A Functional Analysis of Selected Stone Artifacts from the Magdalenian Site at Verberie,

France
Author(s): Nicole Symens
Source: Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Summer, 1986), pp. 213-222
Published by: Boston University
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/530221
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A Functional
Analysisof SelectedStoneArtifactsfromthe
MagdalenianSiteatVerberie,France

Nicole Symens
LaboratoriumvoorPrehistorie
KatholiekeUniversiteitte Leuven,Belgium

The resultsof a high-powermicrowearanalysisof stone artifactsfrom the

Magdaleniansite at Verberie,France, are reportedin this study.Both re-
touchedand unretouchedimplementswere examined,and the varioususe-
wear traces that werefound are brieJqydiscussed.The relationshipbetween
tool morphologyandfunction, the use of unmodifiedlithic artifacts,and
microweartraces indicativeof haftingare described.In addition,some hy-
potheses are advancedregardingspecificactivityareas at the site. It is con-
cludedthat the unretouchedcomponentof the lithic industrycompriseda
large part of the Magdaleniantoolkitat Verberie.

Introduction paign at Verberie.2Almost 200 artifactshave been ex-

In the courseof the last few years,a numberof studies
have appearedaddressingthe topic of use-weartraces
on prehistoriclithic artifacts.Most of these studieshave
dealt with retouchedartifacts,while far less attention
has been accordedthe unmodifiedbladesandflakesfrom
lithic assemblages.The latteroften have been regarded
typologicallyas debitage.1This is especiallytruefor the
UpperPaleolithicperiodin Europe,whereattentionhas
focusedlargelyon the morphological,technological,and
functionalclassificationof retouchedartifacts("tools").
Nevertheless,thereis a growinginterestin the studyof
the unmodifiedcomponent of lithic assemblages, al-
though few researchresults have yet been published.
This trend reflects an increasingawarenessthat many
onsite activitiesinvolved the use of a varietyof imple-
mentsthat are not reflectedby standardtype lists.
The presentstudyis concernedwith the determination
of "tool"function,and with the functionalanalysisof a
large body of unmodifiedblades and flakes from the
Magdaleniansite at Verberie,France.The objectivesof
this study are to investigatethe activitiesperforrnedat
the site as reflectedby the lithic artifacts,to document
patternsof wear on the unmodifiedlithic artifacts,and
to assess the relationshipbetweenimplementmorphol-
ogy and function. An attempthas also been made to
define specific activity areas acrossthe site. This study
is based on dataavailablefollowingthe 1980 field cam-
1. H. Juel Jensen, "A MicrowearAnalysis of UnretouchedBlades
fromAgerodV," in L. Larsson,ed., Agerod V. An Atlantic Bog Site
in Central Scania. Acta Archaeologica Lundensia, Series8, No. 12,
(Lund 1983) 144-152.
aminedfor tracesof wear.
The Site
Verberieis locatedin the ParisBasin, on the left bank
of the Oise River (FIG. 1), wherethreeMagdalenianloci
have been defined.Locus 1 has been excavatedand the
excavationof Locus 2 is currentlyin progress;a third
has been located by means of test pits.3 The research
results reportedin this study concernLocus 2, in part
because the analysis of additionalclasses of data has
focusedon this area. Furtherrnore, an intensiveeffortat
refittingelements of lithic artifactshas concentratedon
this locus. The Magdalenianlevel is situatedimmedi-
atelyunderthe plowzoneandoccursabovea sandyloam
alluvium.Locus 2 containsan oval-shapedhearth;char-
coal, however,has not been preserved.A flint-knapping
area is located to the east, while a dense concentration
of lithics and bone fragmentssurroundsthe other sides
of the hearth. The latter zone contains a numberof
retouchedartifacts.Severalconcentrationscan be distin-
guished, some of which containboth lithic artifactsand
bone, while othersconsist entirelyof lithic material.
Severalraw materialsare presentin the Verberiecol-
2. Excavations at Verberie are carried out under the direction of F.
Audouze (Laboratoire d'Ethnologie Prehistorique, LA275 du CNRS).
A preliminary report of the excavations and artifact analyses can be
