Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Late Upper Paleolithic Bone and Fiber Technologies: A Functional Analysis of Osseous Implements from the Magdalenian of Northern Spain

在劳伦斯·G·施特劳斯博士的指导下，伊丽莎白·斯通将进行考古研究，以完成她在新墨西哥大学的博士论文。这个项目的重点是了解植物源纤维和兽皮的早期用途，这些纤维和兽皮很少被保存很长一段时间，供考古学家恢复。为了克服这一困难，分析将重点放在骨头和鹿角工具上--如针和锥子--用于生产纤维和隐藏工业。旧石器时代晚期(约40,000-12,000年前)是最后一次冰河时代结束时的时期，在此期间，解剖学上的现代人在欧洲传播。关于这些人的石器、狩猎模式和象征性行为，人们知道得很多。然而，关于植物食品的饮食作用或“易腐烂技术”的生产的研究较少，例如制皮、编篮、绳索生产或编织，部分原因是这些材料保存得很少。对现代人口和具有特殊保存的有机材料的考古遗址的研究表明，易腐烂的东西通常构成一个大的、多样的和重要的物质文化类别。兽皮和植物纤维可以用来制造实用的物品，用于储存、运输资源或衣物和住所。此外，服装、篮子和编织经常被用作表达个人和文化认同的工具。这些因素表明，对旧石器时代晚期的各种有机技术缺乏了解，大大阻碍了对这一时期人类生活的全面了解。该项目介绍了一种新的方法，旨在通过对制造易腐烂技术的工具的研究来阐明有关易腐烂技术的问题。针最早出现在20,000年前的西欧；锥子最早出现在旧石器时代的晚期。骨针和锥子的使用在许多当代和历史文化中都有记载。将研究在这类工具上使用时累积的微观磨损模式。实验将在受控环境中模拟这种磨损。这两组数据将被用作评估西班牙北部考古工具上发现的磨损的标准，这些工具可以追溯到20,000到12,000年前。拟议中的项目将对旧石器时代晚期考古做出贡献，但也会产生更广泛的影响。公众对考古研究的兴趣需要对所有史前人类有一个整体的看法。将努力在博物馆和学校等非学术场所展示本文提出的研究。这名学生(斯通)已经完成了博物馆研究的辅修研究生课程，重点是将考古学和人类学的研究和概念纳入当地高中课程。她设计了一系列人类学主题的高中课程，并为寻求将考古学纳入科学课堂的高中教师授课，并为与博物馆专业人员、高中教师和管理人员合作做好了充分准备。当她完成她的论文并继续她的职业生涯时，这种对社区教育和外展的重视将继续下去。

Under the direction of Dr. Lawrence G. Straus, Elisabeth Stone will conduct archaeological research to complete her PhD dissertation at the University of New Mexico. This project focuses on understanding early uses of plant-derived fibers and hides, which rarely preserve over long time periods to be recovered by archaeologists. To overcome this difficulty, analysis will focus on bone and antler tools - such as needle and awls - used to produce fiber and hide industries.The Upper Paleolithic (~40,000 - 12,000 years ago) is the time period at the end of the last Ice Age during which anatomically modern humans spread through Europe. Much is known about the stone tools, hunting patterns, and symbolic behavior of these populations. However, there has been less study of the dietary role of plant foods or the production of "perishable technologies" such as hide-working, basketry, cordage production, or weaving, partially due to the minimal preservation of such materials. Study of modern populations and archaeological sites with extraordinary preservation of organic materials indicates that perishables regularly constitute a large, varied, and important class of material culture. Hides and plant fibers can be used to create utilitarian objects for storage, transport of resources, or clothing and shelter. Additionally, clothing, basketry, and weaving are often used as vehicles for the expression of individual and cultural identity. These factors suggest that a lack of knowledge about the range of organic technologies in the Upper Paleolithic significantly hinders the achievement of a holistic understanding of human lives during this period. This project introduces a new methodology aimed at elucidating questions about perishable technologies through a study of the tools used to manufacture them. Needles first appear in Western Europe ~20,000 years ago; awls are present from the earliest Upper Paleolithic levels. The use of bone needles and awls has been documented in many contemporary and historic cultures. Microscopic patterns of wear accumulated through use on such tools will be studied. Experiments will simulate such wear in a controlled environment. These two bodies of data will be used as standards to assess wear found on archaeological tools from Northern Spain dating to between 20,000 and 12,000 years ago. The proposed project will contribute to Upper Paleolithic archaeology, but also has broader impacts. Public interest in archaeological research entails a responsibility to present a holistic view of all prehistoric people. Efforts will be made to present the research proposed here in nonacademic venues such as museums and schools. The student (Stone) has completed a graduate minor in Museum Studies focused on the incorporation of archaeological and anthropological research and concepts into local high school curricula. She has designed high school curricula on a wide number of anthropological topics and taught a class for high school teachers seeking to incorporate archaeology into science classrooms and is well-prepared to work with museum professionals and high school teachers and administrators. This emphasis on community education and outreach will be maintained as she completes her dissertation and continues her career.