Lithic Raw Material Economy in the Mesolithic: An Experimental Test of Edged Tool Efficiency and Durability in Bone Tool Production

ABSTRACT

The foundation of this paper is lithic economy with a focus on the actual use of different lithic raw materials for tasks at hand. Our specific focus is on the production of bone tools during the Mesolithic. The lithic and osseous assemblages from Strandvägen, Motala, in east-central Sweden provide the archaeological background for the study. Based on a series of experiments we evaluate the efficiency and durability of different tool edges of five lithic raw materials: Cambrian flint, Cretaceous flint, mylonitic quartz, quartz, and porphyry, each used to whittle bone. The results show that flint is the most efficient of the raw materials assessed. Thus, a non-local raw material offers complements of functional characteristics for bone working compared to locally available quartz and mylonitic quartz. This finding provides a new insight into lithic raw material distribution in the region, specifically for bone tool production on site.

KEYWORDS:

• Lithic raw material
• experimental archaeology
• efficiency
• durability
• Mesolithic

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Daniel Sahlén and Maria Wojnar-Johansson, at the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University, for operating the scanning electron microscopes.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Sara Gummesson is Ph.D student at the Osteoarchaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Stockholm University. She works with Mesolithic bone and antler craft and patterning in osteological assemblages from the Stone Age. Central to this research is the study of taphonomy and spatial distribution.

Rolf Sundberg is Professor, em., of statistical science at the Division of Mathematical Statistics, Department of Mathematics, Stockholm University. Interests are in statistical modelling and statistical methods, both theoretically and in applied statistics, with special experience in chemometrics, biostatistics, and paleoclimatology.

Helena Knutsson has Ph.D in Archaeology, Uppsala University, and consultant archaeologist, Stoneslab, Uppsala, Sweden. Her research since 1980s has been focused on developing methods for understanding and investigating lithic tools within their context, such as use-wear analysis and technological production studies based in experimental archaeology and ethno-analogy.

Peter Zetterlund graduated in 1985, Uppsala University, Sweden. He is employed at The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums. He is project manager for archaeological investigations. He is a specialist in lithic technology and micro-wear analysis.

Fredrik Molin graduated in archaeology at Umeå University. Has a long experience in the field of Contract Archaeology, currently for The Archaeologists at the National Historical Museums in Sweden. His research has mainly concerned remains from the Stone Age, with a focus on hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic Scandinavia. Of special interest are household archaeology and intra-site studies, as well as raw materials, procurement and technology. Fredrik is currently head of the large-scale archaeological project in Motala, Sweden.

Kjel Knutsson is Professor at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Sweden. The general research is concentrated on material culture and history in cultural reproduction. A special field of archaeological concern is the Stone Age of Northern Scandinavia and Lithic analysis, including use wear-analysis and a focus on quartz technology.