Thermal activation characteristics and thermoluminescence of chert from the Red Wing, Ontario region, and its putative heat treatment in prehistory

• Autorzy: Godfrey-Smith D. I. , Bouchet-Bert L. , Von Bitter P. H. , Storck P. L.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

One of the still-outstanding questions in New World archaeology is whether prehistoric toolmakers here heat-treated chert raw material prior to the manufacture of stone tools, as had been demonstrated for a number of cultural loci in the Old World. This question is of particular relevance to our understanding of the technological behaviour of the Early Paleoindian people of the Parkhill complex, which has been dated between 10,400 and 11,300 14C years ago. To address it, we studied chert samples from in situ geological contexts, from reworked contexts such as glacier-plucked surface scatters or creek gravels, and from a nearby archaeological context. The samples from archaeological contexts have been flaked in antiquity, subsequently buried, and recovered during an archaeological excavation. We compared the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of these unknowns with those of experimentally annealed cherts. The control samples, collected and flaked from the lowest of four chert layers at the Fossil Hill Formation outcrop, were annealed for four hours at 300 C degrees, 400 C degrees, and 600 C degrees. Our investigation focused on the TL sensitivity of the 100°C TL peak, which is not present in natural TL but is easily observed by prompt TL following beta or gamma dose irradiation. This peak undergoes a greater sensitivity change than the high-temperature TL following heat treatment, therefore it may be considered a far more sensitive paleothermometer. The thermal activation characteristic (TAC) of the cherts was also examined. In addition, we studied the natural TL and dose response of the high-temperature TL of the cherts, and their response to illumination by natural light. On the basis of these investigations we conclude that prior heat treatment is readily detectable in Red Wing chert, however that it has not taken place in the archaeological material we examined. This conclusion is confirmed by the excessive apparent ages of the archaeological cherts, which are an order of magnitude higher than any reasonable archaeological estimates for the presence of humans in the New World. Chert self dose rates were based on ICPMS-determined U and Th radioisotope chain concentrations, and XRF-determined K concentrations. In addition, we found that the high-temperature TL signal in chert is sensitive to reduction by exposure to natural light. This may possibly yield a spuriously lower TL signal in surfacecollected archaeological material than in self-same geological samples collected recently, and may thus lead to an erroneous conclusion of past heat treatment. A correct procedure for the accurate detection of chert heat treatment in antiquity is proposed.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

paleoindian; heat treatment; chert; flint; parkhill complex; thermal activation; chert annealing; chert bleaching; thermoluminescence; fisher site; Ontario

• Wydawca: De Gruyter
• Czasopismo: Geochronometria
• Rocznik: 2005
• Tom: Vol. 24
• Strony: 13--20
• Opis fizyczny: Bibliogr. 15 poz., rys., tab.

Twórcy

autor

Godfrey-Smith D. I.

• Dept. of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4J1, Canada
• Defence R&D Canada – Ottawa, 3701 Carling Ave., Ottawa, ON, K1A 0Z4, Canada

autor

Bouchet-Bert L.

• Golder Associates Ltd., 1000, 940 - 6th Avenue S.W., Calgary, AB, T2P 3T1, Canada

autor

Von Bitter P. H.

• Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON, M5S 2C6, Canada

autor

Storck P. L.

• Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON, M5S 2C6, Canada

Bibliografia

• 1. Eley B.E. and P.H. von Bitter, 1989: Cherts of Southern Ontario. Publications in Archaeology, Royal Ontario Museum. Toronto.
• 2. Göksu H.Y., Weiser A. and Regulla D.F., 1990: 110°C TL peak records the ancient heat treatment of flint. Ancient TL 7(1): 15-17.
• 3. Mercier N., Valladas H. and Valladas G., 1992: Observations on palaeodose determination with burnt flints. Ancient TL 9: 28-32.
• 4. Mercier N., Valladas H., Froget L., Joron J.-L., Reyss J.-L., Balescu S., Escutenaire C., Kozlowski J., Sitlivy V., Sobczyk K. and Zieba A., 2003: Luminescence dates for the palaeolithic site of Piekary IIa (Poland): comparison between TL of burnt flints and OSL of a loess-like deposit. Quaternary Science Reviews 22: 1245-1249.
• 5. Pavlish L.A. and Sheppard P. J., 1983: Thermoluminescent determination of Paleoindian heat treatment in Ontario, Canada. American Antiquity 48: 793-799.
• 6. Roosa W.B., 1977: Great Lakes Palaeoindian: The Parkhill Site, Ontario. In: Newman W.S. and Salwen B., eds, Amerinds and their Palaeoenvironments in Northeastern North America, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 288: 346-354.
• 7. Stewart A., 1997: Inter-Area Assemblage Patterning and Site Formation. In: Storck P.L., ed., The Fisher Site: Archaeological, Geological and Paleobotanical Studies at an Early Paleo-Indian Site in Southern Ontario, Canada,. Memoir No. 30, Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan. Ann Arbor.: 163-188.
• 8. Storck P.L., ed., 1997: The Fisher Site: Archaeological, Geological and Paleobotanical Studies at an Early Paleo-Indian Site in Southern Ontario, Canada. With contributions by B.E. Eley, Q.H.J. Gwyn, J.H. McAndrews, A. Nolin, A. Stewart, J. Tomenchuk and P.H. von Bitter. Memoir No. 30, Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan. Ann Arbor.
• 9. Storck P.L. and J. Tomenchuk, 1990: An Early Paleoindian Cache of Informal Tools at the Udora Site, Ontario. In: Tankersley K.B. and Isaac, B.L., eds, Early Paleoindian Economies of Eastern North America. Research in Economic Anthropology, Supplement 5. JAI Press: Greenwick, Connecticutt; London: 45-93.
• 10. Storck P.L. and von Bitter P.H., 1989: The geological age and occurence of Fossil Hill Formation chert: Implications for Early Paleoindian settlement patterns in southern Ontario and North America. Chapter 7. In: Ellis C.J. and Lothrop J.C., eds, Eastern Paleoindian Lithic Resource Use, Westview Press: Boulder, San Francisco and London: 165-189.
• 11. Valladas H., 1983: Estimation de la temperature de chauffe de silex prehistoriques par leur thermoluminescence. Paris Comptes Rendus de l’Academie des Sciences 296: 993-996.
• 12. Valladas H., 1985: Some TL properties of burnt prehistoric flints. Nucl. Tracks 10: 785-788.
• 13. Valladas H., 1992: Thermoluminescence dating of flint. Quaternary Science Reviews 11: 1-5.
• 14. Valladas H. and Valladas G., 1987: Thermoluminescence dating of burnt flint and quartz: comparative results. Archaeometry 29(2): 214-220.
• 15. Weiner S., Xu Q., Goldberg P., Liu J. and Bar-Yosef O., 1998: Evidence for the use of fire at Zhoukoudian, China. Science 281: 251-253.