A techno-typological analysis of fan (tabular) scrapers from Ein Zippori, Israel

Abstract

Abstract:Fan (or tabular) scrapers are a diagnostic tool type in Chalcolithic Ghassulian and Early Bronze Age lithic assemblages from the southern Levant. To date, only small numbers of fan scrapers have been reported from the Late Pottery Neolithic Wadi Rabah culture. In this paper we present a technotypological analysis of a fair sample of fan scrapers and fan scrapers spalls from Wadi Rabah and Early Bronze Age layers at Ein Zippori, Lower Galilee, Israel. Techno-typological similarities and differences of Wadi Rabah, Chalcolithic Ghassulian and Early Bronze Age fan scrapers from Ein Zippori and other sites in the region are presented, trends of change along time are noted, and an updated definition is proposed. Our results indicate that fan scrapers are highly efficient tools for accurate and prolonged animal butchering and hide working. The main advantage of fan scrapers is their mostly flat, thin morphology and large size that permits the creation of several relatively long working edges, various retouched angles (from sharp to abrupt), extensive resharpening, and a comfortable grasp. While fan scrapers were products of a local trajectory in Late Pottery Neolithic Wadi Rabah lithic industries at Ein Zippori, a standardized, off-site manufacturing of fan scrapers is evident during the Early Bronze Age.

The use of fan scrapers: Microwear evidence from Late Pottery Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, Ein Zippori, Israel

“…Most, but not all, fan scrapers were made on flint nodules with cortical surfaces (Rosen 1983). They may be oval, elongated, fan shaped, round, or irregular in shape, with abrupt to sharp edgeangles (Zutovski et al 2016). There was no significant difference in the frequencies of different shaped fan scrapers in the microwear sample and in the larger assemblage (Chisquare = 9.13; T(0.001)=20.52, 5df).…”

“…This microwear analysis of 31 fan scrapers and 14 fan scraper spalls from the late prehistoric site of Ein Zippori, Israel complements the techno-typological study of 191 fan scrapers and 35 fan scraper spalls from the site (Zutovski et al 2016). The microwear sample includes 16% of the fan scrapers and 40% of the fan scraper spalls in the techno-typological assemblage.…”

“…There is no significant difference between frequencies of scrapers from each context in the microwear sample and in the techno-typological assemblage of 118 fan scrapers and spalls (Chi-square = 9.2; T(0.001)=10.83). In the techno-typological study, 89.5% of cortical fan scrapers (CFS), which had convex cortical dorsal faces, were from late PN contexts, while 61% of flat cortex fan scrapers (FCFS), which have flat dorsal faces covered with cortex, were in EBA layers (Zutovski et al 2016). In the microwear sample of 31 fan scrapers, 74% of the CFS scrapers were from late PN layers and 50% of the FCFS scrapers were from EBA contexts.…”

“…There is no difference in frequencies of fan scrapers and spalls in the microwear sample and frequencies of all recovered fan scrapers and spalls from these areas (Chi-square = 3.77; T(0.001)=22.46, 6df). Several fan scraper sub-types have been described (Rosen, 1983(Rosen, , 1997Rowan and Levy 1991), but the classification by Zutovski et al (2016) for the larger sample of 191 fan scrapers is used here. This fan scraper typology includes a "broad and continuous array of sizes and morphological configurations" of scrapers that have been classified as tabular scrapers (Quintero et al 2002: 17).…”

“…There was no significant difference between the frequencies in the microwear sample and in the larger Fsquare = 6.22; T(0.001)=16.27, 2df). It should be noted that when flatness of the dorsal face was indeterminate, they were classified as CFS (Zutovski et al 2016).…”