Abstract
Groove marks are an extremely enigmatic style of rock art. Incised groove marks are deep narrowly incised lines, usually in the shape of a "V" or "W" that rarely are more than six millimeters in depth and two to three millimeters wide. Several functional hypotheses have been introduced to explain the purpose of this rock art style. In 2010, the author designed an experimental study designed to test one long held hypothesis that suggests groove marks in limestone were formed by sharpening bone implements. The experiment conducted in the ethnoarchaeology lab at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas demonstrated that groove marks most likely were not used as a way to sharpen bone awls in limestone. Instead, the experiment suggests that archaeological groove marks in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands were created with chert flakes.
Published Version
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