Functional analysis of Middle Palaeolithic flint tools through experimental use wear analysis: the case of Prado Vargas (Cornejo) and Fuente Mudarra (Atapuerca), northern Spain

Abstract

There are functional differences related to the peculiarities of each settlement. The material used to manufacture tools is one of the key factors in the analysis of use-wear traces in traceological studies. An experiment was conducted to test the development of these functional traces in two types of flints found at two Middle Palaeolithic settlements: Neogene flint, from the Fuente Mudarra open-air site Sierra de Atapuerca, and Cretaceous flint, from the Prado Vargas cave site, Ojo Guareña. After reviewing the characteristic of each type of flint, they were compared to previous archaeological studies in order to check the reliability of the analysis of these settlements.