AMBIGUOUS USE TRACES AND BLIND TEST-RESULTS - NEW DATA

Blind tests of high-magnification microwear analysis have produced variable results, leading some researchers to doubt that there are differences in the appearance of the use-polishes on which the method relies. In this paper, we report the results of a blind test which was designed to (1) test further the hypothesis that different materials produce distinctive wear patterns on the edges of stone tools and (2) evaluate the effects on blind test results of classifying ambiguous wear traces as evidence of use on "unknown" materials. The success of our test indicates that it is indeed possible to derive accurate interpretations of stone tool uses from use-wear traces, but that this is possible only when such traces are interpreted cautiously. Both of these assertions are supported not only by the empirical results of this and other blind tests, but also by our current theoretical understanding of the process by which microwear polishes form. © 1990.