Retouch Identification, Location, and Analysis

The retouch type, orientation, shape, and pattern of retouch on each graver spur was recorded, as well as the location of each spur/employed unit (EU) (based on the 8- polar coordinate system; Figure 5.1).

6.6.1 Spur Location

Employed units (spurs) were created on all of the polar coordinates (PC). The majority of EUs, however, were created in either PC 1 or 8 (which are located distally), followed by PC 7 or 2 (which are lateral-distally located), with the least amount of EUs being created on PC 3 through 6 (which are laterally and proximally located) (Figure 5.1). Only complex gravers have EUs created in PCs 4 and 5 and of course these forms often are extensively retouched along multiple edges so this is perhaps a not unexpected result. In comparison, single spur gravers are created on all polar coordinates except PC 4 and 5, double spur gravers are created on all polar coordinates except PC 3, 4, and 5, and multiple spur gravers are created on all polar coordinates except PC 4, 5, and 6 (see Figure 6.6); that is, all forms tend to not have spurs at their proximal ends. The thick platform/proximal ends of flakes are not edges on which it is easy to produce the spurs. It is also possible that the thicker proximal ends may be easier to grip when using the tool or a stronger area to mount a haft if an item was part of a composite tool. This is

consistent with the idea that EUs tend to be opposite the proximal end on single spur gravers, being predominately fashioned on PCs 1 and 8, as are the EUs of multiple-spur gravers.

There is a difference between the EU polar coordinates of spurs on single and multiple spur gravers, however. EUs on single spur gravers occur on PC1 27% of the time and on PC 8 42% of the time, whereas on multiple spur gravers this trend is reversed, with EUs occurring on PC1 43% of the time, and on PC8 29% of the time. Complex graver EUs are predominately fashioned on PC 1, followed closely by PCs 7 and 8. Since multiple spur gravers by their nature have more spurs than single spur gravers, it is not surprising that a greater number of multiple spur graver EUs happen to be created on PC1. Interestingly, EUs on double spur gravers are created fairly equally on

PCs 1 and 2, and PCs 7 and 8 or as a whole, the adjacent areas of the flake blank edge towards its distal end. This placement likely results due to the close spacing between EUs on double spur gravers, which is necessitated by their action and tool-use, as will be discussed in the next chapter. No statistically significant difference exists between EU locations (p-values > 0.050).

Figure 6.6: Distribution of employed units (grouped by graver type) based on polar coordinates (n=86)

6.6.2 Retouch Type, Orientation, Shape and Pattern

Normal abrupt retouch is the most common retouch type, followed by micro- retouch (see Appendix B for definitions). Retouch is generally oriented on the dorsal surface of the gravers (n= 71, 82.6%), although it is occasionally alternated (n= 8, 9.3%), or found on the ventral surface (n= 3, 3.5%). Generally, the retouch shape is pointed (n= 65, 75.6%), while the retouch pattern is quite varied.

When compared across the Gainey and Parkhill phases, no statistically significant differences exist in retouch type, orientation, shape or pattern. There is a significant difference in retouch type, however, when compared between the Parkhill and Crowfield phases (U= 24.000, Z= -2.648, p-value= 0.008). This result may be attributed in part to differences in sample size, as there are only 3 EUS occurring on the one graver from the Crowfield phase, whereas there are 67 EUs found on gravers from the Parkhill phase. The three EUs on the graver from the Crowfield site were formed using micro-retouch,

whereas only 20.9% of EUs on gravers from the Parkhill phase were created using micro- retouch. The majority of spurs (68.7%) created on gravers from the Parkhill phase were

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 C ount Polar Coordinate Complex Double Multiple Single Indeterminate n=24 n=14 n=21 n=1

created using normal abrupt retouch. When compared between the two most prominent raw material types (Fossil Hill and Onondaga), the Mann-Whitney U test indicates that there is a statistically significant difference in retouch type (U= 98.500, Z= -2.074, p- value= 0.038). Spurs created from Fossil Hill chert are most often created using normal abrupt retouch (66.7%), whereas spurs created from Onondaga chert are most often created using micro-retouch (60%). The other retouch variables do not differ significantly when compared between these two raw materials.

The retouch variables were also examined across graver types. While there is no significant difference in retouch type or retouch orientation between graver types, the Kruskal-Wallis test indicates that there is a statistically significant difference in retouch shape (p-value= 0.030) and retouch pattern (p-value= 0.001) between graver types. The Mann-Whitney U test was utilized in order to determine which of the graver types differ significantly from each other in terms of retouch shape and retouch pattern. The only pair of graver types that show statistically significant differences in retouch shape are the multiple spur and complex gravers (U= 144.000, Z= -3.546, p-value= 0.000). These two classes of graver types differ because the spurs on multiple graver types often occur closely spaced together, which can allow their retouch type to be classified as denticulate, whereas on complex gravers, the spurs are often found on opposite sides of the flake, rendering their retouch shape only pointed.

In comparison, four pairs of graver types show statistically significant differences in retouch pattern (see Appendix C). The difference between single spur and multiple spur gravers and single spur and complex spur gravers occurs because single spur gravers most often have a parallel retouch pattern (46.2%), whereas multiple spur and complex gravers most often have a scalar retouch pattern (52.4% and 41.7%, respectively). This same pattern is observed in the double spur gravers, where 57.1% of the spurs have a parallel retouch pattern, in comparison to the scalar retouch pattern found more commonly on the spurs from multiple and complex gravers. Only the single spur and double spur pairing and the multiple spur and complex spur pairing show no significant difference in the retouch pattern. The retouch variables differ more when compared across graver types than did the metric measurements, which could be due to differences in which individuals created the different gravers. Retouch variables could differ between

graver types as well, since differences in retouch patterns could result from the placement of spurs in relation to each other as well as in relation to the flake/artifact on which they were made.