late pleistocene population interaction in western europe

As will become obvious in the next paragraphs, spatial variation is a key factor
for understanding bone surface preservation at Saint-Césaire. As noted previously, the
excavation grid was set slightly off from the natural slope of the deposit. Employing
diagonals being very impractical with a square system, the role that the slope might have
played on spatial distribution can be investigated using either rows 2 to 9 or lines D to J
(Figure 21). Because the slope seems more accentuated in the former, rows were selected
in the analysis of spatial patterning. The use of a single (rows), rather than both (rows and
lines) dimensions of space for investigating spatial patterns probably results in a loss of
resolution. However, in each case, it was verified whether the same (mirror) pattern could
be perceived in lines D to J.
A four-state classification system was implemented in the study of Saint-Césaire
to explore mark preservation on bone surfaces. This system, described in Chapter 4,
encompasses the whole spectrum of surface preservation from poorly preserved,
somewhat damaged, to relatively well preserved, and intact surfaces (see the section on
methods in Chapter 4 for more details). Obviously, an intact surface will yield better
readings than a poorly preserved surface. In this discussion, it is important to note that
with few exceptions (n=10), specimens are rarely coated with calcareous concretions.
Most specimens from Saint-Césaire fall in the middle of the preservation
spectrum, few bones having a “poorly preserved” or an “intact” surface (Table 24). This
means that although some marks might have been partly or entirely obliterated, this
affects only a portion of the material.
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