Journal articles on the topic 'Techniques de retouche'

Depuis plusieurs décennies, de nombreux sites attribuables au Néolithique ancien (culture du Villeneuve-Saint-Germain) et moyen (Cerny et Chasséen septentrional) ont été mis au jour en Haute-Normandie. Plus récemment trois d’entre eux, Aubevoye « La Chartreuse », Saint-Pierre-d’Autils « Le Plaquis » et Porte-Joie « La Couture aux Rois, zone C » ont fait notamment l’objet de descriptions technologiques. Si les séries lithiques de cette période se distinguent quelquefois par la production de belles et grandes lames par percussion indirecte, le reste de l’industrie se caractérise par une production laminaire domestique et un débitage d’éclats initialement et souvent décrit comme une production expédiente ou opportuniste. Cette contribution tente de mettre en avant de nouveaux caractères permettant de préciser l’évolution de ce débitage, les objectifs de production et la transformation des produits qui en sont issus. Ainsi, et à partir de l’étude de 8 sites hauts-normands datés du Blicquy-Villeneuve-Saint-Germain et du Cerny, les auteurs décrivent les principales caractéristiques du débitage d’éclats identifié en Haute-Normandie. Pour cette production, le premier constat est l’exploitation locale de matières premières de mauvaise qualité situées à proximité souvent immédiate des sites. Les modalités de débitage sont multiples (unipolaire, multidirectionnel et bipolaire) mais plutôt élémentaires et certainement pas standardisées. L’ensemble se double d’une quasi absence de mise en forme et de l’utilisation systématique de percuteur en silex pour le débitage et la retouche. Les auteurs soulignent également une sélection opportuniste des supports d’outils (variabilité morphométriques des modules), une adaptation du support de la retouche au type d’outil et l’utilisation de procédés techniques de retouche parfois singulier (burin décalé).

Retouched lithic tools result from the functional modification of their edges following knapping operations. The study of the later stages of the reduction sequence is fundamental to understanding the techno-functional features of any toolkit. In Australia, a gap exists in the study of the chaîne opératoire of lithic tools shaped or re-shaped through percussion retouching. In our previous works (Martellotta EF., 2021, Martellotta EF., 2022), we have presented evidence for the use of hardwood boomerangs for retouching purposes in Australian Aboriginal communities. Through a detailed experimental protocol, the present study demonstrates how boomerangs can function as retouchers. We found that the use-wear generated on the boomerang’s surface during retouch activity is comparable to retouch-induced impact traces observed on Palaeolithic bone retouchers, as well as to experimental bone retouchers generated in our replication experiments. Finally, we explore the role that microscopic lithic chips embedded in the retouchers’ surface play in the formation process of retouching marks. Our results address the need for a deeper investigation of percussion retouching techniques in Australian contexts, opening the possibility that uncommon objects—such as boomerangs—could be used for this task. This concept also highlights the broader topic of the highly diverse multipurpose application of many Indigenous tools throughout Australia. At the same time, the study reveals a deep functional connection between osseous and wooden objects—a topic rarely investigated in archaeological contexts.

The increasing availability of digital elevation models (DEMs) facilitates the monitoring of glacier mass balances on local and regional scales. Geodetic glacier mass balances are obtained by differentiating DEMs. However, these computations are usually affected by voids in the derived elevation change data sets. Different approaches, using spatial statistics or interpolation techniques, were developed to account for these voids in glacier mass balance estimations. In this study, we apply novel void filling techniques, which are typically used for the reconstruction and retouche of images and photos, for the first time on elevation change maps. We selected 6210 km2 of glacier area in southeast Alaska, USA, covered by two void-free DEMs as the study site to test different inpainting methods. Different artificially voided setups were generated using manually defined voids and a correlation mask based on stereoscopic processing of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) acquisition. Three “novel” (Telea, Navier–Stokes and shearlet) as well as three “classical” (bilinear interpolation, local and global hypsometric methods) void filling approaches for glacier elevation data sets were implemented and evaluated. The hypsometric approaches showed, in general, the worst performance, leading to high average and local offsets. Telea and Navier–Stokes void filling showed an overall stable and reasonable quality. The best results are obtained for shearlet and bilinear void filling, if certain criteria are met. Considering also computational costs and feasibility, we recommend using the bilinear void filling method in glacier volume change analyses. Moreover, we propose and validate a formula to estimate the uncertainties caused by void filling in glacier volume change computations. The formula is transferable to other study sites, where no ground truth data on the void areas exist, and leads to higher accuracy of the error estimates on void-filled areas. In the spirit of reproducible research, we publish a software repository with the implementation of the novel void filling algorithms and the code reproducing the statistical analysis of the data, along with the data sets themselves.

Protoaurignacian foragers relied heavily on the production and use of bladelets. Techno-typological studies of these implements have provided insights into crucial aspects of cultural variability. However, new technologies have seldom been used to quantify patterns of stone tool design. Taking advantage of a new scanning protocol and open-source software, we conduct the first 3D analysis of a Protoaurignacian assemblage, focusing on the selection and modification of blades and bladelets. We study a large dataset of complete blanks and retouched tools from the early Protoaurignacian assemblage at Fumane Cave in northeastern Italy. Our main goal is to validate and refine previous techno-typological considerations employing a 3D geometric morphometrics approach complemented by 2D analysis of cross-section outlines and computation of retouch angle. The encouraging results show the merits of the proposed integrated approach and confirm that bladelets were the main focus of stone knapping at the site. Among modified bladelets, various retouching techniques were applied to achieve specific shape objectives. We suggest that the variability observed among retouched bladelets relates to the design of multi-part artifacts that need to be further explored via renewed experimental and functional studies.

We describe fi nds from layer 24 of Kulbulak, Western Tien Shan, excavated in 2018–2019. On the basis of the age of layer 16 (MIS 5e) and the geological context of the deposits, the profi le of the site was subdivided into paleogeographic stages. Layers 25–22 likely correlate with the warming period in the second half of MIS 7. Primary reduction in layer 24 industry was based on parallel uni- and bidirectional techniques, with wide and narrow-faced cores, and following the Levallois strategy. Tools include various side-scrapers, a point on a heavily retouched blade, a retouched blade, an atypical angular end-scraper, and blanks of bifaces. Parallels are found between those fi nds and contemporaneous industries of the Near East. Technologically and likely chronologically, layer 24 is intermediate between Late Amudian and Early Middle Paleolithic assemblages of the Tabun D stage. This is evidenced by a combination of non-Levallois and Levallois fl aking (the latter being predominant), by different types of blanks within the same reduction sequence, by a high share of blades among blanks, by bifacial pieces, by an elongated heavily retouched point, and by an atypical end-scraper.

Image inpainting is the process of restoring missing pixels in digital images in a plausible way. A study on image inpainting technique has acquired a significant consideration in various regions, i.e. restoring the damaged and old documents, elimination of unwanted objects, cinematography, retouch applications, etc. Even though, limitations exist in the recovery process due to the establishment of certain artifacts in the restored image areas. To rectify these issues, more and more techniques have been established by different authors. This survey makes a critical analysis of diverse techniques regarding various image inpainting schemes. This paper goes under (i) Analyzing various image inpainting techniques that are contributed in different papers; (ii) Makes the comprehensive study regarding the performance measures and the corresponding maximum achievements in each contribution; (iii) Analytical review concerning the chronological review and various tools exploited in each of the reviewed works. Finally, the survey extends with the determination of various research issues and gaps that might be useful for the researchers to promote improved future works on image inpainting schemes.

The Chinese Palaeolithic has traditionally been divided into three distinct cultural periods: Lower, Middle, and Upper. Analysis of four stone tool criteria (raw material procurement, core reduction, retouch, and typology) to determine if a distinct Middle Palaeolithic stage existed in China suggests that very little change occurred in lithic technology between the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic. Accordingly, a two-stage progression is proposed: Early and Late Palaeolithic. The transition between these two cultural periods occurred with the development of more refined stone tool making techniques (e.g. introduction of blade and microblade technology) and the presence of other archaeological indicators of more modern human behaviour (e.g. presence of art and/or symbolism) (c. 30,000 years ago).

The preservation of cultural heritage is a multidisciplinary field of study that is aimed at analyzing and preserving ancient artifacts. Nowadays, cultural heritage investigators can make use of available non-invasive solutions able to provide useful information about materials, techniques, and retouches. Yet, investigations on artworks are manually performed with very little automation. This is due to the need for the unique expertise of human operators but also to the lack of adequate digital support. To this aim, we have designed a groupware for supporting collaborative work among cultural heritage investigators even when located far from each other. As a practical case study we have chosen the pigment identification problem in artworks and included in the groupware an automated procedure for selecting investigation areas and for matching unknown pigments on the considered artwork with known standards in a database.