found in F. Audouze, D. Cahen, L. H. Keeley, and B. Schmider,
"Le site magdalenien du Buisson Campin a Verberie (Oise)," GP 24
(1981) 99-143.
3. F. Audouze, "L'habitat magdalenien de plein air de Verberie
(Oise) ," Notae Praehistoricae 1 ( 1981 ) 31-34.
214 StoneArtifactsfrom Verberie,FrancelSymens
Figure1. Locationof Verberiein relationto someotherMagdalenian
sites in the ParisBasin.
lection. The majority consists of a very fine-grained
grey, black, or brownflint. This has a fresh appearance
and clearly has not been subjectto significantchemical
or physicalalteration.A few artifactsin a blonde-colored
flint also are present, one of which shows traces of
naturalweathering.Only a small percentageof the total
lithic materialexhibits traces of patination,and this is
notextensiveenoughto obscurethe microwearpolishes.4
A few artifactsmade of quartzitealso occur at the site,
none of which has been analyzedfor tracesof wear.
The preservationof organicremainsis generallyvery
good at Verberie.The identifiablefaunaconsists almost
entirelyof reindeer,but horse and bovine remains,sev-
eral species of rodent,andpartof a mammothtuskhave
also been recovered.
The site has been dated by thermoluminescenceto
13,300 +850 B.P., comparableto TL datesobtainedfrom
Pincevent,anotherMagdaleniansite in the ParisBasin.
Verberieshows additionalsimilaritiesto Pincevent,in-
cluding the general configurationof artifactconcentra-
4. Audouzeet al., op. cit. (in note 2) 137-141.
tion and dispersalacrossthe site, as well as in the range
and frequenciesof formallithic tool types.5
In additionto the study of microweartraces on flint
artifacts from Verberie reported here, Lawrence H.
Keeley has examineda large sampleof flintimplements
from the site, includingmost of the retouchedtools. A
preliminaryreportof this researchhas been published
elsewhere.6
Method of Analysis
The methodof microwearanalysisused in this study
has been describedpreviouslyby Keeley.7In brief, de-
terminationof tool functionis based primarily,though
not exclusively, upon microwearpolishes and striations
observedwith a binocularincident-lightmicroscope,at
magnificationsrangingfrom 100-400x. For this study,
an OlympusBHM microscopewas employed.The tech-
niqut has been shown to provide quite accurateinfer-
ences concerning several aspects of tool function,
includingthe partof the tool used, the specific activity
or methodof use, and the kinds of materialsworked.8
This method has been successful in distinguishingbe-
tweenpolishescreatedvariouslyby the workingof wood
andotherplantmaterials,meat, hide, stone, shell, bone,
andantler.No attempthas been madehereto distinguish
betweenbone or antlerworkingtraces, with the excep-
tion of a few cases in which a stronglydevelopedpolish
(the so-called"meltingsnowbankeffect")couldbe iden-
tifiedas havingbeen producedby the workingof antler.9
The microwearanalysiswas aidedby an experimental
programof tool manufactureand utilizationundertalen
prior to the analysis of the Verberiematerial.l°The
previousstudy involvedthe use of over 160 flint imple-
ments employed on a variety of raw materials. The
experimentswere conductedusing Belgian chalk flints,
which in color and texture closely resemble the raw
materialsrecoveredfromthe site of Verberie.Theresults
of this earlierresearcheffortcorroborated manyof Kee-
ley's experimentalfindings.ll As an additionalcontrol,
5. Ibid. 100-114, 142; Audouze,loc. cit. (in note 3).
6. Audouzeet al., op. cit. (in note 2) 137-141.
7. L. H. Keeley, ExperimentalDeterminationof Stone Tool Uses
(The Universityof ChicagoPress:Chicago 1980) 10-14.
8. L. H. Keeley and M. H. Newcomer, "MicrowearAnalysis of
ExperimentalFlint Tools: a Test Case,"JAS 4 (1977) 29-62; P. A.
Gendel and L. Pirnay,"MicrowearAnalysis of ExperimentalStone
Tools: FurtherTest Results,"StudiaPraehistoricaBelgica 2 (1982)
251-265.
9. Keeley, op. cit. (in note 7) 56.
10. N. Symens, "Gebruikssporenanalyse op artefactenvan de Mag-
daleniaannederzettingte Verberie,"unpublishedthesis, Katholieke
Universiteitte Leuven(Leuven 1982) 13-28.
11. Keeley, op. cit. (in note 7) 15-83.
 Journalof Field ArchaeologylVol.13, 1986 215

