Toward Distinguishing Human and Raptor Patterning on Leporid Bones

1991 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Scott Hockett
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Bone Tools ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Bone Fragments ◽  
Burned Bone ◽  
Tibia Diaphysis

Prehistoric Native Americans hunted leporids (cottontails and hares) for food, clothing, and to obtain raw material for the manufacture of bone tools such as awls. Leporids are also favorite prey of various carnivores and raptors, hence many archaeological sites may contain leporid bones that were deposited by both human and nonhuman activities. This paper provides data to distinguish specific agents and processes that affected leporid bones in archaeological sites. Human behavior tends to create hare tibia diaphysis cylinders, cut-marked bones, unidentifiable burned bone fragments, and assemblages with predominantly adult leporid bone specimens. In contrast, raptor behavior creates more cottontail tibia diaphysis cylinders, bones with beak and talon punctures on only one side, shearing damage principally to innominates and femora, and high frequencies of forelimb and juvenile bones when leporid bones are deposited mainly in raptor pellets.

scholarly journals A 115,000-year-old expedient bone technology at Lingjing, Henan, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Doyon ◽  
Li Zhanyang ◽  
Wang Hua ◽  
Lila Geis ◽  
Francesco d'Errico
Keyword(s):  
Long Bone ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Faunal Assemblage ◽  
Bone Tools ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Lithic Assemblages ◽  
Technological Potential ◽  
Bone Fragments ◽  
Anthropogenic Processes ◽  
Stone Knapping

Activities attested since at least 2.6 Myr, such as stone knapping, marrow extraction, and woodworking may have allowed early hominins to recognize the technological potential of discarded skeletal remains and equipped them with a transferable skillset fit for the marginal modification and utilization of bone flakes. Identifying precisely when and where expedient bone tools were used in prehistory nonetheless remains a challenging task owing to the multiple natural and anthropogenic processes that can mimic deliberately knapped bones. Here, we compare a large sample of the faunal remains from Lingjing, a 115 ka-old site from China which has yielded important hominin remains and rich faunal and lithic assemblages, with bone fragments produced by experimentally fracturing Equus caballus long bones. Our results provide a set of qualitative and quantitative criteria that can help zooarchaeologists and bone technologists distinguish faunal remains with intentional flake removal scars from those resulting from carcass processing activities. Experimental data shows marrow extraction seldom generates diaphyseal fragments bearing more than six flake scars arranged contiguously or in interspersed series. Long bone fragments presenting such characteristics can, therefore, be interpreted as being purposefully knapped to be used as expediency tools. The identification, based on the above experimental criteria, of 56 bone tools in the Lingjing faunal assemblage is consistent with the smaller size of the lithics found in the same layer. The continuity gradient observed in the size of lithics and knapped bones suggest the latter were used for tasks in which the former were less or not effective.

scholarly journals Elephant bones for the Middle Pleistocene toolmaker

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256090
Author(s):  
Paola Villa ◽  
Giovanni Boschian ◽  
Luca Pollarolo ◽  
Daniela Saccà ◽  
Fabrizio Marra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
General Idea ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Bone Tools ◽  
Lithic Industry ◽  
Taphonomic Analysis

The use of bone as raw material for implements is documented since the Early Pleistocene. Throughout the Early and Middle Pleistocene bone tool shaping was done by percussion flaking, the same technique used for knapping stone artifacts, although bone shaping was rare compared to stone tool flaking. Until recently the generally accepted idea was that early bone technology was essentially immediate and expedient, based on single-stage operations, using available bone fragments of large to medium size animals. Only Upper Paleolithic bone tools would involve several stages of manufacture with clear evidence of primary flaking or breaking of bone to produce the kind of fragments required for different kinds of tools. Our technological and taphonomic analysis of the bone assemblage of Castel di Guido, a Middle Pleistocene site in Italy, now dated by 40Ar/39Ar to about 400 ka, shows that this general idea is inexact. In spite of the fact that the number of bone bifaces at the site had been largely overestimated in previous publications, the number of verified, human-made bone tools is 98. This is the highest number of flaked bone tools made by pre-modern hominids published so far. Moreover the Castel di Guido bone assemblage is characterized by systematic production of standardized blanks (elephant diaphysis fragments) and clear diversity of tool types. Bone smoothers and intermediate pieces prove that some features of Aurignacian technology have roots that go beyond the late Mousterian, back to the Middle Pleistocene. Clearly the Castel di Guido hominids had done the first step in the process of increasing complexity of bone technology. We discuss the reasons why this innovation was not developed. The analysis of the lithic industry is done for comparison with the bone industry.

