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Pedro Xavier
LandS/Lab2PT – Laboratório de Paisagens, Património e Território, Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal
Portugal
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4217-0126
Carlos Alves
LandS/Lab2PT - Laboratório de Paisagens, Património e Território e Dept. Ciências da Terra/Escola de Ciências, Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal
Portugal
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3943-3340
Vol. 41 (2019), Articles, pages 123-139
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17979/cadlaxe.2019.41.1.5820
Submitted: Dec 2, 2019 Published: Dec 2, 2019
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Abstract

Geological raw materials are an important component of the archaeological record in the Prehistory (namely due to their persistence under buried conditions) and pinpointing their original position on the geological context could give important information about activities of ancient human groups. However, archaeological lithic artefacts impose strict restrictions on analytical procedures due to the need to preserve features with cultural meaning, which might affect the effectiveness of the analytical procedure. We attempt here a critical overview of non-destructive techniques for the search of the source of geological raw materials used to make prehistoric lithic artefacts, highlighting issues involved in the interactions between techniques and study objects. It is emphasized that the success of provenance studies will strongly depend on the sensitivity of the analyses undertaken to the characteristics of the sample, as well as the geological information available.

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