Take a closer look: Advantages and disadvantages of tridimensional traceological analysis of use wear on bone retouchers

Bone retouchers are part of the human toolkit since the Lower Palaeolithic. These tools are essential to the understanding of lithic technology and raw materials exploitation in both Neanderthal and Sapiens cultural complexes. They are also considered to be among the first bone tools ever made. On account of their great morphological variability and the lack of any standardised shaping, bone retouchers are often classified as expediential tools rather than a true bone industry. The present work proposes a new approach to the traceological study of bone retouchers through the application of tridimensional digital microscopy. The results show several advantages in the identification and description of the retouch-induced use wear. The comparison with the currently applied methodology suggests the need to rethink the whole approach to this bone industry. By means of a more in-depth traceological and technological study procedure, bone retouchers can potentially play a crucial role in understanding the subsistence strategies of human groups throughout Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic.

骨修整器（bone retouchers）自旧石器时代早期起便已成为人类工具组合的组成部分。这类工具对于理解尼安德特人与智人的文化复合体中的石器技术与原材料开发利用至关重要，同时也被认为是人类有史以来制造的首批骨制工具之一。由于其形态变异性极强且缺乏标准化的形制，骨修整器常被归类为权宜性工具，而非独立的骨器工业门类。本研究提出一种通过三维数字显微镜技术开展骨修整器痕迹学研究的新方法，结果显示该方法在识别与描述修整引发的使用磨损痕迹方面具备多项显著优势。通过与现行研究方法的对比，本研究表明亟需重新审视该骨器类群的整体研究路径。借助更深入的痕迹学与技术学研究流程，骨修整器有望在揭示旧石器时代早、中、晚期人类群体的生存策略方面发挥关键作用。