Imaging methods based on visible luminescence induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation are well consolidated in the investigation of ancient works of art, to map varnishes, retouches, and possibly some pigments. As far as contemporary art is involved, the wide range of synthetic materials, especially pigments, introduced from 1850 onwards, makes the possible application of the technique particularly challenging. Among the colouring substances used by artists in the 19th and 20th centuries, only cadmium-based pigments received attention due to their typical near-infrared luminescence. Nevertheless, the fluorescence emission exhibited by several synthetic pigments upon visible excitation was recently demonstrated and confirmed using UV radiation in the present work. The subsequent possibility of individuating such materials in paintings by ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF) images was explored on mock-up painting samples of a wide series of pigments dispersed in oil or acrylic binder. Visible and infrared luminescence images obtained by irradiating with visible radiation (VIVF and VIL) were also collected. It was thus evidenced the possible advantage of the choice of a different excitation wavelength in discriminating between the contributions of pigment and binder. Finally, a recent oil painting on panel was also examined as case study.

The Archbishop’s Palace of Seville harbours an important art collection with mostly works by great Renaissance and Baroque artists. However, the authorship of some paintings is unknown, and, in a few cases, there is an interest in discovering the painter due to the quality of the artwork. As a first step for this purpose, a systematic analysis procedure has been established using non-destructive techniques, such as UV photography and IR reflectography, to locate interventions and underpaintings, as well as X-ray fluorescence to identify original pigments and those of later interventions. The study following this established protocol is presented with the example of two paintings by unknown authors. They were made in different centuries representing, consequently, different styles. UV images showed several retouches, while IR reflectography revealed under-drawing and composition corrections (pentimenti). Furthermore, XRF identified the pigments applied in the production of the different colours and tonalities, allowing to characterise the artist’s palette, whose pigments generally agree with the dates when the artworks were produced. This study resulted in valuable information on painting materials and techniques, which will be useful in the search for authorships, among others.

As part of the study project of the pictorial cycle, attributed to Saturnino Gatti, in the church of San Panfilo at Villagrande di Tornimparte (AQ), image analyses were performed in order to document the general conservation conditions of the surfaces, and to map the different painting materials to be subsequently examined using spectroscopic techniques. To acquire the images, radiation sources, ranging from ultraviolet to near infrared, were used; analyses of ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF), infrared reflectography (IRR), infrared false colors (IRFC), and optical microscopy in visible light (OM) were carried out on all the panels of the mural painting of the apsidal conch. The Hypercolorimetric Multispectral Imaging (HMI) technique was also applied in selected areas of two panels. Due to the accurate calibration system, this technique is able to obtain high-precision colorimetric and reflectance measurements, which can be repeated for proper surface monitoring. The integrated analysis of the different wavelengths’ images—in particular, the ones processed in false colors—made it possible to distinguish the portions affected by retouching or repainting and to recover the legibility of some figures that showed chromatic alterations of the original pictorial layers. The IR reflectography, in addition to highlighting the portions that lost materials and were subject to non-original interventions, emphasized the presence of the underdrawing, which was detected using the spolvero technique. UVF photography led to a preliminary mapping of the organic and inorganic materials that exhibited characteristic induced fluorescence, such as a binder in correspondence with the original azurite painting or the wide use of white zinc in the retouched areas. The collected data made it possible to form a better iconographic interpretation. Moreover, it also enabled us to accurately select the areas to be investigated using spectroscopic analyses, both in situ and on micro-samples, in order to deepen our knowledge of the techniques used by the artist to create the original painting, and to detect subsequent interventions.

An illuminated Book of Hours (in use in Chalon-sur-Saône) currently owned by the Museo Civico di Arte Antica and displayed in the prestigious Palazzo Madama in Torino (Italy) was investigated by means of optical microscopy, fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy, fibre optic molecular fluorimetry, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy. The aim of the scientific survey was to expand the knowledge of the manuscript itself and on the materials and techniques employed by Antoine the Lonhy, the versatile itinerant artist who decorated the book in the 15th century. The focus was to reveal the original colourants and to investigate the pigments used in rough retouches which were visible in some of the miniatures. The investigation was carried out in situ by portable instruments according to a non-invasive analytical sequence previously developed. It was evident that the use of different pigments by the master was ruled, at least partially, by a hierarchical scheme in which more precious materials were linked to the most important characters or details in the painted scene.

In the context of the archaeometrical study of Saturnino Gatti’s wall paintings, a significant aspect concerned the study of the organic component to understand both the original binders used in the original areas and the products used for pictorial reintegration and restoration of the painted surfaces. Thanks to the results obtained from various non-invasive and multi-band imaging techniques, it was possible to define Gatti’s original painting technique and identify the materials subsequently applied in significant samples. To this end, molecular analyses based on mass spectrometry were carried out. Different procedures in gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and in pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) were adopted. The analyses revealed a variety of organic materials on the mural paintings, most of which are from past restoration interventions and have synthetic origin. The overspread presence of paraffin is likely due to the application of a mineral wax-based coating/consolidant. In particular, the execution technique encompassed the use of tempera-based paints, while retouched areas were characterised by the presence of oil-based resins.

This paper presents the first results of a current interdisciplinary research project on the polychromy of Roman provincial stone artefacts in selected areas of the Danubian provinces (PolychroMon). The statuary group of Minerva and the Genius immunium from Carnuntum (Archaeological Museum Carnuntinum inv. CAR-S-48) is dated to the second half of the second century AD and still retains traces of the original polychromy. The aim was to focus on non-invasive techniques and to employ micro-invasive methods for necessary cross-checking and gaining information otherwise not accessible. The investigation revealed that paint was applied on a layer of white lime wash. Additionally, the object shows several traces of Egyptian blue, which was mainly detected in Minerva’s and the Genius’ clothes. Other pigments whose traces were found on the sculpture include green earth, yellow and red ochre, as well as red lead and carbon black. Microscopic analysis confirms the presence of modern-age compounds as well (barium sulphate and zinc oxide) used for modern retouches. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed the use of egg as the major proteinaceous binding medium in the red lead polychromy.

Not many manuscript maps have been the object of material analysis so far. A portolan chart, signed and dated by Juan Vespucci in 1520, was studied in this research, conserved at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville (Spain). It is made on parchment and depicts the coasts and islands of Europe and Africa. It is the oldest portolan chart made in Seville, being unusual in applying hand stamp for decorative figures. The map was analysed by different non-invasive techniques: infra-red and ultraviolet light, digital microscope and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The main goals of this study were to identify the materials used, as well as to detect retouching or restoration work. Results showed that the entire parchment was first covered with a white layer made of lead white (Pb), calcite or gypsum (Ca). The principal pigments used were vermilion (Hg), yellow ochre (Fe), azurite (Cu) and a copper-based green pigment (Cu) and carbon black. The letters were probably written with an iron-gall ink (Fe, Cu). Very thin golden leaves were applied on a mixtion glue for gilded wind roses. Several retouches from the 19th/20th centuries were found using zinc and titanium whites and probably cobalt blue.

The authors propose to discuss the methodology of searching for the defi nitive indicators of flaking techniques of the Eneolithic — Bronze Age in the mountain-forest Trans-Urals. The methodology is based on a step-by-step cross-referencing analysis of raw materials, technological and morphological characteristics of stone artifacts. The multilayer settlement Shaitanskoe 4–6 stone tools assemblage (the Kirovgrad district, Sverdlovsk Oblast) served as the main resource for the analysis. Main stages of the site’s populating correlated with the Eneolithic and the Bronze Age (Cherkaskul culture). Arrowheads were chosen as the key category of artifacts. This choice was based on both the large number of these artifacts (more than 100 items) and their fairly reliable cultural and chronological verification by the well-known interments and single-layer sites of the Urals and the adjacent territories. The Eneolithic flaking technique demonstrated a pronounced variability of tools. Pressure flaking technique used for obtaining blanks of a certain type (blades, microblades, and flakes of preset shapes and sizes) formed the lithic industry basis. During the Bronze Age, the emphasis shifted towards biface-production-oriented striking and counter striking knapping techniques. One of the Bronze Age lithic industry markers was a significant amount of characteristic waste, defected and good blanks as opposed to a small group of two-sided retouched tools with a high level of standardization and manufacturing quality (arrowheads, knives of an asymmetrical triangular shape with an arc-shaped side blade, scrapers of geometric shapes, etc.). The Eneolithic population preferred siliceous and clay shales, high-quality homogeneous jaspers, some types of chalcedony of gray and yellow, homogeneous flint of greenish and greenish-gray shades, and rhyolites of similar colors. During the Bronze Age, most popular materials were mottled flint of mediocre quality, siliceous shales of dark shades, siliceous quartz and chalcedony of light tones, and some varieties of jasper.

