• What is butchery
– Human reduction and modification of an animal carcass into consumable
parts
Other biostratinomic features
• Butchery - natural and cultural factors
Other biostratinomic features
• Butchery concentrates and modifies bones
• Marks
• V - U shaped
• Butchery Marks (Pat Shipman)
– Distinguished by:
– Location on bone
• Skinning, disarticulation, filleting
– Micro morphology
• Striae
• Shoulder-effects
Other biostratinomic features
• Features that can be interpreted as butchery
• Trampling marks
• Teeth marks
• Other surface features
• Puncture marks
• Root etching
• burning
Other biostratinomic features
• Bone fracturing - localized mechanical failure
• Static versus dynamic loading
• Which is more brittle - fresh or dried bone?
• Fresh bone = ductile
• Dried bone = brittle
• Drying increase bones density and strength (shrinkage)
• Resistant to static but not dynamic loading
Bone Fracturing
• Important considerations
• Location, front, surface, shape
• How do you determine if modified by humans?
• Rough versus smooth fractures
• Flaking, spiral fractures
Ecofacts
• Bone artifacts
• Incidental versus intentional modifications
• Manufacturing modification
• Problem = minimal modifications