint mines of Treviño (Basque-Cantabrian Basin, Western Pyrenees, Spain). Journal of Lithic Studies, 1(2): 129-147. doi:10.2218/jls.v1i2.1098
Tarriño, A., Elorrieta, I. & García Rojas, M. 2015, Flint as raw material in prehistoric times: Cantabrian Mountain and Western Pyrenees data. Quaternary International, 364: 94-108. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.10.061
Tarriño, A., Morgado, A., Terradas, X., 2016, Geoarqueología del sílex en la Península Ibérica: Presentación. Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad de Granada, 26: 7-9. (in Spanish) (“Flint geoarchaeology in the Iberian Peninsula. Presentation”) doi:10.30827/cpag.v26i0.7392
Terradas, X.; Ortega, D. & Boix, J., 2012, El projecte LITOCAT: creació d’una litoteca de referència sobre la disponibilitat de roques silícies a Catalunya. Tribuna d’Arqueologia, 2010-2011: 131-150. (in Catalan) (“The LITOCAT project: creation of a reference lithotheque on the availability of siliceous rocks in Catalonia”)
Bernaldo de Quirós, F. & Neira Campos, A., 1992, Mountain occupation sites in the Cantabrian Range (Spain). Preistoria Alpina, 28: 49-58
Folk, R.L., 1974, Petrology of the sedimentary rocks. Hemphill Publishing Company, Austin, 182 p.
Fuertes Prieto, M. N., Neira Campos, A., Gómez Fernández, F., Alonso Herrero, E. & Fernández Martínez, E. 2010, Caracterización de las materias primas líticas del yacimiento Mesolítico de El Espertín (León). In: Minerales y rocas en las sociedades de la Prehistoria (Domínguez-Bella, S., Ramos Muñoz, J, Gutiérrez López, J.M. & Pérez Rodríguez, M., Eds.), Grupo de Investigación HUM-440, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz: p. 169-184. (in Spanish) (“Characterization of lithic raw materials from the Mesolithic site of ‘El Espertín’ (León, Spain)”)
Fuertes Prieto, M. N., Neira Campos, A., Fernández Martínez, E., Gómez Fernández, F. & Alonso Herrero, E. 2014, "Mucientes Chert" in the Northern Iberian Plateau (Spain). Journal of Lithic Studies, 1(1): 117-135. doi:10.2218/jls.v1i1.785
Fuertes-Prieto, M. N., Fernández-Martínez, E., Gómez-Fernández, F., Alonso-Herrero, E., Herrero Alonso, D., & Neira-Campos, A. 2016, The Escalada Formation: Characterization of a potential chert supply source in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain) during prehistory. Journal of Lithic Studies, 3(2): 18 p. doi:10.2218/jls.v3i2.1421
Herrero, D. 2014, El nivel III de la cueva de La Uña (Acebedo, León): Análisis tecnológico de la industria retocada y aprovisionamiento de materias primas. CKQ Estudios de Cuaternario / Kuaternario Ikasketak / Quaternary Studies, 4:15-26. (in Spanish) (“The layer III of La Uña cave (Acebedo, León): technology analysis of retouched industry and supply of raw materials”)
Herrero, D. 2016, El chert paleozoico de la Cordillera Cantábrica (N de España). In: Entre ciência e cultura: Da interdisciplinaridade à transversalidade da arqueologia. Actas das VIII Jornadas de Jovens em Investigação Arqueológica (Coelho, I. P., Torres, J.B., Gil, L.S. & Ramos, T., Eds.), Centro de História de Além-Mar - Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade dos Açores and Instituto de Estudos Medievais - Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (CHAM-CSH/UNL-UAç y IEM-FCSH/UNL), Lisbon: p. 19-25. (in Spanish) (“Paleozoic chert in the Cordillera Cantábrica (north of Spain)”)
Herrero-Alonso, D., Tarriño-Vinagre, A., Neira-Campos, A., & Fuertes-Prieto, N. 2016, Chert from the Vegamián Formation: A new raw-material supply source in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain) during prehistory. Journal of Lithic Studies, 3(2): 22 p. doi:10.2218/jls.v3i2.1449
Herrero-Alonso, D. 2018: La gestión de las materias primas y cadenas operativas líticas en el Mesolítico de la vertiente sur de los Picos de Europa: La cueva de La Uña (León). PhD, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, 1078 p. (in Spanish) (“Raw material management and lithic “chaînes operatoires” in the Mesolithic of southern slope of the Picos de Europa: La Uña cave (León)”)
LithicUB 2012, LithicUB-Litoteca. Retrieved 15 November 2018. (In Spanish) (“LithicUB-Lithotheque”) URL: http://www.lithicub.net/
Mangado, X., Medina, B. & Casado, A. 2010, LithicUB: Un projet de lithothèque a l’Université de Barcelone. Les Cahiers de Géopré, (Silex et territoire préhistoriques. Avancées des recherches dans le Midi de la France) 1: electronic publication. p. 51-54. Retrieved 15 November 2018. (in French) (“Lithic_UB: A lithotheque project at the University of Barcelona”) URL: http://www.lithicub.net/public/biblio/
Munsell Color, 2013, Munsell soil-color charts: with genuine Munsell color chips. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 50 p.
