UNIONE INTERNAZIONALE DELLE SCIENZE PREISTORICHE E PROTOSTORICHEMembro del Consiglio Internazionale délia Filosofia e délie Scienze Umane

(C.I.P.S.H. - U.N.E.S.C.O.)

UNION INTERNATIONALE DES SCIENCES PRÉHISTORIQUES ET PROTOHISTORIQUESMembre du Conseil International de la Philosophie et des Sciences Humaines

(C.I.P.S.H.-U.N.E.S.C.O.)

INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PREHISTORIC AND PROTOHISTORIC SCIENCESMember of thé Internationa! Council for Philosophy and Humanist ic ,

(C.I.P.S.H.-U.N.E.S.C.O.)

ATTI DEL XIII CONGRESSO

ACTES DU XIII CONGRES

PROCEEDINGS OF THE XIII CONGRESS

VOLUME 6 - Tome II

FORLT - ITALIA

1996

8 -14 settembre8-14 septembre8 -14 september

A.B.A.C.O. EDIZIONI

G.*-*-

Contrihittion oft/tKinlitdiive tunilysix ufsurftice xttiH'x îo a nuilti-nielhod upjmxtch J'or clnirtiftt'ri.\'in\> phtltf-pr&twssîng tmcex onjlint (ools wilh ^/1151

CONTRIBUTION OF QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS

OF SURFACE STATES

TO A MULTI-METHOD APPROACH

FOR CHARACTERISING PLANT-PROCESSING TRACES

ON FLINT TOOLS WITH GLOSS

Patricia Anderson *, Laurence Astmc **, Robert Vargiolu ***, Hassan Zahouani ***

* UPR 7537, CNRS; présent/y: USR 708, CRA du CNRS, Sophia Antipolis, 06560, Valbonne, France.** ERA 28 du CRA du CNRS, UPR 7549, CRA du CNRS, Sophia Antipolis, 06560, Valbonne, France.*** Laboratoire de Tribologie et Dynamique des systèmes, CNRS, UMR 5513, Ecole Centrale de Lvon,36 av. Guv de Collongue (BP 163) 69131, Ecully, France.

INTRODUCTIONSo-called glossed tools hâve been shown to in fact represent a variety of technical processes

relevant to thé beginnings of agriculture and thé évolution of basketry and building practices.In particular, microwear analysis has been used to address issues such as harvest of wild vs.cultivated cereals, vs. reeds, and thé évolution of cereal threshing (ie. using a tribulum) andstraw chopping processes carried out by hand (Anderson in press, Juel-Jensen 1994, Andersonand Inizan 1994, Clémente and Gibaja 1995). In each case, although there is contact betweena flint edge in a longitudinal direction with siliceous plants and free abrasives (ie. soil grains),they interact in differing proportions and conditions (action, pressure, humidity, etc.). Among

. thé varions criteria for distinguishing thèse différent uses, traces of abrasion (morphology,| frequency) seem significant, judging frorn observations using optical microscopy (Anderson

- in press, Anderson and Inizan op. cit.). Our goal hère is to find other criteria of measurementof thé différences in thèse types of use. Hère we compare data from two approaches usedindependently.

The sample studied (ie. tables) consists of tools from Neolithic, Chalcolithic and BronzeAge sites in thé Near East and Eastern Europe, and expérimental tools and ethnographie

S, threshing sledge inserts. Using topographical analysis of surface states, we measured textureyanation for adéquate surface areas of used and unused portions of tools. Pioneer topographical^analyses were carried out in thé early 1980's on flint tools and use-traces, first by Bauchep'986) who applied measurement of surfaces using tactile instruments and 2D image profiles.plien Beyries, Delamare and Quantin (Beyries et al. 1987 and 1988) used 3D images and

lected areas for calculating 2D parameters to compare wear zones, demonstrating thé potentialWs method for characterising wear traces. In thé ten years or so since work has been doneWs area, thé évolution of laser optics and computers has opened new possibilities for

|?pP'ication of quantitative topographical analysis to stone tools. Our study uses a methodologyIopped by Zahouani, Jardret, Mathias, Kaspa, Loubet et Vargiolu (Zahouani et al. 1995ln press) consisting of optical measurement of thé surfaces and 3D parameters now capable

g into account entire surfaces rather than profiles. It seeks to establish 'parametersto traces originating through distinct wear processes. Two parameters which are

d in analysis of surface states, bearing area ratio and average valley, were calculated

1152XIII U.I.S.RP. Cnngrcss Pracecilings - for/i. cî - 14 Septemlier 1996

for thèse objects and are compared in this study. Finally, Kimball and Allen hâveAtomic Force Microscope to characterize polish surface topography on expérimental i(Kimball étal. 1995 and this vol.).

