Verifying the Reliability of Lithic Use-Wear Assessments by 'Blind Tests': The Low-Power Approach

Blind tests shed light on possibilities and limitations for identifying stone tool prehension and hafting

“…Only Odell attempted to propose valid distinctive criteria (e.g. [12,14,15]). Recently, the work of Odell was extended on a larger and more systematic basis [16].…”

“…A blind test is an objective means to evaluate the accuracy of information retrieved by a specific method. Several blind tests were executed at the beginning of functional research, a few applying low magnification [15,26,27], several applying high magnification (e.g. [8,4,9,11,29,2]).…”

The first residue analysis blind tests: results and lessons learnt

“…Blind tests in archaeological context are, however, standard practice for many microwear analysts [2,3,9,16,17,20,23,26]. The most obvious reason for conducting such tests is to verify the skill of an analyst regarding the identification and interpretation of residues adhering to stone tools.…”

Raspadita: a new lithic tool from the Isthmus of Rivas, Nicaragua

“…The lack of edge damage indicates that a soft to medium soft material was scraped. This could include meat, fresh hides, green plants, soft plants, non-fibrous plants; soft woods, dry hides, reeds, grasses, fibrous plants, and plants with silica (Bamforth, 1987;Bradley and Clayton, 1983;Brink, 1978;Odell and Odell-Vereecken, 1981).…”