Table 1 Recovery location, extraction group assignment, raw material, technological class, approximate age range and evaluation of use traces for the artefacts selected for this study.

From: Combined organic biomarker and use-wear analyses of stone artefacts from Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia

Artefacta

Depthb (cm)

Extraction groupc,d

Raw material

Technological class

Stratigraphic unit

Age rangee (ka)

Use-wear traces noted during initial macroscopic/low-magnification inspection, before cleaning

Use-wear analysis under low- and high-magnification, after cleaning

XXIV-43

60

G1

quartz

non-artefact

8

5–1

absent

unused

XXIV-42

62

G1

silicified tuff

flake

8

5–1

absent

definite use, but unsure of the material processed

XXIV-79

63

G1

chalcedony

broken flake

8

11–5

absent

unusedh

XXIV-56

71

G1

silicified tuff

broken retouched flake

8

5–1

absent

definite use, but unsure of the material processed

XXIV-69

76

G1

chert

flake

8

11–5

absent

definite use, includes plant

XXV-3923

504

G1

chert

flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

possible use

XXV-3951

516

G2

andesite

flake from pounding stone or anvil (no used flake margin)

6

14.01–11.75

absent

definite use from pounding, but unsure of the material processed (possibly mineral pigment)

XXV-3950

519

G2

chert

core

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXV-3957

522

G1

silicified tuff

broken flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXV-3959

522

G2

chert

core

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXV-4022

528

G2

silicified tuff

flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

probable use

XXV-4128

538

G1

chalcedony

broken flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXV-4130

539

G1

chert

broken flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXV-4132

542

G2

chert

broken flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXV-4203

554

G1

chalcedony

retouched flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

possible useh

XXV-4254

560

G1

silicified tuff

flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXV-4253

562

G1

chalcedony

flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXV-4286

566

G1

silicified tuff

broken flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXV-4283

571

G1

chert

flake (burnt)

6

14.01–11.75

absent

probable use

XXVI-4338

534

G1

chert

flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXVI-4410

538

G2

chalcedony

core

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXVI-4413

538

G1

chert

flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

probable use

XXVI-4531

551

G2

silicified tuff

core

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unusedh

XXVI-4581-Af

558

G1

silicified tuff

retouched flake

6

14.01–11.75

absent

possible use

XXVI-4581-Bf

558

G1

chert

debris

6

14.01–11.75

absent

unused

XXVI-4655

584

G2

andesite

broken hammerstone

6

18.58–13.75

absent

definite use as hammer (stone on stone)

