This study focuses on the mineralogical characterization of four raw clay samples from Dobrodo deposit, Serbia. Several analytical methods were applied to determine the chemical and mineralogical composition, morphology and physical properties (colour, plasticity, specific surface area, particle size and cation-exchange capacity) of the clay samples. Kaolinite, smectite and illite are the predominant phases in all of the samples studied that contain between 60.2 and 87.1 wt.% of clay. Quartz, feldspars, paragonite and Ti- and Fe-bearing phases were also identified. The relatively high SiO2/Al2O3 mass ratio indicates abundant quartz. The cation-exchange capacity of the samples varied between low and moderately charged clay minerals (12–52 mmol 100 g–1) with specific surface area values ranging from 94 to 410 m2 g–1. The plasticity index values (11–23%) suggest low to moderate plasticity. Preliminary results show that most of the raw clay from Dobrodo deposit might be suitable for use in ceramic applications.

In the semiarid environment of the Fuegian steppe (Argentina), shallow lakes were intensively exploited by hunter-gatherers throughout the Holocene. The archaeological record concentrated along their shoreline frequently reports the first stages of the lithic reduction sequence. In this article, we consider rock availability at different coastal sectors in Lake Amalia. The data focus on the size and weight of the cobbles used as raw material (in Lake Amalia and nearby locations), aiming to compare transported material and that which is spatially located. We analyze information regarding the role played by shallow lakes in the exploitation of steppe environments and their importance in hunter-gatherers’ mobility. We suggest that raw material frequency, size, and spatial distribution have conditioned space-use patterns in the Fuegian steppe. The Amalia locality study case sheds light on recurrent visits to specific places in these landscapes.

The present study focused on the assessment and possible applications of the clay from the Miličinica deposit, western Serbia. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), Differential Thermal Analysis and Thermogravimetry (DTA-TG) and High Temperature Microscopy (HTM) were used to characterize the clay in question. The physical properties determined were colour, plasticity, specific surface area, particle-size distribution and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Clay minerals are the main phases in the samples studied, with illite being the predominant phase and kaolinite being present in variable amounts. Quartz, feldspars, carbonates and iron-bearing minerals were also detected. Varied technological behaviours were expected because of the mineralogy (illite and iron contents), average grain size (0.6–0.7 µm), specific surface area (≈60 m2/g) and plasticity index (≈13%). The classification of the clays studied, based on the main characteristics and using appropriate diagrams, suggests that they are easily adaptable for ceramic processes.

Landscape archaeologies that pay attention to cultural importance of place have become increasingly common in recent years in many parts of the world. However, these approaches have largely failed to make inroads into Pleistocene European hunter–gatherer archaeology. This is partly due to a focus on economics, survival, and neo-liberal assumptions of ‘efficiency’ in early modern human behaviour. With evidence of lithic use drawn from cave sites, survey, and open-air excavation, I argue that Upper Paleolithic hunter–gatherers left clues to the importance of certain places in the landscape. Lithic tools in particular have been undervalued for their symbolic meaning, which goes well beyond style and ethnicity models. Raw material has been seen as evidence of mobility and trade, but possible cultural motives behind material choices have been downplayed or ignored.