Search

Use-wear and residue analyses of stone artefacts are widely used to better understand the behaviour and resource utilization of past peoples. There are numerous ethnographic reports describing the processing of animal parts, but identification of collagen, the principle component of animal protein, can be difficult because of the similarity in appearance to other non-collagenous residues (e.g. Lombard and Wadley, 2007). Additionally, damage to collagen structure caused by processing and taphonomic factors can alter collagen's microscopic morphological features and further prevent microscopic identification. This paper describes the trialling, blind testing and application of a modified Picro-Sirius Red (PSR) staining protocol not reliant on intact morphology which can be used to identify archaeological collagenous residues. The protocol allows for differentiation of Types I, II and III collagen and can detect the minuscule amounts in archaeological samples. The application of this staining protocol to ten grindstones from arid and semi-arid regions in south and central Australia supports the view that lack of collagen heretofore reported in residue studies is more likely the result of under-detection than its absence (see Monnier et al., 2012). The staining protocol represents an inexpensive, efficient and reliable process which can be added to contemporary use-wear and residue analyses. This addition allows more inclusive assessments of past function and promotes wider understandings of the behaviour of past peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grinding stones and fragments have often been found in archaeological sites at Lake Mungo, south-western New South Wales, and their function has mostly been inferred on the basis of grindstone morphology. Of particular interest has been the antiquity of grass seed grinding, which is usually associated with deeply grooved, large sandstone dishes. Previous studies of grinding stones from the region have found no compelling evidence for seed grinding prior to the Pleistocene/ Holocene boundary. One of the problems has been that the grinding stones have been found on deflated surfaces and have been difficult to accurately provenance and date. Here, we report a functional study of 17 sandstone artefacts, recently collected from the central part of the Mungo lunette, where a suite of OSL ages have provided bracketing age estimates for the stratigraphic units. Ten artefacts are attributed to Unit E deposited between c.25 and 14 ka. Four artefacts are attributed to Unit F, deposited c.8 ka. Three artefacts from the Golgol lag are of unknown age. Usewear indicates a likely seed grinding function for 14 of the artefacts. Use-related residues include starch, cellulose and collagen. The results of this study provide additional support for Pleistocene plant processing and seed grinding activities in Sahul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]