Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands
Identification of the taxonomic origin of bone tools is an important, but often complicated, component of studying past societies. The species used for bone tool production provide insight into what species were exploited, potentially how, and for what purpose. Additionally, the choice of species ma...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Peer Community In
2024-08-01
|
| Series: | Peer Community Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.451/ |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1825206416892231680 |
|---|---|
| author | Dekker, Joannes A. A. Mylopotamitaki, Dorothea Verbaas, Annemieke Sinet-Mathiot, Virginie Presslee, Samantha McCarthy, Morgan L. Olsen, Morten Tange Olsen, Jesper V. van den Hurk, Youri Brattinga, Joris Welker, Frido |
| author_facet | Dekker, Joannes A. A. Mylopotamitaki, Dorothea Verbaas, Annemieke Sinet-Mathiot, Virginie Presslee, Samantha McCarthy, Morgan L. Olsen, Morten Tange Olsen, Jesper V. van den Hurk, Youri Brattinga, Joris Welker, Frido |
| author_sort | Dekker, Joannes A. A. |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Identification of the taxonomic origin of bone tools is an important, but often complicated, component of studying past societies. The species used for bone tool production provide insight into what species were exploited, potentially how, and for what purpose. Additionally, the choice of species may have important implications for the place of the tool within the larger toolkit. However, the taxonomic identification of bone tools is often unsuccessful based on morphology. Here we apply three palaeoproteomic techniques, ZooMS, SPIN-like data analysis and a targeted database search to narrow down the taxonomic identification of an unusually large Bronze Age bone tool from Heiloo, the Netherlands, to the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis). Additionally, the tool was investigated for use-wear, which showed that it was likely used for the processing of plant fibres. The assignment of the tool as whale bone adds support to the exploitation of whales by coastal Bronze Age populations, not just for meat, as previously suggested, but also for bone as a resource for tool production. We know of no other parallel of a bone tool such as this in terms of size, use, hafting, and taxonomic identity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-95b9163f2c43429fbc9b30abcfdef3bb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2804-3871 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-08-01 |
| publisher | Peer Community In |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Peer Community Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-95b9163f2c43429fbc9b30abcfdef3bb2025-02-07T10:17:17ZengPeer Community InPeer Community Journal2804-38712024-08-01410.24072/pcjournal.45110.24072/pcjournal.451Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands Dekker, Joannes A. A.0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3952-4448Mylopotamitaki, Dorothea1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8239-6381Verbaas, Annemieke2Sinet-Mathiot, Virginie3Presslee, Samantha4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2936-525XMcCarthy, Morgan L.5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9695-6060Olsen, Morten Tange6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6716-6345Olsen, Jesper V.7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4747-4938van den Hurk, Youri8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0573-0163Brattinga, Joris9Welker, Frido10https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4846-6104BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK; Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkChaire de Paléoanthropologie, Collège de France, Paris, France; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, GermanyFaculty of Archaeology, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, the NetherlandsMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, Pessac, France; Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, CBMN, UMR 5248 and Bordeaux Proteome Platform, Bordeaux, FranceBioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UKSection for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkSection for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkNovo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkGroningen Institute of Archaeology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands; Department of Archaeology and Cultural History, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NorwayArchol bv, Leiden, the NetherlandsSection for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkIdentification of the taxonomic origin of bone tools is an important, but often complicated, component of studying past societies. The species used for bone tool production provide insight into what species were exploited, potentially how, and for what purpose. Additionally, the choice of species may have important implications for the place of the tool within the larger toolkit. However, the taxonomic identification of bone tools is often unsuccessful based on morphology. Here we apply three palaeoproteomic techniques, ZooMS, SPIN-like data analysis and a targeted database search to narrow down the taxonomic identification of an unusually large Bronze Age bone tool from Heiloo, the Netherlands, to the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis). Additionally, the tool was investigated for use-wear, which showed that it was likely used for the processing of plant fibres. The assignment of the tool as whale bone adds support to the exploitation of whales by coastal Bronze Age populations, not just for meat, as previously suggested, but also for bone as a resource for tool production. We know of no other parallel of a bone tool such as this in terms of size, use, hafting, and taxonomic identity.https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.451/Palaeoproteomicscetaceabone toolBronze AgeZooMSSPIN |
| spellingShingle | Dekker, Joannes A. A. Mylopotamitaki, Dorothea Verbaas, Annemieke Sinet-Mathiot, Virginie Presslee, Samantha McCarthy, Morgan L. Olsen, Morten Tange Olsen, Jesper V. van den Hurk, Youri Brattinga, Joris Welker, Frido Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands Peer Community Journal Palaeoproteomics cetacea bone tool Bronze Age ZooMS SPIN |
| title | Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands
|
| title_full | Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands
|
| title_fullStr | Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands
|
| title_full_unstemmed | Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands
|
| title_short | Palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from Bronze Age Heiloo, the Netherlands
|
| title_sort | palaeoproteomic identification of a whale bone tool from bronze age heiloo the netherlands |
| topic | Palaeoproteomics cetacea bone tool Bronze Age ZooMS SPIN |
| url | https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.451/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dekkerjoannesaa palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands AT mylopotamitakidorothea palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands AT verbaasannemieke palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands AT sinetmathiotvirginie palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands AT pressleesamantha palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands AT mccarthymorganl palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands AT olsenmortentange palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands AT olsenjesperv palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands AT vandenhurkyouri palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands AT brattingajoris palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands AT welkerfrido palaeoproteomicidentificationofawhalebonetoolfrombronzeageheiloothenetherlands |