From polishing to burning: Deciphering a Middle Neolithic hoard from Beringen Brouwershuis (Belgium) through functional analysis

<p>The Beringen Brouwershuis hoard, distinguished by its well-documented and radiocarbon-dated context, offers a unique opportunity to explore the hoarding practices of the Middle Neolithic period in the Campine region of Belgium. As one of the few excavated hoards from this period, it provides rare contextual information about these hoarding practices. This study aims to provide new insights into the life cycles of buried lithic artefacts through a detailed functional and contextual analysis. By employing macro- and microscopic analytical methods, we examined residues and use-wear traces on 17 artefacts, including six polished axes, seven endscrapers, and four smaller tool fragments. The detailed functional analysis of these stone tools confirmed that they were hafted, used, and resharpened before being deposited. Moreover, it enabled the reconstruction of a unique biography for each individual artefact, demonstrating that each had a distinct life encompassing own set of lifecycles stages.</p>