Conference Presentations by Eva F . Martellotta
9th Annual Meeting of Italian Association of Zooarchaeology (AIAZ). Ravenna, 28th November – 1st December 2018, 2018
The purpose of the research, which is focused on the technological study of bone retouchers, is t... more The purpose of the research, which is focused on the technological study of bone retouchers, is to define technological parameters which can be associated with the user’s handedness by analysing experimental and archaeological samples. The laterality is defined on the basis of the study of the spatial distribution of the retouch-inducted stigmata on the surface of the instruments in relation to the c.d. ‘grasping axis’. That is the extension of a directrix running straight along the user’s arm. The method has been applied to a sample of experimental bone retouchers used by operators of which the handedness was noted. The results reveal the existence of a pattern of spatial distribution of the stigmata in relation to the user’s handedness: the east-oriented distribution regard to the axis is associated with the right-handed operator, while the west-oriented distribution is associated with the left-hand operator. Moreover, the operator’s degree of experience appears to have a significant influence on the distribution patterns. Then, Late-Mousterian archaeological retouchers from Fumane Cave were analysed: the stigma distribution study shows the presence of a pattern that is likely to be associated with a right-handed user. The results achieved are promising, but preliminary; future studies, with the application of a geostatistical approach and 3D modelling, will provide statistically more relevant results.
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XXIII Associazione Antropologica Italiana (AAI) Conference: Anthropology: what are the next questions? Padova, 4 – 6 Settembre 2019, 2019
For “handedness” we intend a widely manifested preference, within a specific population, to use a... more For “handedness” we intend a widely manifested preference, within a specific population, to use a hand regarding the other during the execution of some complex actions. World-wise, the current population shows a predominance of right-handed individuals on the left-handed ones, because of factors that seem to have more a biological than a cultural cause. Manual abilities, especially the handedness, are manifestation of the brain’s lateralization, in which one hemisphere takes the windward on the other during the implementation of manual actions, and the cerebral activities to which they are related. The manipulation of instruments fits in a category of actions which are based on differentiated bimanual activities, in which one tends to divide the work between the two hands in asymmetric but identifiable way: a dominant hand accomplishes the action on the object, while the other stabilizes the object. The Palaeolithic bone retouchers are an excellent class of tools for verifying such dynamics. An innovative approach for the analysis of the spatial distribution of the retouching stigmata within a defined area of the tool’s surface is proposed, with the aim to determine the handedness of the user. An experimental protocol was carried out, in which two operators, one right-handed and one left-handed, engaged in the action of retouching. From the analysis of the experimental stigmata, we extracted some spatial distribution patterns, related to the user’s handedness. Then, the same method has been applied to the observation of the archaeological bone retouchers from the Late-Mousterian layers of Fumane Cave, to identify similar patterns and to find out about the handedness of the Neanderthals who lived in the Cave. The results reveal the existence of models of spatial distribution strictly related to the handedness of the user, and they also seem to trace a right-handed pattern within the archaeological sample.
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Papers by Eva F . Martellotta
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 2022
Boomerangs are among the most recognisable elements of Australian Aboriginal technology. In the p... more Boomerangs are among the most recognisable elements of Australian Aboriginal technology. In the popular mindset, the prevailing image of these wooden artefacts is that of thrown implements that return to the thrower, principally used for hunting animals. However, boomerangs have a deep multipurpose role in Indigenous societies, with just a few examples of their known functions, including fighting, digging, and making music (i.e., "clap sticks"). Recently, yet another function for boomerangs has been proposed (Martellotta et al., 2021a): the functional modification of lithic tools (i.e., retouching)-a form of use that is almost unknown among non-Aboriginal researchers. Here, we provide the first comprehensive review of evidence for the use of boomerangs as lithic retouching tools (percussors). A detailed lexical analysis demonstrates similarities between Palaeolithic bone retouchers used for the same purposes as the Australian hardwood boomerangs, thus confirming our traceological hypothesis and the power of using a multidisciplinary approach in investigating Australia's deep past. This paper provides the foundation for discussions surrounding the multipurpose concept behind many Aboriginal tools by focusing on the most iconic item. We propose that, in future studies, the complex technological and functional features of boomerangs should take precedence over their famous "returning effect".
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
Abstract Australian lithic assemblages contain a great number of retouched tools. Despite this fa... more Abstract Australian lithic assemblages contain a great number of retouched tools. Despite this fact, however, material evidence for, and studies, on the retouching tools utilised to create these technologies are limited, especially regarding their use in percussion retouch. Indirect evidence found in ethnographic literature suggests that wooden items – specifically boomerangs – were frequently utilised as retouchers. In this study, a sample of museum-curated boomerangs (n = 100) was analysed using a traceological approach developed for the study of bone retouchers in European contexts in order to determine if characteristic – retouched induced - traces were present. Retouch-induced marks were identified on 26% of the boomerangs examined and were comparable to those traces observed on the surfaces of ancient European bone retouchers. Our findings constitute the first traceological identification of hardwood boomerangs being used as retouchers in various Aboriginal Australian contexts and emphasise the need for a systematic study of this specific technological activity in this region.
