Sliced meat: animal processing and butchery technologies at Early Dynastic Abu Salabikh, Iraq

Technological change is often reconstructed from surviving tools, yet metal artefacts are particularly susceptible to curation, recycling and selective deposition. Microscopic marks on animal bone provide an independent record of the implements used in carcass processing. This study examines Early Dynastic III faunal remains from House 6H at Abu Salabikh, Iraq, including an affluent household, lane deposits and associated intramural burial contexts, to assess whether butchering was undertaken with metal or chipped-stone edges. Of 54 specimens recorded with butchering marks, 16 bearing well-preserved, non-overlapping slice marks were selected for light optical and scanning electron microscopy of silicone moulds. All 16 selected specimens displayed groove morphologies interpreted as consistent with chipped-stone use. 15 specimens were attributed to unretouched unifacially produced flake or blade edges and only one was potentially retouched. Diagnostic metal-knife marks were not identified within the analysed sample. These results indicate that the presence of metallurgy in Early Dynastic Mesopotamia did not lead to its uniform incorporation into quotidian household carcass processing. Instead, established lithic technologies persisted within a task-specific domain of human–animal interaction, reflecting selective technological adoption shaped by performance, supply networks and social value. As the first systematic microscopic investigation of Early Dynastic Mesopotamian butchering technology, Abu Salabikh provides an important baseline for testing when and in which social contexts metal butchering implements entered everyday practice.