Abstract
The production of lime plaster is especially important as a technological development in human prehistory as it requires advanced knowledge and skills to transform rocks to a plastic yet durable material. The large-scale production of lime plaster is considered a development of farming societies during the Neolithic period around 10,000 years ago. To date, the archaeological evidence from the Middle and Late Epipalaeolithic in the southern Levant (c. 17,000-11,500 cal BP) indicates that only initial production of partially carbonated lime plaster was performed by Palaeolithic foragers. Our study analysed lime plaster covering burials at a Natufian cemetery in Nahal Ein Gev II, dating to 12,000 years ago. Using infrared spectroscopy and soil micromorphology we show how this lime plaster is of an unprecedented high quality and we reconstruct its production. The results exhibit a technological leap forward at the end of the Palaeolithic. We provide a new model for understanding the evolutionary paths of lime plaster technology during the Palaeolithic-Neolithic transition.
Highlights
The knowledge and skill to produce synthetic materials using fire is one of several important trajectories in the technological evolution of human history
In order to follow the cultural, economic and technological characteristics during the Palaeolithic–Neolithic transition, we study the Late Natufian site Nahal Ein-Gev II (NEG II) dated to 12.5–12 k cal BP (Grosman et al 2016)
Beyond the mere identification of lime plaster at NEG II cemetery, we use our data to suggest a reconstruction of the technology involved in its production
Summary
The knowledge and skill to produce synthetic materials using fire is one of several important trajectories in the technological evolution of human history. Fire can be used as a tool to transform materials into new materials with new properties (e.g. cooking food, making pottery out of clay and making durable plaster from rocks). Quicklime powder is produced by burning rocks (commonly limestone, chalk and marl) at very high temperatures (>700°C). The plaster retains durable properties and exhibits a hard surface. Technological developments in the making of lime plaster included the addition of different materials to give the plaster different properties, for example better binding properties or resistance to water (Boynton 1980). The technology behind lime plaster production necessitates intricate knowledge and skills
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