Caractéristiques techno-économiques de l’industrie lithique d’un site acheuléen de surface : Aïn Dfali,Ouazzane, Maroc

The site of Aïn Dfali is located in the south of Ouazzane city of, in the Northwest of the village Aïn Defali. This area is situated at the western end of the Gharb plain in the southern area of pre-Rif tables. The Quaternary formations are located on the right bank of the river Redat. The large hills, at the West of Aïn Dfali village, consist of alluvium gravel attributed to Early Quaternary. In the foothills, the Middle Quaternary takes place with an attenuated highlighted. The exploited raw material used to make the lithic industries, found on the site, consists mainly of quartzite with a choice of mid/big-sized blocks. The reduction sequences are not complete as demonstrated by the absence of preparation and small flakes. Debitage and shaping reduction sequences coexist in this site. The shaping is essentially represented by handaxes and chopper-cores. Handaxes are often shaped on one side and show significant cortical residues; they are shaped on flakes elongated and flattened cobbles. The flakes used as blanks are generally cortical. The chopper-cores are exploited by unifacial unipolar knapping (from 3 to 5 removals) and show a probably non-functional sinuous edge. The utilized methods of knapping are Levallois (recurrent and lineal), discoid bifacial and unifacial and SSDA. The SSDA method shows the exploitation of 2/4 knapping platforms by an unipolar method aimed at obtaining large/medium sized flakes with irregular shapes and often lateral cortical residues. Very few retouched blanks were found. The Levallois debitage is done on flat and rounded cobbles, the preparation of the Levallois surface is carried out by centripetal knapping and the debitage surfaces show the detachment of a preferential flake, with a round shape, or a recurrent (centripetal or unipolar) exploitation; also documented is the production of Levallois points. The discoid debitage is performed on rounded cobbles, it is mostly unifacial and it shows the preferential exploitation of a pronounced convexity or the alternating exploitation of two opposing convexities. The flakes obtained are thick and have a triangular/rectangular shape with converging negatives. The material found in Aïn Dfali is the result of a selective transport and is in the secondary position but allows to certify an important prehistoric Acheulian occupation in the region.     

Les stratégies de débitage dans les industries lithiques archaïques des premiers habitants de l’Europe

Barranco León and Fuente Nueva 3 sites at Orce in the south of Spain, and Vallonnet cave in the south of France, are some of the oldest sites in Europe, testimonies of the first settlements of these territories. The Orce sites, dated around 1.3-1.2 Ma, have given away numerous lithic artifacts principally issued from an important débitage activity. The beginning of flake production processes is few represented into these two consummation sites. In return, full débitage flakes are in high proportion, with generally short dimensions, in consequence of which, in some case an intense core reduction. Two percussion methods are identified: with direct percussion or on anvil. Sometimes, there was débitage on flake, taking advantage of the inferior face natural convexity of the core-flake, permitting the maximal exploitation and the economy of the best raw materials. The bipolar percussion on anvil permitted the maximal exploitation of the short dimensions supports, often in naturally cubic or sub-cubic form. A lot of the producted flakes, sometimes called “pièces esquillées”, show some scales on the distal and/or proximal transversal edges, issued from this bipolar knapping method. In the Vallonnet cave, where the occupation levels are dated around 1 Ma, the lithic industry show a lot of percussion tools and hammerstone flakes, but also some core reduction flakes and some very rares cores, especially in flint. This good raw material was chosen for the débitage, and the flakes show on superior face several anterior removals, and a butt which could reveal a striking platform preparation. At the gates of Europe, in Georgia, Dmanisi site give away an abundant lithic industry associated with faunal and human remains, dated around 1.81 to 1.77 Ma. Amid the lithic assemblages, cores are rather frequent and are characterized by a poor degree of exploitation, most often unifacial, and high frequency of cortical striking platforms. Raw materials, essentially volcanic cobbles, were from local origin, and the knapped supports were often chosen for their angular morphology adequate to begin the débitage in easier way, débitage which was essentially by direct percussion.     