We present the fi ndings of excavations at the Early Paleolithic site of Lakhuti-IV in the middle reaches of the Obi- Mazar River, Republic of Tajikistan. The geological and geomorphological situation in the area is reconstructed, and Pleistocene deposits are described. On the basis of the available chronostratigraphic constraints, we can determine time of formation of the cultural layer that is associated with deposits of the fi fth buried soil (pedocomplex 5, dated to ~0.5 Ma ago). Characteristics of archaeological fi nds (662 artifacts) from eight cultural horizons are discussed. Primary reduction is dominated by the simplest parallel, radial, and slice cores. Among fl akes, “citrus slices” and decortication chips are the most frequent. Tools include numerous fl akes and retouched fragments. Single-edged sidescrapers on large fl akes, denticulate-notched tools, and unifaces are abundant. The concentration of artifacts is very high for the Khovaling Loess Plateau. Lakhuti IV is the fi rst site of the Loessic Paleolithic where artifacts occur in distinct archaeological horizons. Industries associated with pedocomplexes 6–4 in the region (Obi-Mazar-VI, Lakhuti-I, -IV, etc.) show common features, such as primary reduction techniques (slice, radial, simple parallel) and the composition of the toolkits (choppers, unifaces, single-edged side-scrapers, etc.). The fi ndings allow us to draw more reliable parallels with contemporaneous industries of other regions. The closest similarities to industries of the Karatau culture are seen among the Soanian industries in northern Hindustan and the Early Paleolithic assemblages of southwestern China.

Le technocomplexe Itaparica comprend la plupart des productions lithiques de la transition Pléistocène-Holocène et de l’Holocène ancien dans le centre du Brésil. Il se caractérise par des industries basées sur une complémentarité entre des pièces façonnées unifacialement et des éclats retouchés. Les pièces façonnées unifacialement sont historiquement les vestiges les plus emblématiques de ce technocomplexe. Elles correspondent à un support pouvant contenir plusieurs outils. De nombreux indices démontrent que ces pièces avaient une longue durée de vie utile et passaient par différents états techniques successifs. A partir de la riche collection de l’abri GO-JA-01 (État de Goiás, Brésil), nous présentons ici une étude des chaînes opératoires de réamenagement des pièces façonnées unifacialement du technocomplexe Itaparica. Par les différents indices de raffûtage et de réaménagement, il est possible de définir deux schémas opératoires d’exploitation de ces outils au cours du temps, jusqu’à leur dénaturation. En revanche, bien que les réaménagements successifs aient un impact sur la forme et le volume des supports, ils ne peuvent pas expliquer toute la variabilité de ces artefacts. La structure des supports semble se maintenir au cours de la vie technique de ceux-ci. Il y a donc une diversité des intentions dès le début de la production des pièces façonnées unifacialement du technocomplexe Itaparica.

In stone tool studies, the analysis of different technological and typological features is known to provide distinct but interrelated information on the design and use of artefacts. The selection of these features can potentially influence the understanding and reconstruction of past human technological behaviour across time. One feature frequently part of a standard lithic analysis is the measurement of edge angles. The angle of an edge, unmodified or shaped by retouch and an integral part of the overall tool design, is certainly a parameter that influences the interpretation of an artefact. The acuteness of an edge angle is often linked to aspects such as cutting, carving, or scraping efficiency and durability and thus, tool performance. Knowing the actual edge angle of a stone tool can therefore have important implications for its interpretation. In the case of edge angle analyses, manual measuring techniques have been established for many years in lithic studies. Here, we introduce a new method for accurate and precise edge angle measurements based on 3D data (hereafter 3D-EdgeAngle). 3D-EdgeAngle consists of a script-based, semi-automated edge angle measuring method applicable to 3D models. Unlike other methods, 3D-EdgeAngle illustrates an objective way of measuring the edge angle at cross sections along the entire tool edge in defined steps and, moreover, allows measurements at different distances perpendicular to the edge by controlling three involved parameters. Thus, with this method, the edge angle can be measured at any point in a high resolution and scale of analysis. Compared to measurements taken manually, with this method random and systematic errors can be reduced significantly. Additionally, all data are reproducible and statistically evaluable. We introduce 3D-EdgeAngle as a standard method to calculate edge angles with a highly accurate and systematic approach. With this method, we aim to improve the process of studying lithics and thus to increase the understanding of past human tool design.

Despite the fact that in recent years the anthropologist's arsenal has significantly expanded due to the intro-duction of digital 3D scanning, computed tomography, microtomography, etc. into the practice of anthropological research, for most researchers photography remains an important part of the scientific process. Moreover, the resulting images are increasingly subject to higher requirements, since they often appear in scientific circulation much faster than before, bypassing editors and professional retouchers of publishers thanks to various kinds of Internet resources, such as presentations, on-line Internet conferences, reports, etc. In this new digital reality, the researcher acts as both an expert, a director, and an operator of a photo session and is solely responsible for the quality of the result and for its compliance with the goals of the shooting. The high intelligence of modern digital cameras creates a false impression in the beginner’s mind that camera can always be given freedom in making decisions regarding the shooting parameters. However, as shown in the article, there are a number of shooting situations when targeted manual management of shooting parameters is necessary to obtain a positive result. The following information will help the photographer do this. The purpose of our article is to help the researcher anthropologist qualitatively solve his problems using a digital camera. We will try to give an idea of those basic concepts, features of technology and techniques that determine the work of a photographer within the digital space. To this end, the article discusses the main technical and methodological techniques of anthropological photography within the digital space. A brief definition of the basic concepts of the “digital world” and the most important technical characteristics of modern digital cameras are given. The main part of the article is devoted to photography of paleoanthropological materials. Particular attention is paid to the shooting of the skull and odon-tological materials. Specific recommendations are given on the management of shooting parameters and on the organization of the shooting process, the use of which will allow the researcher to obtain high-quality digital pho-tographs of the studied anthropological objects that meet both the requirements of modern printing and the re-quirements of representation on Internet resources.

Política de los recuerdos y los olvidos. Zapping Zone una instalación de Chris MarkerRESUMENChris Marker es autor de una extensa obra audiovisual, a través de la cual trata de hallar una política de la forma capaz de constituir las imágenes como memoria colectiva. Su trayectoria artística está marcada por una intensa experimentación técnica y estilística en torno a la imagen audiovisual. Esta experimentación le conducirá a romper constantemente los moldes, llevando su propia expresión más allá de la inflexibilidad de las tradiciones y las disciplinas. Este ensayo regresa concretamente sobre un proyecto tardío, su instalación interactiva Zapping Zone, para analizar las técnicas de ensamblaje y las tácticas empleadas respecto al visitante de la instalación. La obra es un buen ejemplo de un personalísimo trabajo centrado en la escritura de la historia y en los procesos de la memoria colectiva. En ella, Marker no trata de imitar o reproducir los mecanismos individuales y sociales, sino justamente de crear las condiciones técnicas y estéticas para la producción de nuevas formas de recuerdo y olvido.PALABRAS CLAVEArte contemporáneo, audiovisual, memoria, técnicas de montaje, olvido, Zapping ZonePOLICY OF RECALLING AND FORGETFULNESS. ZAPPING ZONE A CHRIS MARKER’S INSTALLATIONABSTRACTChris Marker is the author of an extensive visual artwork in which he intends to develop a politic of shape able to construct images as collective memories. The author’s artistic trajectory is considerably influenced by an intense technical and esthetic experimentation related to audiovisual image. The experimentation technique allows the author to constantly break traditions providing the chance to place his artwork at an upper level, exceeding the inflexibility of tradition and discipline. This essay takes a retrospective look at a late project, its interactive installation Zapping Zone with the purpose of analyzing the assembly and the used tactics regarding visitors who attend to the installation. This work is a good example of an outstanding devoted concern to history of writing and processes of collective memory. Marker not only pretends to imitate or reproduce social and individual mechanisms, but also attempts to create technical and esthetic conditions as new options for forgetting and recalling.KEY WORDSContemporary art, audiovisual, recalling, mounting technique, forgetfulness, Zapping Zone.IUIARISPA KUNGARISKAmANDA zAPPING zONE CHURASKAKUNA SUTI CHIS MARKERMAILLALACHISKASug iaha runa suti Chis Marker kawachikame sug, rurai chipi munakume kawachingapa tukuipa iuiakuna kai runa kami ajai racha unai kaipi trabajaska iachami allilla chimanda mailla maillla allichispa ringapa suma kidangami churangapami kankuna sug rurai kaawngapa allillachu kudaku suti Zapping Zone allichispa tukuikuna kawangapa. Kaipi iuiarispa ñugpamnda kawachinaku Kai kilkaipi ruraka runa suti Marker, mana kungarringapa iuiaikuna kaugsakangapa.RIMANGAPA MINISTISKAKUNA Ñugamanda rurai, kawachispa, iuiai, allilla churangapa, kungarri Zapping Zone.POLITIQUE DES SOUVENIRS ET DE CE QU’ON OUBLIE. ZAPPING ZONE UNE INSTALLATION À CHRIS MARKER RÉSUMÉChris Marker c’est un auteur d’une grande œuvre audiovisuelle, à travers laquelle il essaie de trouver une politique capable de constituer les images comme mémoire collective. Son parcours artistique est marqué pour une intense expérimentation technique autour l’image audiovisuelle. Cette expérimentation lui fait rompre régulièrement les schémas, en emmenant sa propre expression au-delà des inflexions des traditions et des disciplines. Cet essai retourne directement sur un projet tardif ; proprement de son installation Zapping Zone, pour analyser les techniques d’assemblage et tactiques utilisées vis au visiteur du montage. L’œuvre est un exemple parfait du travail personnel centré dans l’écriture de l’histoire et dans les processus de la mémoire commune. Dans celle-ci, MARKER n’essaie pas d’imiter ou reproduire les mécanismes soient individuels ou sociaux, par contre de créer les conditions techniques et esthétiques pour la production de nouvelles formes de souvenir et d’oubli.MOTS CLÉSArt contemporain, audiovisuel, mémoire, techniques de montage, oubli, Zapping Zone.

