Broadening Horizons 3. Conference of Young Researchers - Khalili ...
Broadening Horizons 3. Conference of Young Researchers - Khalili ...
Broadening Horizons 3. Conference of Young Researchers - Khalili ...
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88<br />
Ferran Borrell and Oriol Vicente<br />
Sourcing the flint raw materials found at the Neolithic complex <strong>of</strong> Mamarrul Nasr (Douara Basin, Syria)<br />
Figure 3: General view <strong>of</strong> Mamarrul Nasr 2 after the test pit.<br />
kite .(Mamarrul .Nasr .14) .was .found .in .the .lower .part .<strong>of</strong> .the .passage .itself . .It .is .<br />
worth .mentioning .that .chipped .flint .was .the .only .material .found .on .the .surface .<strong>of</strong> .<br />
any .<strong>of</strong> .the .sites . .The .flint .used .seems .to .have .been .the .same .at .all .sites . .The .selected .<br />
raw .material .was .an .excellent .material .for .knapping; .it .was .light .brown .to .dark .<br />
brown-black .in .colour .and .had .a .chalky .cortex . .No .pottery .or .white .ware .sherd .or .<br />
other .evidence .<strong>of</strong> .later .occupation .was .found .during .the .two .field .surveys . .It .was .<br />
also .remarkable .that .no .trace .<strong>of</strong> .earlier .occupation .was .found .during .the .surveys, .<br />
although .evidence .<strong>of</strong> .earlier .periods .was .abundant .in .the .Douara .Basin .itself .(Akazawa<br />
.1979a) . .<br />
In .2008, .Mamarrul .Nasr .2 .was .pit .tested .(fig . .3) . .Rich .archaeological .deposits, .40 .<br />
cm .deep, .were .found .from .surface .to .bedrock .from .which .nearly .10,000 .flint .artefacts .<br />
were .recovered . .The .flint .was .brown, .fine-grained .as .described .above, .and .macroscopically<br />
.there .was .an .apparent .lack .<strong>of</strong> .variability .within .the .assemblage .<br />
The .study .<strong>of</strong> .the .lithics .from .Mamarrul .Nasr .2 .and .a .preliminary .investigation .<strong>of</strong> .<br />
the .material .found .on .surface .at .the .rest .<strong>of</strong> .the .sites .revealed .a .lack .<strong>of</strong> .variability .<br />
within .the .assemblages .(fig . .4) . .The .technology .was .extremely .consistent .and .the .reduction<br />
.trajectory .was .blade-oriented .with .opposed-platform .cores . .Diagnostic .traits .<br />
<strong>of</strong> . a . specific . bi-directional . reduction . sequence . termed . the . “<strong>of</strong>f-set . bi-directional .<br />
strategy” .were .identified .at .Mamarrul .Nasr .2 .and .at .the .other .sites .located .in .Mamar-<br />
001-352 <strong>Broadening</strong> horizons.indd 88 17/07/2012 16:38:48
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