XXVI-4963

623

G2

silicified tuff

flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

unused

XXVI-4964

625

G1

silicified tuff

flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

probable use

XXVI-4965

625

G2

silicified tuff

retouched flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

possible useh

XXVI-4966-Af

625

G1

chert

broken retouched flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

definite use, but unsure of the material processedh

XXVI-4966-Bf

625

G1

chert

flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

unused

XXVI-4828

630

G1

silicified tuff

broken flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

unused

XXVI-5004-Af

630

G1

chert

broken retouched flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

probable use

XXVI-5004-Bf

630

G1

silicified tuff

flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

unused

XXVI-5045

637

G2

silicified tuff

flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

unused

XXVI-5046

637

G1

chert

broken retouched flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

definite use, but unsure of the material processed

XXVI-5047

638

G1

chert

flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

unused

XXVI-5048

638

G1

silicified tuff

broken flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

unusedh

XXVI-5106

646

G1

silicified tuff

flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

possible use

XXVI-5107

649

G1

silicified tuff

flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

unused

XXVI-5108

649

G2

silicified tuff

flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

probable use

XXVI-5135

657

G1

silicified tuff

non-diagnostic artefact

6

18.97–17.45

absent

possible use

XXVI-5151

662

G2

chert

flake

6

18.97–17.45

absent

definite use, but unsure of the material processed

XXIV-68

77

G3

chert

broken retouched flake

8

11–5

present

probable use

XXIV-67

79

G3

silicified tuff

flake

8

11–5

present

unused

XXV-3932

509

G3

chert

flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

possible use

XXV-3931

513

G5

chalcedony

flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

definite use, and the material (plant) can be identified by use-wear

XXV-3955

517

G4

silicified tuff

flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

possible use

XXV-3953

521

G5

silicified tuff

retouched flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

possible use

XXV-3956

521

G4

chert

flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

possible use

XXV-3954g

523

G4

chert

flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

definite use, and the material (plant) can be identified by use-wear

XXV-4025g

526

G5

silicified tuff

broken retouched flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

probable use

XXV-4256

558

G4

silicified tuff

flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

probable use

XXV-4255

561

G4

chert

broken flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

definite use, but unsure of the material processedi

XXV-4443

618

G4

chert

broken flake

6

18.58–13.75

present

definite use, but unsure of the material processedi

XXV-4619

629

G3

chert

broken flake

6

18.97–17.45

present

probable use

XXVI-4257

525

G3

chert

retouched flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

definite use, and the material (plant) can be identified by use-wear

XXVI-4337

530

G5

jasper

retouched flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

unusedi

XXVI-4414

539

G4

chert

flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

possible use

XXVI-4411

541

G5

chert

retouched flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

definite use, but unsure of the material processed

XXVI-4412

541

G3

chert

broken flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

definite use, but unsure of the material processed

XXVI-4534-Af,g

552

G5

silicified tuff

flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

possible usei

XXVI-4534-Bf

552

G3

quartz

broken flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

unusedi

XXVI-4532

554

G5

chert

retouched flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

definite use, but unsure of the material processed

XXVI-4533-Af

554

G3

jasper

core

6

14.01–11.75

present

possible use

XXVI-4533-Bf

554

G3

silicified tuff

broken flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

definite use, but unsure of the material processed

XXVI-4579

557

G3

chert

flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

possible use

XXVI-4583

560

G3

chalcedony

broken flake

6

14.01–11.75

present

possible use

XXVI-5002g

627

G4

silicified tuff

flake

6

18.97–17.45

present

definite use, but unsure of the material processed

  1. aThe excavated Sector number is given in Roman numerals, and the subsequent number refers to the sequential order in which the artefact was excavated/recorded within each respective Sector.
  2. bThe depth each artefact was recovered as measured from the present cave floor surface for each respective Sector.
  3. cFor artefacts where traces of use are absent after initial inspection, G1 (n = 30) and G2 (n = 13) specimens required 16–30 mL and 50–100 mL of extraction solvent for total submersion, respectively.
  4. dFor artefacts where traces of use are present after initial inspection, the volume ranges used for edge-of-interest (E1) and total submersion (E2) extractions were: 1–4 mL and 4–40 mL, respectively, for G3 specimens; 4–8 mL and 30–70 mL, respectively, for G4 specimens; and 4–30 mL and 50–120 mL, respectively, for G5 specimens.
  5. eFor Sectors XXV and XXVI, approximate age ranges are based on calibrated radiocarbon ages (in thousands of years before AD 1950) obtained from charcoal recovered in situ during excavation of sediments stratigraphically above and below the stone artefacts (upper and lower 95% confidence intervals for the oldest and youngest ages, respectively)17. For Sector XXIV, approximate age ranges are based on biostratigraphy and calibrated radiocarbon ages reported in Morley et al.35.
  6. fOn occasion, two stone artefacts were found in the same sediment pedestal; ‘A’ refers to the first artefact that was partially exposed during excavation, and ‘B’ refers to the second artefact that was initially concealed within the pedestal and only revealed within the laboratory.
  7. gSpecimen with more than one edge with traces of use.
  8. hArtefacts with no provisional traces of use, containing either β-sitosterol, abietic acid or cholesterol detectable by GC-MS.
  9. iArtefacts with provisional traces of use, yielding no taxonomically-specific analytes that were monitored by GC-MS.