Taphonomic analysis of late Pleistocene mastodon occurrences: evidence of butchery by North American Paleo-Indians

Paleobiology ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Bone Modification ◽  
Use Wear ◽  
Bone Fragments ◽  
Burned Bone ◽  
Taphonomic Analysis ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Mammut Americanum ◽  
Paleo Indians

Taphonomic analysis of several late Pleistocene mastodon (Mammut americanum) skeletons excavated in southern Michigan provides compelling evidence of mastodon butchery by Paleo-Indians. The occurrence of butchery and details of butchering technique are inferred primarily from patterns of bone modification. An important aspect of butchering practice was production and use of tools fashioned from bones of the animal being butchered. Evidence for butchery and bone tool use includes matching marks on the conarticular surfaces of disarticulated pairs of bones; cutmarks on bones; green bone fracturing; use wear, secondary flaking, and impact features on bone fragments; and burned bone. Interpretation of these features is facilitated by information on patterns of bone distribution and disarticulation preserved in a primary depositional context. Preliminary comparisons among nine sites indicate that putative butchering sites differ consistently and in a variety of ways from sites that appear to record no human involvement. Although based on a small sample of sites, the apparent frequency of butchered individuals relative to those that were not butchered is unexpectedly high. These findings provide new evidence of a well-developed “bone technology” employed by the late Pleistocene human inhabitants of eastern North America. In addition, these data offer circumstantial support for the hypothesis that human hunting was an important factor in the late Pleistocene extinction of mastodons.

scholarly journals Combining geomorphological–hydrological analyses and the location of settlement and raw material sites – a case study on understanding prehistoric human settlement activity in the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena A. Hensel ◽  
Oliver Bödeker ◽  
Olaf Bubenzer ◽  
Ralf Vogelsang
Keyword(s):  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Gis Mapping ◽  
Human Settlement ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
Ethiopian Highlands ◽  
The Past ◽  
Hydrological System ◽  
High Elevations ◽  
Rock Shelters

Abstract. During this study, the recent relations between the hydrological systems and the distribution of archaeological sites and obsidian raw material outcrops within the catchment of the Bisare River, around Mt Damota, and around Mt Sodicho in the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands were investigated. To do so, we combined geomorphological–hydrological analyses with field surveys and GIS mapping. The aim was to try to transfer these recent interrelations into the past to better understand the factors that influenced prehistoric human settlement activity. The natural geomorphodynamics in landscapes such as the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands were and still are characterized by the interplay between endogenous processes (tectonics, volcanism) and climatic fluctuations and, during the recent past, also by human activity. In the considered region, protective and potentially habitable rock shelters are found at the volcanic slopes of Mt Damota and Mt Sodicho at high elevations. In addition, in some areas recent morphodynamic processes make obsidian raw material available near the surface. However, archaeological and terrestrial paleoenvironmental archives that allow an understanding of the interplay between prehistoric settlement activity and paleoenvironmental conditions are still rare. Therefore, the surroundings of formerly occupied rock shelters were investigated to illustrate the effect of the recent fluvial morphodynamics (erosion and accumulation) on surface visibility and preservation of archaeological obsidian raw material. This recent information can be used to make assumptions about the former hydrological system and to thereby get answers to research questions such as those about the past accessibility of obsidian raw material for prehistoric humans. The results suggest that the study area is currently affected by a highly dynamic hydrological system, which is indicated by phenomena such as the formation of swamps due to sedimentation in natural depressions. In addition, wide areas of the Bisare River catchment are affected by gully erosion, which leads to land degradation but also to the exposure of the above-mentioned lithic raw material outcrops. Human influence strongly increased during the Holocene until today, especially on the mountain flanks. This in turn increased soil loss and erosion of archaeological sites, which complicates the transfer of the current morphodynamics into the past. Although it cannot be finally confirmed that prehistoric hunters and gatherers systematically used fluvially exposed raw material, based on our results it can be assumed that humans frequented this area, due to the local availability of such kind of material.

scholarly journals Bracelet from an Elunino burial at the Teleut Vzvoz-I site

2020 ◽  
pp. 5-14
Author(s):  
I.A. Valkov
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Trace Analysis ◽  
Western Siberia ◽  
Average Diameter ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Burial Ground ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Bronze Age