Depuis les années 1970, l’étude des collections lithiques préhistoriques a vécu en France une profonde modernisation. André Leroi-Gourhan, d’abord intéressé par les techniques traditionnelles, prit pour objectif d’appréhender les activités techniques menées dans un site par un groupe préhistorique, dans une perspective ainsi dénommée « palethnologique ». Il a aussi promu la notion de chaîne opératoire introduite auparavant par Marcel Mauss. Mais ce sont les expérimentateurs de la taille des roches dures, F. Bordes et J. Tixier, qui vont permettre d’enrichir cette notion de ses applications concrètes. J. Tixier, surtout, stabilise la terminologie de la pierre taillée, et systématise la « lecture technologique » qui permet de reconstituer mentalement le déroulement du façonnage d’un outil ou du débitage d’un nucléus. Il introduit aussi une distinction fondamentale entre « méthode » (la démarche -l’agencement des enlèvements successifs- suivie pour atteindre le but de la chaîne opératoire : un type ou une classe de produits) et « technique(s) » (qui réfère aux modalités pratiques d’exécution des enlèvements). Sur cette base, dès 1980, Tixier et collègues introduisent les notions d’économie des matières premières, du débitage et de l’outillage, corollaires de la notion de règles de gestion. La notion d’intention -entre débitage, supports et (certains) outils- apparaît également, fondant le postulat selon lequel les modalités de la taille sont cohérentes avec la morphologie des produits recherchés. C’est ce postulat que suit la démarche française en technologie lithique : percevoir -comprendre- les intentions de la production lithique, avant de classer et de mesurer. Cette démarche est ensuite appliquée à la collection lithique de Yokomichi (Dept de Yamagata, NE de Honshu), à débitage laminaire mais antérieure à la production de lamelles, ainsi datable d’environ 18 000 BP. On perçoit d’abord qu’y coexistent deux débitages laminaires : l’un de lames légères et rectilignes à petit talon, tirées de nucléus étroits, et l’autre de fortes lames à talons épais débitées de nucléus plus larges. Parmi les outils retouchés, ce sont les quelques « couteaux de Sugikubo » (des pointes à dos élancées de profil rectiligne) dont les supports correspondent à l’intention première du débitage étroit, quelques autres outils étant réalisés sur des supports de second choix. Un tel couteau de Sugikubo, dans une collection similaire, présente une fracture à longue languette inverse qui suggère fortement qu’il s’agit en fait, au moins pour partie, de pointes de projectile. Le débitage large, lui, avait pour intention première l’obtention de grandes lames pointues, très difficiles à réaliser, tandis que ses nombreux produits de second choix et d’aménagement restent bruts (utilisables comme couteaux) ou se retrouvent dans les « burins de Kamiyama » (en fait, de très probables couteaux ravivés comme les couteaux de Kostienki). Une expérimentation montre que les deux débitages sont réalisés par percussion directe à la pierre tendre, mais selon des modalités distinctes : par percussion tangentielle pour les lames légères à petit talon, par percussion en retrait pour les lames plus fortes à gros talon.

Blades of the deadUse-wear analysis of blades from a megalithic monument and a settlementIn discussions concerning the significance of re-burials in megalithic tombs and the broader religious ideology associated with the re-use of megalithic monuments, interpretations have often focussed on the forecourt, the area in front of the monument with so-called sacrificial or offer deposits, and analyses of skeletal material. In this article, some suggestions are made with respect to the ritual use of megalithic tombs, based primarily on use-wear analysis of the blades recovered from just such a monument at Damsbo Mark on SW Funen (fig. 1). A settlement blade assemblage from the site of Süssau in Northern Germany has been employed for comparison. In addition to use-wear analysis, the investigations have also comprised measurements of edge angle, length-width-thickness of the blades, counting of pieces showing retouch and cortex as well as attribute analysis in relation to an interpretation of the degree to which the blades were manufactured using hard or soft technique.The megalithic monument at Damsbo MarkThe monument is located on SW Funen, c. 3 km SE of the Sarup locality - renowned for its Neolithic causewayed enclosures. The pottery dates the re-burials in the monument to period III/V of the Funnel Beaker culture. It cannot be determined whether all the blades originate from the Funnel Beaker culture or whether they could be artefacts associated with potentially later burials. Use-wear analysis could be conducted on 27 of the 48 blades. The most commonly worked material was hide/cooked meat, followed by bone and meat, bone/antler, cereals and the material which produces polish 23. On four of the blades, the contact material could not be identified and two of the blades are interpreted as unused (fig. 2). The most common mode of use was by cutting (fig. 3). A selection of the analysed tools is shown in figure 4.The Süssau settlementThe settlement was excavated by Dr Jürgen Hoika in 1965-67. The site is dated to period III/IV of the Funnel Beaker culture. A total of 65 blades were selected for the present analysis and it proved possible to analyse 28 of these. The most commonly worked material was bone/antler, boneand meat, wood and cereal; the blades had also been used for slaughtering animals (fig. 5). The most common mode of working was cutting and slicing (fig. 6). A selection of the analysed tools is shown in figure 7.Comparison of the blades from Damsbo and SüssauThe analysis revealed some similarities but also great differences between the blades from Damsbo and Süssau. For example, rather more than a third of the blade assemblage from Damsbo is fragmented whereas at Süssau this proportion is almost half. This situation, together with number of blades retaining cortex and those showing retouch, underlines the fact that these assemblages represent two rather different contexts.Identification of the contact materials for the blades from the two sites has produced surprising results. Traces arising from the working of hide/skin and the material that creates polish 23 were not found on the settlement blades, while evidence for the working of wood was not apparent on the blades from the tomb.The appearance of the blades from the two sites differs markedly; the immediate impression gained is that those from the megalithic tomb are long, slender and carefully made in contrast to the blades from the settlement (figs. 16-17). Median measurements support this visual impression (figs. 8-13). Attribute analysis indicates that there could be a difference in the manufacturing technique employed for the two blade assemblages. The blades from the megalithic monument have several attributes indicating soft manufacturing technique (figs. 14-15).InterpretationThrough these differences it is apparent that the settlement material represents more everyday tasks, while that from the megalithic monument represents religious activities, or activities associated with treatment of the dead. The long blades could possibly have been part of the personal equipment, which accompanied the corpse into the grave, or perhaps they were specially manufactured or chosen for religious purposes in connection with interment.During periods MN III-V, megalithic monuments were used for repeated bone depositions. However, the number of blades present is not determined by the number of dead. For example, a megalithic tomb was found to contain the bones of 22 individuals but only two blades. Furthermore, the individuals placed in megalithic monuments have been disarticulated; a complete articulated skeleton has never been encountered in this context. Some researchers believe that this arises from the rough-handed clearing out of the chamber in advance of new burials. Others have pointed out that, if this is correct, the final grave should be intact. This has lead to a hypothesis that the dismemberment of the skeletons was intentional and was associated with ritual activities. With time, this hypothesis has become the most widely accepted. Ritual depositions are also encountered outside megalithic monuments. Here there are flint axes and chisels, often showing clear signs of intentional damage and destruction. It is obvious that the entire megalithic monument constituted the background for extensive activities which, in some respects, showed strongly destructive traits. Some researchers believe that the chaos evident in and around megalithic monuments represents intentional acts which had the purpose of destroying both the individual and their identity.How do the blades placed in the grave fit into the picture outlined above?The analyses show that most of the blades have been used and that those that have not are much shorter than the common median. The blades have been used on specific materials such as bone/antler, bone/meat, hides/cooked meat, cereals and the material which produces polish 23, i.e. a broad spectrum which, with the exception of hides/cooked meat, is also represented at the settlement. It is striking that none of the tools has been used on wood; this must have been a conscious decision. Furthermore, the attribute analysis indicates that the blades could have been made using a special manufacturing technique. If they were manufactured for a specific individual then there is an immediate divergence between attempting to destroy an individual’s identity, on the one hand, while at the same time placing an individual’s personal effects in the grave, on the other.It is possible that the blades were used in dismembering individuals prior to the skeletal parts being placed in megalithic tombs together with the blades. Cut marks on human bones dating from this time reveal that human flesh was cut/butchered/dismembered. If the corpse had lain for some time and had been allowed to dry out, it is possible that this dismemberment could produce use-wear resembling that from working in dry hide/skin. This hypothesis does not, however, explain the presence of tools showing evidence of having been used on cereals and the material which produces polish 23.The blades can also be interpreted as representing a religious deposition of grave goods as a symbol of the tasks which are expected after death. It is likely that blades for this purpose would have been specially chosen or manufactured, as seen for example with certain types of pottery vessel. This interpretation could explain the presence of sickle blades and the blades with polish 23. The absence of tools which have been used on wood could be the result of this function having been performed by the axes and chisels which were also present.The use of megalithic monuments during this period reveals two forms of offering: one external, comprising broken or damaged flint artefacts, and the other internal, involving intact artefacts. The latter contrasts starkly with the pronounced destructive traits seen in the actual burials and offerings on the forecourt.If the blades inside the megalithic monuments were manufactured using a different technique, as indicated by the attribute analysis, a fascinating picture emerges of a culture mastering two flint-working techniques: one used primarily for the production of tools on the settlement and another employed specifically for sacral purposes.It is clear that the deposition of the blades can be interpreted as having several instigators. The results of the analyses indicate that our perception of artefacts in megalithic monuments should be taken up to revision. Instead of interpreting these as personal grave goods, they should be perceived as offerings – not to a specific individual whose identity has been erased by the disarticulation of their bones but to the dead as a group, or, conversely, as tools employed in a ritual fashion in connection with dismemberment.Claus SkriverMoesgård Museum

