Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.33254/piaz.41.1.5
Field research at the site of Abri Kontija 002 in the seasons of 2022 and 2023
Ivor Janković
orcid.org/0000-0001-5175-6885
; Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, Croatia
*
James C. M. Ahern
orcid.org/0000-0002-6705-5538
; Department of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
Rory Becker
; Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Eastern Oregon University, La Grande, OR, USA
Darko Komšo
orcid.org/0000-0001-9772-7481
; Archaeological Museum in Pula, Pula, Croatia
Siniša Radović
orcid.org/0000-0001-7838-7952
; Institute for Quaternary Palaeontology and Geology, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Croatia
Nikola Vukosavljević
orcid.org/0000-0002-9369-2813
; Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Lia Vidas
orcid.org/0000-0001-6686-7086
; Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The paper presents the results of archaeological research at the site of Abri Kontija 002 during the seasons of 2022 and 2023. The research was conducted as part of the project “Prehistoric hunter-gatherers in Istria and adjacent regions: Patterns of Late Pleistocene lifestyle and mobility” (PREHISTRIA). During the excavations, numerous archaeological materials from the Late Pleistocene were found, samples were taken for various kinds of analyses (radiometric dating, sediment for aDNA analyses, geoarchaeological samples), geophysical measurements were conducted, etc. Preliminary results indicate a high intensity and certain continuity in the use of the site over several thousand years. The large presence of certain animal species, with bones showing signs of anthropogenic modifications (butchering marks, fragmentation, traces of fire), suggests a selection or focus on certain species (such as horses). The abundance of lithic finds which include all parts of the operational chain, points to the production of stone tools in situ; the finds of finished tools indicate their disposal at the site itself. The results of the analyses so far, as well as radiocarbon dates, indicate human activity in this part of the Adriatic during the Middle Upper Palaeolithic.
Keywords
Upper Palaeolithic; Pleistocene; prehistoric archaeology; Istria; Late Glacial; PREHISTRIA
Hrčak ID:
320697
URI
Publication date:
16.9.2024.
Visits: 355 *