A Zupancich
Biographic Data
| ID | 38060 |
|---|---|
| NAME | A Zupancich |
| GIVEN NAMES | A |
| FAMILY NAME | Zupancich |
| SIGNATURE | ZUPANCICH A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Sapienza University of Rome |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9503-1234 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 310 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Pulse of the Past: A ground stone tools perspective on the significance of legumes at the Pre Pottery Neolithic site of Kharaysin (Jordan)
Ground stone tools are considered prime evidence for exploring significant aspects of prehistoric societies, particularly concerning plant food processing. For this reason, studying their use can reveal relevant clues concerning the modes of exploitation of specific plants and highlight local and shared culinary practices. This paper presents the first functional study of the ground stone tools from the Pre Pottery Neolithic site of Kharaysin in …
Differential Taphonomic Behavior of Flint Types: Experimental Insights and Implications for the Middle Stone Age Assemblages of Wadi Lazalim in the Northern Sahara (Kebili, Tunisia)
Several syn and post-depositional processes are responsible for different degrees of site and assemblage formation and disturbance. Understanding the processes that lead to archaeological site formation is essential for interpreting past human activities, settlement patterns, and occupation dynamics. Among these processes, water flow is commonly recognized as a major factor influencing site and assemblage formation and integrity. Lithic taphonomy…
Tracking the Hunter: A Study of the Personal Gear of a Gravettian Hunter-Gatherer from Milovice IV
This study presents an analysis of a small cluster of blades/bladelets discovered during a rescue excavation at the Middle/Late Gravettian site of Milovice IV, Czech Republic. The cluster is comprised of 29 artefacts, both retouched and unretouched. The specific context suggests that the items were originally bundled together in a container made of a perishable material. The artefacts were made from raw materials of diverse origins. Techno-typolo…
Exploitation and consumption of legumes during the Early Neolithic at Kharaysin, Jordan
This paper investigates the evolution of plant exploitation practices during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) period in the southern Levant, with the particular focus on the exploitation of legumes. We analyse the archaeobotanical assemblages from the PPN site of Kharaysin, in Jordan (9000–6800 cal bce ), which have yielded a significant assemblage totalling 6,807 plant remains. The results show that legumes including Vicia narbonensis (Narbon vet…
Beyond the Surface: Exploring Ancient Plant Food Processing through Confocal Microscopy and 3D Texture Analysis on Ground Stone Tools
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10816-025-09697-6
Functional analyses on sandstone slabs from the submerged Mesolithic/Neolithic site of Neustadt LA 156 (Northern Germany)
We present the first techno-functional study on macrolithic tools from a late Mesolithic Ertebølle/ early Neolithic Funnel Beaker context: sandstone slabs from the submerged site Neustadt LA 156 (Northern Germany) have been investigated by a combined approach of use wear and residue analyses, including biochemical staining, FTIR and SEM/EDX. Checked against results from experiments with respective raw materials we reconstructed the use lifes of t…
Addressing backing techniques through high-magnification microscopy and quantitative analyses
Prehistoric ornaments in a changing environment. An integrated approach to the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Columbella rustica shells from the Vlakno cave, Croatia
This paper advances knowledge of human behavioural and adaptational strategies in coastal areas related to acquiring, producing and distributing ornaments, specifically, the omnipresent marine gastropod Columbella rustica. By applying quantitative and qualitative approaches to the most extensive collection of Columbella rustica shells in the Eastern Adriatic region discovered in the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic levels of Vlakno cave in …
Mesolithic plant processing unveiled: Multiscale use-wear analysis of the ground stone tools from Vlasac (Serbia)
Wild grass grains and fleshy fruits were processed using ground stone tools at Vlasac. • Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal the complex life cycles of Late Mesolithic ground stone tools. • Use-wear analysis, surface texture analysis and GIS are combined into a novel multilevel approach. Plants and plant-based foods played a crucial role in human evolution, and the interaction between plants and humans is a highly debated topic in archae…
Plant foods in the Late Palaeolithic of Southern Italy and Sicily: Integrating carpological and dental calculus evidence
Human-plant interaction at the onset of agriculture: The Path project
