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Pré-Publication, Document De Travail Année : 2023

Diversity and similarity in the Ceramic Age lapidary production in the Caribbean islands

Résumé

Personal ornaments are an important part of the archaeological record, as theyprovide valuable insights into various aspects of past human societies. Amongthese ornaments, those made of lithic materials are particularly significant due to their wide distribution and excellent preservation in archaeological sites. In the Caribbean islands, during the Ceramic Age, lapidary artifacts exhibit remarkable abundance and diversity in terms of both raw materials and typology. While archaeologists have previously highlighted differences between the Saladoid and Post-Saladoid periods, this was based on incomplete data without robust mineralogical or typological identification. A South-American origin of the specific lapidary production of the Early Ceramic period has been proposed, following the origin of Ceramic production styles, but relies on the same incomplete data. In this article, I demonstrate that robust analysis of extensive datasets, combining first-hand identification and literature survey, enables to address the questions of spactial and temporal distribution, diversity and similarity of lithic beads and pendants during the Caribbean Age in the Antilles. The study reveals that the Early and Middle Ceramic periods exhibit higher raw material and typological diversity compared to later periods. Furthermore, similarities are greater between sites attributed to the same period than between geographically close sites, both in terms of mineralogy and typology. Finally, I establish that the lapidary production during the Early Ceramic Age differs significantly between South American sites and Saladoid sites in the archipelago. Some indications pointing to the Isthmo-Colombian area are proposed, which will require further research to enhance our understanding to the same level as that of the Caribbean islands, enabling advanced comparisons.
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Dates et versions

hal-04238180 , version 1 (09-01-2024)

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Alain Queffelec. Diversity and similarity in the Ceramic Age lapidary production in the Caribbean islands. 2023. ⟨hal-04238180⟩
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