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Chapitre D'ouvrage Année : 2023

Searching for raptor feathers and talons: Results of an experimental approach

À la recherche des plumes et des serres de rapaces : résultats d'une approche expérimentale

Résumé

During the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic periods, several bird species, including raptors, were used by hunter-gatherers for both edible and non-edible products (feathers, claws, bones, tendons, etc.) that could be employed for varying purposes. Bones, the main archaeological evidence of these human-bird interactions, sometimes recorded the memory of our ancestors' handling. Theoretically, the analysis of such traces makes it possible for us to deduce the gestures that were carried out, the intentions behind them, and the products, perishable or not, that were pursued. Nevertheless, interpretations are sometimes difficult due to the lack of a standard reference. For this article, the removal of wing feathers from 10 thawed raptor carcasses and talons from seven of these specimens provides new qualitative and quantitative data to help fill the gap. The aim is to record the cut marks derived from these actions and associate them with specific practices that our ancestors may have developed. The majority (78%-100%) of the long wing bones, the first phalanges of the major fingers, the penultimate and ungual phalanges of the feet show at least one cut mark. The other wing bones are also affected but in smaller proportions (20%-50%). The orientation of the striae: oblique, transverse or longitudinal, varies depending on the anatomical element. On the humerus, cut marks are located on all portions of the bone and on both the anterior and posterior surfaces. On the other long bones, marks are mainly on the shaft but do also affect the proximal or distal ends. The large quantity of cut marks could be the result of the condition of the carcasses used (thawed and sometimes dehydrated). However, the results obtained provide useful data without contradicting previously published experimental data on a smaller number of specimens. Finally, some comparisons between the experimental and archaeological material allow us to support the proposed interpretations of feather removal and talon extraction by past human communities.
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Dates et versions

hal-04177501 , version 1 (07-08-2023)

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Licence Ouverte - etalab

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-04177501 , version 1

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Anna Rufà, Célia Martin, Véronique Laroulandie. Searching for raptor feathers and talons: Results of an experimental approach. Hiatus, lacunes et absences : identifier et interpréter les vides archéologiques, Actes du 29e Congrès préhistorique de France, 31 mai-4 juin 2021, Toulouse, 2023. ⟨hal-04177501⟩
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