Table 1. Relationbetweenfunction
Edge Angle in Degrees Complex
and edge angle amongunmodified
<35 35-49 50-64 65-79 Edges Total flintimplementsfrom Verberie.
Meat cutting 2 14 1 1 - 18
Meat/fresh hide cutting - 4 - - - 4
Fresh hide cutting 3 3 - - - 6
Dry hide cutting 2 3 1 - - 6
Hide cutting - 2 - - - 2
Depilation - 2 1 - 2 5
Bone cutting - 1 - - - 1
Bone scraping - - 1 2 - 3
Plant cutting 1 2 - - - 3
Unidentified 2 4 2 - - 8
Total 10 35 6 3 2 56

limitedexperimentalworkwas also conductedusingraw cases, the locationandmethodof use were readilyiden-

materialsoccurringlocally in the region of Verberie.
Identicalweartraceswere foundto occurin the two sets
of experimentallithic implements.
The ArchaeologicalSample
As notedabove, the lithic artifactsfromVerberie(Lo-
cus 2) were selected in orderto provideinformationon
the activitiesperformedat the site, includingthose ac-
tivitiesrepresentedby the unretouchedcomponentof the
lithic industry.Becauseof the fact thatthe site hadbeen
only partiallyexcavatedand thatthe entirecollectionof
excavatedmaterialswas not availablefor examination
at the time this studywas undertaken,it was not possible
to select a randomsample. The artifactsexaminedin
this instancewere sortedby the principalinvestigators
and include all of the complete blades associatedwith
two distinctphases of the core reductionsequence.As
will be discussedbelow, bladesproducedin each of the
two stages showed distinct spatial distributionsand a
slightly differentpatternof use. The total sample was
furtherexpandedby consideringconjoinedpieces and,
therefore, some of the irregularlyshaped blades and
flakesbelongingto the initial phase of core preparation
were also examined. Aside from the sample of unmo-
dified blades and flakes, a numberof other tool types
were analyzed.These includedburins,becs (borershav-
ing a robustpoint), borers, scrapers,truncations,com-
binationtools, and backedbladelets.These implements
were selectedin orderto completethe analysisof formal
tool types, the majorityof which were examined by
Keeley.
tifiable. In 10 instances, however, the exact material
workedcould not be determined.Of the retouchedim-
plementsstudied(85), only 21 pieces (one bec and 20
backedbladelets)showed no tracesof wear. Tracesof
wear on eight tools could not be identifiedcompletely,
and three backed bladelets evinced some wear traces,
but no polish. A generaldescriptionof the wear traces
identifiedis presentedbelow. Descriptionsof individual
specimenshave been kept to a minimum,except where
an exampleis particularlyillustrative,or in some other
way representsa special or interestingcase. The results
arearrangedaccordingto the materialworked.Functions
identifiedfor unmodifiedbladesaregiven in Table 1 and
are described further with reference to edge angles.
Functionsidentifiedfor retouchedimplementsare pre-
sentedin Table2.
Meat Processing
Meat slicing was determinedto be the functionof 18
blades(TABLE 1) and of the unretouchededge of a single
bec. In most cases, the traces of wear consisted of a
light to moderatelywell-developedpolish (FIGS. 2A, 3).
Some of these bladesalso revealedminortracesof bone
polish along their workingedges, and occasionallydis-
played severe edge damage. These were identifiedas
butcheryknives. Five backedbladeletsshowedtracesof
meat polish, althoughquite faint, on the distal end of
their unretouchededges. In all but a single case, the
edge damagewas very slight. The specific functionsof
theselatterimplementswill be consideredin moredetail.

