Bone taphonomy inside and out: Application of 3-dimensional microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and micro-computed tomography to the study of humanly modified faunal assemblages

Bello, Silvia M.; Galway‐Witham, Julia

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2019.02.035

Cited by 24 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…The principles facilitating our classification scheme rely on two basic assumptions: (I) Different types of ochre modifications leave surface marks with different morphologies and shapes and (II) the morphometrics of different marks can be reliably measured and quantified through the microtopographic profile analysis. Although similar assumptions have been thoroughly tested and found to be correct within the anthropogenic cutmark analysis of bone (Bello & Galway‐Witham, 2019; Bello & Soligo, 2008), up until now, they have not been assessed in the context of surface modifications on ochre.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there are few high‐resolution investigations of surface modifications on ochre (but see Rosso et al, 2017), a quantitative cut mark analysis has a long history within faunal taphonomy (Binford, 1981; Lartet & Christy, 1875; Shipman, 1981). Particularly relevant for this study is the development of morphometrical analysis of cutmarks using high‐resolution 3D digital recording methods, including the application of 3D digital microscopes (Bello & Galway‐Witham, 2019; Bello & Soligo, 2008; Bello et al, 2011; Boschin & Crezzini, 2012; Braun et al, 2016; Wallduck & Bello, 2018), 3D laser scanning (Güth, 2012), micro‐CT scanning (Bello et al, 2013) and microphotogrammetry (González et al, 2015). These 2D and 3D recording methods have proven to not only be accurate (Courtenay et al, 2018) but also applicable to a range of different types of surface modifications, other than butchering marks.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hidden in plain sight: A microanalytical study of a Middle Stone Age ochre piece trapped inside a micromorphological block sample

et al. 2020

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A complete Middle Stone Age ochre piece was unintentionally collected and fully preserved within a micromorphological block sample intended to characterise a 74 ± 3 ka occupation horizon at Blombos Cave, South Africa. Previously recovered ochre pieces from the same stratigraphic context (Still Bay) have displayed intricate modification patterns with significant behavioural implications. Yet, in the case of the trapped ochre, a direct visual assessment of its surfaces was impossible due to its impregnated state. In this study, we demonstrate how we successfully reconstructed three‐dimensionally and characterised the block‐sampled ochre piece using high‐resolution microcomputed tomography scanning coupled with a range of microanalytical techniques, including optical petrography, micro‐Fourier transform infra‐red spectroscopy, micro‐X‐ray fluorescence and micro‐Raman spectroscopy. Through a morphometric analysis of the score marks present on the trapped ochre's reconstructed surface, we were able to assess the types of modifications and the nature of the actions that created them. Our results show that a block sample‐based study of archaeological artefacts allows for a comprehensive assessment of their depositional and microcontextual setting, their external morphology and microtopography, as well as their internal texture and geochemical properties. We suggest that this type of context‐sensitive, multiscalar and multidisciplinary investigation may also prove beneficial in the study of conventionally recovered archaeological artefacts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hidden in plain sight: A microanalytical study of a Middle Stone Age ochre piece trapped inside a micromorphological block sample

et al. 2020

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“…The incisions were further examined using an LEO1455VP and a Quanta 650FEG SEM (FEI Company) scanning electron microscope (SEM), operated in variable pressure mode (chamber pressure respectively 15 Pa and 70 Pa). The high resolution of SEM images allows better characterisation and appreciation of the incised forms by identifying the agent responsible for their production (natural vs humanly induced; the type of tool used; [ 57 ]). In order to identify the elemental composition of possible exogenous material adhering to the stone surface, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis was conducted using the FlatQuad 5060F detector (Bruker) with the following microscope setup: 10kV, spot 3.0, chamber pressure 30Pa.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This system was used to produce three-dimensional (3D) micro-morphological models of the incisions according to the methodology described by Bello and co-authors [ 44 , 58 , 59 ]. The 3-dimensional reconstruction of the topography of the engraved surfaces allows a better recognition and interpretation of the technical and gestural procedures followed during engraving [ 9 , 57 , 60 , 61 ]), including the chronological order of the marks [ 28 , 58 , 62 – 64 ]. The full length of the incision (L) was measured when possible (cf.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artists on the edge of the world: An integrated approach to the study of Magdalenian engraved stone plaquettes from Jersey (Channel Islands)

