Povolzhskaya Arkheologiya (The Volga River Region Archaeology)
Ethnoarchaeological research, which gained great popularity in the second half of the 20th centur... more Ethnoarchaeological research, which gained great popularity in the second half of the 20th century, has become a new full-fledged source for a variety of socio-economic reconstructions in archaeology, including when characterizing the features of industrial complexes. Developments that combine experimental traceological analysis of tools and ethnographic data play an important role in modeling ancient technologies, especially when ethnographic artifacts are a direct continuation of archaeological traditions, both in terms of their manufacturing method and specific purpose. In this regard, the study of stone knives from the Ekven burial ground of the 1st millennium AD is of great interest, discovered in Chukotka. These products have retained their specific form from antiquity to the present day. The presence in the archaeological and ethnographic collections of these items in varying degrees of processing and use (from blanks to tools with a completely recycled or redesigned working ...
International audienceCe lexique multilingue a été établi dans le cadre des travaux du Groupement... more International audienceCe lexique multilingue a été établi dans le cadre des travaux du Groupement De Recherche Européen « Exploitation des matières osseuses dans l’Europe préhistorique » (GDRE PREHISTOS) du CNRS. Il est conçu comme un outil de travail qui vise à répertorier et à traduire dans les différentes langues parlées au sein du Groupement, les principaux termes - d’ordre technique, typologique ou fonctionnel - utilisés dans l’étude des industries en matières dures animales. Cette version fait suite à celle publiée en 2010 et propose une liste élargie de termes traduits en 12 langues (français, anglais, allemand, danois, espagnol, italien, portugais, roumain, bulgare, polonais, russe et hongrois)
В хозяйственной жизни разных исторических эпох костное сырье широко использовалось для изготовлен... more В хозяйственной жизни разных исторических эпох костное сырье широко использовалось для изготовления различных орудий, украшений, бытовых и вотивных предметов. Большое значение для изучения этих материалов имеют экспериментально-трасологичеческие исследования. В результате многолетних работ специализированных экспедиций ЛОИА АН СССР / ИИМК РАН была выработана методика комплексного изучения изделий из рога и кости, включавшая анализ особенностей предварительной обработки костного сырья, технологии изготовления и использования различных инструментов и иных изделий, выделение признаков их утилизации, а также характеристику основных видов каменных и металлических костообрабатывающих орудий. Продолжение данных исследований, предпринятое в связи с накоплением новых источников, позволяет детализировать особенности древнего костообрабатывающего производства.
This paper discusses the importance of functional analysis for archaeology from a theoretical and... more This paper discusses the importance of functional analysis for archaeology from a theoretical and epistemological perspective. It is argued that functional analysis offers a way to place our ideas about the economic development of societies within the study of their material remains. This requires the development of an economic theory in archaeology, which proposes a way to link the "traces" of human labour with the social organisation of production and reproduction. Starting from the principles proposed by Classical economic thought, we approach the structure underlying social production and reproduction. Such a definition of economy obliges us to consider the forms of appropriation or allocation of the generated products and, ultimately, to ask for the objective causes of social inequality. A crucial aspect in this discussion is the social division of labour as a decisive factor in the economic development of societies and of the production of surpluses. Finally, the dis...
Recent advances in the role played by dietary carbohydrates in human food webs during the Palaeol... more Recent advances in the role played by dietary carbohydrates in human food webs during the Palaeolithic highlight that starchy foods were part of the diet well before crop domestication. Although certain plants can be eaten raw, intentional processing such as mechanical reduction using stone tools and thermal treatment readily increases the assimilation of nutrients for metabolic functions and for storing. We present a multi-techniques approach designed to combine micro to nanoscale analyses applied to percussive stones to identify their function using micro-wear traces and use-related biogenic residues. The starch grains extracted from functionally active areas of the ground stone tools were scanned using optical microscopy (OM) down to the nanoscale (SEM) and by applying different spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques like FTIR, ToF-SIMS, and IRMS. The combined analyses carried out at different resolutions – morpho-structural and molecular levels – contribute to an unprecedented methodological refinement regarding the intentional processing of starch- rich plants as early as 40,000 years ago at the boreal latitudes. Our preliminary data on pestles and grinding stones from Early Upper Palaeolithic sites of the Pontic steppe (Moldova and Russia) show the suitability of the analytical techniques involved and also the difficulties encountered in detailing authentication procedures of ancient starch candidates.
Direct evidence for the intentional processing of starch-rich plants during the Paleolithic is sc... more Direct evidence for the intentional processing of starch-rich plants during the Paleolithic is scant, and that evidence is often compromised by concerns over preservation and contamination. Our integrated, multimodal approach couples wear-trace analysis with chemical imaging methods to identify the presence of genuine ancient starch candidates (ASC) on ground stones used in the Pontic Steppe starting around 40,000 years ago. Optical and electron microscopy coupled with infrared spectromicroscopy and imaging provide morphological and chemical profiles for ASCs, that partially match the vibrational polysaccharide features of modern reference starches, highlighting diagenetic differences ranging from partial oxidation to mineralization. The results suggest the intentional processing of roots and tubers by means of mechanical tenderization and shed light on the role of dietary carbohydrates during Homo sapiens’ (HS) colonization of Eurasia, demonstrating a long acquaintance with predict...
The materials of many Paleolithic sites in Eurasia contain large stone objects. As a rule, they r... more The materials of many Paleolithic sites in Eurasia contain large stone objects. As a rule, they retain their natural shape without any signs of artificial modification. However, the presence of characteristic use-wear features (polishing, linear traces, micro- and macrodeformations) unambiguously indicates that these stones served as tools. Multidisciplinary research, including an experimental and traceological approach, as well as analysis of organic micro-residues, make it possible to distinguish among the unmodified stone tools those that were used for processing plant raw materials. One of such tools is a large stone found in the lower layer of the Upper Paleolithic site Suren I** (Crimea). The results obtained in the course of the study suggest that the inhabitants of the site used plant materials in their household activities, as well as allow us to describe in detail the ways of adaptation of ancient people to the natural environment of the Crimean peninsula.
Ivanovskoje 7 is a multilayer peat bog site in central Russia. About 500 square meters were excav... more Ivanovskoje 7 is a multilayer peat bog site in central Russia. About 500 square meters were excavated during 1974 to 1997. three Mesolithic and two neolithic cultural layers had been recovered, separated by sterile streaks, 14c dated confirmed by pollen analysis indications. the Mesolithic layers yielded abundant faunal remains and lithic assemblages together with bone and antler artefacts. the latter included various projectile points, spear-heads and daggers, fishing hooks, knives, piercers, scrapers and planes, as well as axes, adzes and gouges, pendants and figurines. Given to this overwhelming bone and antler production this article is devoted to the technology of bone-working during the Mesolithic inhabitation of Ivanovskoje 7. the good preservation state of both stone and bone assemblages allowed the technological and use-wear analyses, applied by means of stereo and metallographic microscopes, making it possible the reconstruction of the technological sequence for bone tools different productions. A set of stone tools used for bone working was singled out in each cultural layer. this set included scrapers, burins, whittling knives, saws, chopping tools and abrasive slabs. A very interesting plane fixed on a shaft was found in the upper Mesolithic layer. Use-wear traces observed on these tools are described and illustrated in the article. the technology applied to manufacture these artefacts demonstrates high achievements in bone-working in order to obtain blanks to be finally modified into tools and decoration objects. Such well developed set of stone tools for bone and antler processing made it possible the manufacture of the very fine and skilled bone and antler industry at this site.
The Middle Neolithic site of Schipluiden is located on a coastal ridge near the present day town ... more The Middle Neolithic site of Schipluiden is located on a coastal ridge near the present day town of The Hague. The 2003 rescue excavation yielded an enormous amount of artefacts of flint, various types of stone, as well as amber, bone and antler objects. A technological and functional analysis of these artefacts demonstrated the presence of different toolkits, thus providing insight into the technological system. The characteristics of these toolkits suggest the existence of a long term tradition of tool making and using in the wetlands of the Rhine/Meuse delta.
The book publishes the proceedings of the workshop held in Rome in March 2012 that was intended t... more The book publishes the proceedings of the workshop held in Rome in March 2012 that was intended to bring together archaeologists, scientists and students involved in the study of use-wear traces on prehistoric stone tools and/or in the identification of micro residues that might be present in them in order to hypothesize their function. Use-wear analysis carried out with microscopic analysis at low or high magnification is, at present, a settled procedure. The individuation and identification of residues is attempted using morphological and chemical techniques, these latter divided between invasive and non-invasive. Each employed technique has its own advantages and limitations. Both traces and residues analysis require a comparison to useful replicas. Even with regard to the making of replicas, no shared protocol exists.
Povolzhskaya Arkheologiya (The Volga River Region Archaeology)
Ethnoarchaeological research, which gained great popularity in the second half of the 20th centur... more Ethnoarchaeological research, which gained great popularity in the second half of the 20th century, has become a new full-fledged source for a variety of socio-economic reconstructions in archaeology, including when characterizing the features of industrial complexes. Developments that combine experimental traceological analysis of tools and ethnographic data play an important role in modeling ancient technologies, especially when ethnographic artifacts are a direct continuation of archaeological traditions, both in terms of their manufacturing method and specific purpose. In this regard, the study of stone knives from the Ekven burial ground of the 1st millennium AD is of great interest, discovered in Chukotka. These products have retained their specific form from antiquity to the present day. The presence in the archaeological and ethnographic collections of these items in varying degrees of processing and use (from blanks to tools with a completely recycled or redesigned working ...
