Freezing in-sight: the effect of frost cycles on use-wear and residues on flint tools

A closer look at an eroded dune landscape: first functional insights into the Federmessergruppen site of Lommel-Maatheide

“…TRAIL can be considered representative for a broad range of trace causes, including production (Rots 2010b), hafting (Rots 2002(Rots , 2010a and tool use (Rots 2002;Taipale 2020;Taipale and Rots 2021;Tomasso 2021). TRAIL also integrates a large number of projectiles used with different propulsion modes (e.g., Coppe 2020; Coppe and Rots 2017;de la Peña et al 2018;Lepers and Rots 2020;Taipale and Rots 2019;Tomasso et al 2018) and experimental tools from experiments focused on taphonomic processes (e.g., Cnuts, Tomasso, et al 2018;Michel et al 2019) and post-excavation procedures, such as sieving or storage (Cnuts 2021;Rots 2010a). TRAIL also contains a library for residues, with 500 residue samples and a large number of tools specifically devoted to this topic (e.g., Cnuts 2021;Cnuts andRots 2017, 2018;.…”

“…striations, friction marks) (e.g. Asryan et al 2014;Burroni et al 2002;Michel et al 2019;Newcomer 1976;Sala 1986;Thiébaut 2007). Chemical processes, such as those related to soil chemistry or weathering, may alter or obliterate wear traces, as these processes may lead to surface patination, gloss or polish formation (Asryan et al 2017;Plisson and Mauger 1988;Rottländer 1975).…”

“…Also, thermal modifications, being the result of (unintentional) exposure to heat or freeze-thaw actions, have to be taken into account when evaluating post-depositional wear and other wear (e.g. Cnuts, Tomasso, et al 2018;Michel et al 2019). While the impact of postdepositional processes on wear traces is known to a certain extent, this is less the case for how they affect the preservation of residues.…”

“…Recent experimental work has focused mainly on biodegradation in burial contexts (e.g. Croft et al 2016;Langejans 2010), but other processes such as exposure to heat (Cnuts, Tomasso, et al 2018), freeze-thaw actions (Michel et al 2019) or water flow ) have shown to be of significance as well.…”

The past in dust: current trends and future directions in Pleistocene geoarcheology of European loess

“…patinas) commonly found on flaked stone artifacts may eventually inform their syn‐ and post‐depositional contexts and help to disentangle palimpsests in instances where loess deposition has been thin, deflated or disturbed (Glauberman and Thorson, 2012; Glauberman, 2016). At a microscopic scale, understanding lithic surface polishes may provide ways of deciphering initial modes and direction of loess deposition at discard and the intensity and variety of subaerial exposure to freeze–thaw cycles (Burroni et al ., 2002; Chu et al ., 2015; Bertran et al ., 2017; Michel et al ., 2019). Such studies might be best combined with the increasing archeometric improvements in tracewear and residue analysis to not only better understand the various stigmata that lithic assemblages in loess characteristically exhibit, but also how these may affect our interpretations of experimentally derived examples of lithic usewear and surficial chemical analysis (Kozowyk et al ., 2020; Marreiros et al ., 2020).…”