Open-air accumulations of chipped stone debris are a common feature in arid landscapes, yet despite their prevalence, such archives are often dismissed as uninformative or unreliable. In the canyonlands of Dhofar, southern Oman, lithic surface scatters are nearly ubiquitous, including extensive, multi-component workshops associated with chert outcrops. These sites typically display chronologically diagnostic features that correspond to distinct taphonomic states, which in turn appear linked to spatial distribution, with more heavily weathered artifacts often found farther from the chert outcrops. We propose that post-depositional modifications and spatial distributions of chipped stone artifacts reflect site formation processes and, under certain conditions, may provide relative chronological information when absolute dating methods are unavailable. Our study tests this hypothesis by mapping artifact distribution and lithic taphonomy across a series of surface sites in southern Oman, spanning the Lower, Middle, and Upper/Late Palaeolithic periods. The results largely support our model, offering valuable insights into surface site formation and technological change over time. While these findings serve as broad predictive markers for age, their applicability for analyzing finer-scale assemblage variability remains to be determined. Future taphonomic recording systems should aim to quantify surface modifications to enhance replicability for such studies.

中文翻译：

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旧石器时代地表遗址的横向地层测绘：来自阿曼佐法尔的案例研究


碎石碎屑的露天堆积是干旱景观的常见特征，但尽管它们很普遍，但此类档案往往被认为没有信息或不可靠。在阿曼南部佐法尔的峡谷地，石器表面散布几乎无处不在，包括与燧石露头相关的广泛、多成分的作坊。这些遗址通常显示出与不同的 taphonomic 状态相对应的年代诊断特征，这反过来又似乎与空间分布有关，通常可以在远离燧石露头的地方发现更严重的风化文物。我们提出，碎石文物的沉积后修饰和空间分布反映了遗址形成过程，并且在某些条件下，当绝对测年方法不可用时，可能会提供相对的时间信息。我们的研究通过绘制阿曼南部一系列地表遗址的人工制品分布和石器时代 taphonomy 来检验这一假设，这些遗址跨越了旧石器时代下、中和上/晚时期。结果在很大程度上支持了我们的模型，为地表场地的形成和技术变化提供了有价值的见解。虽然这些发现可以作为年龄的广泛预测标志物，但它们在分析更精细的集合变异性方面的适用性仍有待确定。未来的 taphonomic 记录系统应旨在量化表面修饰以提高此类研究的可复制性。