EQUIPMENTFor optical microscopy, preliminary observation of traces was made using light fieldlS

Differential Interfèrent!al Contrast (DIC) at 100 and 200 X magnification, techniques wfàsare now traditional in microwear analysis. Thèse were recorded as digitised images, and tnusing thé Biocom Imagenia program (fig.l, 3).

For thé 3D quantification of surface state, thé optical rugosimeter was used. Othjfinstruments we considered using include a tactile System, interferometry and an atomic fomicroscope (AFM), each of which give différent resolutions on a vertical scale, ranging j0.2 jim for thé tactile to 0.1 nm for thé AFM.

In order to be able to make comparative measurements of unused vs. polished orzones of af l int tôol, weneeded to choose an instrument capable ofboth good resolution, soatlto measure texture variation of polished surfaces, and of a gréât enough vertical measuremeiitlcapacity to measure unused areas which hâve significant surface relief. The AFM and thclinterferometer are well-adapted to polished zones, but because their maximum vertical*amplitude is limited to 10 pm, they are incapable of measuring unused areas and certain use-polishes whose peak-valley amplitude is well over 10 jum. '

We needed to measure a sufficiently large area as to be représentative of thé overall surface,but also sufficiently small as to hâve a good latéral resolution for thé measurement of polishes. ?Again, thé AFM covers a surface of at most 100 X 100 jim, allowing fine quantification of --•micro-polish features on a plateau, but cannot give an overall impression of thé surface.

The optical rugosimeter therefore proved to be thé best-adaptated instrument given thégoals of our study. Its two ranges of measurement (100 nm ± 500 jum; 10 nm ± 50 jum) canaccomodate both polished zones (10 nm resolution) and unused areas in identical conditions.

We progressively adapted our sampling method. We found that a preliminary analysis of asample of used and unused areas of various flint and obsidian tools, measured using surfacesof 512 X 512 microns in 1 micron intervais, was idéal for locating, measuring and makingsections of wear phenomena such as pits and striae we had seen using thé optical microscope.However, this measurement mode proved inadéquate for giving a représentative ideaof overallsurface: for example, wide deep valleys we considered as characteristic, were measured onlyonce for certain objects sampled on this scale.

Therefore we increased thé surface area measured to 1.024 X 1.024 mm, using a samplinginterval of 2 microns, which produces an image of 512 points.

In order to further increase thé statistical value of thé area sampled, 3D measurementswere made for four randomly-chosen areas of each object, two in "unused" areas (withoutmicrowear traces detected in thé optical analysis) opposite thé active edge, and two in areaswith microwear traces, as close as possible to thé edge itself. The program used for analysis(Toposurf) produces'a synthetic 3D image from thé topographie measurements, whoseresolution is near that of thé SEM, for a 1024 X 1024 mm area, as hère. Several surfacecaracterisation parameters are also calculated, such as average peak, average valley, developpedsurface, bearing area, etc. Two kinds of data are presented in this article: 3D surface images,and diagrams corresponding to thé two parameters we found best express texture variation ofour objects, at this time: bearing area and average valley.

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Miensame fe;igreater Imicro-piresuit fndepress'u

CotitrihtttitHi offjiKHitiuitive (iiuiivxix of surface xiaies to a iniilti-nu'thotl ti ch for i-hiirticti>risin\> plttiit~pFQeGSSÎng irticex on font tools with ,i*/o.ï.v1153

CHOICE OF STATISTICAL PARAMETERSAlthough thé average roughness (Ra) parameter, used in prier studies (Kimball et al. op.cit.,

Bauche op. cit.), shows tendencies in characterisation of surfaces, we judged it to be inadéquatein our study for two reasons: first, thé surfaces studied are not always isotropic, and seconddeep valleys will give artificially elevated Ra values. Theretbre we sought other parameters.The bearing area ratio best suited our objective of quantitative comparison of fresh and usedareas of flint tools.