et al. 2020

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The Upper Palaeolithic is characterised by the appearance of iconographic expressions most often depicting animals, including anthropomorphic forms, and geometric signs. The Late Upper Palaeolithic Magdalenian saw a flourishing of such depictions, encompassing cave art, engraving of stone, bone and antler blanks and decoration of tools and weapons. Though Magdalenian settlement exists as far northwest as Britain, there is a limited range of art known from this region, possibly associated with only fleeting occupation of Britain during this period. Stone plaquettes, flat fragments of stone engraved on at least one surface, have been found in large quantities at numerous sites spanning the temporal and geographical spread of the Magdalenian, but they have been absent so far from the archaeological record of the British Isles. Between 2015 and 2018, ten fragments of stone plaquettes extensively engraved with abstract designs were uncovered at the Magdalenian site of Les Varines, Jersey, Channel Islands. In this paper, we report detailed analyses of these finds, which provide new evidence for technologies of abstract mark-making, and their significance within the lives of people on the edge of the Magdalenian world. These engraved stone fragments represent important, rare evidence of artistic expression in what is the far northern and western range of the Magdalenian and add new insight to the wider significance of dynamic practices of artistic expression during the Upper Palaeolithic.

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“…A key component to these studies has been the development of quantitative methods for cross-section analyses (Bello & Soligo, 2008;Maté-González et al, 2015;Yravedra et al, 2017), as well as the 3D processing of entire trace morphologies Courtenay et al, 2019a). Recent developments in microscopy have also played an important role in these fields of study, with the progression from scanning electron microscopy (Walker & Long, 1977;Potts & Shipman, 1981;Shipman & Rose, 1983;Andrews & Cook, 1985;Behrensmeyer et al, 1986;Olsen & Shipman, 1988), to eventually including highly complex types of equipment using confocal (Bello & Soligo, 2008;Boschin & Crezzini, 2011;Archer & Braun, 2013;Braun et al, 2016;Maté-González et al, 2017;Otárolla-Castillo et al, 2017;Pante et al, 2017;Gümrükçu & Pante, 2018), 3D digital mi-croscopy Courtenay et al, 2019b), as well as combining different techniques for more in-depth studies (Bello & Galway-Witham, 2019). A recent advance in the use of 3D digital microscopy was able to provide a new perspective for trampling mark analysis (Courtenay et al, 2019b), detecting minute variations in the morphology of these superficial traces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scratches and grazes: a detailed microscopic analysis of trampling phenomena

Courtenay

Huguet

Yravedra

2020

Journal of Microscopy

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Summary Sedimentary abrasion and postdepositional damage to fossil remains are of great interest if considering the possible distortion they could produce in the archaeological and paleontological record. Since their discovery, natural agents such as trampling phenomena have been a topic of great taphonomic interest. Nevertheless, the majority of investigation into these traces has focused almost exclusively on their differentiation from other anthropic agents such as cut marks. In recent years, advances into bone surface modification analysis via geometric morphometrics have proven useful for in‐depth characterization of different taphonomic traces; including cut, tooth and percussion marks. Through this, a preliminary study of trampling marks using advanced 3D digital microscopy was able to detect differences between what have since been known as scratch and graze marks. The present study expands from this, developing a more detailed analysis of these traces. Here, we use advanced data science techniques to provide a means of understanding trampling mark variations, contributing to our knowledge of site formation processes. Our results show how scratch and graze marks are a product of progressional decay and changes in cortical hardness, providing a new means of understanding taphonomic processes. Lay Description The study of microscopic bone surface modifications in archaeology and palaeontology is of great importance, allowing for a detailed reconstruction of the formation of a site and providing a means of interpreting the fossil register. The damage that sedimentary abrasion can produce, however, is likely to distort and influence these studies, thus requiring a detailed understanding of the different traces that can be found on different materials. Here, we use advanced 3D digital microscopy and pattern recognition algorithms to analyse the different marks produced in different sedimentological contexts, also controlling for other variables such as the state of the bone when buried, the type of bone and the time exposed to these types of damages. Through this detailed microscopic analysis of these types of damages, we are able to conclude that morphological variations in trampling marks are product of the state of decay when the bones are buried.

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Bone taphonomy inside and out: Application of 3-dimensional microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and micro-computed tomography to the study of humanly modified faunal assemblages

Cited by 24 publications

References 81 publications

Hidden in plain sight: A microanalytical study of a Middle Stone Age ochre piece trapped inside a micromorphological block sample

Hidden in plain sight: A microanalytical study of a Middle Stone Age ochre piece trapped inside a micromorphological block sample

Artists on the edge of the world: An integrated approach to the study of Magdalenian engraved stone plaquettes from Jersey (Channel Islands)

Scratches and grazes: a detailed microscopic analysis of trampling phenomena

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