Abstract
The basins of the Manzanares and Jarama rivers have been connected to human activity since the early Palaeolithic. At the boundary between these rivers the abundance of flint has given place to exploitation and mining activities even in historical times. In recent years, projects related to urban expansion in the southeast of Madrid have brought to light various Palaeolithic deposits associated with workshops and tool production. These sites do not have evidence of river pebbles of quartzite, quartz or sandstone in the immediate environment that could have been used as hammerstones, meaning that hammerstones in these raw materials had to be transported and introduced into the sites from large distances. Given this situation, attention was paid to flint elements that show clear signs of being used as hammerstones. The aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of flint as hammerstone, testing whether the use of this raw material is indifferent to other rock types or if you have limitations or advantages in this regard. An experimental protocol was developed, allowing to observe specific knapping behaviours and justifying them in the archaeological and technological context in which they are located.
Highlights
The Evidence relating the re-use of flint cores and handaxes as hammerstones has become increasingly available (Moncel 1999; Claud et al 2010 Thiébaut et al 2010; Baena et al 2015a)
Even though flint hammerstones are not more effective than hammerstones in other raw materials, they represent a solution among different possibilities and resources provided by the environment
Actions carried out during flint knapping, such as abrasion, are hard to do with a flint hammerstone resulting in a tendency for errors
Summary
The Evidence relating the re-use of flint cores and handaxes as hammerstones has become increasingly available (Moncel 1999; Claud et al 2010 Thiébaut et al 2010; Baena et al 2015a). The aim of this study is to test the initial hypothesis that flint hammerstones are not as effective as quartzite, sandstone, granite or other raw materials. The northern and southern margins of the Madrid Basin consist of granitic igneous rocks that contrast with the basin units formed by lacustrine and alluvial materials (arkoses with carbonates, clays and gypsum) (López-Camacho et al 1986). The first archaeological site is called Calabazas I, and it is located at Vicálvaro, while the other archaeological sites known as CPD30 and Parcela 32 are located in Coslada Each of these sites presents particular models of deposits doi:10.2218/jls.v3i2.1442 associated to the course of the rivers and the local geological abundance of flint (Rus 1987; Baena Preysler et al 2000) (Figure 1)
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