Videography of Testudo hermanni Experimental Butchery: Assessing Raw vs. Roasted Processing Techniques in Early Human Subsistence Strategies

This video dataset comprises footage of experimental Testudo hermanni processing
designed to replicate potential butchery practices by early humans. The recordings were
captured during our controlled experimental archaeology project aimed at understanding the
role of cooking and processing efficiency, and tool use during the exploitation of small prey.
The videos show four tortoise specimens being processed – two in their raw state
(Chelonids 5 and 6) and two following direct roasting on embers (Chelonids 3 and 4) – by
people with different levels of experience. The recordings document the full sequence of
butchery tasks, including carapace and plastron disarticulation, evisceration, limb and head
removal, and tool use involving quartzite hammerstones and flint flakes. These visual
materials serve as methodological support for the study "Raw vs. Roasted: Reconstructing
Early human Butchery Practices of Terrapins and Tortoises" by Nabais et al (2025), and are
archived to enhance transparency, reproducibility and pedagogical value in experimental
archaeology. The footage provides critical insights into the biomechanics of butchery,
taphonomic signatures and the cognitive implications of cooking and tool-assisted
processing in Middle Palaeolithic contexts.