Hafting

Analyses of the flint assemblages of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov have provided new insights into the technological and typological characteristics of its Acheulian Technocomplex. As these assemblages are products of small flint nodules, the flakes and flake tools are small in size. Analysis of the striking platforms of these flakes showed that modifications of different types occurred at their proximal end, resulting in the removal of the striking platform and its periphery. This phenomenon is so common that we were able to identify five distinct morphotypes of proximal modifications. We suggest that the precise and difficult task of removing a topographical high relief from the ventral face of a small flake was a specific planned goal that was aimed at acquiring a desired surface, in this case even and flat. The precision and repetition required for this, as well as the morphological diversity of the proximal ends, imply that these modifications should be interpreted as preparation for hafting.

Innovations relevant to human evolution often involve subsistence technology, which can affect the success of individual groups, and Homo sapiens in general. However, Palaeolithic technologies include more than just hunting tools, and a proper understanding of hunter-gatherer ways of living requires knowledge of the organisation of diverse tasks and activities, including the manufacture and maintenance of tools and other equipment. One central aspect of technological evolution is the development of tool hafting [1, 2], which is not only restricted to hunting and gathering implements, but also affects so-called domestic tool categories.

We present the results of an on-going project that focuses on hafting and use of stone tools in the Upper Palaeolithic through detailed functional analysis of selected assemblages from European key sites (Hohle Fels, Abri Pataud, Maisières-Canal), which have yielded rich lithic and organic assemblages from secure chronological contexts. Here the focus is on classic Upper Palaeolithic tool categories, such as endscrapers and burins, from the Gravettian and Magdalenian levels of the cave site Hohle Fels (Germany) [3, 4]. We suggest that domestic tools can offer a valuable source material, since for most of them, hafting is not a necessity as it is for spear and arrow tips. An increase in hafting implies an increase in time investment, which has implications for task organisation and specialisation.

The Hohle Fels assemblage offers an interesting case study for temporal changes (or continuity) in the frequency and techniques of tool hafting. The projectile technology shows a clear shift from the Gravettian to the Magadalenian, marked by the introduction of a microlithic technology (backed bladelets). For other tool categories, the changes seem more subtle. Our goal is to characterise the tools used in manufacture and maintenance tasks, and to evaluate whether the Gravettian to Magdalenian transition witnesses changes in tool design and use that go beyond hunting equipment. The observed differences between tool classes and time periods are explained with a reference to details of tool use, such as the rate of edge wear development and stone tool exhaustion, as well as shifts in treatment of organic raw materials. The results suggest that domestic tools can aid in understanding long-term technological evolution, and create a baseline against which we can (re)assess the role of shifts observed in technologies that are more susceptible to morphological change, such as projectiles.

References: [1] Rots, V., 2013. Insights into early Middle Palaeolithic tool use and hafting in Western Europe: The functional analysis of level IIa of the early Middle Palaeolithic site of Biache-Saint-Vaast (France). J. Archaeol. Sci. 40, 497–506. [2] Barham, L., 2013. From Hand to Handle: The First Industrial Revolution. Oxford University Press, Oxford. [3] Conard, N. J., Bolus, M., 2003. Radiocarbon dating the appearance of modern humans and timing of cultural innovations in Europe: New results and new challenges. J. Hum. Evol. 44, 331–371. [4] Taller, A., Bolus, M., Conard, N. J., 2014. The Magdalenian of Hohle Fels Cave and the Resettlement of the Swabian Jura after the LGM. In: Otte, M., Le Brun-Ricalens, F. (Eds.), Modes de contacts et de déplacements au Paléolithique eurasiatique: Actes du Colloque international de la commission 8 (Paléolithique supérieur) de l'UISPP, Université de Liège, 28–31 mai 2012. Centre National de Recherche Archéologique, Luxembourg.

