305,168 research outputs found
Sandstone ground stone technology: a multi-level use wear and residue approach to investigate the function of pounding and grinding tools
No full textGround stone tool (GST) technology includes artefacts utilized in pounding or grinding
activities and characterized by long life cycles and multiple uses. The introduction of
such technology dates back to early prehistory, and for this reason, it is used as prime
evidence for tackling a wide range of archaeological questions such as the origins of
technology, patterns of daily subsistence and lifeways. In this paper, we contribute to
the field of study of GSTs by discussing the application of a novel multi-level analytical
approach combining use wear and residue observations at low and high magnification
with residue spatial distribution investigated using GIS. We aim to assess the potential
of a combined use wear and residue approach to (1) discriminate specific gestures and
worked materials on sandstone GSTs and (2) understand the potential of residue
distributions for reconstructing ancient GST functions and, more specifically, the role
of GSTs recovered at Mesolithic sites of the Danube Gorges region in the Central
Balkans. We identified diagnostic surface modifications associated with the use of
GSTs in different activities involving both animal and plant materials. Morphological
characteristics of residues have been described under reflected and transmitted light and
characterized using biochemical staining. Finally, we mapped residues across the
utilized surfaces of experimental tools to link patterns of residue spatial distribution
to specific materials and gestures. We expect our methodological approach will be
taken up by other researchers in order to produce comparable datasets on GSTs and
improve our understanding of their ancient functional biographies
Verso una biografia culturale dello strumentario in pietra levigata delle società di caccia-raccolta
No full textLo studio dei resti litici per la lavorazione dei vegetali e dei residui animali viene portato avanti attraverso l'uso della microscopia combinata all'usura litica, all'analisi dei residui e alla fotogrammetria
Analgo-sedazione con sufentanil in terapia intensiva:esperienza di un gruppo di studio italiano
No full textMesolithic plant processing unveiled: multiscale use-wear analysis of the ground stone tools from Vlasac (Serbia)
No full textPlants and plant-based foods played a crucial role in human evolution, and the interaction between plants and humans is a highly debated topic in archaeology. Ground stone tools are considered particularly valuable evidence due to their direct involvement in various plant processing tasks. This paper investigates the use of sandstone ground stone tools coming from the site of Vlasac in the Danube Gorges region, used in plant processing tasks, providing clues about the exploitation of vegetal resources during the Mesolithic of the region. Applying a novel approach based on the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including optical microscopy, 3D surface texture analysis, and spatial analysis, we explore the use of ground stone tools in plant processing at the site. Our results highlight the existence of a specific plant-food processing technology in the area of the Danube Gorges during the eight millennium cal BC, alongside the familiarity of these Mesolithic foragers with the consumption of wild plants, long before the introduction of agriculture in this region
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Human-plant interaction at the onset of agriculture: the PATH project
No full textPlant domestication represents a major turning point in human history, resulting in the shift from a hunting/gathering/fishing-based economy to food production. Combining the analysis of ground stone tools and dental calculus, the PATH project aims to investigate dynamics of plant consumption, and the knowledge and toolkits involved in their processing
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Tool Function in the Past: Use-Wear, Residues and Techno Morphological Analysis of Stone and Ceramic Materials
No full textL’obiettivo del Corso di Alta Formazione è quello di fornire le basi teoriche e applicative indispensabili per iniziare un percorso di specializzazione in analisi funzionale delle industrie litiche e ceramiche di contesti archeologici. Il corso offre un panorama delle tecniche di analisi archeologiche e archeometriche che concorrono a formare l’approccio integrato che premette di interpretare come sono stati prodotti e utilizzati gli strumenti del passato. Oltre alle lezioni frontali il corso offre una parte applicativa di laboratorio che crea nello studente una prima fondamentale esperienza diretta di osservazione microscopica di tracce tecnologiche e d’uso, di osservazione dei residui del materiale lavorato, di applicazione di tecniche spettroscopiche per l’analisi chimica dei residui, di applicazione di tecniche di analisi quantitativa delle superfici litiche e ceramiche