Results of Analysis Meat or Zlide Working

A total of 97 unmodifiedblades and 10 unmodified It was not alwayspossibleto distinguishwithcertainty
flakes was selected for study. Among these, 53 blades betweenpolishescreatedby the working(usuallyslicing)
and 2 flakes exhibitedtracesof use. In the majorityof of meatandfreshhide, since the polishesformedby the
216 StoneArtifactsfromVerberie France/Symens

Table2. Summaryof wear tracesby formaltype designation.Multipleand combinationtools are tabulated

as separateworkingedges.
Bone orAntler Wood Dry Hide Meat Unident. No Total
Type Boring Graving Scraping Misc. Unident. Boring Scraping ? Traces
Burin 10 11 - 1 2 2 - - 3 - 29
Bec 12 - - - 2 1 - - 3 l 19
Piercer 4 - - - - 1 - - - - 5
Scraper - - 2 - - - 4 - - - 6
Truncation - - 2 - - 1 - - 1 - 4
Backedbladelet - - - - - - - 5 3 20 28
Other - - - 1 - - - - 2 - 3

working of these two materialsoften resemble each
other. On four specimens, the polishes exhibited no
withwhichtomakethisdistinction(TABLE1) .
characteristics
Hide Working
The blades used to work hide showed a variety of
wear traces (TABLE 1). Because both lateral edges of
several blades showed traces of use, only individual
edges, rather than the implements per se, were
considered.
The functionof 19 edges on 14 individualbladesand
one flake were identified. Fourteenedges were deter-
mined to have been used to cut or to slice hide. Six
edges were used for cuttingfreshhide andsix for cutting
dry hide; in two cases the kind of hide being cut could
not be determined.The flake was, at its distalend, also
used for scrapingdry hide (FIGS. 2B, 4). Five bladeedges
were used in a motion perpendicularto the edge. The
microweartraces on these blades were developedpri-
marilyon the ventralsurfacesandmayhavebeencreated
by the working of either dry or fresh hide. Striations
were orientedperpendicularto the lateraledges of the
blades, andthe dorsalsurfacesoften showedsevereedge
damage.These blades were used in a scrapingmotion,
probablyfor dehairingskinsl2(FIGS.2Cs 5). Similarwear
traces were found on the unretouchedleft lateraledge
of a dihedralburin, althoughthis implementcertainly
was used to work dry hide. Finally, four endscrapers
were used for scrapingdry hide (TABLE 2).
presentalong the left lateraledge of a flake on which
striationswere orientedparallelto the edge, and edge
damagewas strong.This flakewas identifiedas a sawing
tool. One naturally-backed blade possesseda burin-like
fracture,and an antlerpolish was situatedaboutone cm
away from the distal end. The opposite, corticaledge
was not damaged,indicatingthatit hadnot, or hadonly
briefly,been in contactwith the workedmaterialduring
use. The distributionof polish suggeststhatthe tool was
used in a rotarymotion in such a way as to scrape, or
widen, a hole thatwas broaderthanthe implementitself.
Severaldihedralburinswere determinedto have been
used to gravebone or antler(TABLE 2). One burinspall,
associated with one of the dihedralburins, was also
determinedto have been used for graving.In addition,
a gravingactivitywas identifiedfor two burinsmadeon
a break and two burins made on a truncation.On the
basis of the refittingdata, it could be shown that one
burinon truncationwas manufacturedfrom a bec, and
thatthe latterwas used for boringbone or antler.
Boring was accomplishedby becs, burins, and pier-
cers (FIG. 2D 6). Both single andcombinationtools were
used. In three instances,antlerwas clearlythe material
worked. Some of these boring implementsexhibited
tracesof red ochreon theirworkingedges.13 Two scrap-
ers, two truncatedblades, and the notchededge of a
burin on a break were used to scrape bone or antler.
Finally, a few artifactsclearlyshowedtracesof bone or
antlerpolish, but the specific activity performedcould
not be determined(see TABLE 2).

WoodWorklng
.

Bone and AntlerWorking

Threebladeswereusedtoscrapeboneorantler(TABLE 1) . One naturally-pointed blade was used on wood in a
The polishes were moderatelydeveloped, the edges rotarymotion. No polish was found on the tip; rather,
formed a steep angle, and micro-flakeremovalsorigi- the polish occurredapproximately one cm away fromit.
natedfromthe dorsalsurfaces.A bone/antlerpolish was As was the case for the previouslydescribedbone/antler

12. Audouzeet al., op. cit. (in note 2) 141. 13. Ibid. 139.
 Journal of Field Archaeology/Vol. 13, 1986 217

B Figure3. Meatpolishon the rightedge of the bladein Figure2A.

i' Jz

Figure 4. Dry-hide polish on the distal end of the right edge of the
flake ln Figure 2B.