Friction between two surfaces normally increases thé bearing area, because it causestruncation of high points (peaks), creating plateaus. The bearing area is calculated using suc-cessive cuts across thé alterated surface layer at différent levels, and measures those areas incontact with a given plane. The relationship between thé total area in contact with a plane (wechose a bearing area at 5% of thé total surface to define thé 1/h 5% parameter) and actualmeasured surface, is thé bearing area ratio. The higher this value (1/h 5%), thé greater thébearing area capacity of thé surface.

Although thé bearing area ratio characterises only wear of plateaus or peaks of thé surface,thé mean valley parameter, calculated using a principle used in profile analysis, describesphenomena recorded for valley depths. Each area analysed is divided into 25 basic zones,and within each one, thé deepest valley is measured. The mean of thé twenty-five zones isthen calculated.

OPTICAL MICROS COP YOptical microscopy criteria for identifying reed harvesting as opposed to cereal harvesting

and (Fig. 1.1 and 3.1) are: thé "inflated" appearance of thé topography, as opposed to théflatter one for cereal harvesting; thé apparent brillance of thèse areas for reed-harvest as seenin contrast to thé dark, unaffected areas of thé flint. In terms of linear traces, for thé samevisual degree of polish development, reed-harvest produces mainly fluting, (Juel-Jensen op.cit.) and harvest of cereal, mainly striae. The most distinctive criteria for reed-harvesting isthé contrast between thé polish distribution network at thé very edge (compact, with a verysmooth texture which appears to cover thé entire surface) and just back from this area, wherethis distribution abruptly changes to an open network, limited to thé high points of thé surface.

Chopping of barley stems on uncompacted soil using hafted bladelets produced, after 40minutes (Fig. 3.2d), a polish with a semi-open distribution network with a mat to moderatelybright appearance, fréquent regularly-distributed craters, and with fine abrasion striae likethose on thé ethnographie tribulum flints. The very edge was lightly and regularly rounded.Another experiment used an unhafted flake to chop slightly green straw of emmer wheat on acompacted threshing floor (Fig. 3.2abc). Near thé edge, thé polish produced is semi-brightwith a smooth texture with micro-pitting and craters. Fréquent intermittent (appearing as lines

t of dots) striae occur, as well as rough-troughed striae and fine striae with a v-section. The veryedge is damaged by material removal, creating an irregular surface texture, and some comet-| shaped striae occur over a smaller area of thé edge surface than for tribulum flints. The abra-* sive component becomes far greater back from thé very edge: irregular removal of material

_& occured, but also ribbon-like abrasion tracks (groups of bright linear traces). The polish textureH f5 largely composed of individual abrasion features.

Micro wear features of threshing sledge (tribulum) inserts (Fig. 1.2) include most of thé|same features describes for thé chopping of straw by hand, but in more marked form and with~greater frequency, as well as other distinctive attributes. Tribulum inserts hâve a rough and

gjnicro-pitted texture, with médium brightness and a metallic appearance. Traces, appearing tofrom mechanical abrasion under extrême pressure, include characteristic craterlike

of highly variable shape,and size which are sometimes extensive and unevenly

-1154Xlll U.l.S.P.P. Concrets Pmcct'iliiigs - forli, S-14 Seplimber 1996

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distributed over thé used surface. They are sometimes connected to characteristicdépressions of varions widths which occur as u-shaped grooves in thé surface. Thèse gcan hâve matte, rugged troughs, or be comprised of multiple smaller striae. Narrowervarying widths with irregular, dot-like edges and troughs occur, often closely grouped to°iOrientation of linear features is generally longitudinal. Linear features tend to stretchacross far longer distances over thé surface than for other uses (despite intermittent gapsto dépressions).

COMPARATIVE RESULTSFor ail samples studied, two général observations can be made:

1. The nature of thé raw material (heterogeneity of grain size, composition, etc) has a cl<influence:

- in optical microscopy, on thé observed development of traces- in quantified texture analysis, on microtopography and on surface fragility of thé raw materia

2. The bearing area parameter, which quantifies wear of thé high points (plateaus) of thflmicrotopography, always varies in thé same way between thé unused and thé used portions oflthé surfaces of thé objects measured: it increases (fig. 2).

The analysis and thé quantification of abrasive traces (undoubtedly caused by frictioajjjfrom varying amounts and kinds of surface contact with soil and other particles of diverse!origin) is key in thé distinction between harvest of reeds and harvest of cereals, on one haniÇtfand between inserts used in a tribulum to chop and thresh, and hand-held or hafted blanks l|used to chop straw on thé ground by hand, on thé other. Within thèse two groups, macro-wear -|analysis (analysis of cutting edges and active zones using low magnification) is an important |ffanalytical tool.

Cereal and reed harvestingFor this first group, thé criteria vary mainly according to thé nature of thé plant material

(hardness, elasticity, humidity) and thé présence of free abrasives interacting in thé process offormation of use traces. The tools studied having thé greatest variation in bearing area (Fig. 2)between unused and used areas of thé flint, were inserts of sickles used experimentally toharvest cereals (harvest wild cereals 13 hours, harvest of bread wheat 13 hours, and an objeclfrom thé latter experiment despite subséquent use in thé expérimental tribulum for 3 hours).Archeological tools having this attribute are those from Jerfel Ahmar and Tepe Sabz 2. Thisextensive wear of peaks or plateaus of thé surface topography corresponds to observationsmade in optical microscopy: thé polish appears to cover thé surface in a compact network, andshows few abrasive-type striae and micropits. The lowest value of bearing area ratio, obtainedfor a tool from Nevali Cori, is due to a distortion of thé measurement System. The 3D imagesshowed that thé présence of lancettes (counting as dépressions) in thé used area measuredskewed thé results, producing an under-representation of thé wearing-down of surface peaks.The inserts used to harvest reed showed a lesser flattening of plateaus than for thé tools above,but as thé wear affected only thèse areas, there was no consequential modification of valleys.

Chopping straw and threshingFor thé second group, thé location of surface features caused by abrasion (removals, striae,

micropits) and macroscopic characteristics found on thé used edge (scarring and rounding)are essential to thé diagnosis of this category. Contrary to thé first group, which shows acertain internai cohésion, thé middle-range and low values for thé bearing area ratio correspondto a variety of objects analysed, which are différent in terms of technical opération (ethnographie

sis- InJHrnentu

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; to be

'-to §ivt

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etc) has a clear

-ssn

Cotitrihutio» fift/iitinnratn't' (tiKtlyxix of surface xtate.t to n inulii-inethod iippmttch for chctracterisitit» plsnt-pfocffssbts traces onjlint tools with tf/

tr ibulum insert, expérimental tribulum after 3 hours and 6 hours of use, chopping straw on théground by hand, harvest of reeds), of duration of use and of grain size. In terms of wearquantification, thé position ofDurankulak, Kutan, Tepe Sabz 1 and theAnatolianandBulgarianethnographie threshing sledge inserts is unexpected. The intensity of their wear features inoptical microscopy (Tables 1 and 2, last column) seems to be underepresented in quantitativeanalysis. In any case, their degree of wear should be greater than for thé tools usedexperimentally in thé tribulum for 3 and 6 hours, and thé tool used to chop straw for 20minutes on thé ground. The working hypothesis we suggest is that thé wear process for thèseuses is différent from thé process occurring during harvest, and thé altérations of peak areasneeds to be complemented by information concerning modifications of valleys as well, inorder to give an accurate picture.

The graph for mean valleys (fig. 2) provides this missing information. Hère, a centraily-located group corresponding to cereal harvest and harvest of soft parts of reeds (harvest ofwilcl cereal 13 hours, harvest of bread wheat 13 hours, Jerf el Ahmar, harvesting reed 3 hourswi th Syrian f l in t , harvesting reed 4 hours with Cypriot flint) corresponds to an infinitessimalmodification in depth of valleys after use.