Studying Palaeolithic macro-lithic tools’ uses by combining functional and spatial analyses. Preliminary results from Grotta di Fumane (Italy)
No full textL\u27analisi spaziale e l\u27uso di software GIS rivestono un ruolo essenziale in alcuni ambiti della ricerca. È piuttosto significativo, ad esempio, il contributo svolto nella definizione funzionale dello spazio all’interno di un contesto antropico, la valutazione della densità dei manufatti e il loro posizionamento. Attraverso uno studio di tipo spaziale è possibile indagare, con maggiore dettaglio, alcuni aspetti organizzativi e comportamentali dei gruppi preistorici. Tuttavia, queste tecniche di analisi spesso vedono il loro impiego circoscritto all’indagine di contesti archeologici su ampia scala. Ancora embrionale, risulta l’applicazione dell’analisi spaziale sui manufatti, nello specifico litici, nonostante siano noti in letteratura importanti contributi sull’argomento (ad es. de la Torre et alii 2013; Bird et alii 2007). In questa sede discuteremo il potenziale di un approccio integrato che combina analisi tecno-funzionale e spaziale per la comprensione della tecnologia in pietra non scheggiata del Paleolitico.Sono stati analizzati percussori e ritoccatori provenienti dal sito di Grotta di Fumane e relativi ai livelli Aurignaziani. In particolare, ci si è avvalsi dell’analisi tecno-funzionale e della sperimentazione, parallelamente all’impiego dell’analisi spaziale e dell\u27uso di software GIS.I macrolithics analizzati dal punto di vista tecnologico non presentano alcuna modificazione. Ciò potrebbe suggerire dei criteri di selezione basati sulla loro morfologia e materia prima. L’attività sperimentale si è resa necessaria ai fini di ricostruire la chaîne opératoire, oltre che per analizzare il legame esistente tra la traccia e il gesto che l’ha determinata.Il protocollo sperimentale adottato ha coinvolto varie attività: dalla sbozzatura, all’abrasione della cornice, messa in forma del volume del nucleo a operazioni di mantenimento del piano di percussione. Lo strumentario in selce ottenuto, riprodotto secondo la tecnologia individuata nei livelli Aurignaziani di Grotta di Fumane, è stato ritoccato impiegando diverse gestualità. In seguito, utilizzando ArcGIS 10.4 sono state analizzate la densità delle tracce d’uso e la loro distribuzione mediante la formulazione di "mappe di distribuzione", relative a ciascuna delle attività di ritocco e percussione eseguite a livello sperimentale. Queste sono state successivamente confrontate con quelle acquisite dall’elaborazione dei campioni archeologici. Comparando i dati ottenuti è stato possibile determinare la presenza, nel sito di Grotta di Fumane, di percussori, utilizzati in diverse fasi di lavorazione del nucleo, e di ritoccatori. Quest’ultimi presentano tracce riconducibili a differenti tipi di ritocchi, ovvero ritocchi con morfologia scagliata e ritocchi paralleli. Queste tracce presentano differenti tipi di densità e distribuzione, visibili sulle mappe, indicative delle diverse attività svolte.Grazie all’unione del metodo funzionale e spaziale è stato possibile fornire una serie di dettagli sulle modalità e scelte di utilizzo degli strumenti litici provenienti da Grotta di Fumane. Allo stesso tempo, l’analisi dei macro-lithics Aurignaziani della Grotta di Fumane e’ stato il punto di partenza per elaborare una metodologia integrata per lo studio e la comprensione la cui applicazione su vasta scale permetterebbe di comprendere più a fondo vari aspetti della tecnologia antica. I risultati ottenuti mettono in luce le potenzialità di tale approccio combinato, che potrà essere esteso all’indagine di altri manufatti quali, ad esempio, gli strumenti da macinazione e la litica scheggiata. Nella sua applicazione alla distribuzione dei residui, il medesimo approccio consentirà di migliorare notevolmente la nostra attuale conoscenza del comportamento umano antico.Studying Palaeolithic macro-lithic tools’ uses by combining functional and spatial analyses. Preliminary results from Grotta di Fumane (Italy)The application of spatial analysis and the use of GIS software plays a major role in the archaeology field. Analyzing the use of space in a given context, define artefact densities and orientation patterns represent only few examples through which it is possible to achieve relevant data and investigate more in details aspects of human behavior and/or features concerning site formation processes. If, on the one hand, the application of spatial analysis at an intra-site level is ordinary, its exploitation at a micro scale, for example in the study of ancient tool function is yet rare, despite the promising results obtained by several studies in which a combination of spatial analysis and use wear was attempted (e.g. de la Torre et al 2013; Bird et al 2007). In this presentation, we will discuss the potential of an integrated