Functional Analysis of Flaked Stone Artifacts

TLDR

The study presents edge‑angle measurements from 1,448 Paleo‑Indian stone artifacts and investigates how edge‑angle size relates to functional applications, proposing general categories of effectiveness for different angle ranges. The authors suggest general categories of functional effectiveness based on different angle size ranges. They found that angle‑size distributions distinguish distal and lateral edges, and that tools with different angle sizes exhibit distinct wear patterns indicative of different functional operations.

Abstract

Abstract Edge-angle measurements from 1,448 Paleo-Indian stone artifacts are presented. The relationships between edge-angle size and differential functional applications are explored. Differences in angle size distributions are found to characterize distal and lateral edges. General categories of functional effectiveness are suggested for different angle size ranges. The utilized edges of tools with different angle sizes are found to exhibit different types of wear, and these differences are considered to be indicative of different functional operations.