Abrasion in archaeological fish bones from sand dunes. An experimental approach
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Abrasion in archaeological fish bones from sand dunes. An experimental approach Romina Frontini 1 Cristina Bayón 3
&
Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo 2 & María Dolores Pesquero Fernández 2 & Rodrigo J. Vecchi 1 &
Received: 10 December 2018 / Accepted: 25 March 2019 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract Fish bones are still an unknown tool in taphonomic studies. We have carried out several experiments which have shown that fish bones may provide key taphonomic traits. Fossil fish bones in archaeological sites (from caves to riverbanks or seashores) are frequently result of predation by humans or any other predator, as well as abiotic agents. The original environment of fish is aquatic restricted to specific water contexts and the presence of fish in fossil sites provides relevant information regarding paleoenvironments, human/animal predatory behaviors, and site formation. In spite of the interest of fossil fish remains, most taphonomic experiments have been focused on mammalian fossil bones. This paper shows results obtained from experiments that help interpreting palaeoenvironmental changes, potential space-time mixtures, and site formation. Our experiments have provided distinct criteria to distinguish the action of sand projected by wind, friction of bones against sand substrates, or sand with or without water abrading the bone surface. Experimental results have been compared to an archaeological case: El Americano II site (middle Holocene, Argentina) to elucidate how the site was formed. Criteria obtained so far from each type of experiment described here greatly increase knowledge for interpreting other sites that yield fossil fish bones. Keywords Sand abrasion . Fish bones . Sand dunes . Argentina . Experimental taphonomy
Introduction * Romina Frontini [email protected] Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo [email protected] María Dolores Pesquero Fernández [email protected] Rodrigo J. Vecchi [email protected] Cristina Bayón [email protected] 1
CONICET-Departamento de Humanidades, Universidad Nacional del Sur, 12 de octubre 1092, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina
2
Laboratorio de Ensayos Tafonómicos, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
3
Departamento de Humanidades, Universidad Nacional del Sur, 12 de octubre 1092, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina
The identification and analysis of taphonomic processes that could affect archaeological vertebrate remains require the precise identification of modifications resulting from these processes (Andrews and Cook 1985; Gifford-González 1991; Marean 1995; Fernández-Jalvo and Andrews 2016). The aim of this paper is to analyze, from an experimental viewpoint, taphonomic process that occurred in El Americano II site, (middle Holocene, Monte Hermoso, Argentina) located in sand dune environment. El Americano II site yields stone tools, sea mammals, terrestrial mammals, and mainly marine fish bones. Since fish bones have features that differ from other vertebrates such as mammals, birds, anu
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