Aimée Little

University of York, Department of Archaeology/BioArCh, Lecturer in Archaeology

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Noel B. Salazar

KU Leuven

Tristan Carter

McMaster University

Erika Gál

Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Ellery Frahm

Yale University

Christina Tsoraki

University of Leicester

Xavier Terradas

CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Spanish National Research Council)

Armando Marques-Guedes

UNL - New University of Lisbon

Ramiro Barberena

National Scientific and Technical Research Council

Gary Feinman

Field Museum

Selena Vitezović

Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade, Serbia

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Papers by Aimée Little

Differences in birch tar composition are explained by adhesive function in the central European Iron Age

PloS one, Apr 3, 2024

From the use of things to the status of the dead: Téviec and Hoëdic (Brittany)

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Sep 4, 2018

Téviec revisited ‘The best wine comes from old bottles’

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Jun 4, 2018

The Worked Flint

Star Carr Volume II, 2018

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Human Lifeways

Star Carr Volume I, 2018

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Stone axes throw new light on Baltic stone age mortuary rites

Scientific reports, Jul 13, 2024

Despite their ubiquity, Mesolithic lithic tools given as funerary offerings have rarely been stud... more Despite their ubiquity, Mesolithic lithic tools given as funerary offerings have rarely been studied in detail. Whereas personal ornaments (e.g. beads, pendants) are commonly interpreted as markers of social identity and status, archaeologists have struggled to understand the stone tools, commonly regarded as &quot;utilitarian&quot; items. As a result, this class of grave goods has not received the same level of attention, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of Mesolithic mortuary behaviours. Our research challenges long-lasting perceptions of lithic tools as strictly utilitarian objects and draws on studies of one of the most substantial stone axe funerary collections from one of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in Europe-Zvejnieki, Latvia. Evidence suggests the selection of unused axes as grave offerings, while unusual wear traces on an axe found in a female grave (no 57) raises questions about its use in the burial rites. Using a multi-proxy approach, we compare life histories of axes placed in burials to those recovered from contemporary, nearby settlement contexts. Finally, a strong correlation between axes and women and children at Zvejnieki challenges gendered stereotypes of stone tools, historically regarded as possessions of the adult male members of Stone Age societies.

Teviec revisited: new insights on a Late Mesolithic Coastal Atlantic Cemetery

Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - Diderot, Jun 4, 2018

Session XX-2. Shell mounds, shell middens and coastal resourcesInternational audienceAfter the ex... more Session XX-2. Shell mounds, shell middens and coastal resourcesInternational audienceAfter the excavations of M. and S. -J. Péquart between 1928 and 1930, followed by an exemplary monograph published in 1937, the shell midden of Téviec, in the south of Morbihan (France), became one of the legendary sites of the European Mesolithic. With 10 graves (23 individuals), the cemetery cut into a shell layer that in turn helped preserve the skeletal remains. The study of the excavated materials (human and artefactual) has continued since the excavations. However, the dispersal of the collections between several institutions, the outbreak of World War II and neglect of the archive has lead to a reduction in the quantity of data. The CIMATLANTIC research program (World of the Dead / World of the Living in Atlantic France:From the Anthropology of Population s to the Prehistoric Identities) made it possible to create an inventory of surviving materials and carry out new specialised studies. The grave goods have been reconsidered after technological and functional studies. Reappraisal of the body ornaments informs on their selection, manufacture and use, and their function as a vector of social information is discussed. Flint tools appear to have had a limited life history, suggesting they were commissioned for the grave. A critical examination of the depositional practices at the site allows for new understanding on the social organisation. The study of faunal remains, which have remained unpublished, allows us to refine our understanding of the economic networks of these marine hunter-gatherer populations. Finally, new radiocarbon dating places this site at the temporal heart of the cultural dynamics of Late Mesolithic Atlantic Europe

Making Space through Stone

Star Carr Volume I, 2018

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Stone Dead: Uncovering Early Mesolithic Mortuary Rites, Hermitage, Ireland

Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 2016

In Europe, cremation as a burial practice is often associated with the Bronze Age, but examples o... more In Europe, cremation as a burial practice is often associated with the Bronze Age, but examples of cremated human remains are in fact known from the Palaeolithic onwards. Unlike conventional inhumation, cremation destroys most of the evidence we can use to reconstruct the biography of the buried individual. Remarkably, in Ireland, cremation is used for the earliest recorded human burial and grave assemblage (7530–7320 bc) located on the banks of the River Shannon, at Hermitage, County Limerick. While we are unable to reconstruct in any great detail the biography of this individual, we have examined the biography of a polished stone adzehead interred with their remains. To our knowledge, this adze represents the earliest securely dated polished axe or adze in Europe. Microscopic analysis reveals that the adze was commissioned for burial, with a short duration of use indicating its employment in funerary rites. Before its deposition into the grave it was intentionally blunted, effecti...

