Ostrich Eggshell | ScienceGate

The Neolithic site KS043, excavated by the Institut français d'archéologie orientale (IFAO), is situated in the southern basin of the Kharga Oasis (Egypt). It is one of the very few stratified prehistoric sites of the eastern Sahara. The archaeological remains were found near artesian springs that provided water for pastoralists during the dry Middle Holocene. In situ settlement features provided well-preserved material (charcoal, ashy sediment, ostrich eggshell) sufficient to perform radiocarbon dating in the IFAO laboratory in Cairo by the conventional liquid scintillation method. In 2 cases, ostrich eggshell and charcoal within the same in situ context gave significantly different results of, respectively, ∼600 and ∼1200 yr younger dates for the ostrich eggshells. The strong discrepancy is here highlighted for the first time and we suggest that it may be linked with postdepositional phenomena in the vicinity of the artesian springs. A thorough review of 14C dates available for the Holocene in eastern Sahara shows that ostrich eggshells have been widely used. They seem slightly more prone to be discarded than other material but were never the object of a particular study in this context. Bayesian modeling shows that the Neolithic occupation at site KS043 spans a range from 5000 to 3950 cal BC (and concentrated around 4600–4350 cal BC). Characteristic flint tools and pottery relate this occupation to the end of the Neolithic and show links with the Tasian culture, confirming the timing of the presence of this cultural complex in the desert before its appearance in the Nile Valley.

Download Full-text

Bone Tools and Shell, Bone and Ostrich Eggshell Beads from Bushman Rock Shelter (BRS), Eastern Transvaal

The South African Archaeological Bulletin ◽

10.2307/3888676 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 37 (136) ◽

pp. 57 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Ina Plug

Keyword(s):

Bone Tools ◽

Rock Shelter ◽

Ostrich Eggshell

Download Full-text

Radiometrically dated ostrich eggshell beads from the Middle and Later Stone Age of Magubike Rockshelter, southern Tanzania

Journal of Human Evolution ◽

10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.12.011 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 74 ◽

pp. 118-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Jennifer Midori Miller ◽

Pamela Rae Willoughby

Keyword(s):

Stone Age ◽

Later Stone Age ◽

Ostrich Eggshell

Download Full-text

Ostrich Eggshell as an Alternative Source of Calcium Ions for Biomaterials Synthesis

Materials Research ◽

10.1590/1980-5373-mr-2016-0368 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 413-417 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Lorena Batista Caliman ◽

Sidney Nicodemos da Silva ◽

Janaína Accordi Junkes ◽

Viviana Possamai Della Sagrillo

Keyword(s):

Calcium Ions ◽

Alternative Source ◽

Ostrich Eggshell

Download Full-text

Ostrich eggshell as calcium source for the synthesis of hydroxyapatite and hydroxyapatite partially substituted with zinc

Cerâmica ◽

10.1590/0366-69132016623642002 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 62 (364) ◽

pp. 386-391 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. R. M. Ferreira ◽

L. H. L. Louro ◽

A. M. Costa ◽

J. B. de Campos ◽

M. H. Prado da Silva

Keyword(s):

Xrd Analysis ◽

Quantitative Chemical Analysis ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

Spectroscopy Technique ◽

X Ray ◽

Heat Treated ◽

Before And After ◽

Calcium Source ◽

The Fourier Transform ◽

Ostrich Eggshell

Abstract In the present study, hydroxyapatite and Zn-substituted hydroxyapatite powders were synthesized using ostrich eggshell as a calcium source. The samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with field emission gun, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to identify the present phases, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy for quantitative chemical analysis of the synthesized and heat treated powders. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique was used before and after heat treatments at 700, 900 and 1100 °C in order to identify the functional groups present, as an additional technique to the XRD analysis. The results presented in this study represent a promising method for synthesis of hydroxyapatite and hydroxyapatite partially substituted with zinc, since the results showed no undesirable phases or impurities in the produced powders. It was observed that Zn-substituted hydroxyapatite showed higher thermal stability, when compared to pure hydroxyapatite.