International audienceCe lexique multilingue a été établi dans le cadre des travaux du Groupement... more International audienceCe lexique multilingue a été établi dans le cadre des travaux du Groupement De Recherche Européen « Exploitation des matières osseuses dans l’Europe préhistorique » (GDRE PREHISTOS) du CNRS. Il est conçu comme un outil de travail qui vise à répertorier et à traduire dans les différentes langues parlées au sein du Groupement, les principaux termes - d’ordre technique, typologique ou fonctionnel - utilisés dans l’étude des industries en matières dures animales. Cette version fait suite à celle publiée en 2010 et propose une liste élargie de termes traduits en 12 langues (français, anglais, allemand, danois, espagnol, italien, portugais, roumain, bulgare, polonais, russe et hongrois)
В хозяйственной жизни разных исторических эпох костное сырье широко использовалось для изготовлен... more В хозяйственной жизни разных исторических эпох костное сырье широко использовалось для изготовления различных орудий, украшений, бытовых и вотивных предметов. Большое значение для изучения этих материалов имеют экспериментально-трасологичеческие исследования. В результате многолетних работ специализированных экспедиций ЛОИА АН СССР / ИИМК РАН была выработана методика комплексного изучения изделий из рога и кости, включавшая анализ особенностей предварительной обработки костного сырья, технологии изготовления и использования различных инструментов и иных изделий, выделение признаков их утилизации, а также характеристику основных видов каменных и металлических костообрабатывающих орудий. Продолжение данных исследований, предпринятое в связи с накоплением новых источников, позволяет детализировать особенности древнего костообрабатывающего производства.
This paper discusses the importance of functional analysis for archaeology from a theoretical and... more This paper discusses the importance of functional analysis for archaeology from a theoretical and epistemological perspective. It is argued that functional analysis offers a way to place our ideas about the economic development of societies within the study of their material remains. This requires the development of an economic theory in archaeology, which proposes a way to link the "traces" of human labour with the social organisation of production and reproduction. Starting from the principles proposed by Classical economic thought, we approach the structure underlying social production and reproduction. Such a definition of economy obliges us to consider the forms of appropriation or allocation of the generated products and, ultimately, to ask for the objective causes of social inequality. A crucial aspect in this discussion is the social division of labour as a decisive factor in the economic development of societies and of the production of surpluses. Finally, the dis...
Recent advances in the role played by dietary carbohydrates in human food webs during the Palaeol... more Recent advances in the role played by dietary carbohydrates in human food webs during the Palaeolithic highlight that starchy foods were part of the diet well before crop domestication. Although certain plants can be eaten raw, intentional processing such as mechanical reduction using stone tools and thermal treatment readily increases the assimilation of nutrients for metabolic functions and for storing. We present a multi-techniques approach designed to combine micro to nanoscale analyses applied to percussive stones to identify their function using micro-wear traces and use-related biogenic residues. The starch grains extracted from functionally active areas of the ground stone tools were scanned using optical microscopy (OM) down to the nanoscale (SEM) and by applying different spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques like FTIR, ToF-SIMS, and IRMS. The combined analyses carried out at different resolutions – morpho-structural and molecular levels – contribute to an unprecedented methodological refinement regarding the intentional processing of starch- rich plants as early as 40,000 years ago at the boreal latitudes. Our preliminary data on pestles and grinding stones from Early Upper Palaeolithic sites of the Pontic steppe (Moldova and Russia) show the suitability of the analytical techniques involved and also the difficulties encountered in detailing authentication procedures of ancient starch candidates.
Direct evidence for the intentional processing of starch-rich plants during the Paleolithic is sc... more Direct evidence for the intentional processing of starch-rich plants during the Paleolithic is scant, and that evidence is often compromised by concerns over preservation and contamination. Our integrated, multimodal approach couples wear-trace analysis with chemical imaging methods to identify the presence of genuine ancient starch candidates (ASC) on ground stones used in the Pontic Steppe starting around 40,000 years ago. Optical and electron microscopy coupled with infrared spectromicroscopy and imaging provide morphological and chemical profiles for ASCs, that partially match the vibrational polysaccharide features of modern reference starches, highlighting diagenetic differences ranging from partial oxidation to mineralization. The results suggest the intentional processing of roots and tubers by means of mechanical tenderization and shed light on the role of dietary carbohydrates during Homo sapiens’ (HS) colonization of Eurasia, demonstrating a long acquaintance with predict...
