CORE REDUCTION SEQUENCES: AN ANALYSIS OF BLANK PRODUCTION IN THE MIDDLE PALEOLITHIC OF NORTHERN BOSNIA (YUGOSLAVIA).

Abstract

The study of core reduction, or how little raw material was transformed into flakes which could be used for tools, is fundamental to the interpretation of most archaeological lithic assemblages. A distinction can be made in this regard between the "manner" of core reduction, or the mechanics of flake removal, and the "method" of its reduction, which focuses upon the sequence of core preparation and tool blank production. The emphasis in current lithic studies has been upon the former aspect of the core reduction process. Evidence for the method of flaking cores in prehistory has not been as widely or thoughtfully addressed and, consequently, a comprehensive theory and methodology for its study is lacking. This dissertation addresses itself to the problems of reconstructing core reduction sequences from archaeological assemblages of chipped stone. It introduces the theoretical background and associated methodology that is necessary to approach the study of the method of core reduction, without the aid of backfitting or the assumptions involved in replicative studies. This approach is based not only on the cores discarded after reduction but also on an interpretation of those features of the flakes that can inform upon their role and place in the core reduction sequence. The potential of the method is assessed through an analysis of blank production at several Middle Paleolithic sites in Northern Bosnia, Yugoslavia. Of these, the sites of Zobiste and Visoko Brdo form the basis of an interpretation of the core reduction strategies practiced in this area during the early Upper Pleistocene. This strategy is shown to be a result of the varying interaction between the nature of the raw material source, the intent of the knapper, and the principles of the lithic reduction process itself. The new data presented and the perspective achieved from the study of the core reduction sequence will be useful for future studies of the Middle Paleolithic in this area and in the comparison of these industries with other regions of the Old World.