Lystrup ØstergårdA Neolithic workshopIn 2007 a remarkable small site dating from the later part of the Early Neolithic Funnel Beaker culture was discovered at Lystrup, north of Aarhus in Eastern Jutland. Careful total excavation of the site revealed a well-defined cultural deposit with dense concentrations of flint debitage and implements lying in situ in a shallow hollow resulting from a group of windthrows. Via a series of analyses, the distribution of the finds relative to the individual features which were demonstrated, including a central hearth, has made it possible to reconstruct the events which took place, thereby permitting a detailed characterisation of the site. It can be perceived as a workshop which lay isolated in the landscape, at some distance from the actual settlement areas.The finds primarily reflect two activities at the site: The production of blanks for thin-butted flint axes, where the raw material was obtained from the local moraine clay, and an activity which probably involved the working of bone or antler, judging from the remarkable number of burins which were recovered. Flake scrapers, normally the commonest tool type at settlements of this period, were virtually absent. The marked occurrence of burins and the site’s potential with respect to finds-distribution analysis together constitute a situation rarely encountered in a Neolithic context. Through identification of the various sequences of events, the activities acquire the character of brief targeted incidents.Analyses of small Neolithic sites and the identification of specialised workshops can make a significant contribution to our understanding of the period’s patterns of ­settlement and activity – and prompt a critical examination of the settlement models used for the period to date.In a series of regional investigations of Funnel Beaker culture settlement over the last three decades, a model has been applied whereby the sites are divided up into base settlements and hunting stations, respectively. Associated with these were sites related to the ritual sphere: offerings, graves and causewayed enclosures. Collectively, these reveal the general organisation of the population in the landscape. But this model is constructed on the basis of a general consideration that has, in particular, demonstrated changes in the settlement development through time. If we take a closer look at the individual sites in order to obtain a better understanding of the dynamics of Neolithic settlement, the pattern of ‘base settlements and hunting stations’ becomes too rigid to work with – and perhaps even misleading.LandscapeThe site lies within the broad Egå valley, formed at the end of the Ice Age by glacial erosion and melt water. In Atlantic times a 5.5 km long and 1.5 km wide fjord, Egå Fjord, extended inland from the Bay of Aarhus. In the Early Sub-Boreal, when the site was active, the fjord was partially closed at its mouth by beach ridges and constituted a sheltered, shallow brackish water environment. The site lay on a low undulating moraine surface at the foot of the hilly northern side of the valley, 0.8 km from the shore of the fjord (fig. 1).The siteOn the edge of a slight elevation running down towards a narrow, peat-filled depression, the Neolithic finds extended over an area of 47 m2 – 12 m in length and 5.5 m in width – within a shallow hollow (figs. 2-4). The hollow was characterised by two crescent-shaped features (A16, A41), together with a further oval feature to the north (A8) (see figs. 5-6). The crescent-shaped features were able to shed some light on the formation of the hollow. Their form and stratigraphy revealed that they resulted from windthrows. In an archaeological context this phenomenon is often connected with disturbances that have disrupted the stratigraphy of archaeological deposits. But in this case the trees had been blown over prior to formation of the archaeological deposits and the shallow root pits functioned as an actual surface for the activities.The archaeological deposits had an average thickness of 5 cm and comprised dark, charcoal-rich sandy clay within which there was an even spread of dense finds concentrations. These lay directly over the heavy, stony yellow moraine clay. Intervening layers, for example earlier vegetation horizons, were not encountered. In certain areas, the finds, first and foremost flint debitage, a number of flint tools and a small quantity of potsherds, lay densely concentrated in up to three layers, one above the other. In some instances, heaps of homogeneous flint and axe flakes and chips could be readily distinguished, giving the impression of relatively undisturbed episodes of flint working.In spite of a careful search, no traces of post-built dwellings were found associated with the archaeological deposits. A central hearth was, however, revealed as well as possible traces of a fence or a flimsy hut wall (figs. 9-10). The distribution and composition of the finds around the hearth revealed this to be the hub of the site’s structure, where various activities had taken place. Close to the hearth were two large stones which could have served as seats or work surfaces. An elongated flat-bottomed pit of uncertain function located directly north of the hearth should perhaps, together with the discovery of a polygonal axe, be seen as an indication of ritual activities.The orientation of the windthrow pits shows that the trees fell away from each other, resulting in the formation at the site of a small sheltered hollow with exposed moraine clay (figs.7-8). The site stratigraphy suggests that only a short period of time elapsed before the finds were deposited within this hollow. This observation prompts the article’s hypothesis that the windthrow pits gave access to the moraine clay’s rich content of flint, which was then worked in situ.The artefactsThe artefacts are predominantly of flint. In their manufacture, use was made of local moraine-deposited flint which in this area is of particularly good quality and varied type. The flint tools and flint debitage have a total weight of 74.1 kg; the tools number 295 examples, while the debitage is estimated to include c. 10,000 pieces.The distribution of flint and stone artefacts is given in tables 1-2. Almost half the flint debitage can be linked to the production of axes of thin-butted type. In addition to large quantities of various axe flakes/chips, there are seven discarded blanks/rough-outs and 20 hammerstones (fig. 16).In the tool inventory, special attention should be drawn to the 120 burins (40.7%), an unusual feature in a Neolithic context (figs. 11-14), in addition to 38 core and flake drills (12.9%) and 35 knives (11.9%) (fig. 15). Further to these are 52 small tools in the form of blades or flakes with retouch or visible use-wear (17.6%). The burins were produced on simple robust flakes that appear to have been specially produced for the purpose. Transverse burins on retouch are in the majority, followed by edge burins (table 3). One find stands out from the rest, namely half of a finely-worked polygonal axe of basalt (fig. 17). This was not made at the site.A small, poorly-preserved assemblage of pottery (1.8 kg) lay deposited in concentrations around the site. In terms of vessel forms, the presence has been demonstrated of funnel beakers, a lugged beaker and a bowl. The decoration is characterised by simple rim ornamentation, vertical belly stripes and the use of twisted cord (fig. 18). The minimum number of vessels represented in the assemblage is calculated to be seven.DatingThe typological date for the site is based on the pottery, the flint axes, the polygonal axe, denticulates, a single ‘disk knife’ and, to a certain extent, the burins. The vessel form and decoration of the pottery corresponds to the Funnel Beaker culture’s phase TN II. There are close parallels in the pottery recovered from the palisade ditch at Sarup I, which is linked to the Fuchsberg group (note 38). This date is also supported by the flint and stone tools, although these also open up the possibility of a component from the subsequent MNA I.A radiocarbon analysis of a charred seed coat from the archaeological deposits near the hearth shows, with a probability of 95.4% (±2 standard deviations), a double peak with an 8.6% probability of a date of between 3630 and 3580 BC and a 86.8% probability for 3530-3360 BC. The greatest part of the curve corresponds, accordingly, with the radiocarbon dates for Sarup I.With a possible small component from MNA I, the date for the archaeological deposits falls within the Funnel Beaker culture’s TN II phase with links to the Fuchsberg group.SubsistenceThe conditions for preservation of bone at