Plant domestication represents a major turning point in human history, resulting in the shift from a hunting/gathering/fishing-based economy to food production. Combining the analysis of ground stone tools and dental calculus, the PATH project aims to investigate dynamics of plant consumption, and the knowledge and toolkits involved in their processing
Techno-economic behaviours during Middle Pleistocene: Valle Giumentina level ALB-42 (MIS 12b, Abbateggio, Central Italy)
The recent excavation of level ALB-42 of Valle Giumentina open air site (Italy) has yielded 407 lithic artefacts and some Red Deer bone fragments, showing anthropic marks. Lithic refits appear in this clayey-silty paleo-sol developed during an interstadial phase, assigned to MIS 12b (c. 450 ka) according to sedimentary studies and radiometric dating (40 Ar/ 39 Ar and ESR-U/Th). Here we present taphonomic and spatial studies and a techno-economic …
The Ornaments of the Arma Veirana Early Mesolithic Infant Burial
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10816-022-09573-7
Flexibility within Quina lithic production systems and tool-use in Northern Italy: Implications on Neanderthal behavior and ecology during early MIS 4
The Quina Mousterian is one of the well-defined Middle Paleolithic techno-complexes. Despite the pivotal research carried out in south-western France, the presence of this techno-complex across the rest of Europe is still poorly documented. Here we apply a techno-functional approach, combining technological and use-wear analyses, for reconstructing lithic core-reduction, tool-reduction, and tool use at De Nadale Cave, a single-layered Mousterian …
A taste for the unusual. Green, flat pebbles used by late Neanderthals
Neanderthals collected unusual, sometimes colorful mineral materials from different sources. Several green serpentinite smooth pebbles with a flat shape and use modifications were unearthed at Fumane Cave in northern Italy. This study explores cognitive and functional criteria that influenced the selection and use of unique pebbles based on their regional geology, morphology, petrology, use wear, and residues. Besides the attraction for green mat…
Non-flaked stones used in the Mesolithic Eastern Alpine Region: A functional assessment from Romagnano Loc III and Pradestel sites
Biface use in the Lower Paleolithic Levant: First insights from late Acheulean Revadim and Jaljulia (Israel)
Sandstone Ground Stone Technology: A Multi-level Use Wear and Residue Approach to Investigate the Function of Pounding and Grinding Tools
Ground stone tool (GST) technology includes artefacts utilized in pounding or grinding activities and characterized by long life cycles and multiple uses. The introduction of such technology dates back to early prehistory, and for this reason, it is used as prime evidence for tackling a wide range of archaeological questions such as the origins of technology, patterns of daily subsistence and lifeways. In this paper, we contribute to the field of…
Interpreting the Quina and demi-Quina scrapers from Acheulo-Yabrudian Qesem Cave, Israel: Results of raw materials and functional analyses
Innovative Neanderthals: Results from an integrated analytical approach applied to backed stone tools
The application of 3D modeling and spatial analysis in the study of groundstones used in wild plants processing
In recent years, several works have proved the reliability of the application of 3D modeling and spatial analysis in the study of stone tool use. Monitoring surface morphometry resulting from the use of lithic tools has the potential to objectively quantify and identify patterns of modifications associated to specific activities and worked materials. In particular, the combination of surface morphometry with a systematic experimental framework an…
On the Function of Late Acheulean Stone Tools: New Data From Three Specific Archaeological Contexts at the Lower Palaeolithic Site of Revadim, Israel
The Acheulean represents one of the most widespread cultural complexes spanning from Africa to Eurasia between 1.8 and 0.2 Mya. The site of Revadim, located on the southern coastal plain of Israel, represent one of the rare opportunities allowing to perform detailed functional analysis of stone tool assemblages from such old contexts. This paper presents data originating from the functional analysis of three lithic assemblages coming from two are…
Preliminary data from Valle Giumentina Pleistocene site (Abruzzo, Central Italy): A new approach to a Clactonian and Acheulian sequence
On Quina and demi-Quina scraper handling: Preliminary results from the late Lower Paleolithic site of Qesem Cave, Israel
A scraper's life history: Morpho-techno-functional and use-wear analysis of Quina and demi-Quina scrapers from Qesem Cave, Israel
Experimental protocols for the study of battered stone anvils from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
