A comparative assessment of texture analysis techniques applied to bone tool use-wear

Abstract

The study of bone tools, a specific class of artifacts often essential to perishable craft production, provides insight into industries otherwise largely invisible archaeologically. Building on recent breakthroughs in the analysis of microwear, this research applies confocal laser scanning microscopy and texture analysis techniques drawn from the field of surface metrology to identify use-wear patterns on experimental and archaeological bone artifacts. Our approach utilizes both conventional parameters and multi-scale geometric characterizations of the areas of worn surfaces to identify statistical similarities as a function of scale. The introduction of this quantitative approach to the study of microtopography holds significant potential for advancement in use-wear studies by reducing inter-observer variability and identifying new parameters useful in the detection of differential wear-patterns.