approach combining techno-functional and spatial analyses for understanding of non-knapped Paleolithic technology.Within the scopes of the HIDDEN FOODS - ERC Starting Grant Project (GA 638296) the repertoire of Aurignacian macro-tools from Fumane Cave have been analyzed and interpreted as retouchers and hammerstones through an integrated methodological approach combining experimental archaeology, use wear and spatial analyses. To date, literature about lithic technology has rarely focused on the distinctive features of hammerstones and retouchers, which were probably completely ignored in the past and still misinterpreted during the excavations. In order to better understanding technological choices behind the use of macro-tools from Fumane Cave, we designed a dedicated experimental framework and based on the different retouch and percussion techniques identified at the site, it was possible to detail both the morphological features of the use wear associated to each gesture and their spatial distribution patterns. The experimental framework allowed the reconstruction of the chaîne opératoire, and to analyze the connection between the trace of use and the gesture that determined it. The experiments carried out included a series of percussion and retouch activities (e.g. striking platform adjustment, core adjustment, parallel retouch, scaled retouch) resembling the one identified on the archaeological specimens unearthed at the site. Spatial analysis was performed using ArcGis 10.4. Use wear density and directional distribution analysis permitted to create “distribution maps” related to each of the retouch and percussive activities performed, which were then compared with the ones originated by the analysis of the archaeological specimens. Moreover, correlating the experimental use wear and spatial maps and the traces and spatial patterns identified on the archaeological specimens it was possible to suggest that macro lithic tools at Fumane Cave were used in different phases of core reduction and to exploit two kinds of retouch techniques: parallel and scaled. Accordingly, we were able to provide detailed information regarding the activity and the gestures performed resulting in a clear interpretation of their use. The analysis of macro-lithic tools from Fumane Cave was the starting point for elaborating a combined methodological framework for studying and understanding various aspects of ancient technology. On the basis of the results here presented we believe that the application of such approach to other artefact categories (e.g. ground stones and knapped stones), as well as its extension to other aspects concerning their use (e.g. residues distribution), might provide new data and considerably enhance our current knowledge of ancient human technological behavior and choices
Flexibility within Quina lithic production systems and tool-use in Northern Italy: implications on Neanderthal behavior and ecology during early MIS 4
No full textThe Quina Mousterian is one of the well-defined Middle Paleolithic techno-complexes. Despite the pivotal research carried out in south-western France, the presence of this techno-complex across the rest of Europe is still poorly documented. Here we apply a techno-functional approach, combining technological and use-wear analyses, for reconstructing lithic core-reduction, tool-reduction, and tool use at De Nadale Cave, a single-layered Mousterian site with Quina features located in northern Italy and dated to the early MIS 4. Our results indicate that the flexible core reduction strategies identified at De Nadale show some similarities with the Quina knapping method, in addition to the adoption of centripetal methods on single surfaces. Variations of this scheme identified at De Nadale, is the exploitation of lateral and narrow fronts which is aimed to the production of elongated blanks. A parallel, ramified reduction is applied to limace-cores and Quina or demi-Quina scrapers having diversified purpose (mixed matrix). These blanks are exploited as tools and cores-on-flakes from which thinner, usable flakes or bladelets are detached. The use-wear identified on both scrapers and reaffutage flakes further confirm this behavior, demonstrating the use of both tools, albeit for different tasks (i.e., scraping and cutting). We discuss the ecological implications of this behavior within the Quina Mousterian. The high frequency of retouched tools and Quina or demi-Quina scrapers seems to accompany the highly mobile human groups associated with this techno complex and their seasonally-organized subsistence strategies. Finally, by combining available multidisciplinary data on paleoenvironment, subsistence, and chronology we were able to embed the neanderthal settlement of De Nadale in a regional and Western European frame, underlining the importance of the Quina Mousterian in Western Eurasia between MIS 4 and early MIS 3
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