Percorrer por autor "Frahm, Ellery"
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- The role of lithic technology in shaping mobility and decision-making: the case of Ararat-1 CavePublication . Cabrita Nora, David André; Frahm, Ellery; Oikonomou, Ioannis A.K.; Karampaglidis, Theodoros; Gasparyan, Boris; Petrosyan, Artur; Buller, Ariel MalinskyStudies of lithic technological organization have progressed from static typological classifications to analyses of dynamic processes of tool production, use, and discard. These analyses reveal the intricate interplay of human behavior and environmental adaptation. This paper investigates lithic technology, emphasizing the dichotomy of curated and expedient technologies by examining the differential strategies employed in raw material acquisition, tool production, and discard. It also explores how environmental, economic, and mobility factors interplay and shape lithic assemblages. Focusing on Ararat-1 cave, a late Middle Paleolithic site in the Armenian Highlands, we conducted an integrative techno-typological study of 1770 lithic artefacts spanning five stratigraphic units, identifying distinct raw material reduction strategies for obsidian and chert. Obsidian artefacts exhibited a focus on retouching and rejuvenation, indicative of curated technologies associated with high residential mobility, while the chert showed evidence of primary reduction and blank production, reflecting expedient strategies. By integrating module flake analysis and reviewing the Whole Assemblage Behavioral Indicators (WABI) framework, suggesting the addition of smaller debitage, we highlighted dual mobility patterns reflected in the site assemblage. This approach offers a refined understanding of lithic technological systems, providing insights into MIS 3 mobility and site function in the Armenian Highlands.
- Scales of toolstone transport in the Armenian Highlands during MIS 3: The contribution of Ararat-1 Cave (Ararat Depression) to reconstructing opportunities for social interactionsPublication . Frahm, Ellery; Cabrita Nora, David André; Gasparyan, Boris; Petrosyan, Artur; Malinsky-Buller, ArielMarine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, ranging from around 57,000 to 29,000 years ago, is a period of significant archaeological interest due to notable transitions in lithic technology and hominin populations. In Europe, this time saw the replacement of Middle Palaeolithic (MP) technologies associated with Neanderthals by Upper Palaeolithic (UP) technologies linked to anatomically modern humans (AMHs). This technological shift is conventionally attributed to a demographic turnover; however, the timing of this transition varied regionally. The presence of Neanderthals and AMHs in the Levant, western Europe, and elsewhere over extended periods complicates the narrative, suggesting asynchronous and regionally diverse associations of hominin species and lithic technologies. This study shifts the attention to potential technological and cultural transmissions among MP- and UP-making groups, emphasizing the roles of social and exchange networks. Recent data from the obsidian-rich Armenian Highlands enable us to consider the mobility and land use of these groups without the added complication of toolstone with different knapping qualities, so patterns more clearly reflect mobility patterns, land use strategies, and potential social connections of foraging groups. These results suggest that, while MP-making groups in MIS 3 had overlapping territories, the UP-making groups at Aghitu-3 had smaller movements on the landscape. In contrast, MIS 2 sites with UP lithic assemblages have resource territories that apparently overlapped much like those of the MIS 3 MP sites. The findings hint at the possibility that differing mobility and land use during MIS 3 might have contributed to the coexistence of distinct lithic technologies, potentially through social transmission rather than a direct replacement of hominin populations.
- Short-term occupations at high elevation during the Middle Paleolithic at Kalavan 2 (Republic of Armenia)Publication . Malinsky-Buller, Ariel; Glauberman, Philip; Ollivier, Vincent; Lauer, Tobias; Timms, Rhys; Frahm, Ellery; Brittingham, Alexander; Triller, Benno; Kindler, Lutz; Knul, Monika V.; Krakovsky, Masha; Joannin, Sebastian; Hren, Michael T.; Bellier, Olivier; Clark, Alexander A.; Blockley, Simon P. E.; Arakelyan, Dimidry; Marreiros, João; Paixaco, Eduardo; Calandra, Ivan; Ghukasyan, Robert; Nora, David; Nir, Nadav; Adigyozalyan, Ani; Haydosyan, Hayk; Gasparyan, BorisThe Armenian highlands encompasses rugged and environmentally diverse landscapes and is characterized by a mosaic of distinct ecological niches and large temperature gradients. Strong seasonal fluctuations in resource availability along topographic gradients likely prompted Pleistocene hominin groups to adapt by adjusting their mobility strategies. However, the role that elevated landscapes played in hunter-gatherer settlement systems during the Late Pleistocene (Middle Palaeolithic [MP]) remains poorly understood. At 1640 m above sea level, the MP site of Kalavan 2 (Armenia) is ideally positioned for testing hypotheses involving elevation-dependent seasonal mobility and subsistence strategies. Renewed excavations at Kalavan 2 exposed three main occupation horizons and ten additional low densities lithic and faunal assemblages. The results provide a new chronological, stratigraphical, and paleoenvironmental framework for hominin behaviors between ca. 60 to 45 ka. The evidence presented suggests that the stratified occupations at Kalavan 2 locale were repeated ephemerally most likely related to hunting in a high-elevation within the mountainous steppe landscape.
- Snakes and ladders: a technological approach to tool maintenance byproducts using module flake categoriesPublication . Cabrita Nora, David André; Malinsky-Buller, Ariel; Gasparyan, Boris; Petrosyan, Artur; Frahm, ElleryThe study of retouching, reshaping, and rejuvenation in lithic technology has traditionally focused on finished tools, overlooking the byproducts of these processes, particularly microdebitage. This emphasis has led to an incomplete understanding of the dynamic behaviours associated with tool maintenance and a lack of crucial information about prehistoric technological strategies. In this study, we address this knowledge gap. Specifically, we introduce a classification system for lithic byproducts resulting from retouching, reshaping, and rejuvenation techniques, categorising them into five modules (M0 through M4) based on lithic technological analysis. This methodology integrates the chaîne opératoire approach to analyse flakes without size thresholds. To demonstrate our approach, we apply it to lithic assemblages from two Middle Palaeolithic sites in Armenia, Kalavan 2 and Ararat-1 Cave. This enables a precise reconstruction of tool use-life and, in turn, the maintenance strategies of Pleistocene hunter-gatherers. Our findings demonstrate that microdebitage (byproducts) can contribute to a holistic view of decision-making, revealing patterns in tool maintenance and raw material provisioning. The module system provides insights on ‘ghost tools’ i., e., tools that are no longer present in the archaeological record, as well as curation behaviours and economic decisions regarding raw materials that were previously difficult to discern. By shifting the focus from finished artefacts to byproducts, this framework enhances our ability to interpret lithic assemblages and understand the adaptive strategies of prehistoric hunter-gatherers.