Tristan Carter
Research interests include: Aegean prehistory, Anatolian prehistory, Eastern Mediteranean prehistory, lithic technology, chipped stone technology, obsidian, obsidian characterisation, human genetics, Neolithic, Bronze Age, archaeology and popular culture, archaeometry
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Papers by Tristan Carter
northwest coast of Naxos, the largest island of the Cycladic archipelago in the southern Aegean Sea (Greece).
Survey and excavations at the site have produced artefacts spanning the Lower Palaeolithic through the Mesolithic
periods based on their techno-typological attributes. These discoveries suggest that exploitation of Stelida
began as early as the Middle Pleistocene, challenging the long-standing model that the Cyclades were not
inhabited until the Early Holocene. Due to the site’s likely temporal depth and the lack of preserved organics,
luminescence dating is the most appropriate method to scientifically date this activity. However, luminescence
dating in this context is complicated by the site’s complex hillslope formation processes. Experiments upon the
Stelida sediments have demonstrated a lack of luminescence sensitivity of quartz at the site. To evaluate the
potential for post-depositional mixing of previously acquired dates yielded from a stratigraphic sequence first
published in 2019, as well as to evaluate the efficacy of multiple luminescence dating models, we measured and
compared different infrared stimulated luminescence [IRSL] measurements on K-feldspars, with IR50 and
pIRIR290 multi-grain and pIRIR290 single-grain signals. The single-grain results confirm the multi-grain results
and provide additional and more precise information on the site’s depositional and post-depositional events. The
results of each approach demonstrate that feldspars were well-bleached, suggesting that in hillslope settings
where quartz grains prove difficult to date, IR50 and pIRIR290 multi-grain, and pIRIR290 single-grain signals of
feldspars can be used to achieve reliable results. Finally, when considered alongside field and laboratory observations
of site stratigraphy, these results suggest that colluvial and aeolian (windblown) deposits at Stelida
retain a degree of stratigraphic integrity characterized by minimal post-depositional alteration following their
most recent deposition. These support previous estimates of the deposition at the site, the new earliest determination
being 233 – 217 thousand years ago [ka], compared to the date of 198.4 ± 14.5 ka published in 2019.
These dates represent the earliest – indirect – evidence for open sea crossings in the northern hemisphere, though
it remains uncertain as to which species of the genus Homo was responsible for such maritime activity. These
results also have implications for the preservation potential of similar deposits across the hillslope, as well as
deposits preserved in similar geomorphic settings in Mediterranean landscapes.
northwest coast of Naxos, the largest island of the Cycladic archipelago in the southern Aegean Sea (Greece).
Survey and excavations at the site have produced artefacts spanning the Lower Palaeolithic through the Mesolithic
periods based on their techno-typological attributes. These discoveries suggest that exploitation of Stelida
began as early as the Middle Pleistocene, challenging the long-standing model that the Cyclades were not
inhabited until the Early Holocene. Due to the site’s likely temporal depth and the lack of preserved organics,
luminescence dating is the most appropriate method to scientifically date this activity. However, luminescence
dating in this context is complicated by the site’s complex hillslope formation processes. Experiments upon the
Stelida sediments have demonstrated a lack of luminescence sensitivity of quartz at the site. To evaluate the
potential for post-depositional mixing of previously acquired dates yielded from a stratigraphic sequence first
published in 2019, as well as to evaluate the efficacy of multiple luminescence dating models, we measured and
compared different infrared stimulated luminescence [IRSL] measurements on K-feldspars, with IR50 and
pIRIR290 multi-grain and pIRIR290 single-grain signals. The single-grain results confirm the multi-grain results
and provide additional and more precise information on the site’s depositional and post-depositional events. The
results of each approach demonstrate that feldspars were well-bleached, suggesting that in hillslope settings
where quartz grains prove difficult to date, IR50 and pIRIR290 multi-grain, and pIRIR290 single-grain signals of
feldspars can be used to achieve reliable results. Finally, when considered alongside field and laboratory observations
of site stratigraphy, these results suggest that colluvial and aeolian (windblown) deposits at Stelida
retain a degree of stratigraphic integrity characterized by minimal post-depositional alteration following their
most recent deposition. These support previous estimates of the deposition at the site, the new earliest determination
being 233 – 217 thousand years ago [ka], compared to the date of 198.4 ± 14.5 ka published in 2019.
These dates represent the earliest – indirect – evidence for open sea crossings in the northern hemisphere, though
it remains uncertain as to which species of the genus Homo was responsible for such maritime activity. These
results also have implications for the preservation potential of similar deposits across the hillslope, as well as
deposits preserved in similar geomorphic settings in Mediterranean landscapes.
Cet ouvrage offre la publication définitive d’un ensemble architectural protopalatial découvert en 1960 par André Dessenne aux abords immédiats du palais de Malia. L’étude architecturale de la ruine et la présentation détaillée du matériel mis au jour par l’archéologue permettent de considérer le rôle du Bâtiment Dessenne au sein de l’établissement au début du IIème millénaire av. J.-C. Complétées par de nouvelles fouilles, les recherches à l’origine de cet ouvrage produisent également des données inédites sur l’occupation de Malia au Prépalatial et sur les grands travaux d’aménagement de la fin du IIIème millénaire qui préfigurent la construction du palais au Protopalatial. Architecture, céramique, vases, poids et outillage en pierre, sceaux et scellés, faune terrestre et marine et restes archéobotaniques sont envisagés par des spécialistes dont les travaux produisent une synthèse importante sur le développement du site à l’Âge du Bronze. L’ouvrage présente ainsi de manière détaillée un édifice minoen d’élite tout en l’insérant dans une perspective historique plus large, en offrant notamment une révision de la séquence pré- et protopalatiale au cœur de l’établissement maliote.
On-line review by Donald Haggis:
http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2008/2008-05-32.html
[1] Poupeau G. et al., 2010. The use of SEM-EDS, PIXE and EDXRF for obsidian provenance studies in the Near East : a case study from Neolithic Çatalhöyük (central Anatolia). Journal of Archaeological Science, 37, 2705-2720.
[2] Carter T. & Contreras D. A., 2012. The character and use of the Soros Hill Obsidian source, Antiparos (Greece). Comptes Rendus Palevol, in press.
[3] Stordeur D. & Jammous B., 2009. La Damascène et la révolution néolithique. Annales Archéologiques Arabes Syriennes, LI-LII, 7-16.
[4] Stordeur D. (Dir.), 2000. El Kowm 2. Une île dans le désert. La fin du Néolithique précéramique dans la steppe syrienne. Paléorient, CNRS Editions, 322 p.
[5] Orange M., 2012. L’obsidienne néolithique au Proche-Orient : analyse de provenance et étude technologique des séries syriennes de Tell Aswad (PPNB moyen/récent) et Qdeir 1 (PPNB final). Mémoire de Master 2, Université Bordeaux III, France, 100 p.
[6] Shackley M.S. (Ed.), 2011. X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) in Geoarcheology. Springer, New York, 231 pp.
[7] Carter T., 2012. Lithics (chipped stone and obsidian sourcing study). In Momigliano N. et al. Settlement history and material culture in southwest Turkey: report on the 2008–2010 survey at Çaltılar Höyük (northern Lycia), Anatolian Studies 61: 61-121 [109-112].