Use-wear analysis and post-depositional surface modifications of chipped stone artefacts. Terminology perspective

This paper deals with the methodology of use-wear analysis. Since the history of this kind of research has been scarce in Serbia, any engaging with the functional perspective of data that could be obtained from archaeological material that could provide new information about past communities should be encouraged. One of the basic preconditions for understanding the use-wear analysis is being familiar with the terms and their meaning. This can be described as the first step in introducing new ways of gathering data on human activities in the scientific environment. Terminology is frequently not established in many aspects of lithic studies (in technological and typological analysis as well). It is very important to propose a dictionary that will be used in research considering authors sometimes have different views of explaining a concept or phenomenon that has the same term. Most common examples of this are nouns as production, reduction, and industry. Basic use-wear analysis methodology used on chipped stone artеfacts is presented in this paper as a way of showing how terms have an important role in presenting the perspective of analysis. Examples of LPA and HPA approach on material from Lepenski Vir, Vinča – Belo Brdo and Belovode site and some observations on experiments analyzed on etallographic microscope are presented in this paper as an important marker of distinction of different use traces on knapped materials. Hopefully, this kind of synthesis will be helpful for future research projects connected with the functional analysis of chipped stone artefacts in Serbia.