Functional perspectives to Gravettian lithic assemblage variability

Use-wear analysis of stone tools is a powerful means for understanding lithic assemblages and past human behaviour. While the method has traditionally only played a supportive role in lithic studies that have been predominantly oriented towards understanding the production sequences of stone tools, recent years have witnessed a change in the way functional analysis is applied. We present here the reasoning behind the project Evolution of stone tool hafting in the Palaeolithic, aimed at understanding long-term and large-scale changes in hunter-gatherer technology, and how this affects the way the method is applied. New results from three Gravettian sites will be used to illustrate the potential of the method in understanding the formation of lithic assemblages and the human choices behind it. This study is the first large-scale application of the hafting wear method to Upper Palaeolithic assemblages, and has so far involved the detailed analysis of c. 1050 stone tools, most of which Gravettian, from the cave site Hohle Fels, the open-air site Maisières-Canal and the rock shelter Abri Pataud. Selected functional data will be presented with a special focus on the often overlooked domestic tools. The purpose of the presentation is to give perspectives on the variability of Gravettian assemblages by discussing tool design and function, lithic recycling, and chronological and site-specific patterns in tool hafting. In addition to proposing new interpretations, the goal is also to point out open questions and to encourage interaction and collaboration between technologists and functional analysts.