Görkem Cenk Yeşilova defends his Doctoral Thesis “A Systematic Study of the Bipolar Technique: Integrating Archaeological, Experimental, and Tribological Approaches at the Middle Pleistocene Site of La Cansaladeta (Tarragona, Spain)”
This morning, at 9:30 a.m., in the Sala Romaní of IPHES-CERCA and within the framework of the Doctoral Program in Quaternary and Prehistory of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, the defense ceremony of the Doctoral Thesis “A Systematic Study of the Bipolar Technique: Integrating Archaeological, Experimental, and Tribological Approaches at the Middle Pleistocene Site of La Cansaladeta (Tarragona, Spain)”, carried out by Görkem Cenk Yeşilova, was held.
The thesis has been directed by Dr. Andreu Ollé Cañellas and Dr. Josep Maria Vergès, researchers from IPHES-CERCA and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili.
The tribunal was composed of Dr. Noora Taipale, from the Université de Liège, Dr. Paloma de la Peña, from the Universidad de Granada, and Dr. Robert Sala Ramos, from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili.
The entire IPHES-CERCA team would like to congratulate the new doctor!
Summary of the Doctoral Thesis:
This doctoral thesis presents a systematic study of the bipolar technique applied to the lithic industry of the La Cansaladeta site (Tarragona), a Middle Pleistocene settlement (MIS 11), integrating archaeological, experimental, and tribological approaches to deepen the understanding of the mechanical processes involved in this knapping technology.
The research began in 2019 as a master's thesis focused on the technological analysis of the lithic industries of level E of the site. Subsequently, the study was expanded to the archaeological assemblages of level J, addressing both levels in a comparative manner through systematic refitting studies and analyses based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This approach allowed for a detailed reconstruction of the reduction sequences represented in the lithic assemblages.
Among the different technical strategies identified, the bipolar technique became the central axis of the research. One of the main advances of the work was the direct identification, through archaeological refitting, of fracture patterns characteristic of bipolar knapping, defined as axial, non-axial, and excess-of-force detachments.
To better understand the fracture mechanics associated with this technique, the research was structured into several experimental phases. A first phase focused on the macroscopic and kinematic study of the knapping process. Subsequently, a second phase deepened the microscopic analysis of the traces generated during lithic production. The integration of macroscopic and microscopic data allowed for a more precise characterization of the fracture mechanisms and diagnostic features of bipolar reduction.
The final phase of the research incorporated an experimental program based on tribology, a discipline dedicated to the study of friction, wear, and interactions between surfaces. This approach was designed to understand the formation processes of the linear marks observed on the products obtained through the bipolar technique at the La Cansaladeta site. Based on the data obtained in the previous phases, the study allowed for the analysis of the mechanical factors responsible for the generation of these linear traces, as well as their diagnostic value for technological identification. The research also incorporated comparative archaeological materials with similar characteristics, thereby expanding the interpretive potential of the results.
As a whole, this thesis is not limited to the analysis of a specific archaeological assemblage, but rather proposes a multidisciplinary and multiscalar approach to the study of the bipolar technique. The integration of technological, kinematic, and tribological perspectives has contributed to a better understanding of the mechanical principles, fracture dynamics, and surface interactions that characterize this technology, providing new methodological tools for the study of prehistoric lithic industries.