Beside this group, other groups of objects exhibit surface altérations which:- correspond to an increase in valley depth following use: for example, ail three expérimental

threshing sledge (tribulum) inserts and two archeological pièces previously hypothesized ashaving had this use in optical microscopy (Durankulak and Tepe Sabz 2);

- are correlated with a decrease in depth of valleys following use, ie. thé Anatolian tribuluminsert, thé two experiments chopping straw by hand on thé ground, thé sickle insert used 13hours to harvest cereals then re-used as a tribulum insert for 3 hours and thé archeologicaltools from Tepe Sabz 1 and Nevali Cori;

- show significant decrease in depth of valleys (Anatolian tribulum, Kutan).Thèse data warrant further discussion, not possible in thé présent article due to space

limitations. In général however, at thé présent time, thé quantitative parameters used haye_produced qualitative data which support thé observations made in optical microscopy, andreinforce thé basis for distinction between technical processes important to thé developmentof agriculture: harvesting vs. threshing of cereals, and use of thé tribulum vs. chopping ofstraw on thé ground by hand.

For thé harvesting situations discussed in thé présent study, thé wear process is reflectedalmost entirely by variation in bearing area (plateaus, peaks), with modification in valleydepth being ofrelatively little significance.

«;- For those actions implying greater influence of soil particles in thé wear process (as is théfor thé tribulum), thé development of thé bearing area value is accompanied by an altération

|ln valley depth. Hère, thé change in valley depth may consist, in varying degrees, of either aJUpreakdown in surface cohésion and increase in surface fragility (removals), or of an infilling

pf thé valleys. Thèse two phenomena are undoubtedly related, perhaps as différent stages of aprocess, and suggest thé wear mechanism is of a more complex nature than thé one

arvesting.• The relationship between traces caused by abrasion seen using optical microscopy (chopping3w by hand) and thé altération recorded for thé valleys, remains to be established with

|feflainty. The action of soil grains in contact with active zones of thé tool does appear to bely significant, in any case.

The modifications of thé low points of thé flint surface from use suggest that thé wearrelevant hère involve both thé concept of a deposit (altération of a surface layer-

gel, residues) and of an abrasive use, and that thèse two phenomena are associated inways for différent tool uses.

7755

1156XIII U.I.S.P.P. Congnss Proceedings - Forli, S -14 Septcmber 1996

Conclusions must await further work aimed at accurately replicating technicaland other means of understanding processes of altération on ail levels and at ailobservation, in particular by:

- Controlling expérimental parameters affecting wear mechanisms (raw material,mechanics and conditions of use, etc.);

- Measuring résistance of différent flint types to various kinds of wear, pressuœl(sclerometry);

- Testing other mathematical parameters;- Increasing thé data base of expérimental and archaeological tools measured;- Constructing spécifie expérimental programs: for example, ours presently uses au?

historically attested tribulum reconstruction vs. ethnographie tribulums to address observaidifférences at ail levels, including edge macrowear, between ethnographie threshing s!ed»c-;

flints and archaeological tools (Andersen inpress).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe experiments forming thé basis of this work were financed by thé transversal research

program on plant-working tool traces of thé CRA of thé CNRS (Valbonne, FR), thé GDR 743of thé CNRS (Paris), and thé French foreign mission for Anatolian Prehistory (Jalès, FR). Thearchaeological material analysed hère was kindly provided by N. Skakun M-L. Inizan, F.Hole, K. Schmidt and T. McClellan, and thé ethnographie material by J. and M-C. Cauvin andN. Skakun. Helpful comments were made at various stages of this work by S. Beyries, H.Plisson,J. Pellegrin, H. Procopiou, N. Skakun and A. van Gijn.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANDERSON P.C. (in press). Interpreting traces of new Near Eastern Neolithic craft activities:An Ancestor of thé threshing sledge for processing domestic crops? In: A. van Gijn (Ed.), TheUse of Lithic Tools In Neolithic Craft Activities. Helinium, 34, 1994.

ANDERSON P.C., INIZAN M-L., 1994. Utilisation du tribulum au début du IIP-millénaire:des lames "cananéennes" lustrées à Kutan (Ninive V) dans la région de Mossoul, Iraq.Paléorient, 20/2: 85-103.

BAUCHE R., 1986. Die anwendung von rauheitsmessungen bei der untersuchung vonneolithischen Mahl-und schleifsteinen. In: Clark D.W., Laville H., Muller-Beck, Ranov A.V.(eds), Early Man News 9/10/11, part I, Tubingen, 1986, pp. 51-67.

