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. 2019 Jun 20;14(6):e0213473.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213473. eCollection 2019.

Hafting of Middle Paleolithic tools in Latium (central Italy): New data from Fossellone and Sant'Agostino caves

Ilaria Degano  1 , Sylvain Soriano  2 , Paola Villa  3   4   5 , Luca Pollarolo  5   6 , Jeannette J Lucejko  1 , Zenobia Jacobs  7   8 , Katerina Douka  9   10 , Silvana Vitagliano  11 , Carlo Tozzi  12
Affiliations

Hafting of Middle Paleolithic tools in Latium (central Italy): New data from Fossellone and Sant'Agostino caves

Ilaria Degano et al. PLoS One. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Hafting of stone tools was an important advance in the technology of the Paleolithic. Evidence of hafting in the Middle Paleolithic is growing and is not limited to points hafted on spears for thrusting or throwing. This article describes the identification of adhesive used for hafting on a variety of stone tools from two Middle Paleolithic caves in Latium, Fossellone Cave and Sant'Agostino Cave. Analysis of the organic residue by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry shows that a conifer resin adhesive was used, in one case mixed with beeswax. Contrary to previous suggestions that the small Middle Paleolithic tools of Latium could be used by hand and that hafting was not needed since it did not improve their functionality, our evidence shows that hafting was used by Neandertals in central Italy. Ethnographic evidence indicates that resin, which dries when exposed to air, is generally warmed by exposure to a small fire thus softened to be molded and pushed in position in the haft. The use of resin at both sites suggests regular fire use, as confirmed by moderate frequencies of burnt lithics in both assemblages. Lithic analysis shows that hafting was applied to a variety of artifacts, irrespective of type, size and technology. Prior to our study evidence of hafting in the Middle Paleolithic of Italy was limited to one case only.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Map of Grotta del Fossellone (41°13’26.29” N; 13°04’50.53” E) and Grotta di Sant’Agostino (41°14’01” N; 13°30’13.08” E).
Fig 2
Fig 2. Plan and section of Grotta del Fossellone.
(A) Plan of the cave with location of the 2012 fieldwork, intact remnants of Pleistocene deposits and approximate provenience of F23α sample from the 1947–1953 excavation. Modified from [50]. (B) Schematic longitudinal section of the cave showing the large opening in the roof, modified from [49]. Courtesy of the Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Grotta del Fossellone.
Position of samples for luminescence dating in relation to the stratigraphic units defined in 2012.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Grotta del Fossellone, layer 23 alpha.
Stone tools with analyzed residue. The white arrow indicates the analyzed sample; R indicates macroscopically visible residue. All of flint except (B). (A) F1, side scraper. (B) F4, unretouched flake, silicified limestone, oriented according to the debitage axis; (C) detail of F4. (D) F5, transverse scraper, oriented according to the morphological axis; (E) F3, side scraper. Significant molecular markers of organic materials were found in all these pieces. Four other artifacts that gave no significant results are illustrated in Fig P in S2 File. Scale bar = 1 cm.
Fig 5
Fig 5. View of Grotta di Sant’Agostino.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Stone tools with analyzed residue from Sant’Agostino cave, layer A1, all tools are of flint.
The white arrow indicates the analyzed sample; R indicates macroscopically visible residue. (A) Levallois flake no. L2; (B) transverse scraper no. 362, oriented according to the morphological axis; (C) Side scraper no. 114; (D) Side scraper no. 258; (E) Scraper no. 211; (F) Transverse scraper no. 268; (G) Small unretouched flake, catalogue no. M1. All pieces gave significant results with the exception of (G). Scale bar = 1 cm.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Chromatographic profile obtained for lipid-resinous fraction of sample F1.
The numbers refer to Table 8. IS1 = hexadecane, IS2 = tridecanoic acid, •: branched fatty acids, *: phthalate contamination.
Fig 8
Fig 8. Chromatographic profile obtained for lipid-resinous fraction of sample AGO4 no. 258.
The numbers refer to Table 8. IS1 = hexadecane, IS2 = tridecanoic acid, *: phthalate contamination.
Fig 9
Fig 9. Inset of the GC/MS profile of sample AGO 10 (the Levallois flake) highlighting the peaks due to methyl-dehydroabietate (Me-DHA), dehydroabietic acid (DHA) and 7-oxo-dehydroabietic acid (7-oxo-DHA).
The full chromatogram is presented in Fig K in S2 File.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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