[en] Wommersom quartzite (WSQ) is a distinctive lithic raw material from a single geological source in Belgium that was widely distributed across northwest Europe during the Mesolithic. Although its procurement, typology and circulation have been extensively studied, the functional role of WSQ tools has remained largely unexplored, and no use-wear reference framework exists for this raw material. This study began with observations made during functional screening of the Mesolithic site of Diepenbeek-Molenstraat: the macroscopic edge damage and impact-related fractures on some of the WSQ artefacts closely resembled wear documented on flint. This raised the methodological question that frames the paper: can the attribute systems used to identify use-wear and projectile
damage on flint be useful in the study of WSQ, and if so, what material-specific djustments are needed? Because no reference existed, an exploratory experiment was needed to assess how WSQ responds to use. WSQ and Harmignies flint flakes were used with similar gestures to process bramble (Rubus fruticosus), chosen for its
potential to produce macroscopic edge damage and microwear. Analysis began with low-magnification stereo-microscopy, matching the original archaeological observation, and was extended to incident-light and SEM microwear characterisation, with petrographic analysis providing an explanatory basis for the observed wear. The study establishes that flint attribute systems can be applied to WSQ macroscopically with only minor ad-
justments, whereas microwear characterisation requires a framework closer to that used for macrocrystalline quartz. These preliminary results provide a first methodological basis to be tested and refined through further functional studies of WSQ assemblages.
Research Center/Unit :
AAP - Art, Archéologie et Patrimoine - ULiège
Disciplines :
Archaeology
Author, co-author :
Tomasso, Sonja ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Unités de recherche interfacultaires > Art, Archéologie et Patrimoine (AAP)
Taipale, Noora ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Unités de recherche interfacultaires > Art, Archéologie et Patrimoine (AAP)
Cnuts, Dries ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Unités de recherche interfacultaires > Art, Archéologie et Patrimoine (AAP)
Bodart, Sophie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences historiques > TraceoLab
Vanhove, Yannick; KULEUVEN > Archaeology > CARL
Devriendt, Izabel; BAAC Vlaanderen
Delvigne, Vincent ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences historiques > Archéologie préhistorique
Rots, Veerle ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Unités de recherche interfacultaires > Art, Archéologie et Patrimoine (AAP)
Language :
English
Title :
Exploring use-wear on Wommersom quartzite: petrographic, experimental and archaeological perspectives
Publication date :
October 2026
Journal title :
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
ISSN :
2352-409X
Publisher :
Elsevier BV
Special issue title :
Special Issue based on the proceedings of the Workshop: "An Integrated Approach to Unveiling Wear Traces on Non-Flint Stone Tools (INSTONE)"
Mobiliteitsnetwerk en levenswijze van de Mesolithische jagers-verzamelaars in het Demerbekken
Funders :
Vlaamse Regering
Funding text :
The Demer basin spans 51 municipalities across the provinces of Limburg and Flemish Brabant. It is an area that still holds secrets regarding prehistoric life; archaeologists currently remain in the dark about what life was like there roughly 7,000 to 10,000 years ago.
A synthesis project led by the University of Liège aims to reconstruct life in the region by studying so-called lithic artifacts. Researchers hope that the remains of stone tools from Diepenbeek, Stevoort, Donk, Tessenderlo, and Diest will reveal their secrets through technological, functional, and petrographic analyses.
Archaeologists are seeking answers to a host of questions regarding the Mesolithic community in the Demer basin and life within a local hunter-gatherer camp. What activities took place at the camp? Was there seasonal mobility? Did an exchange network exist with other camps? Is there a relationship between the tool production process, the type of stone used, and the tools' actual use? At the same time, the archaeologists hope to gain a better understanding of the technical challenges involved in this type of research—particularly the accurate dating of the finds.
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