The Quartzite and Quartz Reference Collection from the CENIEH (Spanish National Research Centre on Human Evolution), Spain: An Online Database for Characterising a Wide Diversity of Lithic Raw Materials

Abstract

The dataset presented here is the quartzite and quartz reference collection from the National Research Centre of Human Evolution of Spain (CENIEH), Burgos. This dataset or online lithotheque consists of 73 archaeological and geological samples obtained in different projects in which the CENIEH has been involved in the last 15 years. Most of the samples described here were collected from the Iberian Peninsula, while a few others were chosen from Eastern Africa. The samples have been petrographically described using thin section, stereomicroscopy and de visu petrographic observations and they have been characterised according to their petrogenesis. This dataset consists of a comprehensive report, an alphanumeric dataset with relevant features and an extensive picture archive. The dataset collection is stored at the CENIEH and it is open for researchers who want to use it for establishing their reference collection and describing quartzites in archaeological contexts.

Keywords

• geoarchaeology
• petrology
• raw material reference collection
• lithotheque
• iberia
• africa