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Abstract: Although there has been extensive experimental research on the thermal modification of bone, the results have rarely been applied to interpret zooarchaeological assemblages. The faunal assemblage from Wanderer''s Cave, Australia was analysed to investigate the origins, timing and context in which faunal specimens became burned during the mid–late Holocene occupation of the site. Statistical analyses of uniformity of burning, burning over fracture surfaces and epiphyses, frequency of carbonisation by prey taxa, and thermal modification of canid modified specimens indicate that the majority of faunal specimens were unintentionally modified when on the surface of the deposit or while buried in sediment when fires were lit at subsequent site occupation events. Thermal modification at the site does not reflect intentional cooking activities. Significant preservation biases were identified from the lower acidic levels of the site, preventing knowledge of the early fire history at Wanderer''s Cave. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The identification of expedient bivalve tools recovered from archaeological deposits is currently hindered by a lack of analytical frameworks. In order to identify those shell valves which have been used as expedient tools, analysts must be able to identify and distinguish between pre-mortem and post-depositional modifications, and use-wear from tool use. Central to this difficulty is a lack of experimental analogues for comparison with archaeological material. Here, we present an analytical framework for the identification of expedient bivalve tools made from Polymesoda (= Geloina ) coaxans valves recovered from Australian archaeological sites. This analytical framework consists of a series of actualistic experiments designed to determine those variables useful for distinguishing between modifications produced via pre-mortem and post-depositional processes that can damage molluscan shell, and damage produced via use as an expedient tool. Trampling, flaking and scraping experiments and use-wear analysis are used as a reference for comparison with an assemblage of P . coaxans valves recovered from archaeological sites in Princess Charlotte Bay, north Queensland, Australia. We demonstrate that an analytical framework consisting of an analysis of shell area loss, shell fracture paths, and use-wear can be successfully applied to archaeological samples to confidently distinguish between those valves which have been used as expedient tools, and those which have not. This research has wider implications for the identification of this often overlooked class of shell tools from archaeological sites in Australia and other regions, allowing a more comprehensive understanding of the place of shell tools in coastal economies of the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]