Complexity and sophistication of Early Middle Paleolithic flint tools revealed through use-wear analysis of tools from Misliya Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel

Groman-Yaroslavski, Iris; Zaidner, Yossi; Weinstein‐Evron, Mina

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102955

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…On the other hand, the short-broad Levallois points of Late MP assemblages, such as the ones from Tabun Unit I, Skhul layer B, Qafzeh layers I-XXIV, and Kebara Cave layers VIII-XIII, are better suited as spear points, providing greater resistance to impact. In contrast, recent use-wear studies have stressed the multi-purpose nature of Early MP Levallois points and other elongated pointed items 27 , 28 , but see 29 . Tool function data for additional tool types typical of Levantine MP assemblages, like side-scrapers, denticulates, notches, and even ordinary flakes and blades—are scarce for Levantine caves and rock shelters 28 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…In contrast, recent use-wear studies have stressed the multi-purpose nature of Early MP Levallois points and other elongated pointed items 27 , 28 , but see 29 . Tool function data for additional tool types typical of Levantine MP assemblages, like side-scrapers, denticulates, notches, and even ordinary flakes and blades—are scarce for Levantine caves and rock shelters 28 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Stone artifacts used in activities that require a handle or shaft, such as projectile weapons or hafted stone axes, should be distinguished from those for which a handle may enhance tool efficiency but is not a necessity 30 , 39 , 40 . Direct evidence for hafting (macro and micro-wear traces) on stone artifacts used in activities for which hafting is not mandatory are rarely reported for Levantine MP cave sites 27 , 28 . The majority of evidence has been presented for projectile weapons—for which hafting is a necessity—and is indirect (e.g., retouch patterns, basal thinning, lateral modifications) or based on low-power magnifications 15 , 20 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Butchering knives and hafting at the Late Middle Paleolithic open-air site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (NMO), Israel

Martín-Viveros

Oron

Ollé

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Much of what is known about human behavior and subsistence strategies in the Levantine Middle Paleolithic comes from long sequences from caves and rock shelters. In this context, studies of stone tool function have traditionally focused on determining the use of Levallois points and triangular elements, either as projectiles or, more rarely, multipurpose knives. Little is known about such tool use and hafting in Middle Paleolithic open-air sites in the Levant through the systematic application of micro-wear analysis. Here we report the results of a low and high-power study performed on the lithic assemblage of the Late Middle Paleolithic open-air site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (NMO, Israel). Most pointed items, including Levallois and non-Levallois points, were used as butchering knives, many of them while hafted; to a much lesser extent they were also used for hide, bone, and wood/plant processing activities. Blades and flakes were mostly handheld and used as butchering knives, with hide, bone, antler, and wood/plant-processing tasks being rare. Hafted artifacts include morphologies and activities for which hafting is not required, indicating that NMO inhabitants possessed varied hafting expertise. Wood/plant processing tools, some of which were hafted, attest that manufacture and maintenance tasks were planned well in advance of game procurement at the site. These results attest to early evidence of hafted butchering knives and hafted plant processing tools for a Late Middle Paleolithic open-air site in the Levant, and support previous interpretations of NMO as a short-term task-specific location focused on animal processing activities, mostly butchery.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Butchering knives and hafting at the Late Middle Paleolithic open-air site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (NMO), Israel

Martín-Viveros

Oron

Ollé

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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“…Given that the literature abounds in mentions of hardness as a way to group materials, it makes sense to test first the effect of hardness [e.g. 4 , 10 , 11 , 32 , 33 ]. Until now, systematic mechanical tests of archaeologically-relevant target materials have not been incorporated into lithic use-wear research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of worked material hardness on stone tool wear

et al. 2022

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The identification of ancient worked materials is one of the fundamental goals of lithic use wear analysis and one of the most important parts of understanding how stone tools were used in the past. Given the documented overlaps in wear patterns generated by different materials, it is imperative to understand how individual materials’ mechanical properties might influence wear formation. Because isolating physical parameters and measuring their change is necessary for such an endeavor, controlled (rather than replicative) experiments combined with objective measurements of surface topography are necessary to better grasp how surface modifications formed on stone tools. Therefore, we used a tribometer to wear natural flint surfaces against five materials (bone, antler, beech wood, spruce wood, and ivory) under the same force, and speed, over one, three, and five hours. The study aimed to test if there is a correlation between surface modifications and the hardness of the worked material. We measured each raw material’s hardness using a nano-indentation test, and we compared the surface texture of the flint bits using a 3D optical profilometer. The interfacial detritus powder was analyzed with a scanning electron microscope to look for abraded flint particles. We demonstrate that, contrary to expectation, softer materials, such as wood, create a smoother surface than hard ones, such as ivory.

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“…The increasing diversity and complexity of behavior with respect to stone tools is echoed in other facets of behavior. Use wear evidence attests to a range of applications for stone tools, including processing hides and plant material both before (Agam and Zupancich, 2020) and after (Vardi et al, 2018;Groman-Yaroslavski et al, 2021) the transition from LP to MP. These nonsubsistence activities point to a range of technologies involving perishable raw materials which are largely invisible to us except for traces left on stone tools.…”

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confidence: 99%

Introduction to special issue The Lower to Middle Paleolithic boundaries: Evolutionary threshold or continuum?

Kuhn

Moncel

Weinstein‐Evron

et al. 2021

Journal of Human Evolution

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Complexity and sophistication of Early Middle Paleolithic flint tools revealed through use-wear analysis of tools from Misliya Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel

Cited by 13 publications

References 62 publications

Butchering knives and hafting at the Late Middle Paleolithic open-air site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (NMO), Israel

Butchering knives and hafting at the Late Middle Paleolithic open-air site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (NMO), Israel

The effect of worked material hardness on stone tool wear

Introduction to special issue The Lower to Middle Paleolithic boundaries: Evolutionary threshold or continuum?

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