Interdisciplinary actions 2023

This project focuses on the mechanical and acoustic characterization of bone samples. Following an initial preliminary study of bone properties using ultrasonic analysis (ARCHé-US project, on deer tibias), demonstrating the relevance of this innovative approach, an extension is proposed which will focus on long ox bones and/or fossil bones, in order to both i) compare with previous results and ii) provide a new benchmark and iii) specify and adapt the measurement protocol for physical properties such as moduli of elasticity and modulus of elasticity.
previous results, ii) provide a new reference frame and iii) refine and adapt the protocol for measuring physical properties such as moduli of elasticity, micro-hardness or density.

Ultimately, the data will be used to test taphonomic questions of differential preservation on bone assemblages of archaeopaleontological origin. It's worth pointing out that this project reflects the interdisciplinary nature of our business. Finally, a Master 2 and a BUT (Bachelor of Technology) student are involved in this study (2022-2023).

The FCGM project, funded by the Institute for Mediterranean archaeology (ARKAIA) in 2020 and 2022, has enabled us to establish fruitful collaborations and build up a large corpus on the scale of France, Germany, Spain and continental Italy on the quarries of origin of granite drums used in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and the distribution of drums during and after Antiquity. While the Narbonnaise region accounts for 100% of casks imported from the shores of the Mediterranean (Egypt, Turkey, western Mediterranean islands), this is no longer the case as we move further north or west: other, local sources have been identified for casks now preserved in Betica, Lyon, Javols, Trier, Aachen and Prague. We propose to characterize the sources of barrels used in Sicily, a crossroads between east-west and north-south trade, and a possible "semi-local" outlet for Calabrian granites.

Partner(s):

• Università di Catania (Italy)
• Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche (Pisa, Italy)
• Istituto nazionale di geofisica e vulcanologia (Rome, Italy)
• Università degli studi di Palermo (Italy)

The project presented here is part of Émilie Mannocci's PhD thesis (CCJ) and benefits from the expertise in applied physics of Daniel Borschneck (CEREGE) and in ceramology of Laetitia Cavassa (CCJ). The Research project involves 270 portable XRF analyses of 132 ceramics with molded decorations from northern Italy found at the Butte Saint-Antoine site in Fréjus. The aim is to distinguish different production groups within this batch of material through chemical characterization of the ceramics. Indeed, as the north-Italian ceramic workshops of the Change of Era period are not yet archaeologically known, the use of archaeometric analyses is essential to understanding their organization and functioning.

Our project will involve close collaboration, exchanges and discussions between experts in ecological modeling methods and experts in "archaeological material", in order to achieve real collaboration and interdisciplinarity in the field of the disappearance of Neanderthal man and the assertion of modern man in Europe. We anticipate the active participation of an M2 student from the University of Parma, who will come to the LAMPEA premises and be the pivotal figure in setting up the first stage of this Research by applying methods specific to current ecology to archaeological data. A second part of the project concerns the creation of an exchange network between experts.

Partner(s):

• Università degli studi di Parma