New analytical methods for comparing bone fracture angles: A controlled study of hammerstone and hyena (<i>Crocuta crocuta</i>) long bone breakage

Coil, Reed; Tappen, Martha; Yezzi-Woodley, Katrina

doi:10.1111/arcm.12285

Cited by 21 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…A second approach used to fight the problems concerning the differentiation of human and carnivore agency is based on the study of fracture angles [ 23 – 25 ]. Nevertheless, the methodology proposed [ 24 ] in classifying the different fracture angles produced on bovid long bone shafts is not diagnostic when applied to equids [ 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differentiating percussion pits and carnivore tooth pits using 3D reconstructions and geometric morphometrics

et al. 2018

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During the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century the discussion on early human behavioral patterns revolved around the hunting versus scavenging debate. The correct identification of bone modifications, including percussion, cut and tooth marks, is a key issue within this debate. While many authors have shown that carnivore and human modifications can be easily distinguished, it is true that sometimes percussion marks without associated microstriations and tooth pits overlap morphologically, causing confusion, especially when unmodified hammerstones are used. In order to solve this equifinality problem, many investigations have focused their efforts on other pieces of evidence such as the identification of notches, fragmentation patterns and frequencies, among others. These studies, however, cannot be considered as fully conclusive. Within this paper we address the problem of equifinality when identifying percussion marks produced with unmodified hammerstones and tooth pits created by carnivores using new methodologies based on the 3D reconstruction of marks and their statistical multivariate analysis. For the purpose of this study a total of 128 marks– 39 percussion marks produced with an unmodified quartzite hammerstone, and 89 pits generated by different carnivores–were virtually modelled with the aid of a DAVID structured-light scanner SLS-2 and later analyzed by means of geometric morphometrics. Our results show that percussion marks not associated with striae fields and the pits generated by the carnivores studied here can be successfully distinguished.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differentiating percussion pits and carnivore tooth pits using 3D reconstructions and geometric morphometrics

et al. 2018

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“…Still another recent experimental study found that bones break differently based on their shape and cortical bone thickness and density; specifically, fracture angles of elk long bones were influenced by breakage plane, skeletal element, and limb portion. 107 At the assemblage level fracture angles of hammerstone-and spotted hyenabroken bones were very similar, except that the fracture angles on oblique breaks were further from 90 in the spotted hyena sample than the hammerstones sample. 108 An additional recent study has developed a new method to diagnose hammerstone-induced fracture that focuses on fracture features including incipient flakes, cones, lateral stress, and radiating cracks that are characteristic of hammerstone impact but rarely observed in carnivore accumulations.…”

Section: Is There Zooarchaeological or Technological Evidence For Ementioning

confidence: 89%

“…The size and shape of notches and angles of breakage planes on hammerstone‐fragmented equid long bones were more difficult to differentiate from carnivore notches than those on fragmented bovid bones. Still another recent experimental study found that bones break differently based on their shape and cortical bone thickness and density; specifically, fracture angles of elk long bones were influenced by breakage plane, skeletal element, and limb portion . At the assemblage level fracture angles of hammerstone‐ and spotted hyena‐broken bones were very similar, except that the fracture angles on oblique breaks were further from 90° in the spotted hyena sample than the hammerstones sample .…”

Section: Is There Zooarchaeological or Technological Evidence For Earmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…An additional recent study has developed a new method to diagnose hammerstone‐induced fracture that focuses on fracture features including incipient flakes, cones, lateral stress, and radiating cracks that are characteristic of hammerstone impact but rarely observed in carnivore accumulations . Determining the agent of breakage likely requires a combination of fracture location, angle, morphology, related fracture features, and bone surface modifications …”

Section: Is There Zooarchaeological or Technological Evidence For Earmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…108 Determining the agent of breakage likely requires a combination of fracture location, angle, morphology, related fracture features, and bone surface modifications. 31,107 While bone flakes created by percussion and carnivore bone breakage have been noted in experimental butchery studies, 66,103,105 a systematic comparison of the morphology of these flakes has not been undertaken-but might be expected to yield similar results as those for studies of notches described above. One study found that the dimensions of impact flakes depends heavily on carcass size and whether the hammerstone used to create the flakes was modified or unmodified 103 ; another found that the dimensions of bovid and equid bone flakes were statistically indistinguishable.…”

Section: Is There Zooarchaeological or Technological Evidence For Ementioning

confidence: 99%

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The zooarchaeology and paleoecology of early hominin scavenging

Pobiner

2020

Evolutionary Anthropology

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Questions about the timing, frequency, resource yield, and behavioral and biological implications of large animal carcass acquisition by early hominins have been a part of the “hunting‐scavenging debate” for decades. This article presents a brief outline of this debate, reviews the zooarchaeological and modern ecological evidence for a possible scavenging niche among the earliest animal tissue‐consuming hominins (pre‐2.0 Ma), revisits some of the questions that this debate has generated, and outlines some ways to explore answers to those questions with evidence from the archaeological record.

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A Study of Fractured Proboscidean Bones in Recent and Fossil Assemblages

Haynes

Krasinski

Wojtal

2020

J Archaeol Method Theory

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Reliable methods are needed to distinguish anthropogenic from non-anthropogenic causes of proboscidean limb bone breakage in fossil assemblages because of theoretical uncertainty about human-proboscidean relationships in the Pleistocene. This paper compares experimentally broken bones of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) and mammoths (Mammuthus spp.) after establishing that limb bone fracture dynamics are the same for those proboscidean taxa. We show that features thought exclusively diagnostic of percussive fracturing of green proboscidean long bones such as notched fracture edges, smooth fracture surfaces, and curvilinear fracture outlines also can be created on non-green bones and on bones affected by non-anthropogenic processes. The information reported here can be applied in analyses or re-analyses of fossil proboscidean bone assemblages and may either support or potentially alter current interpretations of hominin behavior.

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New analytical methods for comparing bone fracture angles: A controlled study of hammerstone and hyena (Crocuta crocuta) long bone breakage

Cited by 21 publications

References 29 publications

Differentiating percussion pits and carnivore tooth pits using 3D reconstructions and geometric morphometrics

Differentiating percussion pits and carnivore tooth pits using 3D reconstructions and geometric morphometrics

The zooarchaeology and paleoecology of early hominin scavenging

A Study of Fractured Proboscidean Bones in Recent and Fossil Assemblages

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