Cyprus: The submerged final Palaeolithic of Aspros Dive Site C
Ammerman, A.J. (2020). Cyprus: The submerged final Palaeolithic of Aspros Dive Site C, in: Bailey, G. et al. The archaeology of Europe’s drowned landscapes. Coastal Research Library, 35: pp. 429-442. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37367-2_22 In: Coastal Research Library. Springer: Cham. ISSN 2211-0577; e-ISSN 2211-0585, more |  |
| Keyword | | | Author keywords | Underwater archaeology, Final Palaeolithic, Aspros, Voyaging, Younger Dryas |
| Abstract | Underwater reconnaissance work in front of the early site of Aspros on the west coast of Cyprus has led to the recovery of lithic artefacts that date to the Final Palaeolithic. Survey work on Cyprus was initially focused on the search for pre-Neolithic archaeology on land, resulting in the discovery of sites on formations of aeolianite along the modern coastline. Given their inferred pre-Neolithic age at a time when sea levels were significantly lower than present, their geomorphological setting was used to predict targets for underwater survey offshore, resulting in the discovery of Dive Site C. In the eastern Mediterranean, no other site of this age has been found in a submerged context so far. At the end of the Pleistocene, this place stood at the foot of an aeolianite cliff that once formed part of the north bank of the Aspros River. Detailed analysis of the lithics at Dive Site C has identified diagnostic chipped stone tools in a hyper-microlithic tradition. This chapter sets out the steps that led to the underwater discovery, describes the lithic industries, presents the resulting gains in new knowledge and highlights the contribution that underwater archaeology is making to a better understanding of the Epipalaeolithic on Cyprus. Of particular interest are the close parallels between the reduction technology and the stone tool types at Aspros Dive Cite C and those from the levels of the Öküzini Cave in southern Turkey, which date to the time of the Younger Dryas. |
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