the site were unfortunately very poor. The humus content of the archaeological deposits does, however, bear witness to the presence of a certain amount of degraded organic material. The animal remains comprise two badly-preserved teeth of, respectively, a young domestic cow and a large ruminant. Further to these, 11 small bones were found by fine sieving, of which three are fish bones, probably cod.Soil samples processed by flotation yielded 23 charred cereal grains, of which 11 were of barley and one of wheat, while the others were unidentifiable. Charred hazelnut shells featured in several samples and a single charred apple pip was recorded.A strange component of small water-rolled stones found in the deposits could possibly originate from seaweed, bladder wrack, gathered on the coast. The function of the seaweed is unclear, but there are a number of possibilities, e.g. a soft underlay, fuel, animal fodder or manure; it could also have constituted human food.Activities and activity areasThe natural sources of good raw flint in Eastern Jutland are the coastal cliffs and potentially also the banks of streams and rivers, where the flint is exposed naturally and can be gathered directly. On the forest floor of the interior, flint would have been rarely encountered. It seems therefore very likely that the hollow created by the windfalls gave very welcome access to the flint in the moraine deposits, which could then have been the subject of more systematic searches and collection. Several of the flint nodules found in the archaeological deposits have only one or a few scars resulting from blows, probably resulting from testing of the flint quality. One very large block (42 kg) was found in four pieces scattered around the site, with a few missing pieces that could have been worked further (fig. 19).The debitage from the axe production has been analysed with the aim of discovering the types and number of axes produced at the site. Several definite axe-knapping episodes have been distinguished on the basis of in situ concentrations, identification of debitage from the same flint nodules and with the aid of refitting (figs. 21-23, table 4). The flint flakes have been classified according to the use of hard and soft knapping techniques, i.e. the employment of, respectively, hammerstones and fabricators of antler, in order to discover the number of stages in the production of the four-sided axes present at the site (figs. 20, 24-27). In the course of this analysis the character and extent of the material was compared with related finds and the results of modern experiments (note 60).Large flakes retaining the original cortex of the flint show that some pieces were produced in situ from raw unworked flint nodules (stage I), whereas other examples appear to have been brought to the site as roughly-worked axe blanks (stage II). The aim of the production was the manufacture of axes up to stage III. No clear traces of stage IV, the last trimming of the axe sides and edges, or of the final polishing, stage V, could be demonstrated. A total of about 15 individual axes were worked at the site, of which about half were abandoned and discarded at the site as failures, while the finished examples were taken away to another workshop or a base settlement to be given their final finish. Through comparisons with modern experiments, the total time expenditure for the axe production is estimated as a maximum of 12 hours. If production was continuous, then all that was involved was a single day’s work for two flint knappers. The quality of the work is considered to be fully on a par with the general level in the Funnel Beaker culture.The other activity that characterises the site is apparent from the large number of burins in the assemblage. Burins are associated with the working of hard materials such as antler and bone, and this was confirmed by wear analysis of 13 pieces from the site. The activity could well have involved other elements of the inventory such as drills, knives and diverse tools with retouch. The activities took place in particular in the vicinity of the hearth, but a particularly high concentration of burins and burin spalls was found on the eastern periphery, in the deeper part of the hollow, behind a possible fence (fig. 28). This could represent the deposition of burin waste or the existence of a small isolated work place.Even though burins rarely occur in large numbers at the settlements of the period, they are occasionally present and in a few cases they are seen in large numbers as for example at the site of Grønvang 2, near Kalundborg in Western Zealand.The items which were produced could have been antler axes, chisels, bodkins or harpoons. A close relationship with the production of flint axes is also conceivable in the form of the manufacture of antler fabricators. This is, however, not supported by evidence from other flint axe workshops, where burins have never been recorded in the tool inventory.The settlement around Egå Fjord in TN II (- MNA I)The area around the site and along the northern side of the fjord has, over the course of the past 12 years, been subjected to extensive and comprehensive archaeological investigation in connection with road construction and development of building land. It is therefore now possible to see the site in a wider settlement-related perspective for the period TN II - MNA I (fig. 29). The nearest settlement-like finds have been located 325 m ENE of the workshop site, but these are difficult to evaluate in detail due to disturbance later in prehistory. Possible base settlements with the remains of houses were encountered 2.1 km north and 7 km west of the site, respectively. In addition, possible hunting stations were demonstrated on the nearby shore of the fjord. Four other sites within a 2 km radius bear witness to ritual activities; these comprise two isolated system-ditch complexes and two dolmen sites.The area within a radius of 300 m of the site has been investigated via field-walking and trial excavations, and these did not reveal the existence of any contemporaneous settlement traces here. It can therefore be reasonably securely concluded that the workshop lay at a distance from the settlement sites. It is possible that it was located on the edge of recently-established arable fields. Clearance of the primeval forest would have given the wind easy access to the old forest trees which then, at the woodland edge, became easy victims for storms.Workshop sites of the Funnel Beaker cultureDuring the Funnel Beaker culture, workshops were often associated with flint quarrying and flint-knapping sites and several of these were specifically oriented towards axe production, for example that at Hastrup Vænget in Eastern Zealand.Apart from axe production, specialised workshop activities have rarely been recognised in the Funnel Beaker culture. The above-mentioned Grønvang 2 on Zealand resembles Lystrup Østergård with respect to its size and a large content of burins. Another site with a specialised activity is Studeli Klit in Northern Jutland, characterised by a huge number of flake drills.Neolithic sites that were not actual ordinary settlements but sites for special workshop activities are possibly under-represented in the overall archaeological record, either because they are small and easily overlooked during archaeological investigations or because their uniform and more specific site circumstances are more vulnerable to repeated and possibly also changing use of the localities. Several of the sites we perceive as base settlements could possibly represent the accumulated remains of more specialised activities. An important feature type relative to so-called base settlements is the house! Investigations of Scandinavian house remains from the period have demonstrated a clear tendency for houses, activity areas and refuse deposits not to be located in the same place; there may possibly have been rules with respect to cleanliness around settlement areas. This tendency has subsequently been demonstrated in connection with new archaeological investigations in Scania and in the Sarup area in SW Funen.Consequently, we must see settlement and activities in the early agricultural society as a more widespread and dynamic use of the landscape. In future regional investigations it will be important to look critically at the term ‘settlement’ and distinguish to a greater degree between sites for activities, refuse deposition and habitation. During excavations we should be aware of the minor find complexes and focus on their possible unique features – and remember that houses are to be looked for at some distance from the find-rich areas.Uffe RasmussenMoesgård Museum

