SESSION 1 – Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
The chert workshop of Tozal de la Mesa (Alins del Monte, Huesca, Spain) and its exploitation in historical times

Chert knapping evidence was discovered in Tozal de la Mesa, near the town of Alins del Monte (Huesca, Spain), in the first Prepyrenean foothills of the province of Huesca. These nodular cherts are related to Garum limestone facies from the Tremp formation. Their original environment was an evaporitic lacustrine deposit. These cherts show a high variability in quality for knapping depending on the nodule. Their use has previously been documented in several sites in this region with Palaeolithic and Neolithic levels.
In order to define the features of the workshop and to determine their limits, we conducted a field survey. Due to these works, it has been possible to define its perimeter as well as to collect abundant lithic remains of chert and other rocks (e.g., ophites) that may have been directly related to chert exploitation.