Des coquillages comme outils de boucherie ? Approche expérimentale et amorce de réflexion sur la question des pratiques de boucherie au Paléolithique moyen en contexte littoral de l’Afrique du Nord

In 2016, during an experiment leaded by Émilie Campmas and Francesca Romagnoli, the carcass of a sheep was processed applying prehistoric butchery practices implementing the complete sequence of carcass-processing activities (skinning, disarticulation, defleshing, and removal of tendons). For the experiment, three taxa of marine shells were used (Patella sp., Mytilus sp., and Callista chione). The taxa were selected because they have been identified as tools in different Pleistocene sites and are among the most abundant species in archaeological sites in the Mediterranean regions across Europe and northern Africa. The experiment complemented the information and the reference collection produced in the framework of the project “Des Traces et des Hommes” to describe and interpret the butchery marks. During the project, blind tests were conducted to observe the cut marks produced during butchery experiments. These tests have shown the reliability of this variable in identifying the different activities carried out during complete carcass processing. The results of the 2016 experiments showed that not all the selected taxa were effective in the same way and for the same activity. The Patella sp. shells were not favourable to butchery, whereas Mytilus sp. and Callista chione shells could be used during all the butchery operations. Due to morphological differences in the edge of the valves, Mytilus sp. shells were more effective for skinning and defleshing while Callista chione valves were more effective for disarticulation and removal of tendons. According to this experiment, butchery activities were generally more difficult to achieve with shells than with stone tools, excluding defleshing with mussel shells. The micromorphological study of the butchery marks on the bones using a confocal microscope showed that, although within the variability of marks made with the active edges of stone tools, they could be differentiated according to the species used and the specific butchery activity. Further analysis and an expanded experimental sample are needed to strengthen these results about both shell effectiveness and micromorphological characterisation of cut marks. In this paper, the results are discussed in the framework of the subsistence activities during the Middle Palaeolithic in northern Africa. Rich archaeomalacological assemblages have been identified during this period, suggesting the consumption of marine molluscs. These assemblages are associated with macromammal remains, usually showing a low frequency of butchery marks, and the use of shell tools as cause of this scarcity was previously proposed. The results of the 2016 experiment did not solve this matter and further experiments are needed. However, the results clearly highlight the lack of detailed knowledge of shell as raw material and open perspectives for further research in this field.