The materials of many Paleolithic sites in Eurasia contain large stone objects. As a rule, they r... more The materials of many Paleolithic sites in Eurasia contain large stone objects. As a rule, they retain their natural shape without any signs of artificial modification. However, the presence of characteristic use-wear features (polishing, linear traces, micro- and macrodeformations) unambiguously indicates that these stones served as tools. Multidisciplinary research, including an experimental and traceological approach, as well as analysis of organic micro-residues, make it possible to distinguish among the unmodified stone tools those that were used for processing plant raw materials. One of such tools is a large stone found in the lower layer of the Upper Paleolithic site Suren I** (Crimea). The results obtained in the course of the study suggest that the inhabitants of the site used plant materials in their household activities, as well as allow us to describe in detail the ways of adaptation of ancient people to the natural environment of the Crimean peninsula.
Ivanovskoje 7 is a multilayer peat bog site in central Russia. About 500 square meters were excav... more Ivanovskoje 7 is a multilayer peat bog site in central Russia. About 500 square meters were excavated during 1974 to 1997. three Mesolithic and two neolithic cultural layers had been recovered, separated by sterile streaks, 14c dated confirmed by pollen analysis indications. the Mesolithic layers yielded abundant faunal remains and lithic assemblages together with bone and antler artefacts. the latter included various projectile points, spear-heads and daggers, fishing hooks, knives, piercers, scrapers and planes, as well as axes, adzes and gouges, pendants and figurines. Given to this overwhelming bone and antler production this article is devoted to the technology of bone-working during the Mesolithic inhabitation of Ivanovskoje 7. the good preservation state of both stone and bone assemblages allowed the technological and use-wear analyses, applied by means of stereo and metallographic microscopes, making it possible the reconstruction of the technological sequence for bone tools different productions. A set of stone tools used for bone working was singled out in each cultural layer. this set included scrapers, burins, whittling knives, saws, chopping tools and abrasive slabs. A very interesting plane fixed on a shaft was found in the upper Mesolithic layer. Use-wear traces observed on these tools are described and illustrated in the article. the technology applied to manufacture these artefacts demonstrates high achievements in bone-working in order to obtain blanks to be finally modified into tools and decoration objects. Such well developed set of stone tools for bone and antler processing made it possible the manufacture of the very fine and skilled bone and antler industry at this site.
The Middle Neolithic site of Schipluiden is located on a coastal ridge near the present day town ... more The Middle Neolithic site of Schipluiden is located on a coastal ridge near the present day town of The Hague. The 2003 rescue excavation yielded an enormous amount of artefacts of flint, various types of stone, as well as amber, bone and antler objects. A technological and functional analysis of these artefacts demonstrated the presence of different toolkits, thus providing insight into the technological system. The characteristics of these toolkits suggest the existence of a long term tradition of tool making and using in the wetlands of the Rhine/Meuse delta.
The book publishes the proceedings of the workshop held in Rome in March 2012 that was intended t... more The book publishes the proceedings of the workshop held in Rome in March 2012 that was intended to bring together archaeologists, scientists and students involved in the study of use-wear traces on prehistoric stone tools and/or in the identification of micro residues that might be present in them in order to hypothesize their function. Use-wear analysis carried out with microscopic analysis at low or high magnification is, at present, a settled procedure. The individuation and identification of residues is attempted using morphological and chemical techniques, these latter divided between invasive and non-invasive. Each employed technique has its own advantages and limitations. Both traces and residues analysis require a comparison to useful replicas. Even with regard to the making of replicas, no shared protocol exists.
Actual use-wear method is successfully used for study the sets of tools from diff erent species o... more Actual use-wear method is successfully used for study the sets of tools from diff erent species of raw materials applicable not only to the Stone Age, but also to subsequent eras. This requires the expansion of the experimental base of tool standards, which is necessary for verifi cation of functional analysis, interpretation of the features of ancient technologies. The paper discusses the results of recent experimental and use-wear studies were organized and conducted by the eponymous section of the school in Bulgar (Republic of Tatarstan) and the expedition of the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The experiments were related to obtaining the standards necessary to characterize certain categories of little-studied tools. They were organized in compliance with the procedures developed during the long-term experimental expeditions of the Leningrad Branch of Institute of Archaeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences / Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The research included: theoretical preparation, problem setting, ensuring the approximation of experiments to ancient conditions, seriality of the same experiments, one experimenter to establish signifi cant patterns, statistical processing of results, detailed fi xation in various ways (description, graphically, macro-, microphotography). The obtained data will be a reliable source for further experimental and traceological studies.
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Papers by N. Skakun