Le gisement acheuléen de plein air de La Garde (Loire). Remarques sur une série lithique acheuléenne entre Rhône et Loire

The lithic assemblage of La Garde offers the opportunity to observe a Final Acheulean series located in the Loire department (south-east France). The site was probably a multi-activity place asking large tools and flakes, according to the strategies used by humans. Three main categories of large bifacial tools mainly made of flint can be described, with a triangular or oval shape and with a transversal cutting edge. These tools are more bifacial-tools than bifaces through the kind of shaping and the retouches on the cutting edges. The Levallois flaking is associated to various other types of knapping. The site, located along a small valley, suggests a human circulating between the Saône-Rhône corridor and the interior basins of the Massif Central Mountains. The Rhodanian corridor yielded little evidence of Acheulean settlements while in the Centre of France, they are numerous. La Garde proves that systematic prospecting in this area will permit in future to complete the map of the Acheulean occupations in south-east France.     

Hominin occupations at the Dmanisi site, Georgia, Southern Caucasus: raw materials and technical behaviours of Europe's first hominins

Dmanisi is the oldest site outside of Africa that records unquestioned hominin occupations as well as the dispersal of hominins in Europe and Asia. The site has yielded large numbers of artefacts from several periods of hominin occupation. This analysis of Dmanisi stone tool technology includes a review of all the pieces recovered during the last 15 years of excavations. This lithic assemblage gives insights into the hominin behaviour at 1.7-1.8 Ma in Eurasia. Dmanisi hominins exploited local rocks derived from either nearby riverbeds or outcrops, and petrographic study provides data on patterns of stone procurement. Recent geological surveys and technological studies of the artefacts illustrate the roles of hominins in composing the assemblage. Dmanisi hominins selected two types of blanks, including cobbles and angular blocks, of basalt, andesite, and tuffs. Many complete cobbles, pebbles, and rolled blocks in basalt were unmodified, and geological analyses and surveys indicate that hominins brought manuports back to the site, suggesting a complex procurement strategy. Cores, flakes and debris show that all stages of flaking activity took place at the site. Numerous unifacial cores suggest that knapping was not very elaborate. Centripetal knapping is observed on some flake-cores. Knapping was influenced by the blank shape and natural angles. Most flaked objects were either cores or chopper-cores. Flakes predominate while flake tools are rare. The Dmanisi lithic assemblage is comparable to Oldowan sites in Africa in terms of reduction sequence, organisation of the removals, platform types, and the lack of retouched flakes. Dmanisi artefacts and may have been produced by the original hominins in Europe and Asia.     

陕西洋县绿豆梁旧石器遗址出土的石制品

洋县绿豆梁遗址位于汉水北部一级支流金水河左岸的第四级阶地上。为了配合国家重点工程项目——南水北调西线“引汉济渭”工程的建设,2014～2015年对该地点进行了发掘,揭露面积126 m2,出土和采集不同类型的石制品656件。研究显示,早期人类加工石制品的原料来自于河漫滩或阶地古老砾石层中的砾石,岩性包括石英、石英岩、硅质灰岩、石英砂岩、花岗岩等。硬锤打击法是最主要的剥片方式。石制品包含石锤、石核、石片、石器、断块和碎屑等类型。遗址石器组合中既包括刮削器、尖状器、石钻等尺寸较小的轻型石器,也包含重型刮削器、砍砸器等重型石器。通过与位于相同阶地部位、相距2 km的金水河口遗址的测年数据和地层堆积序列对比,绿豆梁遗址的年代属于中更新世时期或更早的时段。     

L’industrie lithique des gisements du Pléistocène inférieur de Barranco León et Fuente Nueva 3 à Orce, Grenade, Espagne

The archaeological localities of Barranco León and Fuente Nueva 3 in Orce, Grenade, in actuality have the oldest lithic artifacts in Europe; they are the oldest evidence of human occupation in the east of Europe. When compared the results from faunal analysis and magnetostratigraphical study, notably through the presence of Allophaiomys lavocati allow for a date of around 1.3 Ma. The raw material used for developing these lithic industries are, basically limestone or siliceous rocks, these raw materials selected were smoothed down in situ. The techniques used are knapping at raised with a hammerstone, and we can find all the different elements of the “chaine opératoire”. Both localities are characterised by the predominance of flakes and debris, cores, and some knapped cobbles sowing mediocre aspect. The technical and typological features of both lithic assemblages have an opportunist character but they are relatively sophisticated too.     