0 1 2cm
l l l

Figure 2. (A) Blade used for cutting meat; (B) flake used for cutting
and scraping dry hide; (C) blade used on hide in a transverse motion,
probably for dehairing skins; (D) dihedral burin used for boring bone
or antler. Both edges and the dorsal ridge show hide hafting traces Figure 5. t3[idepolish from dehairing skins on the blade in Figure 2C.
218 StoneArtifactsfrom Verberie,FrancelSymens
Figure6. Bone or antlerpolishon the burinin Figure2D.
working tool having polish in a similar location, this
blade probablywas used to broadenan existing hole.
Four retouched tools were used for boring wood
(TABLE2). One of these is a combinationborer/burin.
The burin bit is broken off, but one of the two burin
spalls that could be refittedto it revealedwood polish
and striationsperpendicularto the workingedge, sug-
gesting that the tool had been used for boring. The
oppositeend had a similarfunction.Othertools used for
boring wood included a bec, a truncatedblade, and a
dihedralburinwith tertiaryretouch.Finally,the unmod-
ified edge of a burinon a breakwas seen to have been
used for cuttingwood.
Plunt Working
Only two blades were used to cut plantmaterial,one
of which showedtracesof use on bothlateraledges. The
polish did not resemble a typical smooth plant polish,
but insteadhad a ratherdull appearanceand exhibiteda
numberof striations.It is most probablethat this indi-
cated the workingof plantslow in silica content.l4
Form/Function Relationships
As notedabove, one goal of this studywas to examine
the relationshipbetweentool morphologyand function.
The ability to make satisfactorycomparisonsdepended
largely upon sample sizes. The numberof endscrapers
analyzed (n=6) was clearly too small to addressthis
question(see TABLE2). It can simply be noted thatfour
14. M. E. Mansur has reported similar results (personal communi-
cation 1981).
endscraperswere used on hide andtwo on bone. Among
the burinsrecoveredfrom the site, dihedralburinswere
the most numerousSalthoughburinson truncationand
burinson a breakwere also presentin the assemblage.15
Burins were used almost exclusively to work bone or
antler,and both boringand gravingactivitieswere rep-
resented(TABLE2). Two burins,however,were used for
boringwood. Dihedralburinswere used for bothboring
and graving;the greaterproportionof the straightdi-
hedral burins being employed for boring. Among the
angle burinson a breakand the burinson convex trun-
cation that were examined,all were used to gravebone
or antler.In short it was determinedthatburinbits with
a sharpor acuteanglewereequallysuitedforbothboring
andgraving.Burinbits with steep angleswereusedonly
ror gravlng.
,. .
With the exception of the few cases in which the
activityor methodof use could not be determinedpre-
cisely, becs and piercerswere used exclusivelyfor bor-
ing. Their association with the working of bone and
antleris apparent;only one bec and one piercerwere
used to work wood.
Two types of truncatedbladeswere identifiedat Ver-
berie:transverseand oblique. Schmiderl6has suggested
thatthese two typesreflecttwo separate,butunspecified,
functions.Unfortunately,the numberof truncatedblades
that were examined (one transverseand three oblique
truncations)is too small to test Schmider'shypothesis.
The transversetruncatedblade and one of the oblique
truncatedblades were used for scrapingbone or antler.
A second oblique truncatedblade was used for boring
wood, while the functionof the thirdcould not be de-
termined.Thus, at least two differentfunctionsare rep-
resented. Using the present data, these cannot be
ascribedto a particularformalcategory.
Twenty-eightbackedbladeletswereexamined,five of
which showed traces of use consistingof a very faint
meatpolish. The polish was locatedon the distalhalf of
the unretouchededges and was occasionallyassociated
with a few striationsparallel to the edge. The edges
showedonly fainttracesof damage.The specificmethod
of use could not be inferredfrom the microweartraces.
Keeley, however, examinedfive backedbladeletsfrom
Verberieand suggestedthatthey once servedas projec-
tile points or, less likely, as knife insets.l7Impactfrac-
turesoccurredon one specimen,an indicationthatit had
been used as a projectile.E.H. Moss and M.H. New-
comer have conducteda numberof experimentsusing
backedbladeletsand have comparedtheirexperimental
15. Audouzeet al., op. cit. (in note 2) 114-123.
16. Ibid. 118.
17. Ibid. 139-141.

