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Use-wear analysis of a specific mobile toolkit from the Middle Paleolithic site of Abric Romaní (Barcelona, Spain): a case study from level M

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Abstract

A use-wear analysis was carried out on a specific mobile toolkit belonging to level M of the Middle Paleolithic site of Abric Romaní (Barcelona, Spain), which is dated to MIS 3, between 51 and 55 Ka BP. In an environment rich in local and regional chert sources and in a technological context marked by expedient behavior, a set of flakes, which also included debordant elements with asymmetric transversal sections, were introduced into the site having already been knapped. A combination of technological, refitting, and raw material unit analyses (RMU) have distinguished them from the rest of the chert artifacts knapped in situ. Given that the aim of the reduction sequences in level M, as in most of the stratigraphic sequence, is the production of small flakes of poor quality chert, the introduction of these finished tools indicates the existence of planned behavior in relation to raw material constraints and, to a major extent, with specific needs. The question is whether there is any functional difference between these flakes knapped outside and those produced on-site. A first step to solving this issue is the evaluation of the potential of these tools for use-wear analysis. Thirty-seven flakes were selected for this study prioritizing the state of surface preservation. To provide reliable data with which to compare the archeological traces, we have performed a specific experimental program using the main chert varieties identified in the archeological sample. Digital 3D, optical, and scanning electron microscopies were combined to characterize wear patterns in a mobile toolkit. Our preliminary results show that, despite the significant patination on some of the pieces, a limited array of tools have a good state of surface preservation and show use-wear evidence related to a variety of butchery activities.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Juan Luis Fernandez Marchena for his help with the experiments and Efstathia Robakis for the English revision on the manuscript. We also thank the editor and the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions on the manuscript.

Funding

Excavations at the Abric Romaní were performed with the support of the Departament de Cultura (Servei d’Arqueologia i Patrimoni) of the Generalitat de Catalunya (CLT009/18/00054), Ajuntament de Capellades, Oficina Patrimoni Cultural- Diputació de Barcelona, Tallers Gràfics Romanyà-Valls, Bercontres-Centre de Gestio Medioambiental SL, and the Constructora de Calaf SAU. Funding for this research was provided by Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICINN) of the Spanish Government, projects n° HAR2016-76760-C3-1-P and n° PGC2018-093925-B-C32 and the Catalan Government, research group’s n° 2017 SGR 836, n° 2017 SGR 1040, and the URV project 2018PFR-URV-B2-91. J-I.M.V. is beneficiary of a Ph.D. research fellowship AGAUR/FSE (2019 FI_B 00210). J-I.M.V., M.G.CH., A. O, B.G.S., M.V, P.S., J.V., and E.C. research is funded by CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya.

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Correspondence to Juan Ignacio Martín-Viveros.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Settlement Patterns Dynamics of the Middle Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age

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Martín-Viveros, J.I., Ollé, A., Chacón, M.G. et al. Use-wear analysis of a specific mobile toolkit from the Middle Paleolithic site of Abric Romaní (Barcelona, Spain): a case study from level M. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 12, 16 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00951-z

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