Expanding the Scope of Actualistic Taphonomy in Archaeological Research

Borrazzo, Karen

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-20625-3_12

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Las medias de los espesores de las fracturas rondan en ambos casos los 3 mm y el espesor máximo observado en las fracturas de ambas pistas es virtualmente idéntico (7 vs 7,1 mm) (Tabla 2). Cabe destacar que este es el mismo valor máximo que hemos obtenido en los otros 12 experimentos con materias primas más tenaces que la obsidiana (Weitzel et al, 2014, Borrazzo, 2017, 2019.…”

Section: Resultsunclassified

Exploración experimental de los efectos del pisoteo sobre artefactos de obsidiana

Borrazzo

Weitzel²,

Ceraso³

2020

Rev. Mus. Antrop.

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Como continuación de un proyecto destinado a contribuir al conocimiento arqueológico de los efectos de los procesos post-depositacionales sobre los materiales líticos, se realizó una experiencia de pisoteo sobre artefactos de obsidiana. El experimento incluyó el planteo de dos pistas -una sobre sustrato blando y otra sobre sustrato duro- en las que se depositaron artefactos experimentales manufacturados a partir de nódulos de obsidiana procedente de la fuente Huenul (Neuquén, Argentina). Siguiendo la propuesta planteada para evaluar el Potencial para la Fragmentación por Pisoteo (PFP), los datos experimentales son analizados con la técnica de data mining denominada árbol de decisión. Se informan las frecuencias de fractura y las variables métricas artefactuales relevantes en su ocurrencia. Como fuera registrado en experimentaciones previas, se observó que el sustrato duro promueve la ocurrencia de fracturas y contrastamos los espesores máximos de fracturas obtenidos. La incorporación de los datos de obsidiana al árbol de decisión mostró que ciertas materias primas pueden modificar las variables de relevancia y/o su influencia sobre el PFP.

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Section: Resultsunclassified

Exploración experimental de los efectos del pisoteo sobre artefactos de obsidiana

Borrazzo

Weitzel²,

Ceraso³

2020

Rev. Mus. Antrop.

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“…It should first be recalled that taphonomical experiments have made it possible to demonstrate how taphonomical processes (falling cobbles, fluvial transportation, etc.) can produce many types of tool-like artifacts such as cores, scrapers, notches and denticulates (Hosfield and Chambers 2016;Borrazzo 2020),…”

Section: The Natural Versus Cultural Identification Of Artifacts: the Unclear (Drastic?) Selection Protocolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Questioning the Anthropic Nature of Pedra Furada and the Piauí Sites

Coutouly

2021

PaleoAmerica

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Many archaeologists are still skeptical about a human presence in the Americas during or before the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM), considering that the claim is not yet sustained by hard evidence. Boqueirão da Pedra Furada (Brazil) is one of the most famous pre-LGM claims, but the site has so far been considered ambiguous, and similar concerns have been raised about nearby sites. Nonetheless, for E. Boëda and co-workers, who have been working at these sites, researchers who are still skeptical about the anthropic origin of the assemblages have a psychological barrier and no scientific arguments. Are all skeptics completely blinded by their preconceptions that they cannot see the obvious and unambiguous evidence? To find out, I reviewed the numerous publications of the Piauí sites and the outcome of my analysis is quite simple: the anthropic nature of the LGM/pre-LGM artifacts of the Piauí sites has not been demonstrated.

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“…This is because certain elements associated with primate-made stone tools can also occur in naturally fractured rocks. These include: flake morphology; percussion bulbs; distal termination types; platform types; platform angles; sharp edges; regularised or continuous retouch; ‘patterned’ or ‘intentional’ flaking; and size, shape and spatial patterning (Manninen 2007; Eren et al 2011; Andrefsky 2013; Borrazzo 2016, 2020; Borrero 2016). Moreover, elements associated with naturally fractured rocks, such as natural cleavage planes, frost-fracturing, physical and chemical weathering, post-depositional damage and natural transport processes, can also characterise or affect primate-made stone tools or assemblages (Borrazzo 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There have been numerous experiments that illustrate how natural processes can produce specimens that appear to be primate-made (e.g. Warren 1914; McPherron et al 2014; Borrazzo 2016, 2020), and these serve as an important reservoir of interpretative cautionary tales. No experiment, however, can replicate reality with exact precision, and an experiment's relationship to the parameters of direct interest (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These three drawbacks highlight the need for a sustained field research programme that complements experimental efforts (e.g. Eren & Bebber 2019; Magnani 2019a, 2019b; Borrazzo 2020) by investigating what natural processes do to conchoidally fracturing rocks outside of the laboratory. In other words, archaeological research would benefit tremendously from the development of a null model of conchoidally fractured rocks that developed entirely from natural processes, against which potential archaeological samples could be compared.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Antarctica as a ‘natural laboratory’ for the critical assessment of the archaeological validity of early stone tool sites

et al. 2023

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Lithic technologies dominate understanding of early humans, yet natural processes can fracture rock in ways that resemble artefacts made by Homo sapiens and other primates. Differentiating between fractures made by natural processes and primates is important for assessing the validity of early and controversial archaeological sites. Rather than depend on expert authority or intuition, the authors propose a null model of conchoidally fractured Antarctic rocks. As no primates have ever occupied the continent, Antarctica offers a laboratory for generating samples that could only have been naturally fractured. Examples that resemble artefacts produced by primates illustrate the potential of ‘archaeological’ research in Antarctica for the evaluation of hominin sites worldwide.

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Expanding the Scope of Actualistic Taphonomy in Archaeological Research

Cited by 12 publications

References 51 publications

Exploración experimental de los efectos del pisoteo sobre artefactos de obsidiana

Exploración experimental de los efectos del pisoteo sobre artefactos de obsidiana

Questioning the Anthropic Nature of Pedra Furada and the Piauí Sites

Antarctica as a ‘natural laboratory’ for the critical assessment of the archaeological validity of early stone tool sites

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