The article studies a stone bead bracelet found in an Early Bronze Age burial of the Elunino archaeological culture during the excavation of the Teleut Vzvoz-I burial ground (heterogeneous in time) in the south of Western Siberia (Forest-Steppe Altai). According to a series of calibrated radiocarbon dates, the Elunino burial ground at the Teleut Vzvoz-I site was used in the 22nd–18th centuries BC. The artefact under study was found in double burial No. 16 of the indicated burial ground, on the wrist of an adult (gender is not established). The bracelet in-cludes 66 stone beads, as well as one stone base. This piece of jewellery is unique in terms of technique, as well as the sacral meaning embedded in it. The ornament found on the beads bears no analogies to those discovered in the well-known Bronze Age archaeological sites of Western and Eastern Siberia. The present publication con-siders the morphological and raw material characteristics of the bracelet, as well as the specifics of its production and use. In this study, trace analysis was performed, i.e. the analysis of macro- and micro-traces left on the sur-face of the item as a result of its production and subsequent use. All traces were examined using an MBS-10 stereoscopic microscope at a magnification of ×16–56. It was found that some of the beads in the bracelet were made of serpentinite. The nearest sources of this stone are at least 250–300 km away from Teleut Vzvoz-I. The beads are made by counter-drilling, drilling of blind holes, polishing and grinding. This find is unique due to orna-mental compositions found on several beads in the form of oblique notches on side faces. The extremely small size of the beads (average diameter of 3.3 mm; average thickness of 1.4 mm) makes the pattern invisible to the naked eye. Thus, it is concluded that the ornament had a sacred meaning, and the bracelet itself served as an amulet. Despite no finds of ornamented bracelets dating back to the Bronze Age in Western Siberia and adjacent territories, typologically the bracelet bears analogies to the antiquities of the Okunevo culture, the Yamna cultural and historical community, as well as in the materials of the Bronze Age archaeological site of Gonur Depe (Turk-menistan). The study of the bracelet demonstrates the relevance of performing trace analysis of such items from other archaeological sites.

scholarly journals Technology of Dvaravati Pottery: A View from Petrographic Analysis.

2012 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duangkamol Aussavamas
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Petrographic Analysis ◽  
Material Distribution ◽  
Material Source ◽  
Period Analysis ◽  
Production Techniques ◽  
Central Thailand

This study focuses on the examination of aspects of the carinated pottery of the Dvaravati period. This type of pottery is one of the most prominent types found in a large number of Dvaravati sites in Thailand. Samples used for this study were collected from excavations at archaeological sites located in several regions of Thailand including Northern, Northeastern and Central Thailand. The carinated potteries were analyzed using petrographic analysis. The objective of this work was to examine the pottery fabric. This method is used to establish sources of raw materials, and whether production techniques, decorations, and firing temperature show patterns associated with the raw material source distributions. It is also possible to reconstruct the production technology of the vessels. Knowing the source of raw materials (source of clay and temper) and understanding the patterns of manufacturing and decorative processes help better understand material distribution patterns of the Dvaravati period. Analysis shows that Dvaravati earthenware pottery raw materials include both primary and secondary clays, and that temper used was both organic matter (rice chaff) and grogs (fired clay mixed with iron oxide). Evidence for wheel-thrown production was associated with all decoration styles, and finishing techniques included plain, polishing, incising, cord marking, red slip and black burnishing. The firing temperatures were as low as 400-550° C. These samples indicate there was general homogeneity over a wide area, but also the presence of regional groups of pottery. This suggests the widespread circulation of pottery styles among various production centers during the Dvaravati period.

scholarly journals The exploitation of obsidian in the Central Plateau of Santa Cruz, Argentina: Results from La María and Cerro Tres Tetas and a regional perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Enrique Cueto ◽  
Ariel David Frank ◽  
Fabiana Skarbun
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Santa Cruz ◽  
Central Plateau ◽  
Argentine Patagonia ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Historical Times ◽  
Obsidian Source

