Lower paleolithic butchery knives and carpentry tools: MODE 1 industry of “El Pino” (Campos del Paraíso, Cuenca, Spain)

Abstract

This paper contains the results of the archaeological campaigns carried out at the El Pino Site (Campos del Paraíso, Carrascosa del Campo, Cuenca, Spain). The stratigraphy belongs to the Valdejudíos River floodplain and is rich in Mode 1 prehistoric industry made from quartzite rolling stones. The site has been dated by Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), giving the last technique a terminus ante quem of 1 Ma for this technological horizon. The excellent preservation of the lithic surfaces has allowed us to discover the use given to the instruments through traceological methods. An effective usage of retouched and unretouched flakes (not the cores) for butchery, and rabots for processing wood is verified. The manufacturing operational systems of Mode 1 pieces have been studied and subsequently evaluated as being similar to the oldest ones of the Oldowan industries in Africa (2.6 Ma); however, they showed more “archaism” than other contemporary worldwide examples. The ineffectiveness of the idea of a linear evolution of material culture “from simplicity to complexity”, to assess the lithic technology of the European Lower Paleolithic, is revealed.