Abstract
Animal fossils in archaeological sites are closely related to human activities. The environment and human activities, such as hunting-selection, cook process, traditional culture and habits can be partly inferred from the variety of fauna, fragmentation of the bones, and the human marks on bones’ surfaces. So far, researches about marks on fossils are few in China, and are mainly observed directly by eyes. Light Microscopes and Scanning Electron Microscopes are also applied to the observation abroad. These methods could provide us a lot of information, but are mainly confined to 2 dimensions. In this paper, we analyze human marks on the surface of animal fossils through three dimensions reconstruction and isoline analysis, which enable us observe and measure in 3 dimensions. This method gives us a lot of information as follows: the formation of the marks, the tools that produced the marks, the cutting edge, movement and micro-abrasion of the tools. Through study of human marks on the surface of animal fossils unearthed from Bailongdong Cave in Yunxi, Hubei Province, we have got the characteristics of the marks, and further deepen cognition of the cutting edge, cutting orientation, cutting sequence, as well as micro-abrasion of tools during the formation of these marks. This is the first to use virtual three dimensions reconstruction in studying the human marks on the surface of animal fossils in China.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Mcbrearty S, Brooks A. The revolution that wasn’t: a new interpretation of the origin of modern human behavior. J Human Evol, 2000, 39: 453–463
Henshilwood C S, Marean C W. The origin of modern human behavior: critique of the models and their test implications. Curr Anthropol, 2003, 44: 627–651
Dominguez R M, Pickering T R. Early hominid hunting and scavenging: a zooarcheological review. Evol Anthropol, 2003, 12: 275–282
Timothy G. Bromage, Boyde A. Microscopic criteria for the determination of directionality of cutmarks on bone. Am J Phys Anthropol, 1984, 65: 359–366
Shipman P, Rose J J. Early hominid hunting, butchering, and carcass processing behaviors: Approaches to the fossil record. J Anthropol Archaeol, 1983, 2: 57–98
Bromage T G, Castro J M B, Jalvo Y F. The SEM in taphonomic research and its application to studies of cutmarks generally and the determination of handedness specially. Anthropologie 1991, (3): 163–169
Pickering T R, Marschand B H. Cutmarks and hominid handedness. J Archaeol Sci, 2008, 35: 310–315
Gao X, Huang W B, Xu Z Q, et al. 120–150 ka human tooth and ivory engravings from Xinglongdong Cave, Three Gorges Region, South China. Chin Sci Bull, 2004, 49(2): 175–180
Wu R K, Wu X Z. Paleolithic Sites in China (in Chinese). Shanghai: Shanghai Scientific and Technological Education Publishing House, 1999. 66–67
Wu X Z, Pei S W, Wu X J, et al. Preliminary Study of Bailong Cave Paleoanthropological site inYunxi Country, Hubei Province (in Chinese). Acta Anthropol Sin, 2009, 28: 1–14
Wu X Z. Yunxi Man- Excavation Report About Huanglongdong Cave (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press, 2006. 1–272
Norton C J, Zhang S Q, Zhang L, et al. Distinguishing Hominin and carnivore signatures in the Plio-Pleistocene faunal record (in Chinese). Acta Anthropol Sin, 2007, 26 (2): 183–192
Shipman P, Rose J J. Cutmark mimics on modem and fossil bovid bones. Curr Anthropol, 1984, 25: 116–117
Cook J. The application of scanning electron microscopy to tapnonomic and archaeological problems. In: Rose D A, ed. Studies in the Upper Palaeolithic of Britain and Northwest Europe, British Archaeological Reports. London: Oxford, 1986. 143–163
Wu Y, Yao Z Q, Gong M, et al. The application of three dimensional image reconstruction in phytolith research (in Chinese). Agr Archaeology, 2006, (1): 61–64
Yang Y M, Guo Y, Xie Y T, et al. Microwear analysis by digital microscopy of Turquoise from Peng Nation Tombs, Western Zhou Dynasty (in Chinese). Sci Conserv Archaeol, 2008, 20 (1): 46–49
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Supported by Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-106), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40772016) and the Project of Chongqing City Government (Grant No. 08JWSK039)
About this article
Cite this article
Wu, X., Wang, Y., Pei, S. et al. Virtual three dimensions reconstruction and isoline analysis of human marks on the surface of animal fossils. Chin. Sci. Bull. 54, 1564–1569 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-009-0082-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-009-0082-x