Diagnostic impact fractures and micro-wear analysis: revisiting the lunate and el-Khiam point succession as a projectile-hunting technological development

The assumed function of Epipalaeolithic microliths and later Pre-Pottery Neolithic points as projectile armatures used for hunting is widely accepted among scholars working in southwest Asia. This identification is largely based on the presence of diagnostic impact fractures, and the relative frequency of these artefacts in an assemblage is used to discuss site function, social organization, mobility pattern and subsistence strategy. Several recent studies that have applied micro-wear analysis show that these artefacts were in fact versatile tools, often used for an array of tasks other than as projectiles. Hence, to ensure a reliable functional interpretation of chipped stone projectiles, a revision of their identification criteria is needed. In this study, we apply a more rigorous identification protocol using a combined approach of diagnostic impact fractures with micro-wear analysis to analyse typical late Epipalaeolithic lunates and Pre-Pottery Neolithic A el-Khiam points from the site of Shubayqa 6, Jordan. The results show that the artefacts were primarily used for tasks other than projectiles. This raises the possibility that fibre-based hunting equipment such as nets and traps, artefacts that due to their often ephemeral nature sometimes are overlooked in archaeological discussions, may have formed a significant part of the hunting gear at Shubayqa 6. The micro-wear study further showed an increase in identified projectiles towards the end of the occupational sequence. This may suggest a change in hunting technology that could be related to a shift in the social organization of the community, away from communal efforts towards emerging specialization and task-specific groups.