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Bones
Ancient Men and Modern Myths
- 1st Edition - July 16, 1987
- Author: Lewis R. Binford
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 1 0 0 0 3 6 - 3
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 1 3 9 5 - 8
Bones: Ancient Men and Modern Myths focuses on bone structures and characteristics, including bone modifications, breakage, processing, and destruction by animals. The… Read more
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Request a sales quoteBones: Ancient Men and Modern Myths focuses on bone structures and characteristics, including bone modifications, breakage, processing, and destruction by animals. The publication first elaborates on the transitions to relics to artifacts and monuments to assemblages and middle-range research and the role of actualistic studies, including artifact and assemblage phase and relic and monument phase. The text then takes a look at the patterns of bone modifications produced by nonhuman agents and human modes of bone modification. Discussions focus on breakage related to other forms of bone processing, morphology of bone breakage, chopping and bone breakage as butchering techniques, butchering marks, bone breakage and destruction by animals, tooth marks, and previous approaches to understanding the significance of broken and modified bone. The manuscript ponders on patterns of association stemming from the behavior of man versus that of beast, as well as control collections of animal-structured assemblages; information on kill behavior and comparisons; observations of wolves and their behavior; and studies of assemblage composition caused by beasts. The publication is a valuable source of information for researchers interested in bone structure and modifications.
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Figures and Tables
Abbreviations
Part I Documenting a Long-Term Archaeological Problem: Concepts and Observations
Chapter 1 Relics to Artifacts and Monuments to Assemblages: Changing Conceptual Frameworks
The Relic and Monument Phase
The Artifact and Assemblage Phase
Chapter 2 Middle-Range Research and the Role of Actualistic Studies
The Paradigm—One's Guide to Describing the World
Theory—One's Guide to Explaining the World
Part II Middle-Range Research—In Search of Methodology
Chapter 3 Patterns of Bone Modifications Produced by Nonhuman Agents
Previous Approaches to Understanding the Significance of Broken and Modified Bone
Skeletal Disarticulation
Tooth Marks
Other Sources of Surficial Modifications on Bone
Bone Breakage and Destruction by Animals
Modifications by Anatomical Part
Breakage Unrelated to Consumption: Trampling and Bone Manipulation
Bone Modifications and Methodology
Chapter 4 Human Modes of Bone Modification
Previous Approaches to Understanding Broken and Modified Bone
The Control Data
Dismembering Strategy
Butchering Marks
Cut Marks: Their Form and Placement on Specific Bones
Chopping, Bone Breakage and Butchering Techniques
Gnawing by Humans
Marrow-Bone Breakage
Control Collections
Breakage Related in Other Forms of Bone Processing
Man-to-Man Comparisons, or Alternative Human Behaviors
Comparing Man and Beast
Morphology of Bone Breakage
Summary
Chapter 5 Assemblage Composition: Patterns of Association Stemming from the Behavior of Man Versus that of Beast
New World Beginnings—Man as the Agent
African Problems and Assemblage Composition
Other Types of Assemblage Variability
Studies of Assemblage Composition Caused by Beasts
Observations of Wolves and Their Behavior
Information on Lair Behavior
Information on Kill Behavior and Comparisons
Control Collections of Animal-Structured Assemblages
Summary
Part III Putting Our Knowledge to Work: Seeking to Know the Past
Chapter 6 Application: A New Look at Olduvai Gorge
Olduvai Gorge, a Challenge to Our Methods
Analysis of Olduvai Fauna
Evaluating the Degree of Destruction Suffered by the Olduvai Assemblages
Assemblage Composition—Olduvai Gorge
Summary
Chapter 7 General Conclusions
References
Index
- No. of pages: 328
- Language: English
- Edition: 1
- Published: July 16, 1987
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Paperback ISBN: 9780121000363
- eBook ISBN: 9781483213958