Revisiting the identification of flintknapping techniques using a multi-scale approach: first results of a research program

Interest in techniques used to knap siliceous rocks is almost as old as prehistoric archaeology itself. However, it was not until the 1970s that this interest gave rise to a real research problem, with one central question: can we identify the techniques used during prehistory, and if so, how? Numerous experiments have been conducted over the past 50 years, but these efforts have often failed to reach a consensus on the usefulness of the traces and attributes considered in the recognition of techniques.
Furthermore, lithic technology has largely ignored the traces that are invisible to the naked eye, even though the existence of microscopic knapping traces has been demonstrated by traceology since the 1960s. Ignored by lithic technology and largely overlooked by traceology, microscopic knapping traces have therefore remained a blind spot in research.
In this communication, we will present the initial results of a research programme on knapping traces and highlight 1) the value of increasing the number of observation scales, and 2) of better considering the complexity of a technique that results from the interaction of several variables (according to J. Tixier's definition: the mode of force application, the tool, and the body behaviour).