Cut above the rest : a multi-disciplinary study of two slate knives from forager contexts in coastal Norway

Slate was a prominent tool material in the Scandinavian Stone Age. However, details of tool function have relied on morphology and have added little to our understanding of their role in hunting and processing. Here, we demonstrate that it is possible to identify both the use-wear traces and residue...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oxford Journal of Archaeology
Main Authors: Lentfer, Carol, Skandfer, Marianne, Presslee, Samantha, Hagan, R., Robson, Harry Kenneth, Damm, Charlotte
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/198156/
https://doi.org/10.1111/ojoa.12267
Description
Summary:Slate was a prominent tool material in the Scandinavian Stone Age. However, details of tool function have relied on morphology and have added little to our understanding of their role in hunting and processing. Here, we demonstrate that it is possible to identify both the use-wear traces and residues from slate knives from northern Norway. By applying a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating experimentation, use-wear and organic residue analyses, we identified residues, including seal hair, and use-traces which indicate the tools were used to process fresh marine mammals.