Human-Induced Percussion Technology: A Synthesis of Bone Modification as Archaeological Evidence

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Prey animal bone modification by humans has long been part of the archaeological record; however, debate continues as to whether this evidence alone is sufficient to justify interpretation of technological activity. This is especially true if such evidence is used in support of archaeological sites older than 16 kya in the Americas. This poster synthesizes data that represent over a decade of research including experimental bone breakage and archaeological excavations of proboscidean assemblages. Replicable features of percussion and use wear patterns on bone elements are described along with interpretive methods which demonstrate analogous, concurrent and anomalous patterns that represent human behavior. Geological contexts that rule out alternative causes of percussion breakage are described. We conclude that features of bone modification by percussion can be strong evidence of human behavior when interpreted in the light of experimental reference samples, analogous archaeological sites and geological context. The age and geographic location of a site does not invalidate this evidence.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24871