Adaptations of the lithic production in the Sauveterroid level of Coveta de la Foia site (Vilafranca, Castelló)

Abstract

In this paper, we analyse two different lithic adaptations of the Sauveterroid Mediterranean culture in the Valencian Country. On one hand, we have a standardized serial production of projectiles such as backed bladelets and backed micropoints. On the other hand, there is a non-predetermined and less standardized production of a large number of domestic lithic tools such as end-scrapers and retouched blades. The lithic production of this Sauveterroid group shows a double adaptation in relation with the environment: although these groups have enough sources of lithic raw material nearby, and thus they had no restrictions as to the size of the lithic tools, they decided to make a cultural and technical choice producing a large amount of little backed armatures. In addition, the production of domestic tools demonstrates a less technical investment. Technical schemes are mainly unipolar and semi-enveloping, with bipolar and orthogonal technical resources used to prevent knapping accidents caused by soft stone percussion. For non-standard and poorly standardized production, unipolar exploitation is preferred, while in standardized serial production bipolarity and semi-enveloping openings are used as a recurring technical resource. The site of Coveta de la Foia offers the opportunity to explore the relationship between two different lithic productions in one single occupation. Even with relatively close sources of raw materials, cultural pressure is more evident in the production of hunting weaponry as it tends to a process of microlitization tipical of the Mediterranean Epipalaeolithic (Roman 2015; Soto 2015). This type of technical adaptation shows how important cultural influence is in a community’s technical and social system, as it completely constraints the production of hunting weaponry. The Sauveterroid occupation of Coveta de la Foia is one of the oldest in the Iberian Peninsula with a dating of 12740-12680 cal. BP, offering one of the first examples of geometric microlithism in this geographical area.