SESSION 1 – Raw material exploitation strategies – mining and surface collecting
Introduction to the study of siliceous raw materials, morphotechnical and functional analysis at the cave site of El Pirulejo

In 2014 the study of industries recovered from the cave site of El Pirulejo (located in the town of Priego de Córdoba, Andalusia) began. The material selected for this study came from level P5 of El Pirulejo, corresponding to a Late Glacial chronology. We present a lithic materials study as a whole, encompassing a siliceous raw materials analysis aimed at characterizing its sources and mobility areas, as it pertains to an introduction to the functionality and technical use of flint at the site.
The surveyed outcrops correspond to the Southern External Subbaetic zones located in Jurassic levels of the Dogger. Using a binocular loupe, these samples can be described as translucent flint with ooids and bioclasts and having a microcrystalline texture. (Petrographic results have not yet been obtained).
Another line of study is the exploitation of these flints, as represented in the whole supply chain of the site. The absence of cortical flakes and the presence of Janus flakes lead us to propose an initial hypothesis that hunter-gatherer groups performed tasks of grinding and an initial preparation of the cores at the place of acquisition, carrying out the production of blades at the site. As a general characteristic of the industry, it counts on the presence of large numbers of bladelets and microblades.