Getting a Handle on Form and Function: Functional Analysis of Aurignacian Formal Tools from Abri Pataud (Périgord, France)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Examining Spatial-Temporal Variation in the Lithic Technology of the Early Upper Paleolithic" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In Paleolithic Europe, the Aurignacian period marks the beginnings of the production of a multitude of formal tools, each with specific typologies that sometimes have been attributed to one or several functions and actions. Functional studies have shown that morphology does not suffice to infer use, and that one tool type can cover multiple functions. These studies enable us to perceive standardized tools differently by providing information about the materials with which they came into contact, the actions associated with their use, and the possible presence of hafting systems. Furthermore, they inform us about the life cycle of the tools and the investment they received, especially in terms of production, use intensity and resharpening before discard. Some morphotypes may also reveal traces unrelated to use that inform us about lithic production strategies. We address these various aspects by studying the microscopic traces present on a selection of nearly 300 formal tools (endscrapers, sidescrapers, burins, carinated pieces, Aurignacian blades) from Aurignacian layers 7, 8, and 11 of Abri Pataud (Périgord, France). This collection yielded hafting traces for some of the formal and functional categories and provides illustrations of rarely recorded production wear.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Examining Spatial-Temporal Variation in the Lithic Technology of the Early Upper Paleolithic   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 41476.0