Adaptive Flexibility of Oldowan Hominins: Secondary Use of Flakes at Bizat Ruhama,Israel

The lithic assemblage of the Early Pleistocene site of Bizat Ruhama, Israel demonstrates the earliest evidence for systematic secondary knapping of flakes. The site, dated to the Matuyama chron, is one of the earliest primary context Oldowan occurrences in Eurasia. According to the experimental replication of the stone-tool production sequence, the secondary knapping of flakes was a part of a multi-stage operational sequence targeted at the production of small (<2 cm) flakes. This sequence included four stages: acquisition of chert pebbles, production of flakes, deliberate selection of flakes of specific morphologies, and their secondary knapping by free-hand or bipolar methods. The results suggest that flakes with retouch-like scars that were produced during this sequence and which commonly are interpreted as shaped tools are unintentional waste products of the small flake production. The intentional manufacture of very small flakes at Bizat Ruhama was probably an economic response to the raw material constrains. Systematic secondary knapping of flakes has not yet been reported from other Early Pleistocene sites. Systematic secondary knapping for small flake production became increasingly important only in the lithic industries of the second half of the Middle Pleistocene, almost a million years later. The results from Bizat Ruhama indicate that Oldowan stone-tool production sequence was conceptually more complex than previously suggested and offer a new perspective on the capabilities for invention and the adaptive flexibility of the Oldowan hominins.     

洛南盆地槐树坪地点2013年出土的石制品

洛南盆地槐树坪旧石器地点最初发现于1999年,该地点位于南洛河左岸(北部)支流石门河及石门河的二级支流东麻坪河(石门河一级支流为麻坪河)之间的第四级阶地上,是洛南盆地高阶地旷野旧石器地点群的代表性遗址之一。2004年4~5月和2006年6~7月,槐树坪地点曾历经两次小规模试掘。2013年4~6月,我们对该遗址进行了较大规模的系统发掘,发掘面积56 m~2,出土石锤、石料、石核、石片、工具、断块、碎屑等不同类型石制品830件。本文对2013年发掘出土的石制品进行了初步研究,统计分析结果显示,槐树坪地点加工石制品的原料来自遗址附近河流阶地砾石层中的砾石,其中以石英和石英岩为主,石英砂岩和细砂岩也有使用。剥片方式主要采用锤击法,偶见砸击法和碰砧法。石制品以中型和小型为主。工具多为石片加工而成的刮削器,偶见手斧、薄刃斧、石刀等大型工具。石器加工方向以正向居多。光释光测年数据表明,槐树坪地点埋藏石制品地层堆积物形成年代大约为距今8~9万年到1.3万年之间,其中7~8万年段的地层堆积物中包含石制品较多。槐树坪地点发现的石制品丰富了洛南盆地旧石器遗址的材料,可以使我们更深刻的了解洛南盆地高阶地旧石器遗址群的地层埋藏情况、遗址年代和石器工业内涵。     

Continuities in stone flaking technology at Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia

This study examines trends in stone tool reduction technology at Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia, where excavations have revealed a stratified artifact sequence spanning 95 k.yr. The reduction sequence practiced throughout the Pleistocene was straightforward and unchanging. Large flakes were produced off-site and carried into the cave where they were reduced centripetally and bifacially by four techniques: freehand, burination, truncation, and bipolar. The locus of technological complexity at Liang Bua was not in knapping products, but in the way techniques were integrated. This reduction sequence persisted across the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary with a minor shift favoring unifacial flaking after 11 ka. Other stone-related changes occurred at the same time, including the first appearance of edge-glossed flakes, a change in raw material selection, and more frequent fire-induced damage to stone artifacts. Later in the Holocene, technological complexity was generated by “adding-on” rectangular-sectioned stone adzes to the reduction sequence. The Pleistocene pattern is directly associated with Homo floresiensis skeletal remains and the Holocene changes correlate with the appearance of Homo sapiens. The one reduction sequence continues across this hominin replacement.     