AbstractBone retouchers, while often underrated, stand out as widespread tools throughout the Palaeolithic, typically linked to breaking bones for marrow extraction. Although bone retouchers are commonly considered a by-product of butchering activities, the possibility of intentional manufacturing has been rarely considered but should not be dismissed. In our experimental protocol, we explore decision-making processes involved in manufacturing bone retouchers, focusing on how these decisions are guided by intentional production rather than solely marrow extraction. The results indicate that individuals employ specific techniques and make technological decisions, rapidly acquiring experience in retoucher manufacturing that extends beyond mere intuition. The choice of bone-breaking technique(s) reflects the intention behind either marrow extraction or producing suitable bone fragments for retouchers. This decision-making process is heavily influenced by the morphology of the bone, presenting challenges that individuals learn to overcome during the experiment. The analysis of the experimental percussion marks suggests that certain marks on specific skeletal elements indicate intentional bone retoucher manufacturing. We then propose a likelihood grid to assess the reliability of traces on each skeletal element in inferring intentional manufacturing. Given the abundance of bone retouchers in Middle Palaeolithic contexts, a thorough investigation into the intentionality behind their manufacturing processes could significantly impact their relevance within other Palaeolithic bone industries.

Abstract The exact strategies and technologies underlying Neanderthal hunting events remain open for debate with lithic points being sparse across the European Middle Palaeolithic. An exception is the Neronian entity in southeast France, defined by ventrally retouched Soyons points. This study contextualises one of the largest Neronian assemblages, layer 1 at Abri du Maras. Our lithic analyses focussed on attributes described as indicative of projectile use or hafting to contextualise the morphometric and technological characteristics of the pointed implements at an assemblage level. We found that retouched points were made on a variety of blank types (including Levallois, laminar and discoidal flaking techniques) and ventral retouch is present across different artefact types (including points, scrapers and denticulates). Next, these lithic data were compared to similar typo-technological data recorded on a sample from the recently excavated and well-contextualised point-rich layer 4.1 of Abri du Maras (MIS-3). Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) was applied to 280 faunal remains from layer 1 and indicated significant proportions of equids, bovids, cervids and reindeer. Carnivore remains and carnivore modifications are absent, while human bone surface modifications are present across a variety of species. Five bones had sufficient collagen for radiocarbon dating but returned dates younger than expected (ca. 41–31 ka cal BP). Finally, we place Abri du Maras layer 1 in its broader regional context and discuss its relation to other Neronian assemblages and more general problematics inherent to studying material from old excavations.

AbstractPrehistoric and Archaeological research has pointed out the role of marine resources in modern humans’ cognitive and cultural developments. Maritime adaptations constitute a key component of the sociocultural evolution in Eastern Arabia. During the Neolithic (c. 6500–3300 BCE), it is expressed by the colonisation of offshore islands supported by advanced seafaring and the exploitation of marine resources not only for staple food but also for obtaining hard animal materials used for both symbolic and technological productions, respectively in the form of personal adornments and tooling. Although tools made of retouched large marine mollusc shells are reported on several sites, no detailed study has been conducted on their function and role within the socio-technological processes.The present study introduces a prospective approach for the functional analysis of archaeological shell tools from Eastern Arabia. A reference collection of use-wear traces made experimentally has been built: it compiles the results of 65 experiments (23 are documented and illustrated in the present study), including the processing of various animal, vegetal, and mineral materials. Use-wear traces have been observed and described using both low and high-power magnifications (conducted mainly at 100 ×). It provides helpful methodological support for future comparisons with archaeological specimens. The procurement conditions of the shell valves and the techniques of retouch have been discussed in detail, allowing further considerations on the degree of the socio-technological investment devoted to these peculiar artefacts.

AbstractHorse tooth retouchers have been identified in several Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites. They have been typically characterised as ‘soft’ hammers and/or grouped into the category of ‘bone retouchers’ at a technical level. Bone and teeth have different chemical compositions; teeth are denser and heavier than bone, and consequently, their technological features should not be considered homologous. In this work, we experimentally tested the effectiveness of horse teeth as retouchers. To perform this study, we used 41 modern horse teeth to shape flakes of various raw materials by applying different techniques. The resulting use-wear traces were analysed using high-resolution methods and then characterised. The results allowed us to identify the effectiveness of hypsodont teeth in knapping a wide range of tools and to evaluate the influence of 1) the raw materials, 2) the retouching techniques and 3) the gestures of the different knappers on the morphology of the use-wear marks. This work sheds light on the purpose of using teeth as tools by both Neanderthal and early modern human populations as well as understanding how these human species used them. The study leads us to consider tooth retouchers as important elements of the chaîne opératoire in lithic manufacture. Our goal is to highlight the importance of these types of experimental studies to create analogies and infer past processes.

Abstract Purpose We investigated safety aspects and other patient experiences related to a novel Femtosecond Laser Assisted Annular Keratopigmentation technique (FLAAK). Setting Espace Nouvelle Vision Clinic in Paris. Methods Monocentric, post-operative, cross-sectional survey of patients who returned to the clinic for a color correction after the FLAAK procedure. Whilst waiting for their color retouch, consenting patients completed a questionnaire about their experiences following the FLAAK procedure. Aspects related to side-effects or discomfort as well as patient satisfaction were assessed. Results The questionnaire was completed by 42 of 51 patients returning to the clinic for a color retouch (27 females, 15 males; mean age 37.6 years). Pain was experienced by 34 (81%) patients, dry eyes by 32 (76%) patients, glare by 23 (56%) patients, red eyes by 28 (67%) patients, and tingling by 30 (71%) patients; no patient experienced visual halos. All experienced post-operative symptoms were of a transient nature. Symptoms like pain, tingling, glare and red eyes disappear in less than 48 h after surgery in approximately 50% of the cases, and ocular dryness in 22% of cases., The median duration of these symptoms in patients for whom the symptoms were still present after 48 h, is 7 days. Patient satisfaction with the aesthetical result (scale ranging from 0 to 10) was on average 8,1 (SD 1,6). Conclusion The FLAAK procedure performed for purely aesthetic purposes appears to be safe and is associated with high patient satisfaction.

In this article, we report artefacts found at the valley of Tsagaan Turuut River in the Khangai Mountain ranges in Central Mongolia. The artefacts were identified based upon core morphology, tool types and retouch. Regarding the core reduction techniques, single striking platform and single reduction platform cores are dominant. Although the tools on flake blanks predominant, tools such as points and knives with massive blades also occur. Side scraper, point, borer, combination tool, and borers are types that are less represented within the collection. This tool collection is highly similar to several IUP and EUP sites (Chikhen-2; Tolbor-4, 15 and 16) in Mongolia in terms of its reduction techniques and tool morphology. On a larger scale, it is similar to those of Early Upper Paleolithic sites in Trans-Baikal and Altai Mountains in Russia and North China.

In 1904, Edmond Desbonnet launched La Culture Physique, a magazine that presented itself as scientific and entertaining in its promotion of strength athletes. La Culture Physique prioritized photomechanical imagery to demonstrate the visual merits of the conditioned human body. A surprising number of women feature in nearly each month’s issue. The magazine represented these athletes using a number of editing techniques that made their bodies seem remarkably muscular and yet conventionally feminine. But the specific formal qualities of the publication—such as paper quality, printing technology, and size—helped mask the work that went into making its subjects appear real. La Culture Physique is one of very few extant sources wherein the muscularity of specific women is promoted alongside men’s during a period when gender disparity was deeply engrained in French society. La Culture Physique worked within and at times pushed against dominant French cultural values articulated around concepts of gender and belonging, using a set of tools that packaged its contents and form as works of art: as legible, desirable, and collectable. This paper demonstrates that these same tools also helped the publication maintain its veneer of authority. La Culture Physique has yet to be examined from an art historical perspective. This paper seeks to remedy this by arguing that La Culture Physique’s 1904 issues are a crucial source of historical and visual documentation for scholars interested in how women participated and were represented in early French physical culture.

The main objective of this research is to analyse the lithic technology applied to obsidian, a raw material popular amongst pre-Columbian populations from Northwestern Argentina (NWA) because of its social and symbolic value. The analysed assemblage comes from the archaeological site of Villavil 2 (VV2), located in the Hualfín Valley (Catamarca, Argentina) and distant ca. 100 - 200 kms from the nearest sources of this raw material. VV2 was discovered in 2015 by one of the authors and shows a particular presence of rock art which had not previously been registered in this area. The site was associated to the Late and Inka Period (ca. 10th - 16th centuries CE). So far, we suggest that this was a place of temporal, but periodical use that best fits with what we would call a ceremonial space. The assemblage comprises the totality of obsidian elements collected from both superficial and stratigraphic contexts. It was divided into three typological classes: tools (projectile points), flakes with natural sharp edges (FNSE) and waste products (WP). We did not identify the presence of cores. The analysis considered the following variables: knapping methods and techniques, size, amount of cortex, flake type and edge types. At VV2, points are the only retouched tools made of obsidian. They correspond to the triangular unstemmed concave-based type, very common during the Late-Inka Periods, and they were shaped using the perimetral bifacial pressure technique, possibly from flake blanks. FNSEs’ size is small, and they present scarce cortex. On the other hand, the abundance of very small-sized WPs is remarkable. They were found in the same stratigraphic context and attest a complete finish of the points (edge retouch). The results let us infer that the point-shaping tasks were carried out in situ. Moreover, the implemented technology involved both major production efforts and skills, that contrast with those involved in local raw material knapping. It is possible that this curated strategy was not related to the difficulty of accessing this allochthonous material. Instead, these choices could reflect social and symbolic meanings. According to linguistic and ethnohistoric information, the obsidian brightness and transparency are propitiatory to win the favour of the w'akas. Furthermore, in NWA the obsidian long-distance exchange is an ancient pre-Columbian tradition that lasted for a long time. Obtaining obsidian could display the ability of a social group to access distant resources and legitimize their political status. Nevertheless, we cannot forget that this raw material also was very important for making different artefacts for subsistence activities.

