Microwear and residue analyses in perspective: the contribution of ethnoarchaeological evidence

Rots, Veerle; Williamson, Bonny

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2004.02.009

Cited by 87 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Use-wear analysis is one of the most rigorous methods for assessing the function of ancient tools: it provides an independent, and where relevant, a complementary approach to the analysis of residues [55]. Research in material sciences has shown that interacting surfaces in relative motion often develop wear.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The development of plant food processing in the Levant: insights from use-wear analysis of Early Epipalaeolithic ground stone tools

Dubreuil

Nadel

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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In recent years, the study of percussive, pounding and grinding tools has provided new insights into human evolution, more particularly regarding the development of technology enabling the processing and exploitation of plant resources. Some of these studies focus on early evidence for flour production, an activity frequently perceived as an important step in the evolution of plant exploitation. The present paper investigates plant food preparation in mobile hunter-gatherer societies from the Southern Levant. The analysis consists of a use-wear study of 18 tools recovered from Ohalo II, a 23 000-year-old site in Israel showing an exceptional level of preservation. Our sample includes a slab previously interpreted as a lower implement used for producing flour, based on the presence of cereal starch residues. The use-wear data we have obtained provide crucial information about the function of this and other percussive tools at Ohalo II, as well as on investment in tool manufacture, discard strategies and evidence for plant processing in the Late Pleistocene. The use-wear analysis indicates that the production of flour was a sporadic activity at Ohalo II, predating by thousands of years the onset of routine processing of plant foods.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The development of plant food processing in the Levant: insights from use-wear analysis of Early Epipalaeolithic ground stone tools

Dubreuil

Nadel

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Micropolishes can develop diagnostic features that allow the identification of specific contact materials ( keeley 1980;Vaughan 1985). Along with the detection of wear patterns, residues of the contact material adhering to stone tool surfaces are sometimes found, allowing direct evidence of the origin and nature of the worked material and activities conducted by tool users (e.g., Anderson 1980;Christensen et al 1992;dinnis et al 2009;Fullagar 1998;Hardy and Garufi 1998;kealhofer et al 1999;Pawlik 1995Pawlik , 2004bPawlik , 2004crots 2003;rots and williamson 2004;Torrence and Barton 2006).…”

Section: Detecting Modern Traits With Microwear Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural Complexity and Modern Traits in the Philippine Upper Palaeolithic

Pawlik¹

2012

asi

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Behavioral modernity has been a widely neglected topic for Southeast Asia’s prehistory. Evidence of modern packages or even traits is basically absent in the Palaeolithic assemblages. This absence has considerably influenced the discussion of hominid behavior and their cultural and cognitive abilities. In a case study on terminal Pleistocene artifacts from Ille Cave on Palawan Island, indications of the presence of several items of the modern trait list, foremost the first evidence of hafted lithic tools and the use of adhesives in the Philippine Palaeolithic, were detected through microwear analysis. The results showed that unretouched and morphologically less characteristic flaked artifacts often considered as mere expedient tools could have served as hafted armatures of multicomponent tools. For the ongoing discussion on the development and expansion of modern behavior, methods like microwear analysis can eliminate some limitations of traditional technological and morphological analysis of lithic assemblages.

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“…The use angle is 70°-90° in ethnographic records in ethiopia, where end scrapers are used only in a pulling motion (Brandt 1997 : 735-736;Brandt and Weedman 1997 : 353;Brandt et al 1996 : 40;Gallagher 1974Gallagher : 177-181, 1977Weedman 2002 : 734). However, tanning in a pushing motion does not always produce a lot of micro-flakings on the dorsal face, because the hide is not so hard as to generate a consistent amount of micro-flaking (rots andWilliamson 2004 : 1290). in addition, it is not easy to distinguish micro-flakings caused by using tools from those caused by making tools.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use Angle and Motional Direction of End Scrapers: A Case Study of the Palaeolithic in Hokkaido, Japan

Takase¹

2010

asi

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introductionEnd scrapers are one of the essential artifacts in human prehistory studied by archaeologists not only in Japan, but elsewhere in the world. Because these artifacts are highly conducive to stylistic embellishments, they provide significant clues for chronological investigation and study of the relationships between sites. The highly curated aspects of end scrapers as a tool also offer valuable information about reduction sequences and functional systems of stone tools (Barnes 1932;Shott 1995;Siegel 1984). Furthermore, this tool is often associated with fur/hide resource processing, clothing which is indispensable for humans, especially in mid-and high-latitude zones. The function-specific character of end scrapers makes it easier for us to e xamine issues related to the history of technology, the division of labor, gender, social stratification and the symbolism of power (Frink and Weedman 2005;Hayden 1979 Hayden , 1990 Hayden , 1993Semenov 1964).in studies of the Palaeolithic in the Japanese islands, end scrapers have played an important role not only in chronology, but also in discussions identifying human groups and their adaptation to cold climates. Arguments in the past concerning cultural attributions and adaptive strategies were not necessarily backed up by sufficient evidence on the use and functions of end scrapers. However, in the last decade, lithic use-wear analysis has demonstrated that the Palaeolithic end scraper was one of the principal tools for hide-working (Kanomata 2003(Kanomata , 2004(Kanomata , 2008Takase 2003 Takase , 2008b Tsutsumi 1997a Tsutsumi , 1997b Tsutsumi , 1999 Tsutsumi , 2000.Nevertheless, very few attempts have been made to investigate in detail the specific mechanics of how end scrapers were used. For example, little is known about the direction of tool movement and the hafting method, although these provide basic information for discussing the technology of hide processing and the tool use strategies of hide-workers. The objective of this article is to demonstrate a method for estimating the direction of tool movement of end scrapers, focusing specifically on the relationship between the use angle and the edge angle (Fig. 1).

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Microwear and residue analyses in perspective: the contribution of ethnoarchaeological evidence

Cited by 87 publications

References 13 publications

The development of plant food processing in the Levant: insights from use-wear analysis of Early Epipalaeolithic ground stone tools

The development of plant food processing in the Levant: insights from use-wear analysis of Early Epipalaeolithic ground stone tools

Behavioural Complexity and Modern Traits in the Philippine Upper Palaeolithic

Use Angle and Motional Direction of End Scrapers: A Case Study of the Palaeolithic in Hokkaido, Japan

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