The Effects of Human Trample Damage on Lithics: A Consideration of Crucial Variables

Abstract

This paper reports the results of an experiment that was partially designed to test Tringham et al.’s (1974:113) criteria for trample damage. More importantly, it produces a comprehensive model of the trample process, which demonstrates the complexity of the process and the number of crucial variables involved. The model predicts that as trample time increases, the number of flake scars will generally increase until an equilibrium is reached. How quickly this equilibrium is reached and the number of flakes still exposed to trample during this equilibrium is set by the penetrability of the soil at the trample site. Because of the complexity of the process, a revised set of criteria for trample damage is developed, which is flexible enough to take trample context into consideration. Before we can predict trample damage (or any kind of edge wear, for that matter) a thorough understanding of the process that produces the scars is needed. Lastly, the paper turns to the possible productive uses trample damage can have in archaeological analysis.