Experimental analysis of roasted and raw turtle butchery and implications for early human cognition and behaviour

TL;DR

This study explores how roasting turtles affected early human butchery practices, showing that fire reduced effort and influenced tool wear.

Contribution

The novel contribution is an experimental analysis of fire's impact on turtle butchery, linking it to early human cognition and behavior.

Findings

Roasting turtles reduced disarticulation effort and time, regardless of operator experience.

Cut marks and percussion traces were more common in raw turtles, while roasted ones showed thermal damage.

Lithic tools used for processing showed wear patterns similar to those from butchering other small animals.

Abstract

Chelonid exploitation – including tortoises and freshwater turtles – has been increasingly recognised as a significant element of Palaeolithic subsistence in the Mediterranean and Iberian Peninsula. This study offers an experimental assessment of fire’s role in processing these reptiles, contrasting raw and roasted specimens to evaluate impacts on butchery efficiency, surface modifications, skeletal representation and lithic use-wear. The roasting process markedly reduced disarticulation effort and time, irrespective of the operator’s experience. Cut marks and percussion traces were more frequent in raw-processed individuals, while burnt specimens displayed extensive thermal damage, particularly on carapace plates. However, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed limited diagnostic potential for low-intensity thermal exposure. Conversely, lithic tools used in processing exhibited macroscopic edge damage and minor polishes, paralleling wear patterns documented in the butchery of other small fauna. These results align with archaeological evidence from multiple Iberian and Mediterranean sites, suggesting a culturally structured practice of in-shell roasting and anatomical disarticulation. The finds highlight fire’s role in labour optimisation and knowledge transmission, supporting broader discussions on small game exploitation and cognitive planning in early human behaviour.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-31738-z.

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