Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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The Quina Mousterian is a Late Middle Palaeolithic technocomplex recognised mainly in Southern and Western Europe. It has been argued that Neanderthal groups developed this technology to cope with...Show moreThe Quina Mousterian is a Late Middle Palaeolithic technocomplex recognised mainly in Southern and Western Europe. It has been argued that Neanderthal groups developed this technology to cope with the decreasing global temperatures and the environmental changes of the last glaciation (Weichselian). The Quina system is so far unattested in North Europe, where the climatic fluctuations derived from the Weichselian glaciation were arguably more pronounced and quicker. This research studies the stone tool assemblage from the open-air surface site of Colmont-Ponderosa (South Limburg, The Netherlands). The techno-typological study of the lithics from the site reveals that some Middle Palaeolithic groups of the region were users of versatile and less prepared technologies, with short flaking sequences to produce blanks with a long use-life potential. The tool typologies of the assemblage are dominated by denticulates and notches rather than “Quina” scrapers. The study of the lithics depicts a strong presence of Quina technology over Discoid and Levallois flaking systems, which are virtually absent in the assemblage of Colmont-Ponderosa. The stone tools from the site show a high degree of reduction and ramification. This is evident in the characteristics of the flakes, modified pieces as well as the cores. This thesis demonstrates that the Quina technology was indeed present at some point in time in the Northern latitudes but it was more focused on the recycling and re-using of tools and blanks rather than on the production of specific tool typologies as is the case in typical Quina sites in Southwestern France, for example. This research further employs a behavioural ecological approach to the archaeological record of the case study to demonstrate that the variability within the Quina entity as portrayed in the assemblage of the site might be related to a specific behavioural pattern consisting of a highly mobile, logistic, and economic lifestyle. This ecological approach to lithic technology further shows that the economic behaviour visible in the lateral and secondary recycling embedded within the technological production cycle, contributed to the creation of the archaeological record, generating a feedback loop in which the archaeological record is shaped by and shapes behaviours. This thesis illustrates that, at some point in time, Middle Palaeolithic groups in Northern Europe were indeed users of the Quina technological system, adding more diversity to the studies that link Northern Europe to a Levallois-based technology, Discoid flaking systems, and bifacial shaping. The presence of the Quina technology in the northern fringes of the Neanderthals’ ecological niche shows the diversity and adaptive flexibility of Neanderthal behaviour at the time of the Weichselian glaciation. This work further proposes that a more behavioural ecological approach to the study of lithic technology can help in understanding the variability within the Mousterian archaeological record.Show less
Extensive research has been conducted into cumulative culture; however, whether its evolutionary origins leans more toward learned social or individual cognitive abilities remains contested. The...Show moreExtensive research has been conducted into cumulative culture; however, whether its evolutionary origins leans more toward learned social or individual cognitive abilities remains contested. The aim of this thesis is to further the process of identifying the relation between social and individual cognitive abilities during the emergence of cumulative culture within human evolution. More specifically, at the Lower Palaeolithic site of Dmanisi, Georgia (approximately 1.8 mya), where the earliest Homo remains were discovered outside Africa. This is attempted by means of the stepwise framework developed by Stout et al. (2019). Here, its use is aimed at differentiating variation in learning mechanisms within the Oldowan lithic assemblages found at Dmanisi. The results of the lithic analysis failed to provide evidence for behaviour copying due to limitations in available data. This results in two possible scenarios that may explain the patterns seen in the assemblage. (1) The Hominins at Dmanisi may have continuously reinvented lithic technologies lacking the ability to retain specific behaviours in the population over large periods of time. There is a high degree of variability in behaviour copying across the spatiotemporal dimension during the Lowerpalaeolithic. (2) The Hominins at Dmanisi did possess the cognitive abilities for behaviour copying. This would suggest the technological tendencies in the lithic analysis are indicative of a more uniform emergence of cumulative culture. Finally, suggestions are provided to investigate the presence of behaviour copying at Dmanisi with higher accuracy.Show less
