Axes/adzes and grinding stones as tools of the Neolithisation in Central Europe. An integrative approach to functional analysis through Geometric Morphometrics, Use-Wear Analyses and Experimental Archaeology (WEAR)

• Applicants: Privatdozentin Dr. Laura Dietrich; Dr. Christoph von Tycowicz
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology ; Mathematics
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 509009439

Axes/adzes and grinding stones are central technological innovations and core parts of the Neolithization process in Western Asia and Europe. These tools have been linked to the invention and implementation of agriculture and settled life, as tools for land clearance, for the construction of houses, and for the processing of food based on cereals and pulses. As these functions seemed to be unambiguous, functional studies based on use-wear have been carried out more rarely than morphological or contextual analyses. However, current research considers multifunctionality for both tool categories as a constant during the Neolithic. For axes/adzes, uses include woodworking, butchery, working of animal hides, stone and earth while grinding stones are seen as universal crushers to process foodstuffs into different products, but also for minerals. This multifunctionality manifests differently within the area touched by the Neolithization. The proposed project aims to analyze the functional dimensions of adzes/axes and grinding stones by investigating uses, working techniques, intensities of use and complete life cycles in order to determine end products, foodscapes and ranges of use by comparing two regions with different environmental settings and population dynamics during the Neolithic of Central Europe: the Middle Elbe-Saale region on one hand and Southwestern Germany on the other. These regions have some of the largest collections of tools. The aim is to compare regional adaptation strategies through investigating a) the use of tools for the modification of the environment to adapt to the "Neolithic way of life" and b) through the analyses of local foodways in which these tools were used. The innovative methodology proposed here is focused not on single uses but reconstructs complete biographies and life cycles of tools in order to secure statistical significance of the functional determination. The central idea is to understand an object as an assemblage composed of multiple use stages reflected in chains of successive changes of shapes and wear. Through simulations of complete biographies of replicas of representative types in long-term experiments, the parameters and consequently the functional interpretation can be objectified, measured and modeled for a larger number of tools in different use stages. The method is based on the experimental production of complete wear-series for selected types from an unused stage up to a point when the tools are no longer functional, using them with different materials, motions, and for different tasks. The mathematical modeling of these use stages will be done through the periodic measurement of changing shapes and wear with Geometric Morphometrics on 3D-models and microscopical visualization of the mechanical deformation of the surface. The aim is to create an open access reference collection of use stages and of a software tool for functional analysis by automatic pattern recognition for other similar finds.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Austria
• Partner Organisation: Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF)
• Cooperation Partner: Dr. Michael Brandl