FUNCTIONAL STUDIES OF NEOLITHIC STONE AXES AND ADZES. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a series of recent experiments in which stone adzes and axes were used in woodworking, butchering, hide processing and hoeing activities. The aim of this work is to describe progress in the differentiation between the various kinds of use-wear on polished stone surfaces. The ultimate objective is to create a reference collection suitable for performing the use-wear analysis on polished adzes and axes discovered in archaeological contexts. Particularly, we wish to contribute to the understanding of the role that these tools played in the different economic and ritual activities of the Neolithic communities living in the North East of the Iberian Peninsula around the middle of the 5th and 4th millennium cal. BC.