陕西汉中洋县金水河口旧石器遗址出土石制品研究

位于汉水左岸一级支流金水河第四级阶地的金水河口遗址是汉水流域发现较早的一处旧石器遗址。2014年6月~2015年2月,为了配合国家重点建设工程——南水北调西线“引汉济渭”项目的实施,我们对金水流域金水镇附近的3个旧石器遗址进行了正式发掘,金水河口遗址即为其中之一。该遗址发掘面积370m²,出土不同类型石制品1210件。研究显示在金水河口遗址生活的古人类主要选取附近河滩砾石为原料进行剥片及工具加工。石制品的岩性以石英和石英岩为主,硅质灰岩次之,并少量使用了石英砂岩和花岗岩原料。古人类主要使用锤击法剥片。遗址中石核的利用效率较低,近半数石片有直接使用的痕迹。加工工具的毛坯以石片为主。工具类型除了刮削器、凹缺器、石锥等小型工具之外,还有砍砸器、手镐、重型刮削器等重型工具。遗址中碎屑数量很少。石制品组合以刮削器等小型工具为主,也包含少量重型工具。相较于汉中盆地已发现的遗址,金水河口遗址的文化面貌与洛南盆地中更新世的龙牙洞遗址更相似,但是重型工具的比例更高。由于遗址堆积物已超出了钾长石红外后释光测年法（post-IR IRSL）的测年范畴,目前只能给出遗址的埋藏时间下限,即埋藏石制品地层的年代不晚于150 ka。作为汉中盆地有明确测年的中更新世晚期遗址,金水河口遗址为我们系统了解汉江支流金水河流域和秦岭地区的石器工业特点、遗址地层堆积及年代等提供了新的、丰富的材料。     

Les pointes pseudo-Levallois du gisement moustérien Le Rissori, à Masnuy-Saint-Jean (Hainaut, Belgique)

The 1985-1992 excavation of the Middle Palaeolithic site Le Rissori provided 202 pseudo-Levallois points, distributed in four successive Mousterian series covering a period of time of about 200,000 years. The reference object is the typical five and more sided polygonal point. It is an asymmetrical variety of “débordant” flakes with their own striking platform, at the difference of classical “débordant”, the obliquity of which makes the difference in the following three categories : typical polygonals, atypical polygonals, and classical subtriangulars. The operating scheme - which is the same for all the categories- gives some large and thick flakes after “débitage”. The typical pseudo-Levallois points (polygonal and classical of type A) show two thick sides : the butt and the concave reshaped “débordant” side which is corresponding to the partial overcutting of the active striking platform of an uni- or bipolar recurrent Levallois core. Their function stands in latero-longitudinal (distal or proximal) convexities restoration, the usual process of which can only be restored with difficulties, because of the importance of the removed volume.Typical, polygonal and classical points become perfectly integrated into the Levallois system ; their technological scheme shows a lot of similarities, evoking an antesaalian evolution and origin. The pseudo-Levallois point so appears like a product with a technological vocation, which is revealing a latero-longitudinal restoration. The pseudo-Levallois point is moreover confirming the presence of a uni- or bipolar recurrent Levallois “débitage” with blades or lengthened flakes.     

涉县新桥旧石器遗址发掘报告

本文记述了 1994-1995年在河北省涉县新桥旧石器遗址发掘的石制品及部分采集品。石制品风格古朴厚重 ,石器加工不甚精致 ,以大中型砾石工具居多 ,石片石器占一定比例 ,具有我国南北过渡地带旧石器文化特征。它的发现 ,填补了太行山东南麓地区旧石器文化分布上的空白。根据地层及沉积物推断 ,遗址时代应为中更新世晚期 ,属原地埋藏类型。     

安徽巢湖地区2019年旧石器考古调查的新发现

2019年10月,安徽省文物考古研究所在巢湖地区开展旧石器考古野外调查,新发现16处旧石器地点、1处动物化石地点,并对20世纪80年代发现的望城岗地点群进行复查,共获得石制品939件,动物化石4件。石制品原料以石英岩砾石为主,类型可划分为剥片类、废片类、修理类和砸击品。石核开发利用程度较高,周身自然砾石面占比较低;废片类包括石片、断块和碎片,石片以V型和II型为主,存在一定数量长度大于10 cm的大石片,部分石片保留直接使用痕迹;修理类多为以石片为毛坯,类型以刮削器为主,同时存在少量大型切割工具。根据对张家湾地点OSL年代学测试结果推测,巢湖地区发现旧石器地点的绝对年代不晚于距今12.5万年。这些地点的石器技术的典型特点是早期人类从大型石核上剥取大石片,并以之为毛坯加工重型工具。本次发现对进一步讨论中更新世人类在长江下游地区的石器技术多样性及该地区阿舍利技术大石片存在状况等具有重要学术意义。     

