Sandstone Ground Stone Technology: a Multi-level Use Wear and Residue Approach to Investigate the Function of Pounding and Grinding Tools

Abstract

Ground stone tool (GST) technology includes artefacts utilized in pounding or grinding activities and characterized by long life cycles and multiple uses. The introduction of such technology dates back to early prehistory, and for this reason, it is used as prime evidence for tackling a wide range of archaeological questions such as the origins of technology, patterns of daily subsistence and lifeways. In this paper, we contribute to the field of study of GSTs by discussing the application of a novel multi-level analytical approach combining use wear and residue observations at low and high magnification with residue spatial distribution investigated using GIS. We aim to assess the potential of a combined use wear and residue approach to (1) discriminate specific gestures and worked materials on sandstone GSTs and (2) understand the potential of residue distributions for reconstructing ancient GST functions and, more specifically, the role of GSTs recovered at Mesolithic sites of the Danube Gorges region in the Central Balkans. We identified diagnostic surface modifications associated with the use of GSTs in different activities involving both animal and plant materials. Morphological characteristics of residues have been described under reflected and transmitted light and characterized using biochemical staining. Finally, we mapped residues across the utilized surfaces of experimental tools to link patterns of residue spatial distribution to specific materials and gestures. We expect our methodological approach will be taken up by other researchers in order to produce comparable datasets on GSTs and improve our understanding of their ancient functional biographies.

Wild cereal grain consumption among Early Holocene foragers of the Balkans predates the arrival of agriculture

“…4Bb, Cc). The aforementioned combination of use-wear and macro residues are commonly associated with GSTs used as handstones for crushing and grinding grass grains and/or fruits, such as hazelnuts and/or acorns in our experimental record (Cristiani and Zupancich, 2020) (Fig. 8).…”

“…Furthermore, starch granules were considered reliable only when in combination with use wear traces associated with plant processing. Functional study involved the analysis of use-wear traces on the GST surfaces at low magnification (0.75x-168x) using a Zeiss Discovery V20 stereomicroscope and at high magnification (200x-500x) with a Zeiss AxioScope metallographic reflected light microscope (Cristiani and Zupancich, 2020;. At low magnification, GSTs were analyzed using a Zeiss Discovery V20 Stereomicroscope, which allowed us to assess the state of preservation of the materials and identify the residues still adhering to the surfaces.…”

“…Slides were subsequently analyzed in transmitted light using Zeiss Imager2 microscope (630x) and crosspolarizing filters. For archaeological residues, appearance, morphological features, and spatial patterns of distribution were considered (Cristiani and Zupancich, 2020). An experimental reference collection of used GSTs and starch granules housed at the DANTE laboratory was consulted along with relevant literature and scientific databases.…”

A microbotanical and microwear perspective to plant processing activities and foodways at Neolithic Çatalhöyük

“…No well-established use-wear signatures can be securely associated with the processing of USOs due to the lack or limited number of experiments focusing on USOs [ 137 ]. While the identification of diagnostic use-wear signatures associated with the processing of different plant materials has been achieved at an experimental level [ 137 , 138 ], it is not always possible to apply this detail of interpretation to the archaeological materials. This is particularly the case for archaeological tools that have been used against multiple contact materials and therefore display mixed wear signatures.…”

Wild cereal grain consumption among Early Holocene foragers of the Balkans predates the arrival of agriculture

“…Furthermore, starch granules were considered reliable only when in combination with use traces associated to plant processing. Functional study involved the analysis of use-wear traces on the GST surfaces at low magnification (0.75x-168x) using a Zeiss Discovery V20 stereomicroscope and at high magnification (200x-500x) with a Zeiss AxioScope metallographic reflected light microscope (Cristiani and Zupancich, 2020;. At low magnification, GSTs were analyzed using a Zeiss Discovery V20 Stereomicroscope, which allowed us to assess the state of preservation of the materials and identify the residues still adhering to the surfaces.…”