Experimental archaeology for the interpretation of use-wear. The case study of the small tools of Fontana Ranuccio (late Lower Palaeolithic, Central Italy)

Recent technological studies of Levantine and European lithic assemblages from the Late Lower Palaeolithic show that the small unretouched and retouched flakes (small tools) found in many sites of this period are relevant technological elements. Their presence in the lithic assemblages of the Late Lower Palaeolithic allows us to reconsider the role of bifacial tools as techno-cultural markers of this chronological phase. In this article we discuss the relevance of experimental archaeology for the interpretation of the use-wear observed on the small tools from the Acheulean site of Fontana Ranuccio located in Central Italy (Latium).