The Final Palaeolithic in the coastal part of Lithuania with the technological emphasis on Aukštumala Stone Age sites
Volume 28 (2021), pp. 102–117
Pub. online: 29 December 2021
Type: Article
Open Access
Open Access
Received
17 June 2021
17 June 2021
Revised
4 August 2021
4 August 2021
Accepted
15 September 2021
15 September 2021
Published
29 December 2021
29 December 2021
Abstract
The Final Palaeolithic in the Lithuanian coastal zone has so far been represented only by a few
archaeological finds from individual contexts, and a small number of archaeological excavations.
However, their analysis has not revealed much regarding the technological development of hunting
implements and work tools, or the choice and the use of necessary raw materials, and little
data has been provided on the chronological aspects, or the connection between settlement locations
and the changing level of the Baltic Sea. This paper presents the latest archaeological
material from the Final Palaeolithic in the Lithuanian coastal area, based on the three sites at
Aukštumala upland bog, and stray finds found in the area. The article focuses on technological
and typological aspects of lithics related to Swiderian culture. The results of the study show that,
with the shortage of flint raw material, Final Palaeolithic societies at Aukštumala relied on smaller
and narrower blades, and compensated for the lack of flint raw material by using other, locally
available metamorphic rocks.