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Lithic Residue Survival and Characterisation at Star Carr: a burial experiment

Internet Archaeology, 2016

A modern burial experiment was devised to test microscopic residue survival in acidic peat and sl... more A modern burial experiment was devised to test microscopic residue survival in acidic peat and slightly acidic clay soils at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr (North Yorkshire, UK), and at nearby control location. The experiment addresses concerns regarding the applicability of residue analysis in varied burial environments, and particularly in highly acidic archaeological conditions. Flint flakes (n= 78, including blank controls) were used on twelve plant, animal, and mineral materials to create residues and then buried. The residues were examined 1 month and 11 months after burial. An unburied reference collection containing the same twelve residue types in a fresh state was compared to the buried residues to assess diagenesis. The residue types that survived across all burial conditions and time intervals were: softwood tissue, tree resin, bird feathers, squirrel hair, and red ochre. During microscopic analysis, it became clear that many residues lack diagnostic traits, and thus an assessment of the extent to which each residue can be identified was conducted. The degree to which residues were able to be identified was further investigated with a variable pressure scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM images of the reference residues were compared to the reflected VLM micrographs of the same residues, which improved characterisation in some cases. Residues were grouped into three categories (diagnostic, distinctive, and non-distinctive) within a visual characterisation guide. Our in situ microscopic analyses indicated that few residue types have diagnostic traits that allow them to be identified unambiguously, and thus further characterisation techniques are often required.

Technological Analysis of the World's Earliest Shamanic Costume: A Multi-Scalar, Experimental Study of a Red Deer Headdress from the Early Holocene Site of Star Carr, North Yorkshire, UK

PloS one, 2016

Shamanic belief systems represent the first form of religious practice visible within the global ... more Shamanic belief systems represent the first form of religious practice visible within the global archaeological record. Here we report on the earliest known evidence of shamanic costume: modified red deer crania headdresses from the Early Holocene site of Star Carr (c. 11 kya). More than 90% of the examples from prehistoric Europe come from this one site, establishing it as a place of outstanding shamanistic/cosmological significance. Our work, involving a programme of experimental replication, analysis of macroscopic traces, organic residue analysis and 3D image acquisition, metrology and visualisation, represents the first attempt to understand the manufacturing processes used to create these artefacts. The results produced were unexpected-rather than being carefully crafted objects, elements of their production can only be described as expedient.

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Material and Sensory Experiences of Mesolithic Resinous Substances

Cambridge Archaeological Journal, Oct 28, 2022

Mesolithic resinous adhesives are well known for their role as hafting mastic within composite te... more Mesolithic resinous adhesives are well known for their role as hafting mastic within composite technologies, yet it is increasingly clear that their usage was more diverse than this. Birch-bark tar has been recovered from Mesolithic contexts as chewed lumps linked to medicinal treatment of toothache and oral diseases, and as a decorative element on ornaments and art objects; and an amorphous resinous substance possibly derived from pine or spruce resin has been found within a burial context. This diversity of applications suggests that resins and tars may have been understood in different ways which did not always privilege their mechanical functionality. To underscore the limited archaeological perspective of conifer resins and tars as hafting agents, we draw on data sourced from a wide range of ethnographically documented societies, demonstrating the array of economic and social functions these materials have for contemporary hunter-gatherer groups. Using archaeological case studies, we illustrate how a deeper understanding of the material and sensory properties of resins and tars, and the trees from which they are derived, opens new insights into the diverse roles resinous materials performed within Mesolithic worldviews.

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Flint awls at the Mesolithic site of Star Carr: Understanding tool use through integrated methods

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Spinning in Circles: the Production and Function of Upper Palaeolithic Rondelles

EXARC Journal, 2019

Rondelles are thin, circular disc cut-outs typically made from the blade of the scapula of medium... more Rondelles are thin, circular disc cut-outs typically made from the blade of the scapula of medium sized ungulates, such as horse or cervid. These are primarily associated with the Late Upper Palaeolithic Magdalenian and focused around northwest Europe. Rondelles are frequently perforated, with 2 mm - 3 mm diameter holes being common. There are many questions as to the production and use of rondelles. In this article, we discuss experiments on the making of both bone and slate rondelles and their usage.

Methods, Aims and Objectives

Star Carr Volume II, 2018

The physical remoteness of the site and its extreme unattractiveness, compounded by mud, ooze, ri... more

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Enigmatic plant-working tools and the transition to farming in the Rhine/Meuse Delta

eprints@whiterose.ac.uk https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Rese... more eprints@whiterose.ac.uk https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item.