results to specimensfrom Pincevent.l8They suggested
that the backedbladeletsfrom that site served as barbs
and points of projectiles;their use as meat knives was
considereda secondaryfunction.
UnmodifiedBlades and Flakes
As noted above, the majorityof the unmodifiedarti-
facts that were examinedappearedto have been used.
Soft materials,such as meatandhide, wereworkedmost
frequently,with a cutting motion. Only a few blades
were used for differentactivitiesor on differentmateri-
als. Meat slicing was the most commonactivityrepre-
sented among the unretouchedblades from Verberie
(TABLE1). The large majorityof these were robust,nat-
urally-backedpieces belongingto a distinctstage of the
core reductionsequence.19Followinginitialcore prepa-
ration, these blades were removedfrom cores with op-
posed striking platforms. They were recovered some
distanceaway from the knappingarea with which they
areassociatedthroughrefitting,whilethosethatoccurred
within the knappingarea exhibitedno use-weartraces.
Subsequentcore reduction, originatingfrom a single
platform,produced"ordinary" blades, generallylacking
corticaledges, and were left largelyunused.In contrast
to blades belongingto the earlierreductionstage, "or-
dinary"blades showing use traceswere employedon a
varietyof materials.The single bec usedfor cuttingmeat
also had a corticaledge, probablyindicatinga reuse of
the blade on which it was shaped. Apparently,the un-
retouchedblank first was used for slicing meat, after
whichactivitythe implementwas modifiedinto the form
of a bec. A similar sequence of reuse can be inferred
for one burin,thoughin this case the unretouchedlateral
edge had been used on hide.
Lithic reductionstrategiesat Verberieclearly were
aimedat the manufactureof blades;flakesappearto be
manufacturing by-productsor waste.20While two of the
ten flakes examinedshowed tracesof use, one also ex-
hibits regular, parallel edges and ridges and is more
properlyreferredto as a blade-likeflake.
The study of the unretouchedblades from Verberie
has added significantnew data relatingto the identifi-
cation of onsite activities. Indeed, the majorityof meat
and hide workingat the site was carriedout with these
implements.Conversely,the workingof more durable
18. E.M. Moss and M.H. Newcomer,"Reconstruction of Tool Use
at Pincevent:MicrowearandExperiments,"
Studia Praehistorica Bel-
gica 2 (1982) 289-312.
19. Audouzeet al., op. cit. (in note 2) 124-129.
20. Ibid. 124.
Journalof Field ArchaeologylVol.13, 1986 219
materials, such as bone and antler, was undertaken
largelywith retouchedimplements.
Table 1 shows the relationshipbetween edge angles
of unretouchedimplementsand their inferredfunctions
determinedthroughmicrowearanalysis.Edge anglesfor
meatcuttingimplementsclusterbetween35-49 degrees.
Othercuttingactivitieswere performedprimarilywithin
this range, but sharperedges also appearto have been
selected for hide working. Steeperangles clearly were
selectedfor scrapingactivities.
The only comparablestudies of unmodifiedblades
analyzedusing the methodsdescribedabove, are those
reportedby H. Juel Jensen21for the Mesolithicsite of
AgerodV, Sweden, andby Keeley22for the LatePaleo-
lithic site of Meer II, Belgium. At Agerod V, the ma-
jorityof unretouchedbladesshowedtracesof use. While
a varietyof functionswere represented,plant working
was the dominantactivity. A correlationbetweenedge
angle and the degree of utility also was revealed. No
meatknives were found, thoughthis mightbe the result
of reuse of these implementsor of horizontalsampling
bias.23The unretouchedblades and flakes from the site
of Meer II were largelyunused.24
Hafting
Clearevidence for haftingwas found on severalim-
plements. The hafting materialsconsisted of bone or
antlerand hide. A bone or antlerhaft can be recognized
by traces (or spots) of polish scatteredalong the edges
andridgesof the lithic artifacts.If unmodified,the edges
show damageon both their ventraland dorsalaspects.
Most haftedtools had retouchededges, however,prob-
ably indicatingthat they had been modifiedin orderto
accommodatethe haft. Eleven tools were haftedin this
way. Similarkindsof traceswerefoundon one proximal
and one medialblade fragment.Experimentswith haft-
ing have generatedresultscomparableto thosedescribed
above, althoughthe polishes were generallyless well-
developedthanthose identifiedfromthe site of Verberie.
Fourtools exhibitedwell-developedhide polish along
their lateraledges and dorsalridges. The polish appar-
entlyresultedfromcontactwith a drypad, usedfor hand
protection.
Finally, a few tools showed haftingtracesconsisting
of bothbone/antlerandhide. In these cases, a hide wrap
21. Juel Jensen, loc. cit. (in note 1).
22. L.H. Keeley, "Preliminary Microwear Analysis of the Meer As-
semblage," in F. Van Noten, ed., Les Chasseursde Meer(De Tempel:
Brugge 1978) 73-86.
23. Juel Jensen, loc. cit. (in note 1).
24. Keeley, loc. cit. (in note 22).
 \ - ov o - o o s K

