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Human, Animal, Geological Causes of Bone Breakage

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An Introduction to Zooarchaeology

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Abstract

This chapter reviews the history of bone breakage research in archaeology, from early studies that assumed spiral fractures were diagnostic traces of deliberate hominin weapon or tool making to those based upon actualistic research, which have shown that such breakage can be produced by multiple actors in a range of situations. The biomedical literature on bone as a material provides useful terms for understanding the circumstances under which bones break. This chapter describes static, dynamic, and torsional loading stresses and describes how intrinsic osteonal organization has a strong influence on overall fracture morphology. It outlines how break surfaces and fracture angles generally reflect the degree to which bone collagen fibers have deteriorated or bone mineral has been replaced in diagenesis. This chapter argues that the presence or absence of surface modifications is an independent line of evidence regarding the effector and actor of bone breakage.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    Diane Gifford-Gonzalez

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Gifford-Gonzalez, D. (2018). Human, Animal, Geological Causes of Bone Breakage. In: An Introduction to Zooarchaeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65682-3_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65682-3_11

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