This paper presents the preliminary results of the technological and functional analysis of the chipped- stone assemblages associated with FN/EBA contexts from the island of Gavdos, northwestern Crete. The collection is dominated by artefacts made of black, fine-grained local flint. The use-wear analysis on the flint assemblage allows us to discuss how artefacts were treated and used to process different materials, and to interpret the materials worked and the activities involved. An important and unique element of the Gavdos material is the preservation of organic residues on one of the flint tools. Lastly, the provenance and procurement of the ‘exotic’ obsidian implements opens up the discussion regarding insularity and connectivity.
In sum, through this study we suggest that the lithic artefacts are essential tools in our attempt to understand peoples' preferences, behaviour and social networks. We present their technological characteristics and propose ways in which these artefacts had been used while incorporating them in their spatial, temporal and social context. In this perspective, tool use and activities taking place at the particular FN/EBA sites reflect choices – economic and/or social- and thus may imply cultural traditions that are connected or not with those from nearby Crete, or even farther in the Mediterranean.

Despite the abundance of studies about projectiles, adhesives have not been taken into account as part of the study, and the few works focused on this topic have revolved around the function of the ochre in the mix. This work is a preliminary approach to the evaluation of the behaviour, when facing the impact stress, of a series of adhesives based on Pinus pinaster resin with the addition of different components and proportions. The aim is to identify patterns or tendencies in the impact resistance of those adhesives in order to discern the role of the different mixings in the durability and efficiency of the glues used to haft projectile points.
Resumen:
Pese a la abundancia de estudios sobre proyectiles, los adhesivos no se han tenido en cuenta como parte del estudio, y los pocos trabajos especializados en esta temática han girado en torno a la función del ocre en la mezcla. Este trabajo supone una aproximación preliminar a la evaluación del comportamiento ante el estrés por impacto de una serie de adhesivos elaborados a partir de resina de Pinus pinaster, empleando diferentes componentes y proporciones. El objetivo es identificar patrones o tendencias en la resistencia al impacto de estos adhesivos, con vistas a discernir el papel que juegan los diferentes componentes y sus proporciones en la durabilidad y eficacia de los pegamentos empleados para enmangar puntas de proyectil.

M. Baales, S. Birker & F. Mucha (2017): Hafting with beeswax in the Final Palaeolithic: a barbed point from Bergkamen. Antiquity 91, 1155-1170.

Analyse eines Schäftungs"pechs" an einer spätpaläolithischen Widerhakenspitze aus Bergkamen, die in den 1930er Jahren bei Begradigung der Seseke gefunden worden war. Die chemische Analysen belegen, dass nicht Birkenpech sondern ein Gemisch aus Bienenwachs und Holzkohlen genutzt wurden - der älteste und erste paläolithische Nachweis für die Nutzung von Bienenwachs als Schäftungskleber in Europa. Zudem ist damit die Anwesenheit der Honigbiene schon im Spätglazial (Alleröd) in Mitteleuropa mehr als wahrscheinlich.

During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), much of the familiar insect fauna of Northern Europe today was confined to the warmer areas south of the Alps. Chemical and microscopic analysis of hafting residues on a Final Palaeolithic barbed point from Westphalia in Germany has, for the first time, yielded evidence for the use of beeswax as a major component of adhesive during the later stages of the LGM. Analysis also confirmed that the beeswax was tempered with crushed charcoal. AMS dating of the Bergkamen barbed point suggests direct association with the Final Pleistocene Federmessergruppen, approximately 13 000 years ago. Furthermore , the adhesive provides the first direct evidence of the honeybee, Apis mellifera, in Europe following the LGM.

Macroscopic and microscopic analysis of a sample of flint and obsidian artefacts from an excavated area with LN/FN/EB finds on the island of Gavdos has revealed use-wear traces and organic residues, very possibly of the hafting arrangement, on a black flint tool which appears to be the hafted element of a sickle. Here, the lithic assemblage is briefly presented, within its contexts, and preliminary results of the microscopic and chemical analysis of the organic residues are provided. Finally, an effort is made to discern the correlation of direct indications of hafting methods and wear traces, while reconstructing the life history of the artefact.