Download Full-text

Prehistoric landscapes, humans and ostriches: Highlighting geoarchaeological issues in the Tapi basin of Maharashtra (west-central India) - A multidisciplinary approach

Geological Society London Special Publications ◽

10.1144/sp515-2020-206 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. SP515-2020-206

Author(s):

Prabhin Sukumaran ◽

Hong-Chun Li ◽

Jih-Pai Lin ◽

Parth R. Chauhan

Keyword(s):

Tamil Nadu ◽

Landsat Imagery ◽

Central India ◽

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission ◽

Current Status ◽

Changing Environments ◽

West Central ◽

Field Evidence ◽

Tapi Basin ◽

Ostrich Eggshell

AbstractThe formal beginning of geoarchaeology in India can be traced back to 1863 when the first Palaeolith was documented and collected by Robert Bruce Foote in Tamil Nadu and later described in a detailed geological context. Today, various geological tools such as geospatial analytical tools are available to provide extra mileage to geoarchaeological investigations. They supplement field evidence and enable researchers to display, manipulate, and model geological data and the associated archaeological evidence. The present paper attempts to summarise the current status of understanding the Quaternary geoarchaeology of the Tapi River basin in west-central India. The aspects considered include geomorphology, landform evolution, morphometric parameters, relationships between climate and basin evolution, and Palaeolithic and Mesolithic evidence. This present study uses Landsat imagery, locational data, Survey of India (SOI) topographic sheets and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data in ArcGIS software. The study is the first comprehensive attempt to summarise the issue of prehistoric human adaptations (dominated mainly by Late Pleistocene evidence) through changing environments, with an assumption that the two occurred in synchronisation. Another assumption is that the reported lithic and fossil sites and the surrounding areas have preserved signatures of original landforms and sedimentary contexts.Through these perspectives and visual integration of topography, drainage networks and Landsat image parameters in a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform, along with other variable field inputs, a testable hypothetical model of the Quaternary evolution of Central Tapi valley is proposed. Additionally, an AMS date of 47,145 cal BP for a newly-discovered ostrich eggshell fragment from Sakegaon near Bhusawal is presented and its palaeoanthropological implications are discussed. Altogether, our observations from the study area, such as an expansion of land use from the Acheulean onwards, signatures of arid phases and the oldest reported ostrich eggshell (OES), warrant further detailed multidisciplinary research. An in-depth understanding of the first-to-last occurrences of ostriches in the region and comprehensive picture of their pan- South Asian distribution, in general, will help address the issue of prehistoric human adaptations through changing environments.

Download Full-text

Ostrich Eggshell Beads in Later Stone Age Contexts

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190854584.013.259 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Benjamin Collins

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Raw Material ◽

Site Formation ◽

Future Research ◽

Stone Age ◽

Later Stone Age ◽

The Past ◽

Eastern And Southern Africa ◽

Analytical Approaches ◽

Ostrich Eggshell

Ostrich eggshell (OES) beads are a common feature of Later Stone Age (LSA) archaeology throughout eastern and southern Africa and have the potential to inform on site use, cultural diversity, social networks, and site formation. However, too often OES bead assemblages have not been recorded or studied in the necessary detail to make meaningful contributions to these important questions. In this respect, and to aid future research focusing on the African LSA, OES and OES beads must be discussed in detail, beginning with a background to ostriches and their eggs and commenting on why OES is an important raw material. Then, one should consider OES beads in detail, specifically, the manufacturing process, the social context in which they were made, and how they may have been used in the past. Subsequently, the focus should be on how OES bead assemblages are analyzed, as well as archaeometric approaches to studying OES bead residues and OES bead provenance. The potential insights gained from these diverse and multidisciplinary analytical approaches, especially when combined, are then highlighted through discussing trends in OES bead research from African LSA contexts. These trends include the contribution of OES beads to understanding the complex transition from hunter-gatherers to herders, the identification of different cultural groups in the past, and identifying the presence and extent of past social networks. The final focus should be on future research directions that will benefit OES bead research, specifically more detailed approaches to understanding OES bead diversity and the expansion of experimentally derived taphonomic frameworks for identifying past human and nonhuman behaviors in OES bead assemblages. Future research should build on the growing body of detailed OES bead analyses, as they provide unique insight and a strong complement to traditional archaeological approaches to understanding past peoples, groups, and cultures during the African LSA.

Download Full-text