Experimental analysis of roasted and raw turtle butchery and implications for early human cognition and behaviour
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Chelonid exploitation - including tortoises and freshwater turtles - has been increasingly recognised as a significant element of Palaeolithic subsistence in the Mediterranean and Iberian Peninsula. This study offers an experimental assessment of fire's role in processing these reptiles, contrasting raw and roasted specimens to evaluate impacts on butchery efficiency, surface modifications, skeletal representation and lithic use-wear. The roasting process markedly reduced disarticulation effort and time, irrespective of the operator's experience. Cut marks and percussion traces were more frequent in raw-processed individuals, while burnt specimens displayed extensive thermal damage, particularly on carapace plates. However, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed limited diagnostic potential for low-intensity thermal exposure. Conversely, lithic tools used in processing exhibited macroscopic edge damage and minor polishes, paralleling wear patterns documented in the butchery of other small fauna. These results align with archaeological evidence from multiple Iberian and Mediterranean sites, suggesting a culturally structured practice of in-shell roasting and anatomical disarticulation. The finds highlight fire's role in labour optimisation and knowledge transmission, supporting broader discussions on small game exploitation and cognitive planning in early human behaviour.
Source: Scientific Reports
Institutions: University of Lisbon, Centro de Arqueologia, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Direção Geral do Património Cultural, University of Coimbra, Universidade do Porto, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behaviour, University of Algarve, Université de Bordeaux, De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
Awards: G2472518689, G3303936258, Padrões de Subsistência e Respostas Adaptativas de Homens Modernos, Neandertais e Pré-Neandertais na Fachada Atlântica da Península Ibérica, R2 boosting your postdoctoral career in Prehistory at IPHES, Distinctive features of Neanderthal occupation events. Modelling of occupation events from the case study of Teixoneres Cave unit III., G7415784941, G846842501
OpenAlex ID: W7117104795