陕西洛南盆地延岭旧石器地点发掘报告

延岭地点处于东秦岭洛南盆地南洛河第二级阶地上,属盆地西部“四十里梁塬”中部,紧邻支流县河。2012年10～11月对该地点进行发掘,揭露面积251 m²,在地表耕土层和平整土地扰动层、原生黄土和古土壤层出土石料、石核、石片、各类修理的石器、断块、碎屑等不同类型石制品856件。延岭地点加工石制品的主要原料为附近河流阶地砾石堆积中的砾石,以石英为主,石英岩次之,石英砂岩、砂岩、火成岩、硅质岩等偶有使用。剥片方式主要为锤击法,偶见砸击法。石制品以小型为主。石器组合包括刮削器、尖状器、石锥、凹缺器、薄刃斧和手镐。遗址地层光释光年代学研究显示该地点埋藏石制品的地层形成于中更新世晚期至晚更新世早期,其中距今12～7万年之间的晚更新世早期为石制品埋藏最为丰富的时段。     

蔚县盆地2019-2020年旧石器考古调查

作为广义泥河湾盆地的重要组成部分,蔚县盆地也曾是更新世期间古人类生存活动的重要地区。2019-2020年度在蔚县盆地开展了新一轮的旧石器考古调查工作,发现并确认18处旧石器和动物化石地点,获得35件石制品以及少量动物化石。从文化遗存的出露层位来看,泥河湾河湖相地层和黄土堆积是遗物埋藏的主要地貌部位。石制品类型包括石锤、石核(含细石核)、废片和工具;原料以火山岩、燧石和石英岩为主;石核剥片和工具修理均主要采用锤击法。技术类型总体上包含了简单石核石片技术和细石叶技术两套组合。结合相关地貌、地层对比资料以及石制品的类型特征,初步推测新地点的时代分别为中更新世和晚更新世,其中含细石叶技术制品地点的年代应为晚更新世晚期。     

Étude préliminaire des industries archaïques de faciès Oldowayen du site de Hummal (El Kowm, Syrie centrale)

The spring site of Hummal is located in Central Syria, near the village of El Kowm between the Euphrates basin and the desert steppe stretching from Palmyra to Deir-ez-Zor. In 1966 the well was noted in a survey as Bir Onusi and a short preliminary study was carried out at the beginning of the 1980s. Since 1997, the Institute for Prehistory and Archaeological Science of the University of Basel has undertaken a complete interdisciplinary research program of this major site under the direction of J.M Le Tensorer, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation and associated with the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums of Syria under the direction of S. Muhesen. The site of Hummal is a prominent mound at an artesian spring built out of the sediments, which piled up during the whole Quaternary. Tectonic faults in the bed rock enabled the underlying water in a karstic system to flow out into a dolina, which trapped lacustrine, limnic and aeolian sediments since the Oldest Pleistocene. The impressive stratigraphy – 20 m high – comprises 23 geological units preserving a great number of archaeological levels. It covers an extremely long period of time ranging from the Oldest Palaeolithic (Oldowan) to Upper Palaeolithic (Aurignacian) over more than a million years. This impressive Old and Middle Palaeolithic sequence comprises several layers of Oldowan-like assemblage (23-16), an Acheuleo-Tayacian complex (14-13), five layers of Yabrudian (12-8) at least four levels of Hummalian (7, 6c, 6b, 6a) and a thick sediment complex with 8 Mousterian layers, each of them liable to be subdivided into several sublayers. The lithic industry in the lowest levels of the Hummal sequence, associated with abundant remains of large mammals, can be characterized by non-modified, quite fresh flakes, with, once in a while, traces of use but never bearing intentional retouches. Theses flakes are found with pebble-tools: choppers, chopping-tools, polyhedrons, bolas and core-like artifacts. This assemblage is typical in a broad sense of archaic Palaeolithic whose debitage corresponds to mode 1. From a techno-typological point of view, this industry tallies quite well with the so-called Oldowan stage. It shows remarkable similarities with the oldest assemblages at Ubeidiya but, so far, with no occurrence of bifacial knapping. If the layers 17 and 18 of Hummal relate to this period dating back to 1.6 to 1.2 million years, these levels would be the oldest ones ever found in central Syria. However, as we have no absolute dating at our disposal so far, we will remain careful in assigning a chronological time span for these layers. For this area, from a stratigraphic point of view, the Oldowan levels of Hummal occur before the Acheulean and certainly before the Acheulean sequence of El Meirah (region of El Kowm) which is itself related to the period before Matuyama-Brunhes paleomagnetic reverse. Dating of the lowest sequence of Hummal is underway. If we take into account stratigraphic and techno-typological observations, we assume that the Oldowan-like levels of the site should be older than one million years at least. The sequence of Hummal is one of the largest in the Near-East. Therefore, it can be regarded as a key-site for world prehistory.     

