Unraveling Neolithic sharp-blunt cranial trauma: Experimental approach through synthetic analogues

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2023.105739
• Publication Date: 2023-02-03T04:35:42Z
• Authors: Miguel Ángel More...; Linda Fibiger; Palmira Saladié
• Keywords: skull; Fracture pattern; Skull; stone adze; weapon-tool; Synbone sphere; stone axe; fracture pattern; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; synbone sphere; Weapon-tool; Stone adze; Stone axe

This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Universities of Spain (FPU18-02291 grant, and EST22/00015 international short stay grant); Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” program for Units of Excellence (CEX2019-000945-M); Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through Sierra de Atapuerca project (PID2021-122355NB-C32); Agencia de Gestio d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (SGR 2017–1040); and Universitat Rovira i Virgili (2022PFRURV- 64).<br/>With funding from the Spanish government through the "Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence" accreditation CEX2019-000945-M.<br/>Peer reviewed<br/>Interpersonal violence in the past is studied from different perspectives, one of which is experimentation. Using analogues to the human skeleton it is possible to replicate fractures found in the archaeological record and understand how they were produced. The main objective of this paper is to describe and differentiate sharp-blunt force cranial trauma caused by stone axes and adzes, to test previous interpretations of an archaeological case. This will create a comparative frame of reference for future studies. In the present experiment, seven Synbone polyurethane spheres were used as analogues to the human skull. These were covered with rubber skin, filled with ballistic gelatin, and fixed in a way that allowed some mobility when struck. This system creates a skinskull-brain-neck model. A replica of a stone axe and adze were used as weapon-tools, simulating a face-toface attack. The results of the experiment showed that there are a series of characteristics that differentiate the fracture pattern associated with each one, confirming previous bioarchaeological interpretations. The differentiation between both weapon-tools through the resulting cranial trauma allows conclusions about the direction of the blow and the position of the attacker with respect to the victim. This provides a better reconstruction of the most likely scenario surrounding the confrontation and the possible cause of death of the individuals, which is especially important during the Neolithic period, when this type of cranial trauma is very common.<br/>