Viola Schmid et al. - The Role of Anvil and Bipolar Flaking on Quartz in the South African Robberg
Channel: La tribune d'AnTET
Date: 2023-05-19

Title: "The Role of Anvil and Bipolar Flaking on Quartz in the South African Robberg".
Abstract: "The Robberg technocomplex is an early southern African phase of the Later Stone Age (LSA) of considerable homogeneity. Its (proposed) characteristics are raw material selection oriented toward fine-grained rocks, including quartz, and a lithic technical system comprising several reduction strategies geared towards to production of miniaturized blanks. The different reduction sequences aiming at bladelets and small (elongated) flakes involve freehand, bipolar, or anvil percussion as well as combinations thereof. Although the use of anvils in the Robberg as a technical solution to stabilize the cores and to overcome dimensional or convexity problems has long been known, extent, output, and expression of diagnostic discriminatory stigmata of anvil-assisted and bipolar on anvil technique still needs more in-depth research. We compare Robberg layers from two South African sites, namely of the recent excavations at Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter (KwaZulu-Natal) and Heuningneskrans (Limpopo) performing a technological analysis of the lithic assemblages. We identify at both sites, primarily for quartz, different reduction strategies to obtain bladelets and small flakes, including the application of freehand percussion and anvil flaking. Cores and blanks demonstrate varying features indicating that craftspeople used different ways of anvil flaking, namely bipolar and anvil percussion. We examine the importance and role of these techniques in the technical systems of these Robberg assemblages. To substantiate the archaeological observations and, as we seek to provide distinguishing characteristics between bipolar and anvil percussion regarding the production of diminutive end-products, we conduct knapping experiments on quartz pebbles using quartz hammerstones of different weights and a sandstone anvil. The replicator decides due to experience and direct interaction with the material for hammerstone, gesture, orientation of core and insertion of core preparation/maintenance phase. The procedure consists of visual (videos and photos) and analogous (protocol sheets) documentation as well as collecting and labelling of experimental products and cores. We record relevant features based on the archaeological material as well as an extensive literature review in a database for the purpose of quantification and statistics. Our results allow to elaborate on the importance of bipolar/anvil percussion in the Robberg and to expand our comprehension of the diversity of anvil flaking."