This study combines experiments and ethnographic studies to investigate how stone had-oc tools were selected and used in specific techniques applied to the production of plastic mineral matter. We use confocal microscopy to identify and quantify the traces of use left during these processes and later compare with those found on archaeological artefacts from the Late Natufian in the Levant.
The ability of humans to mediate environmental variation through tool use is likely the key to our success. However, our current knowledge of early cultural evolution derives almost exclusively from studies of stone tools and fossil bones found in …
In this paper we presente a new method, semi-automated, to measure and calculate the variability of the edge of stone tools' edges. 3D-EdgeAngle calculates the edge angle at any point in a high resolution and scale of analysis, and helps to evaluate how tool use and retouch affect the desing of stone tools found in the archaeological record.
This paper is dedicated to the evaluate the importance of using standard contact material in laboratory experimental replications, in particular in use-wear studies. We ran controlled experiments to see how using artificial materials (instead of natural ones) as the contact surface affects the wear and polish that develop on stone tools. In other words, we wanted to test whether “fake” materials (used in experiments) behave similarly to “real” worked materials in producing use-wear traces. What we looked at,* Do artificial contact materials generate wear (especially polish) that is comparable to what we see when tools are used on natural materials? * How strongly do different variables (tool material, contact material, motion, duration) affect the polish formation? * Can we trust experiments using artificial materials to produce valid analogues for archaeological tools? What we found, * Yes, artificial contact materials can produce recognizable wear and polish, but the nature of the contact material still matters a lot. * The choice of contact material strongly influences how the polish forms (its appearance, size, intensity). * Because the wear outcomes vary so much depending on contact material, using artificial materials in experiments must be done carefully—properly documenting and controlling the variables is key for interpretation. This study shows that when archaeologists run use‐wear experiments, the “target” material (the substance the tool contacts) critically shapes the wear traces. If the target is artificial, differences from natural behaviour could mislead functional interpretations unless the experiment is well documented. It raises important caution about how experimental results are used to interpret archaeological tools.
This paper is a introductory note to a organised symposium at the EAA conference meeting. Participation in this symposium aimed at presenting and discussion studies focusing on the relevance of contact material used on use-wear-related experimentation. The paper provides a general framework and brief summeary of each contribution! It was a very useful and fun session! Thanks to all participants. Several papers have been published in the same JASr issue.
This paper focuses on presenting the results of several excavations at the open-air site of Românești-Dumbrăvița, Romania. In the paper we report data on the archaeological assemblages, including stone tool technology and use-wear analysis, site formation and dating. This is a very important Aurignacian site from East-Central Europe.
This article is dedicated to the Paleolithic open-air site of Feldberg “Steinacker”, located between the Rhine and the Black Forest near Freiburg/Breisgau in South-West Germany. The site was discovered by W. Mähling in 1969 and is primarily known for …
Our study aimed at reporting and evaluating the variability of the so-called grounds stone tools recovered from the Middle Paleolithic occupations at the site of Nesher Ramla. focusing and combining a technological and functional approach, our analysis and results combine different types of observations and characterization of the various use-wear damages on these tools' surface. While the results report a significant level of diversification in resource exploitation, we still need to develop more experiments to fully identify and understand some of the micro wear traces, and, therefore, reconstruct all activities and worked materials at the site. This study is quite interesting as it reveals the ecological and technological dynamics of these MP populations."
In this study, in present the study of the assemblage of ground stone tools from the Middle Palaeolithic of Nesher. In this amazingly preserved site, several types of gst have been reported, showing different morphologies and types of damage. We explore, via experimental replication and multi-scale use-wear analysis, the origins of such damage. Our results show that different types of tools were intentionally used for different activities at site.
This paper reports the use-wear analysis of the Osseous artifacts from the Initial Upper Paleolithic of the archaeological site of Bacho Kiro (Bulgaria). Our study shows that various bone tool morphologies have been used on-site to process animal material. The variety of personal ornaments also illustrates the technological flexibility of the early AMH populations that entered Europe"