Lithic Micro-Wear Traces at Morphological Junctions: Function Vs. Typology Reconsidered in Terms of Technological Organizations

Summary

The paper investigates some fundamental aspects of use-wear of lithic artifacts, concerning the relations between function and morphology. During the course of micro-wear research since the 1960s, it was often questioned whether tool typologies actually reflects their functions, or which morphological attributes are diagnostic of their utilization. Case studies in the Upper Paleolithic of East Asia also revealed variability in end-scrapers whose functions seem to be relatively consistent as hide working tools, to burins which exhibit diversified usage, as well as projectile points whose functions are less evident from traceological data. A more theoretical approach to use-wear is proposed here for understanding the complex diversity of tool function. The concept of "technological organization" (by Binford) combined with settlement patterns along a river basin, is applied to traceological research in the Paleolithic of northeastern part of the Japanese archipelago. The Mogami River archaeological project and standardized experimental program of the Tohoku University team provide concrete data bases for this methodological discussion. Investigations at the Kamino A site, the Takakurayama site, the Hakusan E and B sites of blade industry, the Araya and Kakuniyama sites of microblade industry, shed light on the theme of the organizational approach to lithic use-wear.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21205