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The Earliest Known Shamanic Costume

PLOS ONE, 2016

PART 11 Vegetable

Vegetable ' Although wood must have been extensively used for handles, shafts, bows and other pur... more

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Taken to Task at Star Carr: Integrating Scientific Approaches to Artefacts and Their Archaeological Contexts

Tools, use wear and experimentation

Wild Harvest, 2016

Differences in birch tar composition are explained by adhesive function in the central European Iron Age

PloS one, Apr 3, 2024

From the use of things to the status of the dead: Téviec and Hoëdic (Brittany)

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Sep 4, 2018

Téviec revisited ‘The best wine comes from old bottles’

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Jun 4, 2018

The Worked Flint

Star Carr Volume II, 2018

Download

Human Lifeways

Star Carr Volume I, 2018

Download

Stone axes throw new light on Baltic stone age mortuary rites

Scientific reports, Jul 13, 2024

Teviec revisited: new insights on a Late Mesolithic Coastal Atlantic Cemetery

Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - Diderot, Jun 4, 2018

Making Space through Stone

Star Carr Volume I, 2018

Download

Stone Dead: Uncovering Early Mesolithic Mortuary Rites, Hermitage, Ireland

Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 2016

Download

Lithic Residue Survival and Characterisation at Star Carr: a burial experiment

Internet Archaeology, 2016

Technological Analysis of the World's Earliest Shamanic Costume: A Multi-Scalar, Experimental Study of a Red Deer Headdress from the Early Holocene Site of Star Carr, North Yorkshire, UK

PloS one, 2016

Download

Material and Sensory Experiences of Mesolithic Resinous Substances

Cambridge Archaeological Journal, Oct 28, 2022

Download

Flint awls at the Mesolithic site of Star Carr: Understanding tool use through integrated methods

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Spinning in Circles: the Production and Function of Upper Palaeolithic Rondelles

EXARC Journal, 2019

Methods, Aims and Objectives

Star Carr Volume II, 2018

The physical remoteness of the site and its extreme unattractiveness, compounded by mud, ooze, ri... more

Download

Enigmatic plant-working tools and the transition to farming in the Rhine/Meuse Delta

Download

The Earliest Known Shamanic Costume

PLOS ONE, 2016

PART 11 Vegetable

Vegetable ' Although wood must have been extensively used for handles, shafts, bows and other pur... more

Download

Taken to Task at Star Carr: Integrating Scientific Approaches to Artefacts and Their Archaeological Contexts

Tools, use wear and experimentation

Wild Harvest, 2016

Making Space through Stone

by Aimée Little, Chantal Conneller, and Julie Birchenall

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Lithic Residue Survival and Characterisation at Star Carr: a burial experiment

by Gilliane Monnier, Shannon Croft, and Aimée Little

A modern burial experiment was devised to test microscopic residue survival in acidic peat and sl... more A modern burial experiment was devised to test microscopic residue survival in acidic peat and slightly acidic clay soils at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr (North Yorkshire, UK), and at nearby control location. The experiment addresses concerns regarding the applicability of residue analysis in varied burial environments, and particularly in highly acidic archaeological conditions. Flint flakes (n= 78, including blank controls) were used on twelve plant, animal, and mineral materials to create residues and then buried. The residues were examined 1 month and 11 months after burial. An unburied reference collection containing the same twelve residue types in a fresh state was compared to the buried residues to assess diagenesis. The residue types that survived across all burial conditions and time intervals were: softwood tissue, tree resin, bird feathers, squirrel hair, and red ochre.

During microscopic analysis, it became clear that many residues lack diagnostic traits, and thus an assessment of the extent to which each residue can be identified was conducted. The degree to which residues were able to be identified was further investigated with a variable pressure scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM images of the reference residues were compared to the reflected VLM micrographs of the same residues, which improved characterisation in some cases. Residues were grouped into three categories (diagnostic, distinctive, and non-distinctive) within a visual characterisation guide. Our in situ microscopic analyses indicated that few residue types have diagnostic traits that allow them to be identified unambiguously, and thus further characterisation techniques are often required.

Link to paper here: http://dx.doi.org/10.11141/ia.42.5

Star Carr: A case study in palethnography

by Harry K Robson, Michael Bamforth, Becky Knight, Aimée Little, and Emma Tong

Conference report: Mesolithic Conference 2017 in Wuppertal, Germany

Archäologische Informationen (Journal of the German Prehistoric Society)

The 26th Annual Meeting of the German Mesolithic Workgroup took place in Wuppertal from 10-12 Mar... more The 26th Annual Meeting of the German Mesolithic Workgroup took place in Wuppertal from 10-12 March 2017 and was organised and hosted by Annabell Zander (University of York) and Birgit Gehlen (CRC 806, University of Cologne). In sum, more than 70 academics, students and amateur archaeologists from 8 different countries attended this conference. The international programme consisted of 24 talks and 10 poster presentations which were held in English and German. The presentations ranged from international to regional themes concerning the Final Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Early Neolithic.

Key words – Mesolithic; Final Palaeolithic; Early Neolithic; Westphalia

http://www.dguf.de/index.php?id=9

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