Evaluating lithic raw material economy − efficiency and durability of slotted bone points in Eastern Central Sweden

Abstract

In the paper, the authors investigate the relationships between the organization of hunter-gatherer stone tool production, technology, raw material use, as well as social interaction, communication, and mobility. Based on a controlled experiment modeling the use of Mesolithic slotted bone points as hunting weapons from the Mesolithic Motala site in Eastern Central Sweden, their production, durability, efficiency, and repairability are investigated. The experiment also evaluates the function of five different locally available inset lithic materials. Also, a study on raw material use from 51 excavated Mesolithic sites is used to evaluate a landscape learning process in relation to geology for suitable lithic sources for microblade insets. This illustrates the logic of the circulation and use of certain lithic tools and raw materials between and within regions and sites of the prehistoric landscape.