Micro-photogrammetric characterization of cut marks on bones

Abstract

In the last few years, the study of cut marks on bone surfaces has become fundamental for the interpretation of archaeological sites and prehistoric butchery practices. Due to the difficulties in the correct identification of cut marks, many criteria for their description and classifications were suggested. This article presents an innovative methodology which supplements the microscopic study of cut marks. Despite the benefits of using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the two-dimensional identification of these marks, it has a number of drawbacks such as the high costs and, consequently, the limited sample studied. In this article, a low-cost technique for the analysis of cut mark micromorphology from a tri-dimensional perspective is introduced. It provides a high-resolution approach to cut mark characterisation such as morphology, depth, width, and angle estimation as well as section determination, measured directly on the marks on bones. Macro-photogrammetry records quantitative and qualitative information which can be statistically processed with standard multivariate and geometric morphometric tools.