Taking a closer look: The advantages and disadvantages of 3D imaging functional analysis of use-wear on bone retouchers

Abstract

Bone retouchers were part of the human toolkit since the Lower Palaeolithic. These tools are essential to the understanding of lithic technology and raw materials exploitation in cultural complexes associated with both Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. They are also considered to be among the oldest bone tools ever made. On account of their great morphological variability and the lack of any standardised shaping, bone retouchers are often classified as expedient tools rather than as a true bone industry. The present work proposes a new approach to the use-wear study of bone retouchers through the application of 3D imaging microscopy. The results show several advantages in the identification and description of retouch-induced use-wear. The comparison with current methodologies suggests the need to rethink approaches to this bone industry. Through a more in-depth technological and functional study procedure, bone retouchers can potentially play a crucial role in understanding the subsistence strategies of hominin groups throughout the Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic.