Nemat Hariri; Mohsen Ranjbaran; Elham Ghasidian; Saman Heydari-Guran
Abstract
The Bawa Yawan rockshelter and cave complex, located in the west-central Zagros region of Iran, stands out as a significant Paleolithic site due to its spanning the three periods of ...
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The Bawa Yawan rockshelter and cave complex, located in the west-central Zagros region of Iran, stands out as a significant Paleolithic site due to its spanning the three periods of the Middle Paleolithic, Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic. This site exhibits a wide range of lithic artifacts, which were used by Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans between ca. 83-13.4 kya (TU / OSL Dating). In this study, we present preliminary results from macroscopic analysis of approximately 1000 lithic artefacts. Our initial findings indicate that over 99% of the utilized raw stones materials belong to the micro-cryptocrystalline sedimentary rock category, primarily due to their widespread availability. Less than 1% of the material fall into other categories, such as metamorphic and igneous rocks. The main results of this research indicate that the Middle Paleolithic groups (Neanderthals) used a more diverse range of raw stone materials than later groups. In contrast to the Upper Paleolithic to Epipaleolithic periods, people (Homo sapiens) become more specialized in the use of higher quality resources. This finding shows a relative difference in lithic raw material procurement strategies among Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens in the study area.
