The way we wear makes the difference: residue analysis applied to Mesolithic personal ornaments from Hohlenstein-Stadel
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ORIGINAL PAPER
The way we wear makes the difference: residue analysis applied to Mesolithic personal ornaments from Hohlenstein-Stadel (Germany) Solange Rigaud & Marian Vanhaeren & Alain Queffelec & Gwénaëlle Le Bourdon & Francesco d’Errico
Received: 12 July 2013 / Accepted: 13 November 2013 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
Abstract Research conducted by Newell et al. (1990) has lead to propose that during the Mesolithic, the Upper Danube region was inhabited by a “Fish Teeth Band”, characterized by the use of carp fish teeth and exogenous fossil shells as ornaments. However, technological data on these personal ornaments drastically lacked and especially for the fish teeth associated to the Mesolithic burial of Hohlenstein-Stadel that remained completely undescribed until now. The aim of this paper is to establish how the carp teeth from HohlensteinStadel were modified and worn before being deposited in the burial. High-resolution microscopic analysis identifies usewear traces and a red compound adhering to the surface of the teeth. Structural and elemental analysis of the residue combining light and scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and Raman analysis identify a suspension technique that uses an adhesive composed of an organic binder mixed with charcoal and minerals including hematite, dolomite, and quartz. Ethnological inquiry reveals that this system of suspension, commonly used in traditional societies, is for S. Rigaud : M. Vanhaeren : A. Queffelec : F. d’Errico University of Bordeaux, CNRS-UMR 5199 PACEA, Equipe Préhistoire, Paléoenvironnement, Patrimoine, Avenue des Facultés, F-33405 Talence, France S. Rigaud (*) Dipartimento di Biologia ed Evoluzione—Sezione di Biologia Evolutiva, Università di Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, I-44100 Ferrara, Italy e-mail: [email protected] G. Le Bourdon Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, University of Bordeaux, CNRS-UMR 525, 351 cours de la libération, F-33405 Talence, France F. d’Errico Institute for Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
the first time documented, at Hohlenstein-Stadel, in an archaeological context. Keywords Cyprinid teeth ornaments . Hohlenstein-Stadel . Pigment . Adhesive . Microscopy . Raman . EDX
Introduction Research on Mesolithic ornaments has focused on the identification of trade networks through the sourcing of raw material (Cristiani and Borić 2012; Eriksen 2002; Komšo and Vukosavljević 2011; Rähle 1978), regional differences in bead type associations interpreted as possible reflection of cultural boundaries (Newell et al. 1990; Vanhaeren and d'Errico 2006; Rigaud et al. 2010; Rigaud 2011), and analysis of ornaments used as grave goods to assess social stratification (Albrethsen and Brinch-Petersen 1976; Larsson 2006; O'Shea and Zvelebil 1984; Rigaud et al. 2010). To provide valuable insights, these studies have to rest on precise economic and technological data to indentify behavior involved in the acquisition and transformation of the raw material for bead
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