Time to Shine: Quantifying the Effect of Burnishing as a Bone Tool Production Method

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Animal Resources in Experimental Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological bone tools acquire a complexly layered series of traces throughout their use-life and after their deposition. Teasing out these traces and understanding their source is essential for any meaningful interpretation of ancient human behavior. Equifinality, the appearance of similar physical characteristics through different means, remains a challenge. In some cases, near-identical materials that should produce similar microwear patterns may have interacted with bone tool surfaces for different purposes. Animal skin could be used to burnish a bone tool during its final production stage, or it could be the material worked by a complete bone tool. In either case, their resulting polishes may be indistinguishable. In this study, we use a confocal microscope and ISO parameters to test microwear development over burnished and non-burnished bone surfaces. Our aim is to determine whether a quantitative signature indicative of material turnover can be detected. We produce a series of small, pointed tools and burnish half with wet tanned leather. We use both types on fresh skin, linden bark, or raffia and analyze them at timed intervals. Finally, we discuss how intentionally burnished surfaces may confound microwear studies as the development of wear atop differently modified surfaces takes on different characteristics.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Animal Resources in Experimental Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37416.0