A scraper's life history: Morpho-techno-functional and use-wear analysis of Quina and demi-Quina scrapers from Qesem Cave, Israel
On Quina and demi-Quina scraper handling: Preliminary results from the late Lower Paleolithic site of Qesem Cave, Israel
Interpreting the Quina and demi-Quina scrapers from Acheulo-Yabrudian Qesem Cave, Israel: Results of raw materials and functional analyses
Biface use in the Lower Paleolithic Levant: First insights from late Acheulean Revadim and Jaljulia (Israel)
Sandstone Ground Stone Technology: A Multi-level Use Wear and Residue Approach to Investigate the Function of Pounding and Grinding Tools
Ground stone tool (GST) technology includes artefacts utilized in pounding or grinding activities and characterized by long life cycles and multiple uses. The introduction of such technology dates back to early prehistory, and for this reason, it is used as prime evidence for tackling a wide range of archaeological questions such as the origins of technology, patterns of daily subsistence and lifeways. In this paper, we contribute to the field of…
Innovative Neanderthals: Results from an integrated analytical approach applied to backed stone tools
On the Function of Late Acheulean Stone Tools: New Data From Three Specific Archaeological Contexts at the Lower Palaeolithic Site of Revadim, Israel
The Acheulean represents one of the most widespread cultural complexes spanning from Africa to Eurasia between 1.8 and 0.2 Mya. The site of Revadim, located on the southern coastal plain of Israel, represent one of the rare opportunities allowing to perform detailed functional analysis of stone tool assemblages from such old contexts. This paper presents data originating from the functional analysis of three lithic assemblages coming from two are…
Flexibility within Quina lithic production systems and tool-use in Northern Italy: Implications on Neanderthal behavior and ecology during early MIS 4
The Quina Mousterian is one of the well-defined Middle Paleolithic techno-complexes. Despite the pivotal research carried out in south-western France, the presence of this techno-complex across the rest of Europe is still poorly documented. Here we apply a techno-functional approach, combining technological and use-wear analyses, for reconstructing lithic core-reduction, tool-reduction, and tool use at De Nadale Cave, a single-layered Mousterian …
Preliminary data from Valle Giumentina Pleistocene site (Abruzzo, Central Italy): A new approach to a Clactonian and Acheulian sequence
The Ornaments of the Arma Veirana Early Mesolithic Infant Burial
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10816-022-09573-7
Non-flaked stones used in the Mesolithic Eastern Alpine Region: A functional assessment from Romagnano Loc III and Pradestel sites
Beyond the Surface: Exploring Ancient Plant Food Processing through Confocal Microscopy and 3D Texture Analysis on Ground Stone Tools
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10816-025-09697-6
The application of 3D modeling and spatial analysis in the study of groundstones used in wild plants processing
In recent years, several works have proved the reliability of the application of 3D modeling and spatial analysis in the study of stone tool use. Monitoring surface morphometry resulting from the use of lithic tools has the potential to objectively quantify and identify patterns of modifications associated to specific activities and worked materials. In particular, the combination of surface morphometry with a systematic experimental framework an…
Addressing backing techniques through high-magnification microscopy and quantitative analyses
Mesolithic plant processing unveiled: Multiscale use-wear analysis of the ground stone tools from Vlasac (Serbia)
Wild grass grains and fleshy fruits were processed using ground stone tools at Vlasac. • Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal the complex life cycles of Late Mesolithic ground stone tools. • Use-wear analysis, surface texture analysis and GIS are combined into a novel multilevel approach. Plants and plant-based foods played a crucial role in human evolution, and the interaction between plants and humans is a highly debated topic in archae…
Exploitation and consumption of legumes during the Early Neolithic at Kharaysin, Jordan
This paper investigates the evolution of plant exploitation practices during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) period in the southern Levant, with the particular focus on the exploitation of legumes. We analyse the archaeobotanical assemblages from the PPN site of Kharaysin, in Jordan (9000–6800 cal bce ), which have yielded a significant assemblage totalling 6,807 plant remains. The results show that legumes including Vicia narbonensis (Narbon vet…
Prehistoric ornaments in a changing environment. An integrated approach to the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Columbella rustica shells from the Vlakno cave, Croatia
