Conference Presentations by Alessandro Aleo
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Papers by Alessandro Aleo
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2024
Ancient glue production is considered one of the oldest known highly complex technologies, requir... more Ancient glue production is considered one of the oldest known highly complex technologies, requiring advanced technological and mental abilities. However, our current knowledge of adhesive materials, recipes, and uses in South Africa is limited by the lack of in-depth analysis and molecular characterization of residues. To deepen our knowledge of past adhesive technology, we performed a detailed multi-analytical analysis (use-wear, XRD, μ-CT, IR spectroscopy, GC-MS) of 30 Later Stone Age tools with adhesive remains from Steenbokfontein Cave, South Africa. At the site, tools made of various rocks were hafted with compound adhesives, and we identified three recipes: 1) resin/tar of Widdringtonia or Podocarpus species combined with hematite; 2) resin/tar of Widdringtonia or Podocarpus species mixed with hematite and another plant exudate; 3) resin/tar without hematite. The studied scrapers were used in hide-working activities, and the studied cutting tools were used to work animal and soft plant matters. All scrapers display evidence of intense resharpening and were discarded when no longer useable. The combination of different methods for residue analysis reveals the flexibility of adhesive technology at Steenbokfontein. Despite the consistent use of conifer resin/tar throughout the sequence, we observed that other ingredients were added or excluded independently of the tools' raw materials and functions. Our results highlight the long-lasting tradition of using adhesive material from conifer species but also the adaptability and flexibility of adhesive traditions. The systematic application of this multi-analytical approach to Pleistocene adhesives will be useful to better characterise adhesive traditions and enhance the debate on the technological, cognitive, and behavioural implications of this technology.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
PLOS ONE, 2023
Osseous barbed and unbarbed points are commonly recovered from the Dutch North Sea and other Meso... more Osseous barbed and unbarbed points are commonly recovered from the Dutch North Sea and other Mesolithic sites of northern Europe. Interpreted as elements of projectile weaponry, barbed points are considered by archaeologists to be a technological innovation in the hunting equipment of hunter-gatherers. However, debate about their exact use and identification of the targeted prey species is still ongoing. To shed light on the function of these tools, we analysed a sample of 17 artefacts from the Netherlands with a multi-disciplinary approach encompassing morphometric, functional, and chemical analysis. 14C-AMS dating yielded the oldest date for a barbed point from the Dutch coast (⁓13000 cal. BP). The observation of microwear traces preserved on the tools provides solid evidence to interpret the function of barbed and unbarbed points. We show that there were two distinct tool categories. 1) Barbed points hafted with birch tar and animal or vegetal binding were likely projectile tips ...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Lithic Technology, 2022
Use-wear traces are considered to be material specific. The use of an appropriate reference colle... more Use-wear traces are considered to be material specific. The use of an appropriate reference collection is thus fundamental for interpreting tools' function. To test whether a flint reference collection can be used to interpret the function of non-flint tools, I conducted experiments using chert, dolerite, and quartz endscrapers and flakes. I compared wear traces obtained during the experiment with use-wear on experimental flint tools exposed to the same variables (motion, contact material, time). The results highlighted strong similarities in the characteristics and distribution of traces on chert and flint. Dolerite and quartz differ from flint, especially regarding the distribution and appearance of use-polish. However, shared traits were observed in all the raw materials involved in this experiment, demonstrating a certain degree of comparability between use-wear traces on flint and non-flint rocks. Based on the data, a flint reference collection can allow a basic interpretation of use-wear also on different rocks.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology, 2022