La María and Cerro Tres Tetas archaeological localities are located in the Central Plateau, in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentine Patagonia. This area presents abundant lithic raw materials of very good quality for knapping including flint, chalcedony and silicified wood. These raw materials were used by the inhabitants of the region since the end of the Pleistocene until recent historical times. Besides, we have recorded the exploitation of exotic stones in low proportions at the archaeological sites. Among these, the most abundant is obsidian which probably comes from sources located more than125 kmaway. In this context, the use of this type of raw material should be evaluated in terms of social and symbolic issues.In this paper, we examine the strategies of acquisition and reduction of the obsidian found at the archaeological sites Cerro Tres Tetas 1, Casa del Minero 1, Cueva de La Ventana, La Mesada and Cueva Túnel. We carry out a technomorphological analysis of the obsidian remains from these sites.Results from this work strengthen the idea that the groups which lived in the Central Plateau knew about and exploited an obsidian source known as Pampa del Asador. A raise in the use of this raw material throughout time is recorded, reaching its peak in the late Holocene. We identified two different moments in the exploitation of obsidian at the regional level. During the final Pleistocene and early Holocene, obsidian would not have played a relevant role in the organization of technology. Production sequences indicate that tools probably were entered to the sites already manufactured. During the middle and late Holocene nodules and cores could have been brought into the sites. The strategies involved in their reduction are in broad terms similar to those implemented with local raw materials; there is no evidence that obsidian had more value in any way. On the other hand, it is also not possible to state that there was just an eventual exploitation of this raw material. We believe that obsidian was acquired during mobility circuits which enabled the contact between different groups.

scholarly journals Maltese chert: An archaeological perspective on raw material and lithic technology in the central Mediterranean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huw Groucutt
Keyword(s):  
Lithic Technology ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Distribution Characteristics ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
The West ◽  
High Quality ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
Megalithic Temples

The Maltese islands are renowned for their prehistoric archaeological record, particularly thefamous megalithic ‘temples’ and associated ceramics and artwork. The temples were built bya society lacking metal technology, who relied on stone and organic materials. Knapped stonetool (lithic) technology, to produce sharp edged tools for tasks like cutting, hide working, andwood shaping involved the use of both imported obsidian and high-quality chert – offeringinsights into themes of exchange and connectivity – and local chert. The local chert hasgenerally been described as low-quality, yet relatively little research has been conducted on its distribution, characteristics, and use. In this paper I report a survey of chert sources, identifying a wider distribution of chert outcrops along the west coast of Malta than previously discussed. Some general macroscopic properties are outlined, while there are also aspects of variability in the chert sources. Knapping experiments were then conducted on samples of chert collected, allowing clarification of its characteristics. These observations are used to offer some insightsinto lithic technology in Neolithic and Temple Period Malta, such as the hypothesis that the high frequencies of multidirectional flake production and subsequent ‘scraper retouch’ reflect adaptations to the characteristics of local chert.

scholarly journals Using Debitage Analysis to Investigate an Alberta Archaeological Site

COMPASS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Hallson
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Aggregate Analysis ◽  
New Information ◽  
Lithic Artifacts ◽  
Field Schools

Ahai Mneh (FiPp-33) is a significant pre-contact archaeological site in Alberta. Located west of Edmonton on Lake Wabamun, this site contains material from the Early Prehistoric right up until Late Prehistoric pre-contact times. Ninety-five percent of the lithic artifacts collected are pieces of debitage. Aggregate analysis is a method of examining the whole of the debitage collection, rather than analysing singular pieces. This method is more time efficient, less subject to bias, replicable, and is used often, and successfully, at archaeological sites with immense quantities of debitage. Here I use aggregate analysis to examine the debitage assemblage from two field schools at Ahai Mneh. I investigate various characteristics such as size, raw material type, cortex amount, and number of dorsal scars. I argue that this method is successful, as it provided new information on where people were acquiring raw materials, as well as what types of flintknapping occurred at this site. These analyses resulted in the determination of a focus on local raw material, yet this material was being brought to the site as prepared cores or blanks, rather than complete unaltered cores. Tool production was the focus at this site, and this trend continued throughout time.

Narrating the Contested Space of Detroit’s River Rouge, 1600–2015

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Nye
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Native Americans ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
National Socialism ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
World War ◽  
Contested Space ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Small Scale Industries

AbstractThe River Rouge, which flows through Michigan into the Great Lakes at Detroit, has been a contested space, from the Mound Builders c. 1100 AD to the present. The river’s changing uses and meanings provide a microcosm of North American history, including Native Americans, French fur traders, the British, American settlers, small-scale industries, and Henry Ford’s largest factory. Narratives treat the river as a landscape, as a highway, as a natural resource, as raw material, as a minor detail, or as a threatened environment. The river has been part of a romantic view of pre-history, a heroic story of colonial conquest, a tale of democratic expansion into new land, an exemplary second creation in which unfinished nature is transformed into the world’s largest factory, a narrative of class warfare between workers and capitalists, a tale of the triumph of democracy over National Socialism in World War II, a tragic story of the exploitation of nature, and a recovery narrative in which the river is rescued from pollution and misuse.

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