Nov 05 2008 03:12 PMMicroscopy & Microtechniques
SURFACE TOMOGRAPHY AND METROLOGY
IN THE QUEST TO UNDERSTAND
PREHISTORIC MAN: AN APPLICATION
OF LASER SCANNING CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY
A problem restricting the application of lithic
microwear analysis to the study of stone tool
function in archaeology is the lack of
quantitative support for qualitative assessments
of different wear traces.
Here reflective LSCM is evaluated as a technique
for the study of microwear that can potentially
resolve this problem. A comparative evaluation
showed that images, rivalling that of the SEM,
can be produced in similar timescales to
conventional photomicrography and with no
need for casting or sample preparation.
This proves extremely useful for the qualitative
assessment and presentation of wear.
Metrological analysis of surface data from
samples used to work a range of materials
demonstrates clear and measurable differences
between roughness values of each wear polish.
This highlights the potential of the LSCM as a
suitable approach in lithic microwear research.
Whilst this experiment has limitations; a limited
range of worked materials, worked over a
controlled time scale.
It is argued that the results of this study are
potentially groundbreaking in this field of
research and a clear argument can be made that
further evaluation of the method is warranted.
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