Geological raw materials from a mesolithic archaeological site in NW Portugal

This is an author’s version (C. Alves) and not the final published text. The final published text can be found in: Proceedings 2019, 24(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/IECG2019-06222The present work concerns the study of geological raw materials obtained from an excavation site located in Serra da Cabreira (NW Portugal). The majority of the artifacts are made in quartz varieties (with minor occurrences of flint). Milky quartz is dominant, being similar to diverse occurrences of quartz veins in the immediate neighborhood. There are diverse other quartz varieties, indicating the possibility of locations farther away from the shelter. The study of geological raw materials can be seen as an important source of archaeological information, illustrating the evolution of past relationships between humans and geological resources, and also providing relevant information for the present and future, considering namely the extremely low environmental impact of the processing of raw materialsThe first author (Pedro Xavier) would like to thank the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Foundation for Science and Technology) for the Ph.D. scholarship, reference (SFRH/BD/120806/2016). The Lab2PT—Landscapes, Heritage and Territory laboratory—AUR/04509 is supported by the Portuguese “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia” (Portuguese funds and where applicable the FEDER co-financing, in the aim of the new partnership agreement PT2020 and COMPETE2020—POCI 010145 FEDER 007528)