Guillermo Bustos-Perez

I am an archaeologist specialized in the analysis of Paleolithic stone tools. My line of research is focused in two main areas of lithic analysis:

1. Technological analysis and organization of lithic technology. This area primarily focuses on how stone tools (including their production methods, flake formation, patterns of transport, extension of use life and discard) varied along the Paleolithic. An overlying interest for these questions is how lithic technocomplexes under the same label change (or remain stable) across space and time and what causes the variability.
2. Site formation processes and alterations undergone by lithic stone tools. When stone tools enter the archaeological record, they can undergo a series of alterations such as heat impact (because of overlying fires), or sedimentary abrasion as a result of displacement (sometimes resulting from water action).

For this, experimental archaeology is fundamental for both lines of research (understanding and reproducing flake formation patterns, and simulating postdepositional alterations) in combination with quantitative methods of analysis. These quantitative methods range from 3D scanning, Machine and Deep Learning, microscopic analysis, and Geometric Morphometrics. From a chronological point of view, I focus primarily on the Lower and Middle Pleistocene, and Middle Paleolithic of Western Europe. I currently work on the controlled experiments of flake formation (at the Department of Human Origins) through glass cores in order to better understand what early hominins knew about stone tool production.

Career & Education

Research skills

• 3D acquisition: Next Engine 3D scanner; Artec 3D Spider II; Artec Micro II; Creaform Academia.
• Mesh modeling and processing: Meshlab; CloudCompare; FreeCAD; VXmodel (Creaform); Artec Studio.
• Image processing and analysis: Adobe Photoshop; Inkscape; GIMP; ImageJ/Fiji.
• Geometric Morphometrics: ViewBox, associated R packages (geomorph, Morpho, momocs).
• Statistics: Past, SPSS; R & Rstudio (advanced), Python (basic).
• Machine Learning: R & Rstudio (caret and associated packages); Python (Scikit-learn and associated libraries).
• GIS: QGis (basic).
• Flintknapping experience: Early to middle Paleolithic.

Fieldwork

Languages

• Spanish (native)
• English (fluent)

Bustos-Pérez, G., Ollé, A., 2024. The quantification of surface abrasion on flint stone tools. Archaeometry 66, 247–265.
DOI

Bustos-Pérez, G., Gravina, B., Brenet, M., Romagnoli, F., 2024. The Contribution of 2D and 3D Geometric Morphometrics to Lithic Taxonomies: Testing Discrete Categories of Backed Flakes from Recurrent Centripetal Core Reduction. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 7, 5.
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2023

Bustos-Pérez, G., Baena, J., Vaquero, M., 2023. What lies in between: Levallois, discoid and intermediate methods. Journal of Lithic Studies 10, 32.
DOI

2022

Bustos-Pérez, G., Baena Preysler, J., 2022. Multiple approaches to predicting flake mass. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 46, 103698.
DOI

Bustos-Pérez, G., Gravina, B., Brenet, M., Romagnoli, F., 2022. Combining quantitative approaches to differentiate between backed products from discoidal and Levallois reduction sequences. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 46, 103723.
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2021

Bustos-Pérez, G., Baena, J., 2021. Predicting Flake Mass: A View from Machine Learning. Lithic Technology 46, 130–142.
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2019

Bustos-Pérez, G., Baena, J., 2019. Exploring volume lost in retouched artifacts using height of retouch and length of retouched edge. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 27, 101922.
DOI

Bustos-Pérez, G., Díaz, S., Baena, J., 2019. An Experimental Approach to Degrees of Rounding Among Lithic Artifacts. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 26, 1243–1275.
DOI

Rosell, J., Blasco, R., Rivals, F., Chacón Navarro, M.G., Picin, A., Iriarte, E., Arilla Osuna, M., Rufà, A., Andrés, M., Sánchez-Hernández, C., Bustos-Pérez, G., Mateo, P., Ramírez, I., Fàbregas, J., 2019. ‪El Nen de Moià: un nou repte en la recerca a les Coves del Toll (Moià, Moianès)‬, in: Actes de Les IV Jornades d’Arqueologia de La Catalunya Central. Museu de Solsona, pp. 146–152.‬‬‬

2017

Alcaraz-Castaño, M., Alcolea-González, J., Weniger, G.-C., Álvarez-Figueras, I., Arteaga, A., Baena-Preysler, J., de Balbín-Behrmann, R., Bustos-Pérez, G., Cabaleiro, A., Cuartero, F., Cuenca-Bescós, G., Dávila, A., Herrero, D., Kehl, M., Lamas, V., López-López, A., López-Sáez, J.-A., Marinas-Díez, E., Ortiz, I., Picazo, Z., Piqué, R., Polo, E., Sáez-Martínez, M., Salinero-Sánchez, I., Sánchez, J., Vaca, A., Vizcaíno-Trueba, J., Yravedra, J., 2017. Neandertales y Humanos modernos en Guadalajara. Boletín de la Asociación de Amigos del Museo de Guadalajara 8, 13–44.

Bustos-Pérez, G., Chacón, M.G., Rivals, F., Blasco, R., Rosell, J., 2017. Quantitative and qualitative analysis for the study of Middle Paleolithic retouched artifacts: Unit III of Teixoneres cave (Barcelona, Spain). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 12, 658–672.
DOI 

2016

Bustos-Pérez, G., Baena Preysler, J., 2016. Preliminary experimental insights into differential heat impact among lithic artifacts. Journal of Lithic Studies 3, 18.
DOI 

Lamas Navarro, V., Díaz Pérez, S., Bustos-Pérez, G., Cuartero Monteagudo, F., Torres Navas, C., Baena Preysler, J., 2016. Experimental study on flint hammerstone use in Discoid-Levallois technologies: A comparison with the workshop assemblages of the central Iberian Peninsula. Journal of Lithic Studies 3.
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Bustos-Pérez, G., 2016. Toma de medidas usando fotografías digitales. Repaso experimental a procedimientos existentes, posibles fuentes de error, reproductividad del método y usos potenciales. Boletín de Arqueología Experimental 11, 189–199.
DOI

2014

Rosell, J., Blasco, R., Rivals, F., Chacón, M.G., Blain, H.-A., López, J.M., Picin, A., Camarós, E., Rufà, A., Sánchez, C., Gómez, G., Arilla, M., Gómez de Soler, B., Bustos, G., Iriarte, E., Cebrià, A., 2014. Cova del Toll y Cova de les Teixoneres Moià, Barcelona, in: Sala Ramos, R., Carbonell, E., Bermúdez de Castro, J.M., Arsuaga, J.L. (Eds.), Los Cazadores Recolectores Del Pleistoceno y Del Holoceno En Iberia y El Estrecho de Gibraltar Estado Actual Del Conocimiento Del Registro Arqueológico. Universidad de Burgos, Burgos, pp. 302–307.