220 StoneArtifactsfrom Verberie,FrancelSymens

Figure7. Generaldistributionof utilized gX

g g l X § w

implementsfromVerberie.Onlyrefitsbe-
tweenbrokenartifactsareillustrated.
5
-

2 : f :fU: i d: : DAto-.-:--o
oo
J . .o WB '->f\.'f
S 202

S20
1
20

19

'\ Vl ,' Vll *-

*. \ *, ,, s
18 > * s /

, * o ,

Vllto
, ^ vo,

17 \ o ,,
\ ,

16

| . s . . . . . .

A B C D E F G H
0 1m
* bone/ antler work ing
Ohide working
* meat work ing
A plarit and wood working
z meat or fresh hide working

may have been used to secure the implementsmore
firmly into a bone or antlersleeve in such a way that
partsof the flint edges were in contactwith both mate-
rials.
Becauseof theirsmallsize, it seems likely thatbacked
bladeletswould have been hafted, althoughat Verberie
none of them exhibitedpositive wear tracesattributable
to hafting. Haftedspecimensrecoveredfromthe site of
Lascaux25were set in resin an arrangementnot likely
to be identifiedthroughmicrowearanalysis.26
At Verberie, morphologicallyidentical implements
25. J. Allain and Arl. Leroi-Gourhan,LascauxInconnu.XIIIieme
Supplementa Gallia Pre'histoire(CNRS:Paris 1979) 100-103.
26. Moss and Newcomer,op. cit. (in note 18) 292.
were used both with and without hafts, and in many
cases similartool types receiveddifferenthaftingtreat-
ment.
Spatial Relationships
The distributionof lithic implements,alongwith their
inferredfunctions,has been plottedon the groundplan
of Verberie.Figure 7 includes data obtainedfrom this
study and from the resultsof a preliminaryanalysisof
Verberielithic artifactsundertakenby Keeley.27
The working of wood and plant materialswas not
common.These activitiesappearto havebeen randomly
27. Audouzeet al., op. cit. (in note 2) 137-141.
 ), .............. / s .............. y _ _ * / ' _ ,, _, -n' ' ,, ' 8 \ -

Journalof Field ArchaeologylVol.13, 1986 221

l
w
l
l
l
l
l
w
l
|
X
l
W
|
Figure 8. Distribution of artifacts used to
work bone or antler, according to the
method of use.

o ' CR-o \-/-/ l

\\s l < -

S202
/o' W b ,
S20 1
20
o \ \ s '-' o s °

\ ^ ')

1 9

* '\ 8 , o

18
, _ > ., _ _ .