BEYRIES S., DELAMARE F., QUANTIN J-C, 1987. Étude quantitative des traces d'utilisationsur outils lithiques par rugosimétrie ridimensionnelle. Archéologues et ordinateur n° 10, Lettresd'information du CRA n° 32, CNRS, pp. 3-8.

BEYRIES S., DELAMARE F., QUANTIN J-C, 1988. Tracéologie et rugosimétrietridimensionnelle. In: Beyries S. (éd.) Industries lithiques. Tracéologie et technologie, vol. 2:aspects méthodologiques. CRA du CNRS. BAR Inter. Ser. 411, Oxford, 1988, pp. 115-132.

CLEMENTE I., GIBAJA J., 1995. Distintos procesos de trabajo sobre recursos végétales(céréales). Una aproximaciôn a través de los rastros de uso. In: Cultures i Medi de la Prehistôriaal'Edat. Mitjana. XèColloqui Internacional d'Arqueologia de Puigcerdà, pp. 119-124.

.'3&t::-*?*

:'.3K

1H?

Contribution oftiiitiniiuiiivi' nnalysis t)f surface Mates ii> <i multi-inelliotl ctppnniclifor chtffl3£t&Ji$!ttg f>ltin(-f»in't',\.':in^ tnices onflint totifx \\-iih gloss11

::.;-h ni cal processes--J at ail scales of

laterial, duration,

wear, pressure

;.,ured;•• resenti y uses an•'tddress observed: ihreshing sledge

KIMBALL L.R., KIMBALL J.F.. ALLEN E., 1995. Microwear polishes as viewed throughthé Atomic Force Microscope, Lithic Technology, vol. 20, n°l , pp. 6-28.

JUEL JENSEN H., 1994. Flint tools and plant working. Hidden traces ofstone âge technology.Aarhus, Aarhus University Press, p. 263.

ZAHOUANI H., JARDRET V., MATHIAS T.G., 1995. Morphology characterisation of RoughMaterial. In: Sudarshan T.S. and Jeandien M. (Eds), Surface modification technologies VIII,Ontario, pp. 135-147.

ZAHOUANI H., VARGIOLU R., KAPSA Ph., LOUBET J.L., MATHIAS T.G. (in press).Influence de l'échelle d'analyse sur la caractérisation de la morphologie des surfaces rugeusesen tribologie. Apport du modèle fractal. Société française de tribologie.

i. s versai research;<), thé GDR 743

M-L. Inizan, F.yl-C. Cauvin and>-yries, H.Plisson,

icraft activitiessBI

1 Gijn (Ed.), '

Experirnenîalm aie ri al

"Har\: <hmJ3 h""Harv. wid cer"

"Harv. recd 4h cvp.""Harv. rced 3h .svr."

"Cul snrni- JO' Joies"

"Cut straw 40'""Har\'. cJom. I3h + irib. 3h"

"Trib. 6h"'Tnb. !/ 3h""Tnb. 2/Jh"

Ethnographiemat cri al

"Trib. Buis.""Anatolian tribulum"

technicalprocès s

low h;irvc.s!in»low h:irvesiiii!ï

h i n h hiuvcsiinch r a h hiirvcsiincchoppins straw

choppin» strawfiarvest+ thresh + chop

thresh + chopthresh + chop[hresh + chop

thresh + chopihresh + chop

plant material

T. cKXtfyitiu

T. haeoiictirn

Phnn;tniif.f. \irccn shootsPhnKiïiites. «rcen shoots

T. iSccocum

Honki m sp.T. nés ivtim

T. œs ivitm

T. œs iriiiriT. aes ivum

domestic ccreaîcbmestic œreal

durationof use

13 hrs.13 hrs.4 hrs.3 hrs.

40min.40 mîn.I3h + 3h

6 hrs.3 hrs.3 hrs.

T

?

niw m;iterial grain sïze(est.) and origin

fine (LdJcaiu Cvprus)fine (el Kowm. Svria)

yr.mul;ir (Lelkarïï. Cvpms)Une (el Kowm. Svria)

«ranular (Lcfkaro. Cvprus)fine (Ru.ssia)

lîne (Lefkara. Cvprus)

meifium (unknown)cranulartLcikani, Cvprus)

tlne (unknown)

medum (unknown)

fine (unknown)

location ofexperimcnt

France

SvriaFranceFrance

FranceS painFranceFranceFranceFrance

BufcariaTurkey

wearintcnsi ty(réf. est.)

