TRACING THE CHANGES: LATE PALAEOLITHIC AND EARLY MESOLITHIC LITHIC PROJECTILE POINTS IN LATVIA скачать в хорошем качестве

TRACING THE CHANGES: LATE PALAEOLITHIC AND EARLY MESOLITHIC LITHIC PROJECTILE POINTS IN LATVIA

Projectile points, representing one of the most distinctive tool forms in lithic collections, can serve as an important diagnostic factor to determine the presence of a certain archaeological industry or culture in a region. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to present Late Palaeolithic and Early Mesolithic (11th – 9th millennium BC) lithic projectile points from present-day Latvia, focus-ing on both morphological and technological attributes as well as on dating problems.It is possible to divide flint projectile points from Latvia (67 in total) into four main types, all produced from non-local, high-qual-ity Cretaceous flint. Even though each type has its own specific characteristics, some of them share common technological attributes.The first two types – tanged and willow-leaf points – are associated with the banks of two major rivers, the Daugava and Lielupe, representing the Swiderian technological tradition (Salaspils Laukskola and Avotiņi sites). Both tanged and willow-leaf points were produced from the same blank type. Based on similar material in the Baltic region, the tanged type is assigned to the Late Palaeolithic, while the willow-leaf type is dated to the end of the Late Palaeolithic and beginning of the Mesolithic. However, due to the lack of datable material on sites, it is not possible to determine the exact time these points were in use in present-day Latvia. Two other tanged point types – long, regular and smaller forms – are the Pulli types and have been found as stray finds in the River Daugava basin and at Early Mesolithic sites in NE (Zvejnieki II) and SE (Kvapani II) Latvia, dated to the 9th millennium BC. The use of smaller, less regular tanged points continued even later in the Mesolithic. All the points from Latvia are analyzed in the context of all the Eastern Baltic traditions. Author(s): Kalnins, Marcis (Faculty of History and Philosophy, University of Latvia) - Zagorska, Ilga (Institute of Latvian Histo-ry, University of Latvia)