This paper advances knowledge of human behavioural and adaptational strategies in coastal areas related to acquiring, producing and distributing ornaments, specifically, the omnipresent marine gastropod Columbella rustica. By applying quantitative and qualitative approaches to the most extensive collection of Columbella rustica shells in the Eastern Adriatic region discovered in the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic levels of Vlakno cave in …
Human-plant interaction at the onset of agriculture: The Path project
Plant domestication represents a major turning point in human history, resulting in the shift from a hunting/gathering/fishing-based economy to food production. Combining the analysis of ground stone tools and dental calculus, the PATH project aims to investigate dynamics of plant consumption, and the knowledge and toolkits involved in their processing
Experimental protocols for the study of battered stone anvils from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
Valle Giumentina (Abruzzes, Italie): Deuxième mission : étude des comportements techno-économiques au Pléistocène moyen
Valle Giumentina est un gisement des Abruzzes du Palolithique ancien et moyen en plein air, fouill brivement dans les annes 1950 par le Professeur A. M. Radmilli de l'Universit de Pise, en collaboration avec le gologue J. Demangeot. Sept horizons archologiques ont t mis au jour en contexte globalement lacustre, la faveur d'une ravine profonde qui a incis les dpts du plistocne jusqu' 25 m de profondeur 1
Preliminary data from Valle Giumentina Pleistocene site (Abruzzo, Central Italy): A new approach to a Clactonian and Acheulian sequence
On Quina and demi-Quina scraper handling: Preliminary results from the late Lower Paleolithic site of Qesem Cave, Israel
A scraper's life history: Morpho-techno-functional and use-wear analysis of Quina and demi-Quina scrapers from Qesem Cave, Israel
On the Function of Late Acheulean Stone Tools: New Data From Three Specific Archaeological Contexts at the Lower Palaeolithic Site of Revadim, Israel
The Acheulean represents one of the most widespread cultural complexes spanning from Africa to Eurasia between 1.8 and 0.2 Mya. The site of Revadim, located on the southern coastal plain of Israel, represent one of the rare opportunities allowing to perform detailed functional analysis of stone tool assemblages from such old contexts. This paper presents data originating from the functional analysis of three lithic assemblages coming from two are…
Innovative Neanderthals: Results from an integrated analytical approach applied to backed stone tools
The application of 3D modeling and spatial analysis in the study of groundstones used in wild plants processing
In recent years, several works have proved the reliability of the application of 3D modeling and spatial analysis in the study of stone tool use. Monitoring surface morphometry resulting from the use of lithic tools has the potential to objectively quantify and identify patterns of modifications associated to specific activities and worked materials. In particular, the combination of surface morphometry with a systematic experimental framework an…
Sandstone Ground Stone Technology: A Multi-level Use Wear and Residue Approach to Investigate the Function of Pounding and Grinding Tools
Ground stone tool (GST) technology includes artefacts utilized in pounding or grinding activities and characterized by long life cycles and multiple uses. The introduction of such technology dates back to early prehistory, and for this reason, it is used as prime evidence for tackling a wide range of archaeological questions such as the origins of technology, patterns of daily subsistence and lifeways. In this paper, we contribute to the field of…
Interpreting the Quina and demi-Quina scrapers from Acheulo-Yabrudian Qesem Cave, Israel: Results of raw materials and functional analyses
A taste for the unusual. Green, flat pebbles used by late Neanderthals
Neanderthals collected unusual, sometimes colorful mineral materials from different sources. Several green serpentinite smooth pebbles with a flat shape and use modifications were unearthed at Fumane Cave in northern Italy. This study explores cognitive and functional criteria that influenced the selection and use of unique pebbles based on their regional geology, morphology, petrology, use wear, and residues. Besides the attraction for green mat…
Non-flaked stones used in the Mesolithic Eastern Alpine Region: A functional assessment from Romagnano Loc III and Pradestel sites
Biface use in the Lower Paleolithic Levant: First insights from late Acheulean Revadim and Jaljulia (Israel)
Techno-economic behaviours during Middle Pleistocene: Valle Giumentina level ALB-42 (MIS 12b, Abbateggio, Central Italy)
The recent excavation of level ALB-42 of Valle Giumentina open air site (Italy) has yielded 407 lithic artefacts and some Red Deer bone fragments, showing anthropic marks. Lithic refits appear in this clayey-silty paleo-sol developed during an interstadial phase, assigned to MIS 12b (c. 450 ka) according to sedimentary studies and radiometric dating (40 Ar/ 39 Ar and ESR-U/Th). Here we present taphonomic and spatial studies and a techno-economic …
