Benchmarking methods and data for the whole‐outline geometric morphometric analysis of lithic tools

Araujo, Renata P; Riede, Felix; Okumura, Mercedes; Araujo, Astolfo; Leplongeon, Alice; Wren, Colin D.; Rabuñal, José R; Cardillo, Marcelo; Cruz, M; Matzig, David N.

doi:10.1002/evan.21981

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 22 publications

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“…Outlines . We extracted the (continuous) outline data from available photographs and drawings of lithic armatures by using the R package outlineR [ 137 ], following the workflow described in Matzig [ 140 ], Matzig et al [ 141 ], and Araujo et al [ 142 ]. Using the Momocs package [ 143 ], all obtained outlines were smoothed by a ‘moving average’ procedure to avoid digitization noise, and then interpolated to yield 500 semi-landmarks, with the starting landmark placed at the distal extremity (typically the tip) of its corresponding artefact.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A quantitative analysis of Final Palaeolithic/earliest Mesolithic cultural taxonomy and evolution in Europe

Riede,

Matzig,

Biard

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Archaeological systematics, together with spatial and chronological information, are commonly used to infer cultural evolutionary dynamics in the past. For the study of the Palaeolithic, and particularly the European Final Palaeolithic and earliest Mesolithic, proposed changes in material culture are often interpreted as reflecting historical processes, migration, or cultural adaptation to climate change and resource availability. Yet, cultural taxonomic practice is known to be variable across research history and academic traditions, and few large-scale replicable analyses across such traditions have been undertaken. Drawing on recent developments in computational archaeology, we here present a data-driven assessment of the existing Final Palaeolithic/earliest Mesolithic cultural taxonomy in Europe. Our dataset consists of a large expert-sourced compendium of key sites, lithic toolkit composition, blade and bladelet production technology, as well as lithic armatures. The dataset comprises 16 regions and 86 individually named archaeological taxa (‘cultures’), covering the period between ca. 15,000 and 11,000 years ago (cal BP). Using these data, we use geometric morphometric and multivariate statistical techniques to explore to what extent the dynamics observed in different lithic data domains (toolkits, technologies, armature shapes) correspond to each other and to the culture-historical relations of taxonomic units implied by traditional naming practice. Our analyses support the widespread conception that some dimensions of material culture became more diverse towards the end of the Pleistocene and the very beginning of the Holocene. At the same time, cultural taxonomic unit coherence and efficacy appear variable, leading us to explore potential biases introduced by regional research traditions, inter-analyst variation, and the role of disjunct macroevolutionary processes. In discussing the implications of these findings for narratives of cultural change and diversification across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, we emphasize the increasing need for cooperative research and systematic archaeological analyses that reach across research traditions.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A quantitative analysis of Final Palaeolithic/earliest Mesolithic cultural taxonomy and evolution in Europe

Riede,

Matzig,

Biard

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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A morphological, morphometric and geochemical characterization of the El Jobo projectile points – diversity and significance in early human populations across the Americas

Vargas,

Verger,

Wiesenberg

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The El Jobo projectile points represent a distinctive ballistic innovation of Late Pleistocene Neotropical groups. This technology, characterized by its fusiform/lanceolate shape, has been recorded mainly in northwestern Venezuela in a variety of geographical areas and in association with megafauna killing/butchering sites. To address its significance and possible continental relationships, broader characterization and analysis are needed. Four consecutive approaches were conducted on a representative sample of El Jobo projectile points: A morphological classification, a technological approximation, an outline-based geometric morphometric analysis, and an elemental composition analysis. Six morphological types were recognized, for which no major differences in manufacture techniques were observed. Mainly collateral and irregular flaking patterns were identified, also recording new basal variability, including fluting, fluting-like and reconfiguration techniques. Due to fragmentation of the material, only the four most representative morphological types could be subjected to morphometric analysis. Elliptic Fourier and Principal Component analyses identified at least three clusters, with width variation mainly distinguishing their shapes, and statistical tests determined significative differences between the main morphological types. The elemental analysis revealed the main use of quarzitic rocks, with variations in elemental composition indicative of diverse sources. The observed variability and cumulative evidence of El Jobo projectile points suggests their adaptation to diverse hunting strategies and leads us to consider long-distance connections with other projectile point technologies across the continent.

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Benchmarking methods and data for the whole‐outline geometric morphometric analysis of lithic tools

Cited by 2 publications

References 22 publications

A quantitative analysis of Final Palaeolithic/earliest Mesolithic cultural taxonomy and evolution in Europe

A quantitative analysis of Final Palaeolithic/earliest Mesolithic cultural taxonomy and evolution in Europe

A morphological, morphometric and geochemical characterization of the El Jobo projectile points – diversity and significance in early human populations across the Americas

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