Nowadays, digital images and videos have high importance because they have become the primary carriers of information. However, the easy availability of powerful image editing software has made it possible to manipulate and edit digital images and videos, leading to a loss of trust in their authenticity. It is possible to add or remove important features from an image without leaving any obvious traces of tampering. To detect this such type of forgeries, the proposed method involves dividing the image into overlapping blocks of the same size, extracting a feature for each block, and representing it as a vector. The vectors are then sorted using radix sort, and the difference in the positions of adjacent feature vectors in the sorted list is computed to obtain a shift vector. This method can even identify tampered parts of an image that have been enhanced or retouched to merge with the background or saved in a lossy format like JPEG. Several forged images were tested to demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed method. Its application has significant implications in fields like forensics, journalism, and medical imaging to ensure the authenticity of digital images and videos.

Organized flaking techniques to obtain predetermined stone tools have been traced back to the early Acheulean (also known as mode 2) in Africa and are seen as indicative of the emergence of advanced technical abilities and in-depth planning skills among early humans. Here, we report one of the earliest known examples of prepared core technology in the archaeological record, at the Cenjiawan (CJW) site in the Nihewan basin of China, dated 1.1 Mya. The operational schemes reconstructed from the CJW refit sets, together with shaping patterns observed in the retouched tools, suggest that Nihewan basin toolmakers had the technical abilities of mode 2 hominins, and developed different survival strategies to adapt to local raw materials and environments. This finding predates the previously earliest known prepared core technology from Eurasia by 0.3 My, and the earliest known mode 2 sites in East Asia by a similar amount of time, thus suggesting that hominins with advanced technologies may have migrated into high latitude East Asia as early as 1.1 Mya.

This research represents a first approach to the characterization of blade fractures produced intentionally using various techniques, according to an experimental protocol. The objective is to establish a reference base of marks which serve to define the fractures documented in the archaeological record. The fractured blade being a very common element in different sites throughout in the Iberian Peninsula during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Ages. In fact, from the Late Neolithic a new concept applied to the creation of lithic tools arose, involving the fracturing of blades through the improvement of fracturing techniques. In addition, a preference for obtaining the mesial fragments of the blades or those which have more regular measurements can be observed. This type of lithic instrument represents high percentages of all the retouched material, and may possess only one fractured end or, more commonly, both, bi-fractured. With the archaeological evidence, we decided to carry out an experiment to define and classify the marks that result during the intentional fracturing of laminar fragments, contemplating different variables. We used three types of techniques for fracturing blades: flex, direct percussion and indirect percussion, and we used different types of hammer, made of stone, antler and copper. For the results, we have standardized the descriptions of different parts of the fracture distinguishing: types of fracture, fracture planes, fracture marks and macrowear. However, we should point out that this experimentation is the beginning of a line of research that, over time, must integrate a wider experimental base which also considers the other mentioned causes of fracture, as well as the functional objective of these tools. The preliminary study through this experimentation has made it possible to define and describe the types of fractures resulting from the use of different blade fracturing methods. We also have described the main types of fracture marks generated from each fracturing technique.

AbstractIn the late 19th and early 20th centuries, original photographs were sent to publishers so that they could be reproduced in print. The photographs often needed to be reworked with overpainting and masking, and such modifications were especially necessary for low-contrast photographs to be reproduced as a letterpress halftone. As altered objects, many of these marked-up photographs were simply discarded after use. An album at The New York Public Library, however, contains 157 such photographs, all relating to the Jackson–Harmsworth expedition to Franz Josef Land, from 1894 to 1897. Received as gifts from publishers, the photographs are heavily retouched with overpainting and masking, as well as drawn and collaged elements. The intense level of overpainting on many of the photographs, but not on others, raised questions about their production and alteration. Jackson’s accounts attested to his practice of developing and printing photographs on site, testing different materials and techniques—including platino-bromide and silver-gelatin papers—to overcome the harsh environmental conditions. In this context, sixteen photographs from the album were analyzed through a combination of non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, fiber optics reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). This analytical campaign aimed to evaluate the possible residual presence of silver halides in any of the preliminary and improved photographs. The detection of these compounds would be one of several factors supporting a hypothesis that some of the photographs in the album were indeed printed on site, in the Arctic, and, as a result, may have been impacted by the extreme environment. Additional goals of the study included the evaluation of the extent of retouching, providing a full characterization of the pigments and dyes used in overpainted prints, and comparing the results with contemporaneous photographic publications that indicate which coloring materials were available at the time. Further analyses shed light on the organic components present in the binders and photographic emulsions. This research has increased our knowledge of photographic processes undertaken in a hostile environment such as the Arctic, and shed light on the technical aspects of photographically illustrating books during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Although Palaeolithic bone retouchers have been the object of both specific and large-scale studies in recent years (work of Auguste, Mallye, Hutson and their collaborators), the percussive stone tools used for knapping actions have only been analyzed from a partial and limited perspective. However, the characterization of the latter as tools for developing knapping techniques in different Prehistoric periods, and more specifically in the Middle Palaeolithic, is crucial. Percussive stone tools are analyzed here according to the physical features (measures, weight and raw material) of the selected blanks (usually cobbles and pebbles) and the percussive action modes recorded on them, as observed in the macroscopic use-wear traces and their location on the tools’ surfaces (referred here as “active zone of percussion” [ZAP]). The direction of use is inferred from these two parameters. Our study is based on the analysis of 12 Middle Palaeolithic assemblages from the Iberian Peninsula. These assemblages are located in sites with different geographical and geological contexts, showing different types of occupational and technological contexts, and comprising different chrono-cultural periods. This exhaustive analysis, including up to 202 percussive tools gathered in a wide geographic and chronological framework, has allowed us to define the factors involved in tool selection, and especially the patterns of use related to technological choices regardless of other factors, such as the lithological context. Our results show that the type of occupation and the knapping technical system were the most determinant factors in the selection and use of percussive stone tools during the Iberian Middle Palaeolithic.

Aim: Facial lipostructure (FLS) is not a new procedure. In the past, many surgeons steered clear of it because the results were poor and unpredictable . In the 80’s however FLS emerged with precise indications, improved techniques, foreseeable and stable results. Its use has become widespread because it produces natural, long-lasting outcomes with minimal donor site morbidity . FLS usually represents the last procedure or retouch in many reconstructive procedures and protocols. Moreover adipose-derived stems cells (ADSCs) represent a promising source of autologous cells for tissue repair and regeneration. Methods: In the maxillofacial area, FLS is indicated primarily to restore and rejuvenate the zygomas, periorbital region, cheeks, nose, lips, chin, mandible and jawline. Recently, it has been applied to correct localized tissue atrophy, burns, hemifacial atrophy (Parry-Romberg syndrome, scleroderma, anophthalmic orbit), and loss of substance resulting from trauma, tumor excision, and congenital craniofacial deformity sequelae. Orthognathic surgery and fat grafting represent a new application and an appropriate indication. It is well known that this surgery moves the skeletal bases (maxilla, mandible, chin) but often this leads to a lack of soft tissue coverage. Some patients, particularly women, complain about this lack of soft tissue volume after bony surgery. Conclusion: FLS was launched as a means to improve volumes and facial aesthetics. Recently, it has been applied in more complex reconstructive and regenerative procedures. It can especially be used on any facial area lacking soft tissue due to posttraumatic outcomes, post tumor deformities, and as a refinement in for many acquired and congenital maxillofacial deformities. The proposed uses for ADSCs in tissue repair and regeneration are quite impressive. Recent works on ADSCs would suggest that adult cells may prove to be an equally powerful regenerative tool in treating congenital and acquired maxillofacial disorders. More importantly, physicians, researchers and international associations need to work to inform clinicians about what practices are evidence based and to encourage support of additional research. Today tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are a multidisciplinary science that is evolving along with biotechnologic advances.