Analyzing blank cutting edge efficiency associated with the adoption of microblade technology: A case study from Tolbor-17, Mongolia

The phenomenon of lithic miniaturization during the Late Pleistocene at times coincided with increased artifact standardization and cutting edge efficiency-likely reflecting the use of small, sharp artifacts as interchangeable inserts for composite cutting tools and hunting weapons. During Marine Is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2024-08, Vol.19 (8), p.e0305136
Main Authors: Johnson, Corey L, Bolorbat, Tsedendorj, Grote, Mark N, Paine, Clea H, Lkhundev, Guunii, Odsuren, Davaakhuu, Izuho, Masami, Gunchinsuren, Byambaa, Zwyns, Nicolas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Archaeology
Archaeology - methods
Case studies
Cutting tools
Efficiency
Fossils
History, Ancient
Humans
Inserts
Lithic
Marine technology
Mongolia
Paleolithic
Pleistocene
Raw materials
Standardization
Technology
Technology assessment
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Summary:The phenomenon of lithic miniaturization during the Late Pleistocene at times coincided with increased artifact standardization and cutting edge efficiency-likely reflecting the use of small, sharp artifacts as interchangeable inserts for composite cutting tools and hunting weapons. During Marine Isotope Stage 2, Upper Paleolithic toolmakers in northern East Asia specifically used pressure techniques to make small, highly standardized lithic artifacts called microblades. However, little is currently known about how microblades affected the cutting edge efficiency of the toolkits they were a part of. We applied three methods of analyzing cutting edge efficiency to two Upper Paleolithic assemblages recently excavated from Tolbor-17, Mongolia, that document the periods before and after the introduction of microblade technology to the Tolbor Valley. A model incorporating allometric relationships between blank cutting edge length and mass suggests no difference in efficiency between the two periods, while two more conventional approaches both indicate a significant increase. The potential for improved cutting edge efficiency is only observed when the microblade sample is artificially inflated via simulation. Our results highlight challenges related to detecting and interpreting archaeological differences in cutting edge efficiency at the assemblage level.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0305136