What’s Shape Got to Do With It? Evaluating the Degree to Which Motion and Material Type Influence Edge Outline of Obsidian Flakes

Summary

Often in the study of stone tools, without the application of microarchaeological studies and the presence of microwear, little is left to distinguish how the tool was used originally and what the tool may have been processing. Was it used for scraping? Sawing? Slicing? Was it slicing bone? Scraping animal hide? Is it even possible for archaeologists to discern such behaviors from the tool without having access to definitive microwear traces and/or residues? In this study, we test whether the shape of a flake’s edge may yield information regarding its utilization. More specifically we look at whether certain performed motions and usage on varying material types result in similar effects on the overall outline of the flake edge over time. An experimentally produced obsidian flake assemblage is utilized, with the targeted flake edge outlines mathematically defined using Elliptical Fourier Analysis (EFA) and statistically evaluated in R before, during, and after use. Effects of variation in the pre-use edge outlines on the discrimination after use between behavioral categories are evaluated. From the results, we establish expectations for the ability of EFA to statistically distinguish edge shapes according to motions performed in use and/or the material type being processed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22515