This study employs a White Light Confocal Profiler to analyze both experimental and archaeologica... more This study employs a White Light Confocal Profiler to analyze both experimental and archaeological cutmarks. All analyses used SolarMap® software and a Sensofar Plμ profiler. Surfaces were scanned in multiple profile mode at 10X with cuts oriented so that they were vertical on the screen. Two dimensional data acquisition followed procedures developed previously (Schnellenberger and Schmidt 2014). For 3D study, analysis took place using the ‘volume of hole/peak’ option, which rendered kerf surface, volume, maximum, and mean depths data. The sample included cut marks from archeological samples (Middle and Late Archaic people from the eastern US), as well as experimental cuts made with ground stone celts, chert bifaces, and modern trowels. Experimental cuts were made by placing tools in a clamp and dropping them down a steel post from a standard height to impact a cow’s rib. The results indicate ancient cuts were very wide relative to their depths. In 3D, they have large volumes and large mean depths. Cut marks from celts were most similar to the ancient cuts. Some bifaces made large cuts, but on average their cuts were smaller. The steel trowel cuts (which were made by hand) were very narrow by comparison. It appears the ancient cutmarks were made with large stone tools, like ground stone tools, and were not made with fine bladed implements. It is also clear that the cuts were not the result of excavation.
The current study employs a white light confocal profiler (WLCP) to analyze cut marks on a prehis... more The current study employs a white light confocal profiler (WLCP) to analyze cut marks on a prehistoric bone to determine if they were made with stone (i.e., ancient) or steel (i.e., modern) tools. The unknown in this case is a 5,300-year-old, 5 cm cranial fragment with cuts consistent with scalping but which came from a site, 12Sp7, damaged by a modern auger (Fig. 1). The cranial fragment cuts were compared to experimental cuts made on cow ribs with a ground-stone celt, bifacial chert knife, unworked chert flake, a bifacial steel knife, a serrated steak knife, and an unifacial trowel. Experimental cuts were made perpendicular to the long axis of the bone, holding the implement vertically; for this study, force was deliberately not standardized. Data collection commenced at 10X magnification; we generated three profiles for each cut using SolarMap® software. Steel tools created deep, narrow cuts ranging from ~10 to 100 microns in width and had starkly flat kerf floors. The exception was the trowel, which made wide scratches around 200 microns across; their floors were flat to uneven. The stone tools created shallow, wide cuts that measured to around 600 microns wide with rounded kerf floors. The cranial fragment cuts were wide and shallow, ~400-900 microns wide, and had distinctly rounded floors. Thus, they appear to be ancient. Although preliminary because quantification and standardization need to be developed, it is clear that a WLCP can ably assist with cut mark study.
Authors: Jack Schnellenberger, Christopher Schmidt
Burial 1 at the Firehouse Site: Infirm? Yes. But murdered?
This study examined a highly fragm... more Burial 1 at the Firehouse Site: Infirm? Yes. But murdered?
This study examined a highly fragmented male Archaic (Riverton Culture) skeleton from the Firehouse site (12D563) in Dearborn County, Indiana. This individual (Burial 1) shows evidence of multiple pathological conditions including bony growths in the sinuses and misaligned fractures of the right tibia and fibula. These conditions likely limited this individual’s mobility making him a possible target during incidences of violence. Another adult male with antemortem trauma from this site was killed and his remains also were associated with projectile points and his head and right forearm arm were removed as trophies. The goal was to determine if a projectile point found with Burial 1 caused perimortem damage. The projectile point’s location underneath the thorax suggested that fractures, if present, should be on the ribs and vertebrae. Detailed study of the thoracic elements included documenting all changes to the bone, ante-, peri- and postmortem. Of the hundreds of rib, vertebral, scapular, and sternal fragments present, none had any evidence of perimortem trauma (i.e., no impact or radiating fractures). In fact no bones of the skeleton exhibited any perimortem alteration. Therefore, in this cemetery only the trophy-taking victim suffered perimortem trauma, despite there being two burials associated with points.
Authors: Elizabeth Wilk, Jack Schnellenberger, Anna-Marie Casserly, Amber Osterholt
Trophy taking is well-known in the Middle/Late Archaic Period throughout the Midwest. A suspected... more Trophy taking is well-known in the Middle/Late Archaic Period throughout the Midwest. A suspected trophy-taking victim from southern Indiana has cut marks on the lingual aspect of his right mandibular corpus. Study of these cuts commenced in detail to understand their origin; analysis involved viewing high resolution resin replicas of the cut marks with a White Light Confocal Profiler at 10X in order to discern cross sectional geometry. A cut mark database was used for comparison. The results indicate that the cut marks present on this individual were not caused by taphonomic agents, including trowels, and are similar in morphology to cut marks found on contemporary trophy taking victims.
Site 12Sp7, the Kramer Mound site, is a late Middle Archaic mortuary that was accidentally damage... more Site 12Sp7, the Kramer Mound site, is a late Middle Archaic mortuary that was accidentally damaged by recent oil exploration. Skeletal remains representing a minimum of 41 individuals were collected from the surface by archeologists. The remains were studied at the University of Indianapolis. A single frontal fragment bore several subparallel striations. The bone’s taphonomy indicated that the striations are perimortem. Confirmation of this assessment was made using a white light confocal profiler to quantify kerf morphology. A high resolution resin mold of the bone fragment was viewed at 10X magnification. Profiles and surface topography data were compared to a cut mark database developed at UIndy. The data indicate that the cuts were caused by a stone implement that is wider than a chert flake and similar in size to a bifacial chert knife or a ground stone tool (i.e., a celt or axe). This study confirms an earlier determination that the striations are perimortem cut marks, making this specimen a candidate for oldest scalping victim yet documented in Indiana.
This study employs a White Light Confocal Profiler to analyze both experimental and archaeologica... more This study employs a White Light Confocal Profiler to analyze both experimental and archaeological cutmarks. All analyses used SolarMap® software and a Sensofar Plμ profiler. Surfaces were scanned in multiple profile mode at 10X with cuts oriented so that they were vertical on the screen. Two dimensional data acquisition followed procedures developed previously (Schnellenberger and Schmidt 2014). For 3D study, analysis took place using the ‘volume of hole/peak’ option, which rendered kerf surface, volume, maximum, and mean depths data. The sample included cut marks from archeological samples (Middle and Late Archaic people from the eastern US), as well as experimental cuts made with ground stone celts, chert bifaces, and modern trowels. Experimental cuts were made by placing tools in a clamp and dropping them down a steel post from a standard height to impact a cow’s rib. The results indicate ancient cuts were very wide relative to their depths. In 3D, they have large volumes and large mean depths. Cut marks from celts were most similar to the ancient cuts. Some bifaces made large cuts, but on average their cuts were smaller. The steel trowel cuts (which were made by hand) were very narrow by comparison. It appears the ancient cutmarks were made with large stone tools, like ground stone tools, and were not made with fine bladed implements. It is also clear that the cuts were not the result of excavation.
The current study employs a white light confocal profiler (WLCP) to analyze cut marks on a prehis... more The current study employs a white light confocal profiler (WLCP) to analyze cut marks on a prehistoric bone to determine if they were made with stone (i.e., ancient) or steel (i.e., modern) tools. The unknown in this case is a 5,300-year-old, 5 cm cranial fragment with cuts consistent with scalping but which came from a site, 12Sp7, damaged by a modern auger (Fig. 1). The cranial fragment cuts were compared to experimental cuts made on cow ribs with a ground-stone celt, bifacial chert knife, unworked chert flake, a bifacial steel knife, a serrated steak knife, and an unifacial trowel. Experimental cuts were made perpendicular to the long axis of the bone, holding the implement vertically; for this study, force was deliberately not standardized. Data collection commenced at 10X magnification; we generated three profiles for each cut using SolarMap® software. Steel tools created deep, narrow cuts ranging from ~10 to 100 microns in width and had starkly flat kerf floors. The exception was the trowel, which made wide scratches around 200 microns across; their floors were flat to uneven. The stone tools created shallow, wide cuts that measured to around 600 microns wide with rounded kerf floors. The cranial fragment cuts were wide and shallow, ~400-900 microns wide, and had distinctly rounded floors. Thus, they appear to be ancient. Although preliminary because quantification and standardization need to be developed, it is clear that a WLCP can ably assist with cut mark study.
Authors: Jack Schnellenberger, Christopher Schmidt
Burial 1 at the Firehouse Site: Infirm? Yes. But murdered?
This study examined a highly fragm... more Burial 1 at the Firehouse Site: Infirm? Yes. But murdered?
This study examined a highly fragmented male Archaic (Riverton Culture) skeleton from the Firehouse site (12D563) in Dearborn County, Indiana. This individual (Burial 1) shows evidence of multiple pathological conditions including bony growths in the sinuses and misaligned fractures of the right tibia and fibula. These conditions likely limited this individual’s mobility making him a possible target during incidences of violence. Another adult male with antemortem trauma from this site was killed and his remains also were associated with projectile points and his head and right forearm arm were removed as trophies. The goal was to determine if a projectile point found with Burial 1 caused perimortem damage. The projectile point’s location underneath the thorax suggested that fractures, if present, should be on the ribs and vertebrae. Detailed study of the thoracic elements included documenting all changes to the bone, ante-, peri- and postmortem. Of the hundreds of rib, vertebral, scapular, and sternal fragments present, none had any evidence of perimortem trauma (i.e., no impact or radiating fractures). In fact no bones of the skeleton exhibited any perimortem alteration. Therefore, in this cemetery only the trophy-taking victim suffered perimortem trauma, despite there being two burials associated with points.
Authors: Elizabeth Wilk, Jack Schnellenberger, Anna-Marie Casserly, Amber Osterholt
Trophy taking is well-known in the Middle/Late Archaic Period throughout the Midwest. A suspected... more Trophy taking is well-known in the Middle/Late Archaic Period throughout the Midwest. A suspected trophy-taking victim from southern Indiana has cut marks on the lingual aspect of his right mandibular corpus. Study of these cuts commenced in detail to understand their origin; analysis involved viewing high resolution resin replicas of the cut marks with a White Light Confocal Profiler at 10X in order to discern cross sectional geometry. A cut mark database was used for comparison. The results indicate that the cut marks present on this individual were not caused by taphonomic agents, including trowels, and are similar in morphology to cut marks found on contemporary trophy taking victims.
Site 12Sp7, the Kramer Mound site, is a late Middle Archaic mortuary that was accidentally damage... more Site 12Sp7, the Kramer Mound site, is a late Middle Archaic mortuary that was accidentally damaged by recent oil exploration. Skeletal remains representing a minimum of 41 individuals were collected from the surface by archeologists. The remains were studied at the University of Indianapolis. A single frontal fragment bore several subparallel striations. The bone’s taphonomy indicated that the striations are perimortem. Confirmation of this assessment was made using a white light confocal profiler to quantify kerf morphology. A high resolution resin mold of the bone fragment was viewed at 10X magnification. Profiles and surface topography data were compared to a cut mark database developed at UIndy. The data indicate that the cuts were caused by a stone implement that is wider than a chert flake and similar in size to a bifacial chert knife or a ground stone tool (i.e., a celt or axe). This study confirms an earlier determination that the striations are perimortem cut marks, making this specimen a candidate for oldest scalping victim yet documented in Indiana.
Uploads
Conference Presentations
Authors: Jack Schnellenberger, Christopher Schmidt
This study examined a highly fragmented male Archaic (Riverton Culture) skeleton from the Firehouse site (12D563) in Dearborn County, Indiana. This individual (Burial 1) shows evidence of multiple pathological conditions including bony growths in the sinuses and misaligned fractures of the right tibia and fibula. These conditions likely limited this individual’s mobility making him a possible target during incidences of violence. Another adult male with antemortem trauma from this site was killed and his remains also were associated with projectile points and his head and right forearm arm were removed as trophies. The goal was to determine if a projectile point found with Burial 1 caused perimortem damage. The projectile point’s location underneath the thorax suggested that fractures, if present, should be on the ribs and vertebrae. Detailed study of the thoracic elements included documenting all changes to the bone, ante-, peri- and postmortem. Of the hundreds of rib, vertebral, scapular, and sternal fragments present, none had any evidence of perimortem trauma (i.e., no impact or radiating fractures). In fact no bones of the skeleton exhibited any perimortem alteration. Therefore, in this cemetery only the trophy-taking victim suffered perimortem trauma, despite there being two burials associated with points.
Authors: Elizabeth Wilk, Jack Schnellenberger, Anna-Marie Casserly, Amber Osterholt
Papers
Authors: Jack Schnellenberger, Christopher Schmidt
This study examined a highly fragmented male Archaic (Riverton Culture) skeleton from the Firehouse site (12D563) in Dearborn County, Indiana. This individual (Burial 1) shows evidence of multiple pathological conditions including bony growths in the sinuses and misaligned fractures of the right tibia and fibula. These conditions likely limited this individual’s mobility making him a possible target during incidences of violence. Another adult male with antemortem trauma from this site was killed and his remains also were associated with projectile points and his head and right forearm arm were removed as trophies. The goal was to determine if a projectile point found with Burial 1 caused perimortem damage. The projectile point’s location underneath the thorax suggested that fractures, if present, should be on the ribs and vertebrae. Detailed study of the thoracic elements included documenting all changes to the bone, ante-, peri- and postmortem. Of the hundreds of rib, vertebral, scapular, and sternal fragments present, none had any evidence of perimortem trauma (i.e., no impact or radiating fractures). In fact no bones of the skeleton exhibited any perimortem alteration. Therefore, in this cemetery only the trophy-taking victim suffered perimortem trauma, despite there being two burials associated with points.
Authors: Elizabeth Wilk, Jack Schnellenberger, Anna-Marie Casserly, Amber Osterholt