, \

, ^ , .,

,/ o , .,
17
,' o ,' .,

_ _

16

* R X s * s

A B C D E F G H
0 1m
. . o bor i ng
^ graving
* scraping
^ sawing

distributedacross the site. Meat knives were also dis- VII contained a considerablenumberof bone/antler-
persed quite randomly,althougha small concentration workingtools, particularlythe doublemicroborersstud-
of meat knives occurredin squaresG1-G2 (Zone IX). ied by Keeley. This area was dominatedby boringim-
Backed bladelets were found primarily around the plements, nearly all of which were used specificallyto
hearth,where they may have been discardedduringre- work antler.One doublebec from this areawas refitted
tooling activities. Hideworkingtools were distributed with a bec from Zone VIII, which also contained a
evenly acrossthe site, regardlessof theirmannerof use numberof bone/antlerboringimplements.It appearsthat
(scraping,cutting, or dehairing). similaractivitieswere carriedout in these areas. Zone
A largesampleof bone- and antler-working tools was IV appearsto have been a dump.28
identifiedfrom Verberie,most of which were locatedin The activityareasdiscussedabove have been defined
the vicinity of the hearth(FIGURE8). The easterncon- on the basis of the location and function of utilized
centrationconsistedlargelyof gravingimplements;both implementsfrom the site. It is possible, however, that
boringand gravingactivitiesare seen to have occurred the location of resharpeningflakes may be a betterin-
in Zone II. Boringand gravingactivitiesappearto have
been concentratedin the southernsectorof the site. Zone 28. Ibid. 110.
222 StoneArtifactsfrom Verberie,FrancelSymens

dicatorof use-areas.29The data availablenow are only

suggestiveof specific activityareas,andmustbe treated Nicole Symensreceivedher M.A. in Archaeologyfrom
as hypotheses.It is hopedthatthe studyof resharpening the KatholiekeUniversiteitte Leuvenin 1982. She is
flakes from the site will providea test for these prelim- currentlyinvolvedin a microwearanalysis of
inaryfindings. Gravettianand Aurignacianstone artifactsfrom the
Geissenklosterle,a cave site in the SwabianAlb
Conclusions (southernGermany).Mailingaddress:Laboratorium
Microwearanalysisof the lithicimplementsfromVer- voor Prehistorie,KatholiekeUniversiteitte Leuven,
berie has revealeda ratherrestrictedrangeof functions. Redingenstraat16 bis, 3000 Leuven,Belgium.
The workingof bone and antlerwas, on the basis of the
numberof tools involved, the most frequentactivityat
the site. Meat cutting also seems to have been a major
functionfor lithic artifacts.The workingof hides, wood,
and other plant materialoccurredsomewhat less fre-
quently.
The unmodifiedflint blades representedan important
componentof the toolkit at Verberie.Some activities,
such as meat and hide cutting, as well as depilationof
skins, were restrictedalmost entirelyto this partof the
assemblage.While it is possiblethata morecomprehen-
sive analysisof all unmodifiedblades might reveal ad-
ditionalfunctions, it is unlikely that the primarytasks
identifiedhere would changedramatically.
The functionsof burins, becs, and piercerswere as-
sociatedprimarilywith the workingof bone and antler.
Keeley arrived at similar conclusions concerningthe
functionsof comparabletypes recoveredfrom the site
of MeerII.30
The horizontaldistributionof artifactswas also ex-
aminedin light of the microwearanalysis.Specificareas
of use and discardof lithic implementswere hypothe-
sized. These suggestionsare amenableto furthertesting
throughdistributionalstudies of resharpeningflakes at
the site.
Finally, this study demonstratesthat the elucidation
and interpretationof functionalvariabilityin lithic as-
semblagesare enhancedby the considerationof the un-
retouched or unmodified components of the lithic
industry.The samecan be saidfor the analysisof activity
areason Paleolithicsites.

Acknowledgments
I would like to thankFrangoiseAudouzewho kindly
gave me the permissionto analyzethe materialand to
Daniel Cahen for his helpful commentsand assistance
duringthe analysis.PeterGendeleditedthe Englishtext
andprovidedcommentson a firstdraftof this paper.All
photographswere takenat the Laboratoryof Prehistory,
KatholiekeUniversiteitte Leuven.
29. D. Cahen,L.H. Keeley, andF. VanNoten, "StoneTools, Tool-
kits, and HumanBehaviorin Prehistory,"CA 20 (1979) 661-683.
30. L.H. Keeley, loc. cit. (in note 22).