Methodologies



AMS dating

Carefully selected faunal and charcoal samples from both sites will be dated. Around 1520 new measurements will be made on organic remains from each site. Formal Bayesian statistical modelling of the obtained dates should provide more accurate estimates for the chronological bracketing of stratigraphic phases at the two sites.


Technological analyses of knapped stone tools

This approach aims to identify knapping objectives and production methods and techniques. For domestic tools, it examines blank selection and the transformation process. Armatures are analyzed using a methodology combining low and high magnification with a quantitative approach in reconstructing their entire production sequence, from blank selection to retouch techniques (Fasser et al. 2019, 2022, 2024a, b). At Riparo Tagliente, the technological analysis will be carried out on artifacts dated to Bølling/Allerød (layers 12, 11, and 10).  At Badanj, artifacts will be selected from a variety of stratigraphic units and layers.


Use-wear analyses

The traceological study of flaked lithic assemblages, ground stones, and osseous tools will combine low- and high-power observations. Selected artifacts will be examined with stereo (up to 45X) and metallographic microscopes (50-500X) using reflected light. Different kinds of wear (i.e. edge scarring, rounding, polish, striations) associated with tool use, manipulation, and hafting will be identified (Marreiros et al. 2015). Traceological analyses will detect potential macroscopic residues on artifact surfaces, offering insights about the worked materials and hafting systems.


Residue analyses

Organic and inorganic residues associated with stone and osseous artifacts used for processing animals, minerals, and plants, as well as different hafting materials, will be studied. The reference collection at the DANTE Laboratory, Sapienza University of Rome, will be consulted.


Faunal analyses, ZooMS, and seasonality studies

At Badanj a detailed zooarchaeological analysis of the assemblage excavated in 1976–1979 will be conducted, while at Riparo Tagliente, several traditional zooarchaeological studies have already been carried out (Bartolomei et al. 1982; Fontana et al. 2009). A selected number of non-diagnostic bones from both sites will be subject to proteomic peptide finger-printing analysis known as Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) to screen for the presence of undetected human remains and for identifying taxa with certain types of cutmarks (butchering, filleting, skinning) as evidence of anthropic modifications, as well as taxa used for manufacturing bone tools. If human remains are identified, aDNA analyses will be carried out as well as direct AMS dating of these specimens. Finally, seasonality indicators will be recorded for juvenile animals to determine the season of death and infer likely seasons during which the sites were occupied. In addition, the seasonality of red deer (C. elaphus), as one of the most dominant hunted species at both sites, will be assessed through the application of cementochronology on red deer dental remains.


Recovery of plant macro-remains

The recovery of plant macro-remains will be carried out by manual water flotation of sediment samples already collected during previous excavation campaigns. Once dry, the organic residue will be screened using a stereomicroscope (10X to 100X) to identify charcoal and seeds. The determination will be based on the comparison with specific atlases (Cappers et al. 2012; Pignatti 2017).


Spatial analyses, data modelling, and comparisons

Detailed spatial analyses using GIS (e.g. QGIS, GRASS, or ArcGIS) and statistics softwares (e.g. R) will be applied to all investigated assemblages in order to elucidate spatial patterns at each site. In particular, data resulting from the analysis will be plotted and used to identify hidden spatial structures that could help in interpreting contexts at both site. The application of statistics, such as univariate and multivariate classification methods, will help in discerning organizational, behavioral, and evolutionary principles common to hunter-gatherer groups, allowing us to disclose meaningful patterns of continuity and change in a diachronic perspective.













Study of Badanj lithic and faunal collections at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo.