Abstract
This article deals with the functional attribution of Early Iron Age woodworking tools from the Altai and adjacent areas. Finds come from burials, settlements, and hoards; some are random. The attribution was based on the analysis of traces left by tools on the surfaces ofwooden items. The methods were both traditional and special (use-wear, typological, and experimental), enabling one to reconstruct the function of the tool, manufacturing technique, organization of the manufacturing process, technology, and, to some extent, skill. The totality of data suggests that tools were of several types: metal ones used for chopping (celts, axes, and adzes), wooden ones used for striking (hammers, mallets, and mauls), universal cutting and shaving tools (knives of various sizes and profiles), striking and cutting combined tools (chisels), cutting and boring tools (flat drills, reamers, and awls). Results of use-wear analysis in terms of operations (chopping, shaving, and cleavage) suggest that since the Early Bronze Age, three types of processing surfaces with chopping tools have been used: butting, cutting with the grain, and cutting across the grain. Factors affecting efficiency and accuracy of woodworking are discussed.
Highlights
Early Iron Age Carpenter Tools from the Altai and Adjacent TerritoriesThis article deals with the functional attribution of Early Iron Age woodworking tools from the Altai and adjacent areas
An idea of the methods of manufacturing wooden items and woodworking as an established set or system of sequential actions in the Early Iron Age in the Altai and adjacent territories can be ascertained using the results of comprehensive analysis of all the wooden artifacts, as well as the stone and metal tools with which these artifacts were made
All the wooden artifacts of the Early Iron Age were mostly found at the sites containing permafrost formations
Summary
This article deals with the functional attribution of Early Iron Age woodworking tools from the Altai and adjacent areas. The attribution was based on the analysis of traces left by tools on the surfaces of wooden items. The methods were both traditional and special (use-wear, typological, and experimental), enabling one to reconstruct the function of the tool, manufacturing technique, organization of the manufacturing process, technology, and, to some extent, skill. Results of use-wear analysis in terms of operations (chopping, shaving, and cleavage) suggest that since the Early Bronze Age, three types of processing surfaces with chopping tools have been used: butting, cutting with the grain, and cutting across the grain.
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