Certain types of Macrolithic Tools from the Neolithic Sites of Hasansu I and II
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52603/RA.XXII.1.2026_1Keywords:
Azerbaijan, Shomutepe culture, Neolithic settlement, macrolithic tools, querns, grinders, mortars, pestlesAbstract
The study examines the assemblages of macrolithic tools from the Neolithic settlements of Hasansu I and II within the framework of the food-producing economy of early farming communities. Stone tools played a fundamental role in plant processing – primarily cereals – as well as in the treatment of mineral resources such as ochre and salt and in the manufacture of another types of stone tools. The assemblage includes grinding slabs, hand stones, querns, mortars, pestles, and other heavyduty macrolithic tools made from volcanic, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. These raw materials were either intentionally shaped through grinding, pecking and flaking or utilized without prior shaping. Beyond typological classification, the study applies macroscopic use-wear analysis to identify functional patterns and reconstruct operational sequences. The diversity of grinding systems – characterized by reciprocal, circular, irregular, and percussive motions – demonstrates a technologically flexible and functionally differentiated processing system associated with food production and craft activities. Comparative analysis reveals close typological, quantitative and raw material strategy parallels with early settlements of Shomutepe culture dated to the beginning of the 6th millennium BCE, contributing to a clearer understanding of regional technological traditions during the initial stages of agricultural economy.
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