Evaluating the performance of the cutting edge of Neanderthal shell tools: A new experimental approach. Use, mode of operation, and strength of Callista chione from a behavioural, Quina perspective

During Prehistory, shells have been used for subsistence, ornamentation, symbolic behaviour and tools. The investigation of shell tools has been mainly carried out from the viewpoint of functional analysis by investigating use-wear traces to reconstruct the functional value of these artefacts. Little attention has been devoted to investigating the mode of operation of shell tools. The aim of this study was to interpret the “potential of use” of shell tools from a socio-economic perspective. We used an innovative experimental approach to analyse Neanderthal tools made of Callista chione, to this end. Shell technology is well documented along the Mediterranean basin between MIS 5 and MIS 3. We designed and performed functional experiments to analyse the technical performance of the cutting edge of Callista chione tools during use, reproducing the artefacts with comparable procedures and technical gestures identified by previous studies. The experiments have allowed us to create a reference collection for the implementation of use-wear analysis on shell tool assemblages. Our results showed that the mode of operation of shell tools was related to (i) the strength and the microstructure of the shell; (ii) the geometry of the cutting edge; (iii) the ergonomics and the kinetics of the tools; and (iv) the social organisation of tasks. The implications of results for the socio-economic and functional interpretation of Quina scrapers are discussed. This study contributed to the comprehension of the variability of behaviours expressed within Neanderthal techno-complexes. This approach is promising to improve the interpretation of raw material selection and tool design.