Function and behaviour: use-wear evidence from Upper Paleolithic tools in southern Shanxi Province, North China

Authors

  • Hong Chen Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou
  • Yiren Wang Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Taiyuan
  • Chun Chen Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Fudan University, Shanghai

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4312/dp.43.26

Keywords:

Upper Paleolithic, Xiachuan and Chaisi sites, tool function, use-wear analysis

Abstract

Lithic use-wear analysis has become a principal approach for interpreting the function of stone tools and inferring human behaviour. This study presents the results of use-wear analysis on lithic tools excavated from the Upper Paleolithic sites of Xiachuan and Chaisi in the southern part of Shanxi Province, North China. In this study, microblades and so-called core-like tools from these two sites were selected for examination by low-power techniques to identify their use patterns. The results suggest that approx. 30% of microblades might have been used mainly to process animal substances, and a lower percentage for vegetal substances. Based on the use-wear evidence, items classified as core-like tools should be regarded as microblade-cores, since they exhibit few traces of utilisation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

30. 12. 2016

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Chen, H., Wang, Y., & Chen, C. (2016). Function and behaviour: use-wear evidence from Upper Paleolithic tools in southern Shanxi Province, North China. Documenta Praehistorica, 43, 499-506. https://doi.org/10.4312/dp.43.26