El tratamiento térmico en rocas silíceas, un procedimiento técnico para la talla

Abstract

This paper attempts to present on an overview of the use of heat treatment as a technical method for knapping siliceous rocks. We have developed an experimental programme in order to document the signs typical of thermal alteration (i.e. color change or thermal gloss) and the moment when these signs appear in the heating process and also to know the technical advantages resulting from heat treatment. We experimented with 24 samples of dark nodular flint from Serra Llarga (Balaguer, Lleida) that has not shown the same reactions as other types of flint. We have shown that surface roughness analysis is a new promising line of research for identifying thermal alteration in archaeological material. Finally, we should consider the heat treatment in a more broadly technical and economic context, and not just as a method in itself.