模拟打制实验及其在丁村角页岩石器研究中的应用

模拟打制是史前考古研究中的重要实验考古方法之一,对于正确认识考古标本的类型和技术、解读当时人类的认知水平和知识积累具有不可取代的作用。本文简要回溯了模拟打制实验的发展史,并评述其应用现状。模拟打制实验在欧美有较长的发展与应用历史,但最终趋向了不同的发展方向。传统的模拟打制实验研究在欧洲得到了更加深入的继承和发展,而美国在上世纪90年代后期逐渐发展起了以定量控制、数理统计为核心的实验方法。本文以近期在山西丁村开展的角页岩模拟打制实验为例,介绍传统的模拟打制实验的基本流程和内容,包括实验的内容设计、实施及记录和分析等。本次实验结果肯定了硬锤锤击技术在丁村角页岩石核剥片和修理中的广泛应用,并在一定程度上否定了以往对使用碰砧法的推测。文章最后对模拟打制实验存在的问题和应用前景作了讨论和展望。     

试析中国长江中游地区大型尖状类石器遗存的区域传统

大型尖状类石器在长江中游地区相邻或相近的汉水上游、丹江口库区、三峡地区和澧阳平原等不同区域保存有不同的技术传统。汉中盆地的大型尖状类石器多选自河滩砾石为毛坯直接加工。丹江口库区无论是调查数据还是发掘数据其比例均高于汉中盆地,现有发掘材料来看其大型尖状类石器有稳定的传统,即选自砾石直接单面或两面加工而成,但调查的材料显示存在另外一种传统,即选取砾石生产长度大于10cm的大石片,以大石片为毛坯加工大型尖状类石器。三峡地区古人类在更新世期间似乎不存在有生产大型尖状类石器的传统,为数不多的手镐与当地的砾石砍砸器和石片砍砸器应当为"同质异型"类器物。澧阳平原及周边丘陵区内发现的大型尖状类石器相比于汉中盆地和丹江口库区,发现数量最多,技术传统也最为复杂,至少包括三种不同的技术。大型尖状类石器在不同区域显示不同的技术传统,暗示从中更新世开始长江中游地区可能在一定程度上形成了并不简单的文化关系。     

The carinated denticulates from the Paleolithic site of Isernia La Pineta (Molise,Central Italy): Tools or flaking waste? The results of the 1993 lithic experiments

During 1993 a campaing of lithic experiments was carried out near the National Paleolithic Museum and archaeological park at Isernia La Pineta, with the aim of reproducing the morphologies of the tools found at the Paleolithic site in order to try to understand the techniques used for their manufacture and the possible uses to which they were put. In this article the results of this work are presented. The flint artifacts were faithfully reproduced using the same types of raw material used by the prehistoric artisans, and using a variety of different techniques (anvil technique, direct percussion and bipolar technique), among which the bipolar technique seems to assume a particular importance. Of considerable interest is the fact that in the light of the experiments the denticulates and carinated becs, which at the site of Isernia La Pineta represent more than 90% of what are usually considered “tools” according to the conventional typological schemes, turned out in fact to be the residue of cores, that is flaking waste. Furthermore, flakes of small dimensions, derived from flint tablets or flakecores by means of the bipolar technique, were used as cutting tools in different possible activities and revealed their high degree of functionalism in contrast with the carinated “tools”. The analysis of the traces of wear have shown that the great majority of these are found on the small unretouched flakes rather than on the “tools” such as the denticulates and becs, thereby demonstrating that the latter represent blanks for obtaining real tools, that are the cutting edges of unretouched flakes. The industry from Isernia is thus shown to be very opportunistic, based on an intense exploitation of raw material and practically lacking those which, according to the conventional schemes usually adopted, can be considered as retouched “tools”.