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Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2020
Bone retouchers are an important behavioural marker in the definition of several Lower, Middle an... more Bone retouchers are an important behavioural marker in the definition of several Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic cultural complexes. However, their relationship with the assemblages of knapped stone artefacts is still to be investigated particularly in specific but not uncommon lithic contexts of the Middle Palaeolithic in Europe. This paper offers insights to evaluate the use of bone retouchers in a context of Discoid lithic technology, a significant cultural expression largely spread in many regions during MIS3. The study case is the lithic and osseous assemblage of unit A9 at Fumane Cave, in north-eastern Italy. A detailed analysis of the bone retouchers is presented for the first time; their technological features are then correlated with the characteristic of the retouch observed on the lithic tools recovered in the same unit. The study contributes to complete a picture of Neanderthal economic behaviour.
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
Abstract Bone retouchers are present in the human toolkit throughout the Lower and Middle Palaeol... more Abstract Bone retouchers are present in the human toolkit throughout the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic and appear in many contexts across Europe, sometimes in association with heavily retouched stone tools. Here we present the complete assemblage of bone retouchers recovered in the Mousterian Quina site of De Nadale Cave in the north of Italy dated to the onset of MIS 4. The results show that this assemblage is consistent – both in morphological and technological features - with bone retouchers recovered in the rest of Europe. The predominance of cervid and bovid limb bones is observed, and the study of the retouch-induced stigmata reveals intense modification of the lithic industry carried out on-site. This analysis contributes to our understanding of Neanderthal cultural and economic choices in the Quina complex in Europe.
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Lithic Technology, 2020
ABSTRACT We present the results of a study on the experimental reproduction of a specific type of... more ABSTRACT We present the results of a study on the experimental reproduction of a specific type of macro-lithic tool, traditionally called “teste di mazza”, distinctive to the Nuragic phase in Sardinia (17th-9th century BC). We analyzed a sample collected in the area of northern Sinis – in the western-central part of the island – in order to reconstruct the sequence of the technological actions required to produce these tools. At this point, two experimental copies were manufactured, documenting the process and especially the macro-traces left on the surface of the instruments which were used to make comparisons with the archaeological data.
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
Australian lithic assemblages contain a great number of retouched tools. Despite this fact, howev... more Australian lithic assemblages contain a great number of retouched tools. Despite this fact, however, material evidence for, and studies, on the retouching tools utilised to create these technologies are limited, especially regarding their use in percussion retouch. Indirect evidence found in ethnographic literature suggests that wooden items – specifically boomerangs – were frequently utilised as retouchers. In this study, a sample of museum-curated boomerangs (n =100) was analysed using a traceological approach developed for the study of bone retouchers in European contexts in order to determine if characteristic – retouched induced - traces were present. Retouch-induced marks were identified on 26% of the boomerangs examined and were comparable to those traces observed on the surfaces of ancient European bone retouchers. Our findings constitute the first traceological identification of hardwood boomerangs being used as retouchers in various Aboriginal Australian contexts and emphasise the need for a systematic study of this specific technological activity in this region.
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
Bone retouchers are present in the human toolkit throughout the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic and... more Bone retouchers are present in the human toolkit throughout the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic and appear in many contexts across Europe, sometimes in association with heavily retouched stone tools. Here we present the complete assemblage of bone retouchers recovered in the Mousterian Quina site of De Nadale Cave in the north of Italy dated to the onset of MIS 4. The results show that this assemblage is consistent – both in morphological and technological features - with bone retouchers recovered in the rest of Europe. The predominance of cervid and bovid limb bones is observed, and the study of the retouch-induced stigmata reveals intense modification of the lithic industry carried out on-site. This analysis contributes to our understanding of Neanderthal cultural and economic choices in the Quina complex in Europe.
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Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 12(9), 2020
Bone retouchers are an important behavioural marker in the definition of several Lower, Middle an... more Bone retouchers are an important behavioural marker in the definition of several Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic cultural complexes. However, their relationship with the assemblages of knapped stone artefacts is still to be investigated particularly in specific but not uncommon lithic contexts of the Middle Palaeolithic in Europe. This paper offers insights to evaluate the use of bone retouchers in a context of Discoid lithic technology, a significant cultural expression largely spread in many regions during MIS3. The study case is the lithic and osseous assemblage of unit A9 at Fumane Cave, in north-eastern Italy. A detailed analysis of the bone retouchers is presented for the first time; their technological features are then correlated with the characteristic of the retouch observed on the lithic tools recovered in the same unit. The study contributes to complete a picture of Neanderthal economic behaviour.
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Lithic Technology, 2020
We present the results of a study on the experimental reproduction of a specific type of macro-li... more We present the results of a study on the experimental reproduction of a specific type of macro-lithic tool, traditionally called “teste di mazza”, distinctive to the Nuragic phase in Sardinia (17th-9th century BC). We analyzed a sample collected in the area of northern Sinis – in the western-central part of the island – in order to reconstruct the sequence of the technological actions required to produce these tools. At this point, two experimental copies were manufactured, documenting the process and especially the macro-traces left on the surface of the instruments which were used to make comparisons with the archaeological data.
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Conference Presentations by Eva F . Martellotta
Papers by Eva F . Martellotta