Raw material exploitation and lithic variability at the MSA site of Gotera, southern Ethiopia: technological and quantitative approaches combined

This paper analyses the lithic complex from GOT 1-S site, Gotera area, Southern Ethiopia. The aim is to test the hypothesis of two distinct reduction sequences according to different raw material choices and availability using both technological and statistical approach. The principal raw materials are quartz and basalt. The technological analysis shows a more opportunistic reduction strategy on basalt artefact, exploiting the natural convexities on cobbles to produce flakes and tools. The quartz lithic assemblage shows an apparently different reduction sequence, with more accurate preparation of core striking platforms. Results from the technological approach have been compared through a multivariate statistical method, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), to quantify the results previously obtained.