Use-wear Analysis of Flaked Stone Tools from the Cueva Ventana Site, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Summary

Functionality of lithic assemblages from Puerto Rico has been traditionally based on tools morphology. These suggestions, which are rarely proven, are put to test in the present study in using use-wear analysis of 87 chert flakes from the early site of Cueva Ventana (2400 – 1010 b.C.). Experiments were conducted on 28 flakes of the same raw material, in which microscopic traces present on stone tool surfaces were compared with those present on the tools from the site. These experiments included replicating activities on hard and soft wood and the study of their use-wear to interpret economic processes at the site.The results show that the lithic assemblage of the site is not related to the activities and functions suggested by morphology, giving us a cautionary tale regarding interpretations about tools function, and at the same time reminding us of the importance of use-wear analysis for the interpretation of archaeological contexts in the island.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage