A New Settlement from the Epi-Palaeolithic Period: The Operational Sequence and Techno-Typology of the Knapped Stone Industry at the Kızılin Site (Antalya, Turkey)

ABSTRACT

Kızılin is a cave settlement within the provincial borders of Antalya. The settlement is dated to the Epi-palaeolithic period. Some knapped stone findings were identified during the terrace excavation conducted in this site. This study focuses on examining the knapped stone chaîne opératoire of the inhabitants, and on analyzing the knapped stone findings by a techno-typological approach. Our analyses led us to identify all technological phases of knapped stone process practiced at the Kızılin site. Typologically, the knapped stone tool industry was found to consist of microliths and macroliths. It has been observed that the microliths are higher in number compared to the macroliths. In this context, the results obtained were compared with the Epi-palaeolithic layers of Öküzini and Karain settlements where their similarities and differences are revealed.

KEYWORDS:

• Anatolia
• Epi-palaeolithic
• knapped stone
• techno-typology
• macrolith
• microlith

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank to Prof. Dr. Metin Kartal, who is head of Kızılin excavation, for all his support and permitting us to publish this article. We would also like to thank to Otis Crandell, who has read and corrected this article, for his proofreading.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Knapped stone typology list

(A)	MICROLITHS GEOMETRIC MICROLITHS Crescent Isosceles Triangle Short Scalene Triangle Trapeze Atypical Isosceles Triangle Asymmetrical Trapeze Atypical Trapeze
(2)	NON-GEOMETRIC MICROLITHS
(A)	BACKED BLADELET Straight Backed Bladelet Single-edge-retouched Backed Bladelet Obliquely Truncated Backed Bladelet Inverse Retouched Backed Bladelet Alternately Retouched Backed Bladelet Partially Backed Bladelet Partially Retouched (on One Edge) and Backed Bladelet Backed Bladelet with Side-Blow Technique Truncation Double Backed Bladelet Various Backed Bladelet
(B)	RETOUCHED BLADELET Retouched Bladelet Partially Retouched Bladelet Inverse Retouched Bladelet Alternately Retouched Bladelet Retouched Bladelet on Both Edges Partially Inverse Retouched Crested Bladelet Retouched Crested Bladelet Notched Bladelet
(C)	POINT Microgravette Point Micro Point Narrow Micropoint
(D)	TRANCATED BLADELET Obliquely Truncated Bladelet Bladelet with Side-Blow Technique Truncation Partially Retouched Obliquely Truncated Bladelet Bladelet with Straight Basal Truncation Partially Inverse Retouched Bladelet with Obliquely Basal Truncation Inverse Retouched Bladelet with Oblique Truncation Obliquely Double Truncated Bladelet Bladelet with Obliquely Basal Truncation, Bladelet with Side-Blow Technique Truncation
(E)	OTHER MICROLITHS
(3)	MICROBURIN Krukowski Microburin Microburin
(4)	UNIDENTIFIED MICROLITHS
(B)	MACROLITHS (1) BURIN Burin on Core Burin on Flake Burin on Core Fragment Burin Spall Burin on Tabular Raw Material Burin on Blade (2) END SCRAPER Micro-End Scraper End Scraper on Flake End Scraper on Blade End Scraper on Proximal End Double End Scraper Carinated End Scraper on Core End Scraper on Retouched Blade End Scraper on Inverse Retouched Flake Carinated End Scraper Inverse End Scraper Micro-End Scraper on Proximal End End Scraper on Core Carinated Micro-End Scraper End Scraper on Retouched Flake (3) RETOUCHED BLADE Partially Retouched Blade Blade Retouched on One Edge Retouched Crested Blade Inverse Retouched Plunging Blade Partially Retouched Plunging Blade Alternating Retouched Blade Partially Inverse Retouched Blade Retouched Plunging Blade Alternately Retouched Blade Inverse Retouched Blade Alternately Retouched Crested Blade (4) RETOUCHED FLAKE Retouched Flake on One Edge Partially Retouched Flake Alternately Retouched Flake Inverse Retouched Flake (5) NOTCHED TOOL Notched Tool Inverse Notched Tool Wide Notched Tool Double Notched Tool (6) DOUBLE TOOL Burin-End Scraper Burin-Carinated End Scraper Burin-Piece Esquille Burin-Core Tool Burin-Scraper End Scraper-Perforator Notched Tool-Retouched Flake Notched Tool-Retouched Blade (7) PIECE ESQUILLE (8) DENTICULATED TOOL Denticulated Tool on Blade Alternating Denticulated Tool Micro-Denticulated Tool (9) TRUNCATED BLADE Concave Truncated Blade Obliquely Truncated Blade Blade with Obliquely Basal Truncation Straight Truncated Blade (10) CORE TOOL (11) UNIDENTIFIED MACROLITHS (12) OTHER MACROLITHS (13) HEAVY DUTY TOOL (14) PERFORATOR (15) POINT

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Eşref Erbil

Eşref Erbil is a research assistant at the Department of Prehistory, Ankara University.

Gizem Kartal

Gizem Kartal is an assistant professor at the Department of Prehistory, Ankara University.

Zeynep Beyza Ağirsoy

Zeynep Beyza Ağırsoy is a PhD Student at the Department of Archaeology (Prehistory), Ankara University, Graduate School of Social Science.