@article{10902/37024,
year = {2025},
month = {7},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10902/37024},
abstract = {Archaeological mollusk shells, such as those of Littorina obtusata/fabalis, hold valuable information about past human behavior and cultural practices. However, the original coloration of these shells, crucial for understanding their symbolic significance, is often lost due to taphonomic processes. Raman spectroscopy is a powerful technique for non destructive analysis of archaeological samples, enabling the identification of pigments and mineralogical components. In this study, we present a methodology to predict, us ing Raman spectroscopy and k-means clustering, the original coloration of archaeological L. obtusata/fabalis shells which have lost their original coloration. Raman spectra were acquired from both modern shells, exhibiting a range of natural colors, and archaeological shell samples from La Chora cave (Cantabria, northern Spain). Spectral data were prepro cessed to remove noise and baseline effects, and k-means clustering was applied to group the spectra based on their inherent spectral similarities. By comparing the spectral signa tures of the archaeological samples with those of the modern shells within the generated clusters, we inferred the likely original coloration of the archaeological specimens. This approach provides a quantitative framework for predicting archaeological shell colors.},
organization = {This work was supported by the R+D projects PREVAL23/05 and INNVAL23/10 funded by Instituto de Investigacion Marques de Valdecilla (IDIVAL); TED2021-130378B-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR; PID2022-137269OB-C22 and PID2021-124589NA-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER, EU. Archaeological investigations at La Chora Cave were funded by the Consejeria de Cultura, Turismo y Deporte del Gobierno de Cantabria. D.C-S. was funded by the Ramon y Cajal program (grant RYC2022-036585-I) by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (Spain).},
publisher = {MDPI},
publisher = {Chemosensors, 2025, 13(7), 232},
title = {Predicting the color of archaeological Littorina obtusata/fabalis shells using raman spectroscopy and clustering algorithms},
author = {Pérez Asensio, Andrea and Fernández Manteca, María Gabriela and Cuenca Solana, David and Gutiérrez Zugasti, Fernando Igor and García Escárzaga, Asier and Mirapeix Serrano, Jesús María and López Higuera, José Miguel and Rodríguez Cobo, Luis and Cobo García, Adolfo},
}