The mechanical properties of bone materials in relation to the design and function of prehistoric tools from Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina

Abstract

This paper considers the relationship between mechanical properties, function and design in prehistoric bone tools. The evidence that supports this association could lead to the interpretation of bone tool collections in the light of evolutionary theory. In order to evaluate the interaction among these three factors we have studied the mechanical and geometrical properties of bone used by the prehistoric Fuegians for manufacturing tools (from 6000 BP till the last century). In this study, 3-point tests of bone samples were performed; and the possible function, in terms of modes of action, for each group of tools, was inferred from their morphological traits and the ethnographic record. Results support the view that the bones selected for manufacturing each kind of tool were those whose geometric and/or mechanical properties most suited the design and function of the tool involved.