Flint sources and mobility at the Chalcolithic (3500–2200 BCE) settlement of Zambujal (Portugal)

Abstract

AbstractProvenance studies of the siliceous sedimentary raw material used by ancient communities are essential to understanding the mobility and exchange networks of these communities. The establishment of the direct procurement territory is the first step to understanding the role of the ‘imported’ artefacts. In this study, flint cores, flakes, bladelets and debitage from the Chalcolithic settlement of Zambujal (Estremadura, Portugal), recovered in excavations between 1964 and 1979, are analysed. We attempt to identify the local and regional source areas of these stone materials and compare their petrography (facies and microfacies textures). This study demonstrates the importance of employing three scales of analysis in petrographic studies (the macro‐, meso‐ and micro‐) to structure and determine flint provenance. Analysis of cortical material shows the relevance of secondary detrital outcrops during the Chalcolithic of the Portuguese Estremadura. Small cobbles were directly collected in both local and regional formations dated to the Palaeogene and Cenomanian, in a large (approx. 40 km) exploration territory, to produce expedient and specialized artefacts (i.e., bladelets). However, a large portion of stone tools from Zambujal made from Cenomanian flint cannot be assigned to local or regional procurement. The unclear provenance of these materials suggests directions for future research.