** *#*#

**

**

*

* *

* *****

Tab. 1. Expérimental and ethnographie sample studie'd (optical mivroscopy and 3D quantification ofsurface state). Thresh + chop: using threshing sledge (tribulum). Relative estimated wear inîen-sity: optical microscopy: *** = intensive; ** = marked; * = weak.

ices d'utilisatic

Archaeological. material__^ "Jerf a Ahmar"

"Nevali Cori"^___ "TepcSabz 1"*^___"TepeSabz2"• "Kutan"— -^____lDu ran k u I ak "

interpre(edas

sickle insertsickle insert

t r ibulum insertt r ibu lum inserttribulum insertiribuium insert

. from

Syria

TurkeyIranIranImq

Bulsaria

chronology

Vni ihmi l l en ium BCVllth m i l l e n i u m BCVIth mi l l en ium BC jFVth mi l len ium BC

nirdmillcmum BCîllrd millenium BC

raw materialgrain sïze (est.)

f i ne

mcxiiummédiummedum

finemedum

wear intensity(re . est.)

«**

* *********

2. Archaeological sample studied (optical mivroscopy and 3D quantification of surface state).Relative estimated wear intensity: optical microscopy: *** = intensive; ** = marked; * = weak.

1158XIII U.I.S.P.P. Congress Proceedings - Forli, 8 - 14 Seplember 1996

o

Fig. 1. Comparison of traces of use. (1) Edge tool used to harvest cereal for 13 hours. (2) Edge of a fl intinsert from an Anatolian ethnographie threshing sledge. (a) 3D images of unused surface. (b)3Dimages of used surface, (c) Optical micrographs at 100X.

Average valley

Aoaioliafl tribuium

.Trib. Bulg.

. Trib. 6h

Trib.2/3h

Trib. l/3h

CutSmw WJalis

CutSuaw 4ff

Harv. rccd 3h syr.

H&rv. recd 4h cyp.

ÏUrv. dom. 13h

Hwv. dom. 13h + trib. 3h

H»rv. wldcer. 13h

Ncv«li Cod

/ Tcpe S»bi I

Kuuii

Duruikulak

Tcpe Sabz 2

Jerf e! Ahinar

30

Ilarvcsl cereal

[~ j Oïl siraw un thc gxound

[~ ] Tribulum

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Fig. 2. Using computer treatment of 3D co-ordinates taken for surface texture of use area, comparison of bearing area ratio and average valley, amongobjects from expérimental, ethnographie and archaeological context: harvest cereal and reed, eut straw on thé ground, threshing sledge.Thèse four modes of treatment of plant material involve wear of thé summits of thé fl int microtopography, as seen from thé increase in thé bearing area ratio foreach. The results obtained for thé valleys is more variable, however: increase of valley values for three experimentally-used threshing sledge flints, and to a muchlesser extent, for a reed-harvesting tool and for two archaeological tools interprétée! as having been used in a threshing instrument (Durankulak, Tepe Sabz 2);decrease of valley values for thé ethnographie Anatolian tribulum flint. The process concerning "tribulum flints" may involve a repeated cycle of weakening ofstructure, removal and filling-in of valleys; then re-weakening, removal and fi!ling-in, with wear of summits occuring at each stage as well. Finally, althoughbearing area and average valley are calculated taking into account measurements of unusedareas of each tool, other tests need to be run in order to see whether forcertain use-processes, thèse values could be inflenced by variability in thé f l int structure.

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1160XIII U.I.S.P.R Congress Prncecdiiigs - Forli, S -14 September 1996

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Fig. 3. (1) Micrograph of edgeof flint tool usedto harvest reed for 90 minutes (100X). (2) Cut-ting of straw on thé ground by hand.a. Cutîing on clay threshing floor for 40 minutes.b. Expérimental tool used in (a). Wear seen onthé cutting edge (200X).c. Same tool as in (b). Wear found back from théedge (200X).d. Comparable experiment carried on by J. Gi-baja and I. Clémente on soil in a field for 40minutes (200X).

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