Blind-Testing, Post-Depositional Damage, and Lithic Microwear: Results of Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses Using Optical Microscopy and Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy

Summary

The increasing adoption of approaches to lithic microwear analysis based on metrology and tribology by archaeologists has provided opportunities to revisit unresolved issues associated with microwear method, such as wear formation processes, the exclusivity of polishes derived from different worked materials, and, as presented in this paper, post-depositional damage and the accuracy and reliability of microwear analysis. In this paper, we discuss the results of blind-tests performed on chipped stone flakes made from obsidian, chert, and flint using traditional optical microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). The stone tools were produced and used by one researcher, deposited in a soil matrix for six months to replicate post-depositional conditions, and then independently analyzed by the other using a metallurgical microscope and the LSCM. Recommendations are made with regard to: 1) the design and execution of blind tests for lithic microwear analysis, 2) the distinction of use-related wear from other surface damage, and 3) the potential benefits of applying a dual method approach that relies on traditional visual analysis and the quantification of surface wear.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Exploring the Microscale: Advances and Novel Applications of Microscopy for Archaeological Materials

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