Palaeoproteomics reveals bovine carcass processing with 6,000-year-old flint tools

Abstract

Lithic tools are the most abundant cultural artefacts found at prehistoric archaeological sites. Through their study, we can understand essential activities such as hunting, processing of animal carcasses and plant materials, and working of resources such as ochre and bone, as well as broader technological and cultural practices. For the first time, proteomics was applied alongside use-wear and optical microscopy residue analyses, enabling the identification of bovine, plant, and human proteins on faceted tools from the Mesolithic-Neolithic site of Bazel-Sluis, Belgium. This retrieval of identifiable protein from an area with poor organic preservation demonstrates wide-reaching potential for archaeological research, opening a new avenue of investigation into prehistoric lifeways and adding to the growing corpus of evidence accessible through palaeoproteomics. A workflow for future analyses is suggested, based on our integrated sampling strategy requiring no additional tool manipulations.