Huesos tallados del Pleistoceno medio y superior en Europa. Estudio interdisciplinar de la cadena operativa en Galería y Gran Dolina-TD10.1 (Atapuerca), Castel di Guido (Lazio) y Abric Romaní (Barcelona)

Identifier:  TDX:4534

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX4534

Authors:  Mateo Lomba, Paula

Abstract:
The earliest evidence of bone modification and its utilisation as raw material can be traced back to southern and eastern Africa in the Lower Pleistocene, approximately two million years ago. However, this evidence is not continuous in the archaeological record and is first identified in Europe and the Near East during the Middle Pleistocene. The primary challenge lies in the lack of distinctive cultural characteristics that can be attributed to these tools, coupled with the minimal modification that they have undergone. The primary shaping techniques can be attributed to knapping and abrasion. However, it is possible that these modifications may be mistaken for taphonomic processes in the bone assemblages, which are caused by both anthropogenic and non-anthropic agents. Such ambiguity leads to issues of equifinality. The objective of this research is to examine the chaîne opératoire of the knapped bone industry in Europe, focusing particularly on Middle and Upper Pleistocene sites such as Sierra de Atapuerca, Castel di Guido and Abric Romaní in Spain. The study employs a diachronic approach, integrating insights from a range of archaeological disciplines, including zooarchaeology, taphonomy, technology, and traceology. The findings of the study have led to the development of an interdisciplinary methodology for the investigation of slightly modified bone tools. An extensive experimental programme has been conducted with the objective of reproducing the stages of procurement, configuration, utilisation and abandonment of bone tools. The analysis of the faunal assemblages has identified both pseudo-tools and tools. It demonstrates a model of exploitation of bones obtained from the environment, without apparent selection, but sometimes with complex configuration strategies, which show technological planning and flexibility for different uses. Finally, the study perspective used has allowed us to contribute to the knowledge of the technological and subsistence behaviours of the hominins that inhabited this territory.