Radiocarbon-dating adhesive and wooden residues from stone tools by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS): challenges and insights encountered in a case study

Yates, Andrea; Smith, A. M.; Bertuch, Fiona; Gehlen, Birgit; Gramsch, Bernhard; Heinen, Martin; Joannes‐Boyau, Renaud; Scheffers, Anja; Parr, J. F.; Pawlik, Alfred

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2015.04.022

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Although plasters may have a comparable morphology, their composition and pyrogenic production can still be different. Overall, the morphology of organic and inorganic remains on tools is an unreliable means for specific identification (Koller and Baumer 2010;Monnier, Ladwig, and Porter 2012), and additional study of the context and characterization of adhesive remains is required to confirm their authenticity and nature (Aveling and Car| Heron 1998;Langejans 2011;Monnier et al 2013;Yates et al 2015).…”

Section: Classification and Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeological Adhesives

Langejans¹,

Aleo²,

Fajardo³

et al. 2022

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology

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An adhesive is any substance that bonds different materials together. This broad definition includes materials used in everything from hafted stone tools to monumental architecture. In addition, the combination of bonding, plasticity, and insolubility meant that some adhesives were exploited for waterproofing and sealing of materials, as self-adhering inlays and putties, and as paints, varnishes, and inks. Adhesives have a history of at least 200,000 years. Throughout (pre)history and around the world, people used materials, including bitumen/asphalt, carbohydrate polymers such as starches and gums, natural rubbers, mortars, proteins (from casein, soy, blood, and animal connective tissue), insect and plant resins, and tars made from various barks and woods. Adhesives thus are very diverse and have widely varying properties: they can be tacky, pliable, elastic, brittle, water-resistant, fluid, viscous, clear, dark, and much more. They are a plastic avant la lettre. These properties can and were tweaked by mixing ingredients or by further processing. In the study of archaeological adhesives, their characterization is essential and this is best done with chemical and spectroscopic methods. When larger coherent samples as opposed to single finds are analyzed, adhesive studies can provide data on past technologies, socioeconomic organizations, and environments and raw material availability. Through sourcing and mapping of ingredients and adhesive end products, travel and transfer of materials and knowledge can be illuminated. Additionally, experimental reproductions provide data on technological aspects that otherwise are lost in the archaeological record. An archaeology of adhesives can reveal the transport networks, subsistence, mobility strategies, division of labor, and technological know-how that held societies together.

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Section: Classification and Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeological Adhesives

Langejans¹,

Aleo²,

Fajardo³

et al. 2022

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology

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“…From the Mesolithic on, birch tar was frequently used throughout Europe (e.g. Aveling and Heron, 1998;Yates et al, 2015), and especially in the Neolithic and Iron Age, hundreds of birch tar artefacts are known (see, for example: Hayek et al, 1990;Courel et al, 2018;Urem-Kotsou et al, 2018;Rageot et al, 2021). The methods used to make these artefacts are still unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adhesive Strength and Rupture Behaviour of Birch Tars Made with Different Stone Age Methods

Koch

Schmidt

2023

J Paleo Arch

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Birch tar is the earliest adhesive produced by Neanderthals in the European Palaeolithic. Experimental studies have proposed a number of aceramic (i.e. without the use of ceramics) birch tar–making techniques, but to date, no archaeological evidence for any of these techniques has been brought forward. The likelihood of one of those methods being actually used in the Stone Age may be investigated by evaluating the method’s complexity, efficiency and the performance of the tar obtained. In this study, we experimentally produce birch tar with four common experimental aceramic techniques. These tars are tested for their mechanical properties using lap-shear tests. We found that tar made with the aboveground condensation method is strongest in terms of its adhesive strength. The tar also shows the most consistent behaviour throughout our test series. The weakest adhesive was observed in tar made with an underground (i.e. oxygen-depleted) technique resembling double-pot distillation (raised structure). Two supplementary methods yielded intermediate values: the recently proposed cobble-groove method produces tar with plastic behaviour. Tar made with another underground technique (pit roll) is almost as strong as condensation method tar. This study adds to our understanding of adhesive performance of birch tar made with different aceramic techniques. It also allows understanding the potential use of one method instead of another.

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