Experimental Micromorphology on Burnt Shells of Anomalocardia brasiliana (Gmelin 1791) (Bivalvia, Veneridae) and Its Potential for Identification of Combustion Features on Shell‐Matrix Sites
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12133247 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ximena S Villagrán (0000-0001-8630-2015, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Tübingen Germany, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 389-396 |
| Publication date | 2014-08-04 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Geoarchaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0883-6353 • E-ISSN: 1520-6548 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/gea.21486 |
| OpenAlex | W2101044582 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 16 |
| References cited | 28 |
The identification of in situ or reworked hearths in archaeological sediments is currently one of the main topics in archaeological micromorphology. In the case of shell‐matrix sites (shell mounds and middens), the clast‐supported matrix and high porosity can hamper the clear identification of combustion features. Previous experimental approaches were useful to identify in thin section the transformations induced by heating in mollusk shells, which are related to its mineralogy. Since different species of mollusks contain diverse mineralogy (aragonite, calcite, or both), it is expected that each species follows a specific thermal behavior, although similar general trends exist. In this short contribution, a set of valves of the mollusk Anomalocardia brasiliana (Gmelin 1791) (Bivalvia, Veneridae), the most important component of Brazilian shell mounds, was heated in a muffle furnace at temperatures from 200°C to 800°C. Thin sections were made and their description is presented for the identification of burnt shell of A. brasiliana . This information can help to infer the temperature of prehistoric fires and can assist in the identification of in situ versus reworked hearths in shell‐matrix sites
Aragonite · Archaeology · Bivalvia · Calcite · Composite material · Geography · Hearth · Matrix (chemical analysis · Mineralogy · Mollusca · Shell (structure · Calcium Carbonate Crystallization and Inhibition · Cephalopods and Marine Biology · Materials Science · Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils · Geology · Paleontology
Archaeological micromorphology in Latin America
A redefinition of waste
Burning, Cleaning, Dumping, and Dissolution
The significance of aragonite in the interpretation of the microscopic archaeological record
Peering into the unseen
The exploitation of crabs by Last Interglacial Iberian Neanderthals
The Shell Midden Conundrum
Fire and its products
Beyond consumption and discard
Post-depositional processes as the main determinants for the alterations caused in cockle shells found in São Julião archaeological site (Mafra, Portugal)
Thermal Influences on Shells
Estudio micromorfológico en sitios alfareros uru de la cuenca del río Araguaia, Goiás, Brasil
The Songon-M'Brathé shell midden (Ivory Coast)
The microstratigraphic record of human activities and formation processes at the Mesolithic shell midden of Poças de São Bento (Sado Valley, Portugal)
Shell we cook it? An experimental approach to the microarchaeological record of shellfish roasting
Stepping on shells
The Experimental Earthwork at Wareham, Dorset After 33 Years
Sediments exposed to high temperatures
The Effects of Fire on Archaeological Soils and Sediments
An experimental micromorphological investigation of bedding construction in the Middle Stone Age of Sibudu, South Africa
Experimental micromorphology in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina)
Differential Burning, Recrystallization, and Fragmentation of Archaeological Bone
Human actions performed on simple combustion structures
Dumping, Sweeping and Trampling
Paleolithic burnt bone horizons from the Swabian Jura
Earth, wind, and fire
Microarchaeological Approaches to the Identification and Interpretation of Combustion Features in Prehistoric Archaeological Sites
Stratigraphic and spatial variability in shell middens
Mesolithic to Neolithic transitions
| Citations per year | 1.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2014 - 2026 (13) |
| Highly cited | No |