Neira Campos, A.; Fuertes Prieto, N.; Fernández Rodríguez, C. & Bernaldo de Quirós, F. 2004, Le gisement mésolithique de la «cueva del Espertín», León, Espagne. In: Actes du XIV Congrès de l’UISPP, Liège, Belgique,2-8 septembre 2001. Section 7: Le Mésolithique (Crombé, P., Ed.), BAR International Series Vol. 1302, Archaeopress, Oxford: p. 129-136. (in French) (“The Mesolithic site of El Espertín cave, León, Spain”)
Neira, A., Fuertes, N. & Herrero, D. 2016, The Mesolithic with geometrics south of the ‘Picos de Europa’ (Northern Iberian Peninsula): The main characteristics of the lithic industry and raw material procurement. Quaternary International, 402: 90-99. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.10.065
Ortega, D., Roqué, C., Terradas, X., 2016, Disponibilidad de rocas silíceas en el noreste peninsular: resultados del proyecto LITOcat. Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad de Granada, 26: 245-282. doi:10.30827/cpag.v26i0.7402 (in Spanish) (“Availability of siliceous rocks in the North-Eastern of Iberia: Results from the Litocat Project”)
PePeEfe 2018, Pasado Presente Futuro: Iberian Peninsula geological map. WikimediaCommons. Retrieved 15 november 2018. (in Spanish) (“Past Present Future: Iberian Peninsula geological map”) URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:PePeEfe#People
Pereira, T., Farias, A., & Paixão, E., 2016, Presenting LusoLit: A lithotheque of knappable raw materials from central and southern Portugal. Journal of Lithic Studies, 3(2): 15 p. doi:10.2218/jls.v3i2.1455
Sánchez, M., Rey, M., Rodríguez, N., Casado, A., Medina, B., & Mangado, X. 2014, The LithicUB project: A virtual lithotheque of siliceous rocks at the University of Barcelona. Journal of Lithic Studies, 1(1): 281-292. doi:10.2218/jls.v1i1.756
Tarriño, A. 2006, El sílex en la Cuenca Vasco-Cantábrica y Pirineo Navarro. Caracterización y su aprovechamiento en la Prehistoria. Monografías nº 21, Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira, Madrid, 264 p. (in Spanish) (“Flint in the Vasco-Cantabrian Basin and Navarran Pyrenees. Characterisation and procurement in the Prehistory”)
Tarrino Vinagre, A., Duarte Matías, E., Santamaría Álvarez, D., Martínez Fernández, L., Fernández de la Vega, J., Suárez Ferruelo, P., Rodríguez Otero, V., Forcelledo Arena, E., Rasilla, M de la, 2013, El sílex de Pilona: caracterización de una nueva fuente de materia prima lítica en la Prehistoria de Asturias. In: Javier Fortea Pérez: Universitatis Ovetensis Magíster: Estudios en Homenaje Rasilla (de la Rasilla, M., Ed.), Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo: p. 115-132. (in Spanish) (“Piloña flint: characterization of a new source of lithic raw material in the Prehistory of Asturias”)
Tarriño, A., Elorrieta, I., García-Rojas, M., Orue, I., & Sánchez, A., 2014, Neolithic flint mines of Treviño (Basque-Cantabrian Basin, Western Pyrenees, Spain). Journal of Lithic Studies, 1(2): 129-147. doi:10.2218/jls.v1i2.1098
Tarriño, A., Elorrieta, I. & García Rojas, M. 2015, Flint as raw material in prehistoric times: Cantabrian Mountain and Western Pyrenees data. Quaternary International, 364: 94-108. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.10.061
Tarriño, A., Morgado, A., Terradas, X., 2016, Geoarqueología del sílex en la Península Ibérica: Presentación. Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad de Granada, 26: 7-9. (in Spanish) (“Flint geoarchaeology in the Iberian Peninsula. Presentation”) doi:10.30827/cpag.v26i0.7392
Terradas, X.; Ortega, D. & Boix, J., 2012, El projecte LITOCAT: creació d’una litoteca de referència sobre la disponibilitat de roques silícies a Catalunya. Tribuna d’Arqueologia, 2010-2011: 131-150. (in Catalan) (“The LITOCAT project: creation of a reference lithotheque on the availability of siliceous rocks in Catalonia”)
Published
15-Dec-2018
How to Cite
Herrero-Alonso, D., Fuertes-Prieto, M. N., Fernández-Martínez, E., Gómez-Fernández, F., Alonso-Herrero, E., & Matero-Pellitero, A. M. (2018). LegioLit: Knappable material lithotheque in the Prehistory Laboratory at the University of León, Spain. Journal of Lithic Studies, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.2218/jls.2926
Section
ISKM 2017 - Buenos Aires Research Articles
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