Wear Traces on Basalt Tools: An Experimental Case for Archaeological Interpretation (BaTEx)

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Principal investigator

Lena ASRYAN

Funding

European Commission (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Individual Fellowship)
Grant agreement: 101028232

Years

2022-2024

Short summary

This research project investigates wear traces on basalt tools, addressing a significant gap in the existing body of functional studies on basalt artefacts. The primary goal is to develop a robust methodological framework that enables the functional analysis of basalt tools. The project designs and executes a series of experimental studies focused on tool function, as well as examines the impact of post-depositional alterations on the preservation of wear traces. Standardised wear analysis techniques are adapted specifically for basalt, and various microscopic approaches are integrated into the study of basalt micro-wear. Additionally, the project explores the feasibility of quantifying wear on basalt through advanced techniques. The developed methodological approach offers valuable insights into past basalt exploitation strategies, its functional significance, and its interactions with other raw materials at key archaeological sites across Africa, Europe, and Asia, where basalt is a crucial material.

Summary of project outcomes

Basalt, in certain geographic and chronological contexts, was the most abundant—and sometimes the only—raw material used for manufacturing lithic implements. Due to its prevalence, basalt has provided valuable insights into the socioeconomic strategies and lifeways of hominins. Despite its widespread presence across numerous archaeological sites, researchers have faced challenges in establishing a unified methodology for studying basalt’s uses in prehistory. This gap has limited the ability to fully exploit basalt as a source for understanding hominin technological choices and subsistence strategies. Basalt thus remains an underutilized resource for establishing reference patterns of hominin behavioural variability across diverse geographic, chronological, and environmental contexts.

The Wear Traces on Basalt Tools: An Experimental Case for Archaeological Interpretation (BaTEx) project aimed to address this gap by developing a robust methodological framework through the integration of macro- and microscopic techniques and experimental approaches to facilitate the study of use-wear on basalt. The project focused on (i) building a robust methodological framework through the integration of multiple macro- and microscopic techniques and experimentation to facilitate the study of use-wear on basalt; (ii) conducting a large-scale study of experimental and selected archaeological basalt tools; and (iii) exploiting these new data to deepen our understanding of technological choices and behavioural patterns while demonstrating basalt’s untapped potential.

The BaTEx project successfully developed a robust and innovative methodological framework for analysing use-wear on basalt. It notably advanced a comprehensive understanding of basalt’s physical and chemical properties, providing critical insights into how its petrological characteristics influence functional behaviour and wear formation. Moreover, a major achievement of BaTEx was the creation of a dedicated experimental reference collection for basalt. This collection integrates a diverse range of basalt varieties, activities (e.g., butchery, hide and bone working, plant processing), actions, and worked materials. This comprehensive dataset provides the essential groundwork for understanding wear development patterns over time and across various experimental scenarios, establishing a solid foundation for comparative studies of archaeological basalt assemblages. In addition, the project pioneered a multi-technique approach to basalt wear analysis, incorporating stereomicroscopy, metallographic, 3D digital, and scanning electron microscopy. This combination of methods was validated as essential for capturing the full spectrum of wear features.

Additionally, the project also initiated one of the first efforts to quantify wear on basalt tools, employing advanced systems such as a 3D profilometer with focus variation, confocal microscopy, and interferometry techniques. While in the testing phase, this initiative produced high-resolution surface texture measurements, yielding a valuable dataset for characterizing wear patterns. The integration of these quantitative methods with traditional qualitative studies proved particularly promising for enhancing the precision and depth of basalt wear analyses.

The project’s methodological advancements were successfully applied to archaeological basalt assemblages from Olduvai Bed 2 FC East and West (Tanzania; Lower Pleistocene; paleo-lake), Abri du Maras (France; Middle to Upper Pleistocene), and Bagratashen 1 (Armenia; Upper Pleistocene). These applications demonstrated the reliability of the multi-technique microscopic approach developed by BaTEx for identifying use-related wear on basalt tools. Furthermore, the validity of the methodology was confirmed across different chronologies, geo-archaeological conditions, and geographic contexts. Finally, the study highlighted the significance of basalt tools within the technological repertoires of hominins at the studied sites, likely due to the material’s local availability. While further analysis of entire lithic assemblages is necessary to fully understand the specific activities associated with basalt tools, BaTEx concluded that basalt was integral to hominin behavioural, technological, and adaptive strategies at the studied sites.

Organisation of the INSTONE workshop

The successful organisation of the INSTONE workshop in September 2024 stands out as one of the pivotal achievements for the BaTEx project, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing knowledge on the use of non-flint raw materials in prehistory. This workshop provided a dynamic platform for exchanging innovative ideas and methodologies, solidifying the project’s role in advancing the field.

 

More details on the workshop

Attended conferences

  1. Asryan, L., Rots, V. 2024. Basalt Wear Analysis: Bridging Experimental and Archaeological Perspectives. “Journée de Préhistoire 2024” of the Groupe de Contact F.N.R.S. «Préhistoire – Prehistorie». Poster presentation. 14 December, Préhistomuseum, Ramioul, Belgium.
  2. Asryan, L., Rots, V. 2024. Micro-Wear Analysis of Basalt: Experimental and Archaeological Case-Studies. An integrated approach to unveiling wear traces on non-flint stone tools (INSTONE2024). Oral presentation. 20 September, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
  3. Asryan, L., Rots, V. 2024. Converging Non-Invasive Approaches for In-Depth Micro-Wear Examination on Basalt. 30th European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting (EAA2024); Session 871; Oral presentation. 28-31 August, Rome, Italy.
  4. Asryan, L., Rots, V. 2023. Basalt Under the Microscope: Qualitative and Quantitative Approach. Seminar series “Variabilité des matières premières au Paléolithique moyen et ancien: apports et limites de la tracéologie.” Invited oral presentation. 15 November, University of Toulouse Jean-Jaurès, Toulouse, France.
  5. Asryan, L., Rots, V. 2023. BaTEx: A Methodological Framework for Analysing Wear Traces on Basalt Tools. 13th Annual ESHE Conference; Poster presentation. 21-23 September, Aarhus, Denmark.
  6. Asryan, L., Rots, V. 2023. Investigating the Potential of Basalt Tools through Use-Wear Experiments. Union Internationale des Sciences Préhistoriques et Protohistoriques (UISPP2023); Session S6-2; Oral presentation. 5-9 September, Timișoara, Romania.
  7. Asryan, L., Rots, V. 2023. Exploring Basalt: Use-Wear Experiments with Basalt Tools. Experimental Archaeology Conference (EAC13); Oral presentation. 1-3 May, Toruń, Poland.

Recent publications

 

updated on 11/27/24

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