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A problem of the bullet shaped cores : a global perspective

2002, 45, Tom 45, Nr B

Karol Szymczak

0000-0003-2735-3247

University of Warsaw, Faculty of Archaeology

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Publication date

06.01.2002

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open access

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CC BY 4.0 Int.

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Humanities

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archeology

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English

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Abstract

Summarizing the First Workshop on PPN Chipped Lithic Industries, held in Berlin, 29th of March - 2nd of April, 1993, S.K. Kozłowski and H.G. Gebel had proposed to divide a region of the Fertile Crescent into two main techno-taxonomical provinces: the eastern, comprising the piedmont of the Zagros together with adjacent lowlands, and the western, Levantinian one (KOZŁOWSKI, GEBEL 1994). The authors called these provinces: the eastern and the western wing of the Fertile Crescent. The most important difference between the lithic assemblages of these two provinces is the presence of the macrolithic tanged points and the naviform, double striking platform cores in the assemblages of the western wing and the willow-leaf or rhomboid (lozenge) shaped arrowheads accompanied by relatively numerous microliths and the bullet shaped (conical) cores in the assemblages of the eastern wing. In later works the western industries were called the Big Arrwoheads Industries (BAI; cf. AURENCHE, KOZŁOWSKI 1999, p. 61, tableau chronologique). Analysing this situation F. Hole (1996, p. 6-7) pointed out that the BAI single headed arrows are directly connected with an open steppe zone, while the microliths appear mainly in the upland regions, which could reflect the different hunting strategies. The same author (HOLE 1996, p. 7) suggests that the microlithic and bullet shaped core processing tradition generally should be confined to the mountainous regions, probably of Caucasus or Northern Zagros/ Taurus. Beliving that microlitization of stone tools in this region has a particulary long tradition reaching even Mousterian (HOLE 1970) through the Epipalaeolithic, he supposes, after M. L. Inizan (1985) that "the conical blade cores (... ) seem to have their earliest manifestation in Asia, implying that the technique of pressure flaking may have moved from east to west across the central Asian steppe". O. Bar-Yosef (1996, p. 208) is of an opinion that bullet shaped core technique has rather local, Caucasian origins. A useful definition of "bullet shaped core" was given by P.J. Wilke (1996, p. 289-290). "The term 'bullet shaped'", writes he, "refers to very regular and symmetrical cores of rather small size that are nearly parallelsided and of elongate conical form, and that were reduced around their entire perimeters". Other synonymous names for such cores also met in the archaeological texts are: "conical cores", "pyramidal cores" or, mainly in Russian literature, "pencil-like cores" ("karandashevidniye nukleusi"). Very important is further remark of P.J. Wilke: "It should be recognized at the outset, however, that through extensive reduction, larger prismatic-blade cores can grade gradually and imperceptibly into small, exhausted, bullet-shaped cores. The term 'bullet shaped' is thus rather arbitrary with respect to core size, and, to a certain extent, even to form". It would mean that we should not treat bullet shaped cores as a separate class, but rather as one of the phases of a successful application of a certain core reduction technique (cf. also WILKE 1996, p. 303, Fig. 2). Thus, to the same technical category should be also included the cores discarded in other phases of processing, such as prismatic ones, bearing exceptionally regular blade or bladelet negatives on their surfaces. Such cores could potentially turn into the bullet shaped ones if only their further processing could be continued. In this context an expression "bullet shaped" must be considered only as a signal word, covering in fact much wider category of core morphological classes (cf. also HILDEBRAND 1996, p. 195). With bullet shaped cores an application of pressure-blade technology is closely associated (INIZAN 1985, WILKE 1996, p. 291). Especially the cores with an angle between a platform and a surface close to the right one are highly possible to be worked with the use of pressure technique (PELLEGRIN 1984, WILKE 1996, p. 301). It cannot be forgotten than, that when we discuss the problems concerning bullet shape cores, such as their origins or distribution, at the same time we also have in mind the problems of the origins or distribution of the pressure technique. The maps showing distribution of the PPN flint assemblages with a significant share ofbullet shaped cores in the Near East were elaborated by several authors (INIZAN, LECHEVALLIER, 1994, p. 24, Fig. 1, WILKE 1996, Fig. 1). As we have said above, such assemblages appear nearly exclusively East of Tigris River, and perfectly mark a borderline between the eastern and the western wing of the Fertile Crescent. For some assemblages the specific figures of bullet shaped cores representation could be given: Ali Kosh - less than 90%, Asiab - 54.1%, Karim Shahir - 39.1% (HILDEBRAND 1996, p. 200, Table 2), Nemrik 9 - ca 50% (KOZŁOWSKI, SZYMCZAK 1990, p. 64, 71, Table A, see also fig. 1). After analysing the dates from Ali Kosh (C1 and C2 - 9.500-8.700 BP, B1 - 8.700-8.000 BP, A1 - 8.000 -7.600 BP), Asiab (9.755 ±85 BP), Karim Shahir (ca 10.850-10.550 BP) and Pa Sangar (older than 12.000 BP - with no bullet shaped cores present), E. A. Hildebrand (1996, p. 200, Table 2) concluded that the pressure technique must had appeared in Zagros region between 12.000 and ca 10.500 BP, to expand gradually during the following millenia (note that all 14C dates mentioned in this paper are given in conventional - uncalibrated - years BP). E. A. Hildebrand's opinion seems to stay in quite a good accordance with the chronological results from Nemrik 9, where the oldest series of 14C dates, which could be considered as probable, indicates the first half of the 12th millenium BP (PAZDUR 1992, p. 116, Table 1/VI). However, such an early chronology becames doubtful, if we have taken into account the results obtained in the M'lefaat site, where a share of bullet shaped cores is also significant (KOZŁOWSKI 1998, p. 196-197, Figs. 13, 14). The charcoal samples elaborated in the Gliwice Laboratory gave four dates between 14.000 and 12.000 BP, and another four between 11.000 and 9.500 BP (KOZŁOWSKI 1998, p. 188, Fig. 4). Yet, the repeated dates from the wet sieved botanical samples sent for the accelerator dating to the Oxford 14C Laboratory gave considerably younger results: 9.890 ±120 BP, 9.870 ±140 BP, 9.680 ±100 BP and 9.660 ±250 BP (KOZŁOWSKI 1998, p. 189). S.K. Kozłowski (1994; 1998, p. 189) is of an opinion that "ageing" is a general problem of the dates obtained from the Near Eastern charcoal samples: "Dates clearly earlier than could be expected are frequently being obtained from MiddleEastern sediments", writes he. According to the same author the accelerator dates from M'lefaat correspond with phase II in Nemrik, dated before to 11.300 ±200, 11.180 ±90 and 10.900 ±140 BP (PAZDUR 1992) and phase IIIA in Murreybet, dated to 11.150-10.950 BP (AURENCHE, KOZłOWSKI 1999, p. 178). Thus, if we introduced to our discussion a general "ageing correction", we would have to agree that the beginnings of a bullet shaped cores reduction with the use ofpressure technique should be dated to the first half of the 10th millenium BP, which is, as we will see below, not significantly earlier than in other cultural units of Eurasia. The maps presented by M.L. Inizan and M. Lechevallier (1994, p. 24, Fig. 1), F. Hole (1994, p. 332, Fig. 1), P.J. Wilke (1996, p. 291, Fig. 1) or O. Aurenche and S.K. Kozłowski (1999, p. 54, Fig. 7) show that the PPN sites with bullet shaped cores in the East reach only the western parts of the Iranian Plateau (Ganj Dareh, Abdoul Hossein), and do not cross a zone of the salty deserts. M.L. Inizan and M. Lechevallier (1994, p. 24, fig. 1) mark the single sites with pressure technique as far as in Afganistan and Pakistan. Yet, such a picture of distribution of the bullet shaped cores in the Early Holocene of the Old World is far incomplete. Besides some contributory papers discussing an occurrance of pressure technique in particular regions (INIZAN, LECHEVALLIER 1990; INIZAN, LECHEVALLIER, PLUMET 1992) we do not find any publication presenting a discussed phenomenon in whole. In this paper we would like to widen a view on this problem and show it in a global perspective, even though such an approach have brought us much more new questions than answers.

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