Edge-wear analysis in archaeology. The current state of research

Abstract

The analytical method by which macroscopic and above all microscopic traces of wear are studied, in order to reach conclusions about how flint tools were employed, has been applied with varying success in western archaeology since the1960s. Two main approaches can be distinguished, where each approach examines somewhat different wear traces using different microscopic equipment. The
scanning electron microscope provides a complement to these. The problems associated with each approach are discussed, and the article concludes with a brief description of examples of how the method has been used in archaeology.