An adhesive is any substance that bonds different materials together. This broad definition inclu... more An adhesive is any substance that bonds different materials together. This broad definition includes materials used in everything from hafted stone tools to monumental architecture. In addition, the combination of bonding, plasticity, and insolubility meant that some adhesives were exploited for waterproofing and sealing of materials, as self-adhering inlays and putties, and as paints, varnishes, and inks. Adhesives have a history of at least 200,000 years. Throughout (pre)history and around the world, people used materials, including bitumen/asphalt, carbohydrate polymers such as starches and gums, natural rubbers, mortars, proteins (from casein, soy, blood, and animal connective tissue), insect and plant resins, and tars made from various barks and woods. Adhesives thus are very diverse and have widely varying properties: they can be tacky, pliable, elastic, brittle, water-resistant, fluid, viscous, clear, dark, and much more. They are a plastic avant la lettre. These properties c...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Endscrapers are specialized tools that are usually recovered in great quantities in every Upper P... more Endscrapers are specialized tools that are usually recovered in great quantities in every Upper Paleolithic site in Europe. Although they make their first ephemeral appearance in the Middle-late Middle Paleolithic transitional technocomplexes, endscrapers commonly appear in toolkits from initial and early Upper Paleolithic traditions onwards. Nevertheless, endscrapers and, in general, domestic tools have attracted relatively little attention in debates revolving around the significance of technological change, tool function, and tool specialization after the end of the Middle Paleolithic. With the aim to overcome this paucity of information, here, we present the results of a techno-functional study performed on the large endscraper assemblage recovered from the early and late Protoaurignacian layers at Fumane Cave in northeastern Italy. We analyzed these artifacts using technological, morpho-metrical, typological, and functional approaches. Despite the large morphological variability, use-wear traces reveal functional consistency and high levels of specialization for these tools. Almost all the use-wear traces we recorded developed from hide working with transverse motion. Moreover, we find no evidence that endscrapers were involved in the production of bone and antler tools during the late Protoaurignacian. Macroscopic and microscopic wear on the lateral edges of tools point to a considerable number of hafted endscrapers, which implies systematic time investment and planning depth. Comparison with the few endscrapers from transitional industries that have been analyzed highlights marked differences in the production, morphology, and use of these tools and reinforces our view of the Aurignacian as a complex not directly related with preceding European traditions.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Results produced from 2014 and 2016 archaeological campaigns at Fumane Cave are here presented. T... more Results produced from 2014 and 2016 archaeological campaigns at Fumane Cave are here presented. The campaigns have been devoted to the excavation of contexts A11 and A10, lying at the base of the Macro-unit A Mousterian sequence with an estimated date of >48 ka cal BP. The excavation took place in the eastern part of the cave entrance with a combined total area of 6 m 2 : this allowed discovering a sequence of thin subunits rich in archaeological findings. Several structures of combustion had been revealed throughout the whole stratigraphic sequence. Faunal remains provide evidence of human exploitation and an overall similarity with the overlied unit A9. On the contrary, the lithic industry is markedly different showing the prevalence of Levallois method, mainly the unipolar modality producing elongated blanks, over the Discoid method which appears only in the higher part of the A10 sequence. The important results achieved reveal the significance of units A10 and A11 in defining Late Neanderthals behaviour in the Central Mediterranean area and stimulate further investigations.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Thesis Chapters by Alessandro Aleo
Il presente lavoro prende in esame i grattatoi provenienti della unità protoaurignaziane e aurign... more Il presente lavoro prende in esame i grattatoi provenienti della unità protoaurignaziane e aurignaziane della Grotta di Fumane situata nei monti Lessini occidentali, sul versante sinistro del Vajo di Manune. Questi strumenti costituiscono una delle più grandi innovazioni del Paleolitico superiore e furono utilizzati dai gruppi di cacciatori-raccoglitori per la lavorazione delle pelli. L’analisi ha riguardato sia l’aspetto tecnologico che morfo-metrico al fine di comprendere come lo strumento sia stato concepito, il rapporto tra lo strumento e il supporto utilizzato e le dimensioni ricercate.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Conference Presentations by Alessandro Aleo
Papers by Alessandro Aleo
Thesis Chapters by Alessandro Aleo