The Ornaments of the Arma Veirana Early Mesolithic Infant Burial
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10816-022-09573-7
Flexibility within Quina lithic production systems and tool-use in Northern Italy: Implications on Neanderthal behavior and ecology during early MIS 4
The Quina Mousterian is one of the well-defined Middle Paleolithic techno-complexes. Despite the pivotal research carried out in south-western France, the presence of this techno-complex across the rest of Europe is still poorly documented. Here we apply a techno-functional approach, combining technological and use-wear analyses, for reconstructing lithic core-reduction, tool-reduction, and tool use at De Nadale Cave, a single-layered Mousterian …
Plant foods in the Late Palaeolithic of Southern Italy and Sicily: Integrating carpological and dental calculus evidence
Human-plant interaction at the onset of agriculture: The Path project
Plant domestication represents a major turning point in human history, resulting in the shift from a hunting/gathering/fishing-based economy to food production. Combining the analysis of ground stone tools and dental calculus, the PATH project aims to investigate dynamics of plant consumption, and the knowledge and toolkits involved in their processing
Functional analyses on sandstone slabs from the submerged Mesolithic/Neolithic site of Neustadt LA 156 (Northern Germany)
We present the first techno-functional study on macrolithic tools from a late Mesolithic Ertebølle/ early Neolithic Funnel Beaker context: sandstone slabs from the submerged site Neustadt LA 156 (Northern Germany) have been investigated by a combined approach of use wear and residue analyses, including biochemical staining, FTIR and SEM/EDX. Checked against results from experiments with respective raw materials we reconstructed the use lifes of t…
Addressing backing techniques through high-magnification microscopy and quantitative analyses
Prehistoric ornaments in a changing environment. An integrated approach to the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Columbella rustica shells from the Vlakno cave, Croatia
This paper advances knowledge of human behavioural and adaptational strategies in coastal areas related to acquiring, producing and distributing ornaments, specifically, the omnipresent marine gastropod Columbella rustica. By applying quantitative and qualitative approaches to the most extensive collection of Columbella rustica shells in the Eastern Adriatic region discovered in the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic levels of Vlakno cave in …
Mesolithic plant processing unveiled: Multiscale use-wear analysis of the ground stone tools from Vlasac (Serbia)
Wild grass grains and fleshy fruits were processed using ground stone tools at Vlasac. • Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal the complex life cycles of Late Mesolithic ground stone tools. • Use-wear analysis, surface texture analysis and GIS are combined into a novel multilevel approach. Plants and plant-based foods played a crucial role in human evolution, and the interaction between plants and humans is a highly debated topic in archae…
Tracking the Hunter: A Study of the Personal Gear of a Gravettian Hunter-Gatherer from Milovice IV
This study presents an analysis of a small cluster of blades/bladelets discovered during a rescue excavation at the Middle/Late Gravettian site of Milovice IV, Czech Republic. The cluster is comprised of 29 artefacts, both retouched and unretouched. The specific context suggests that the items were originally bundled together in a container made of a perishable material. The artefacts were made from raw materials of diverse origins. Techno-typolo…
Exploitation and consumption of legumes during the Early Neolithic at Kharaysin, Jordan
This paper investigates the evolution of plant exploitation practices during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) period in the southern Levant, with the particular focus on the exploitation of legumes. We analyse the archaeobotanical assemblages from the PPN site of Kharaysin, in Jordan (9000–6800 cal bce ), which have yielded a significant assemblage totalling 6,807 plant remains. The results show that legumes including Vicia narbonensis (Narbon vet…
Beyond the Surface: Exploring Ancient Plant Food Processing through Confocal Microscopy and 3D Texture Analysis on Ground Stone Tools
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10816-025-09697-6
Archaeology (22 works) · Geography (22 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (22 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (20 works) · Geology (13 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Pleistocene (9 works) · Cave (8 works) · Biology (7 works) · Paleontology (7 works)